Technology Director Highlights ROI on Resume

Technology Director Highlights ROI on ResumeTechnology Director Highlights ROI on ResumeThad Fox took his time completing a self-assessment before handing over his resume for a rewrite. The result spells out his ROI in capital letters.Andrew Pearl, a certified resume writer, tells job binnenseekers it will take about 45 minutes to complete the worksheet he sends them to prepare for the resume rewrites he does for Ladders.Thaddeus Fox took between 10 and 12 days.Spending such a long time mulling over questions entails both diligence and soul-searching - elements that the 53-year-old, senior technology manager said made all the difference.The most important thing, which I cannot emphasize enough for people who are evaluating the cost of doing this, is that the resume worksheet, if you take it to heart, if you dont just scrape stuff off your old resume and put in on the form and say, Here it is, I did it in 45 minutes, is the most crucial thing if you go back and earnestly answer those questions on that resume worksheet you will often discover you had forgotten some of your most important accomplishments and that you went well beyond the job description in your performance, Fox said.Ten to 12 days implies a lot of soul-searching. What else did Fox do during that time?He conducted intense research. Although hes now a technologist with solid managerial chops, Foxs career originally started on the financial side of business. That financial background helped him back up everything he said in his resume (and resume-building worksheet) with cold, hard financial data.Pull statistics from annual reportsTo begin with, Fox researched financial statements of the public companies for which he had worked to ensure that anything he claimed on his resume could be backed up by verifiable profit/loss figures and tangible evidence of business growth. Such research bolstered the strength and credibility in myriad instances.One example is in the description of his accomplishments du ring the 10 years he spent at a recent position as director of technology at Innisbrook Golf Resort/Starwood Hotels and Resorts in Palm Harbor, Fla.In his work supporting capital and operating budgets, Fox saved Innisbrook a lot of money. But his original resume described the cost savings in a vague mannerI successfully planned and controlled a variety of projects for the owner and management company under very tight cash flow circumstances that culminated in positioning the property for a triumphant purchase and sale in 2007 to Salamander Hospitality, the original resume stated.Fox knew, as a business-savvy manager, that words such as successfully and triumphant need to be backed up with precise data relating to the bottom line. Thats what he researched, and the results show in the resume he and Pearl completed. The rewritten resume now delves into financial details. It also quantifies Foxs role in major technology initiatives and financial dealings, including vendor negotiations, and spells out exactly where the cost savings were found.Heres just one of many such passages in the new resumeDrove property to close 5-year combined lease/maintenance package for $1.2M Nortel Options 81C and single- and multi-mode optical fiber and copper infrastructure renovation project reduced cash requirements for project from $1.2M to $503K by negotiating a Managed Voice Services contract with Verizon. New infrastructure enabled resort to stay open when old PBX failed after lightning strike.Fox didnt stop with financial details gleaned from statements and his personal record-keeping, however.Insert comments from past performance reviewsHe also dug into his files to pull up assessments of his strengths from executive retreats.Those assessments provided an invaluable blueprint when it came time for Pearl to write the summary paragraph at the top of his new resume. A portion of that summary shows how he employed such assessmentsDiverse and customer-focused manager who demonstrat es unique combination of technical, business, and financial savvy. Energetic self-starter with strong communication, leadership, problem-solving, analytical, negotiation, and training skills.Foxs experience with the resume-rewriting process showed him that its not enough to pull from an old resume - that he had to be open to finding qualities and skills that Pearl could fold in as the resume writer emphasized Foxs strengths.Fox said he feels two things are critical in the resume-reworking process The first is the resume critique. Anybody who uses Ladders Web site should take advantage of the resume critique, he said. For the bluntness and the clarity of comments, and for them putting my resume in front of me and letting me know, Heres what youre saying to employers with this resume. That sparked in me a dialogue of honesty. And it lets you see the weakness of what you originally thought was a pretty good resume.The second critical component is to hand off the resume to others befor e you put it in front of employers. Fox submitted his before and after resumes to people whose opinion he trusts. When he asked for their gut reaction, he knew the resume rewrite had struck gold. You get responses back like This is amazing. This shows your achievements, shows you at your real level, he said.The result, he said, was catharsis. Others said, You were reborn. I said yes, I had been, Fox said. And the process was extremely important in getting there.

7 signs your work is more fulfilling than your romantic relationship

7 signs your work is mora fulfilling than your romantic relationship7 signs your work is mora fulfilling than your romantic relationshipLets face it. It can be hard to pull yourself away from work.All the more so if you genuinely like your career, receive praise and promotions for burning the midnight oil, and especially when you seeexecs like Elon Musk and Jack Ma boastingabout the extreme lengths they will go to for their careers.But research has shown that its our relationships outside of work thatmake us the happiest in the long run.The good berichterstattung? A few small changes can go a long way in resetting your relationship while still honoring your passion for your career.Recognizing theres a problem is half the battle. So here are seven signs your work is more fulfilling than your romantic relationship.Follow Ladders on FlipboardFollow Ladders magazines on Flipboard covering Happiness, Productivity, Job Satisfaction, Neuroscience, and moreWhen you say we, youre talking abou t you and your company, not you and your lebenspartnerMake sure youre being mindful, because we do live in a culture of your identity being so tethered to your work. Its very dangerous, Charreah Jackson, author of Boss Bride The Powerful Womans Playbook for Love and Success, told geschftlicher umgang Insider.Read more9 signs youre sabotaging your marriage without realizing itIf you want to shift away from the company we (we did really well this quarter) to a more relationship-oriented we (we are thinking about getting a dog), Jackson recommends creating rituals with your partner.For example, you could decide to do something outside together every Sunday or cook together on the first of every month. Its an easy way to keep your personal life a priority and it gives you something to look forward to on a regular basis.One of the things I talk about in the book is when life gets hard, a lot of times its not your job or coworkers who will show up. Its your friends, your partner and your family, she said.When you receive a text from your partner, it feels more like an obligation and gets an eye-rollTexts from our partners tend to come with an unspoken deadline,Marla Mattenson, a relationship and intimacy coach, told Business Insider. If you dont respond within a certain amount of time, you know there will be consequences.The issue here may also not be the sender, but the content. As we get further into a relationship, texting tends to be less about flirting and more about logistics.Its typically not a sexy text or Hey, just sending you lots of love, Mattenson said. Its probably a When are you coming home or Will you pick up these things on the way home.Here, Mattenson recommends modeling. Send your partner the kind of texts you would like to see lighting up your phone. Think about how you can make your texts more fun or playful, even if they are about who needs to pick up the almond milk on the way home. If you feel pressed for time, consider sending an emoji to con firm that you got the note.Obviously this depends on your relationship, but if theres still hope in the relationship, then one of the best things you can do is model the kind of behavior you would like to receive, Mattenson said.When your coworkers ask about your weekend, you dont have anything to sayIf your weekend is just recovering from your week, then your work week didnt end, Jackson said.To reclaim your weekend, you may need to be a little more proactive in how you spend your time. What do you value Activism? Time with friends? Get it on the calendar. Not only is this good in and of itself, it can also translate into a more dynamic relationship.That makes you a fun date, Jackson said. Because your partner doesnt just want to hear about work either, theyll want to hear about other things that are happening. So what else is exciting?You travel for business at the drop of a hat, but cant remember the last time you booked a trip with your partnerResearch shows that couples who eng age in new activities together increase their bond while also increasing happiness levels, Mattenson said. When you experience anything new, it keeps the relationship more fresh.But if youre already feeling annoyed with your partner, you may feel hesitant to commit to even more time with them. Mattenson challenges couples to go into travel with fresh eyes. Be open and your SO might surprise you.Of course, money is a question - after all, travel for work gets expensed while travel for fun gets expensive. But remember it doesnt have to be a grand European tour to feel novel. Even a day trip or afternoon hiking offers plenty of opportunities to reconnect.When you do a good job at work, you feel like others take note. In your relationship? Not so much.Praise can be highly motivating. If you know that words of affirmation make you feel validated, then you can bring that quality out in your partner in a few ways.The first is to make sure youre loving yourself.Often, people dont treat us the way we treat them. People treat us the way they see us treat ourselves, Jackson said.The second is to be direct with your partner and ask for what you need. Finally, when your partner does offer you the feedback youve solicited, let them know you appreciate it.Know whats celebrated is repeated, Jackson said. Its the saatkorn way with a three-year-old, its the same way with your 45-year-old boyfriend or your 45-year-old boss.You find yourself staying late even when your workload doesnt merit itIts common for ambitious personality types to draw more satisfaction from work, where setting difficult goals, delivering results and climbing ladders all come with the territory.If you know you get a thrill from achieving goals, why not bring that into your relationship? Mattenson recommends setting up a weekly meeting where you and your partner can discuss your relationship goals, such as becoming more patient in arguments or better articulating your needs.You can also enlist your partner to work on personal goals with you. For example, if you want to read more, then the two of you could agree to set aside time to read while snuggled up, give each other book recommendations, or even transform part of your home into a little reading nook.If you can activate their goal-setting and ambition in relationships in a playful way, then youre going to see a whole new side of your partner, Mattenson said.This harkens back to the issue of how youre spending your time. If your partner only gets to see you when you are at your most exhausted, such in the odd moments of a 50- or 60-hour work week, then its no wonder that all you want to do is watch the game or nap.But according to Mattenson, you can create new memories with your partner while also boosting overall intimacy. She points tonew researchthat has shown that couples who take art classes or play games together increase levels ofoxytocin, a hormone associated with happiness and trust.And one sign that you may be doing bett er than you think? Your coworkers and romantic partner know about each otherIts easy to assume that if one aspect of your life is going well, then you must be making sacrifices somewhere else. Right?But life doesnt have to be so segmented. Our work and personal lives are not in competition with each other, but can actually bolster one another. According to Jackson, one indication that youve figured this out is if your coworkers and your significant other know about each other.If your partner can cheer you on and offer advice during the ups and downs of your work day, and your coworkers know enough about your partner to ask after them, you might want to consider giving yourself more credit.Its not about balance, Jackson said. Its about integration and harmony.This article originally appeared on Business Insider.You might also enjoyNew neuroscience reveals 4 rituals that will make you happyStrangers know your social class in the first seven words you say, study finds10 lessons from Be njamin Franklins daily schedule that will double your productivityThe worst mistakes you can make in an interview, according to 12 CEOs10 habits of mentally strong people

18 Interview Questions Every Recruiter Is Asking This Month

18 Interview Questions Every Recruiter Is Asking This Month18 Interview Questions Every Recruiter Is Asking This Month 5 Things You Need to Know About Child Care Costs and the Workplace If youve been in the work worldfor a good amount of time, perhaps 15+ years, youve probably been faced with most of the common interview questions from What is your greatest weakness? to Tell me about a time when you disagreed with your boss.Youre a seasoned employee, after all. Youve succeeded in past interviews. But if youre gearing up for job interviews this summer, its helpful to hone in on the questions and prompts that recruiters are currently asking candidates nationwide. Brushing up on your responses and on the anecdotes you can share that illustrate your strengths is vital before any interview, no matter how senior youare. Resting on your laurels or previous interviewing experience can be detrimental.W e reached out to HR recruiters who are actively looking for sales, tech, marketing and creative talent to find out what questions they are actively asking candidates. As you prepare for a screening call or even a panel interview, be ready to serve up a top-notch answer to the following questions.1. Whats your favorite part of your current position?2. Whats your least favorite part of your current position?3. How would your manager describe you?4. What areas of improvement would your manager mention?5. What happened at your last company? Were you laid off? Terminated?Exploring Your Interest In The New Job6. What are you looking for in your next role?7. Why do you think youre a fit for this position?8. What projects/tasks are you looking to do more of in your next job and what are you looking to do less of?9. What is it that excites you about XYZ Company? Why XYZ Company?Digging Into Your Work Processes and Thinking10. Please tell me more about your experience, mostly from your most recent/relevant company. Id like to hear more about the projects youve worked on, technologies youve worked with, and any challenges that you helped the company overcome.12. Tell me about a time when you utilizedyour emotional intelligence.14. Which other companies are you interviewing with, if any?15. Can you share your references - four to six of your colleagues and managers along with their contact information? Can you get that to me by the weekend?17. Are you willing to travel? If so, how often?

Where Horror Meets Comedy Job Interviewing Mishaps

Wzu sichbeie Horror Meets Comedy Job Interviewing MishapsWhere Horror Meets Comedy Job Interviewing MishapsSometimes horror movies are so bad they make you laugh. As a recruiter youve probably had some horrible and funny moments, making you wonder if youre starring in Little Shop of Horrors or Young Frankenstein. Here are some horrifyingly funny moments submitted to us by recruiters and hiring managers.Helicopter ParentI used to do campus recruiting at Harvard. I had one day of back-to-back vorstellungsgesprchs, and one candidate had brought her mother. When I clarified that the interview welches meant to be a one-on-one meeting with the candidate, the mother protested that she had flown in from Arizona in order to attend interviews with her daughter. The next day, back in my office, I received a voicemail from the mother asking for feedback on her daughters interview.Foggy MemoryA candidates first words to me as I entered the interview room were, Hi Karen, do you remember me?I didnt recognize him at all It was spooky. I thought back to his resume. We didnt have any college, grad school or employers in common. I checked additional interests to see if wed volunteered anywhere together. Nothing. After a few embarrassing moments he shared that we went to high school together, albeit two years apart. That was over 20 years ago. We looked just a little bit different at this point. No, I didnt remember him. And now the interview was off to a very awkward start.Not a Slip of the TongueI interviewed one candidate and asked him, If I talked to your clients what would they say about you? The candidate responded that the clients would say he over-promised and under-delivered. I figured he must have mixed up the adjectives so I asked if he meant under-promised and over-delivered but he said no. He meant the other one. That was awkwardFruity and LoopyI have too many odd stories to count with 14-plus years in recruiting, but one of the funniest was a girl that came to an int erview to work as a licensed Financial Service Representative wearing a necklace made out of Fruit Loops. I asked her about the necklace, and she told me that she loved the style of the necklace and that, if she was hungry, she could sit right back and eat her jewelry. It was a lovely interview. She started eating the necklace right there in the interview.I had another girl that kept receiving and sending texts during the interview. I finally had to ask her if she needed a few minutes to answer her texts that were obviously more important than the interview. She took me up on it, went outside for 15 minutes and then asked to come back for the interview. I told her that I would text her in a few days to let her know the outcome of the interview.Bad ActingI didnt have a terrible interview, but I did GIVE a pretty ridiculous interview. My coworker, lets just call him David, and I were interviewing a new associate account manager, and I decided to do the interview with a giant chunk of chocolate between my two front teeth, just to see how well they handled distractions. David and I also decided to play good cop, bad cop. Of course, I wanted to be bad cop. The interviewee had the audacity of having two pages for her resume, stapled together. As I was interviewing her, I flipped over the first page and made a slight show of ripping it from the second page. My coworker couldnt hold it back anymore and let out a strange laugh/croak which broke my charade. The interviewee did well with the distractions, but we could see she was trying to hold back her laughter from the whole ridiculousness of the situation. We ended up hiring her so it was a happy ending for allRead Related ArticlesBalancing Act Ethical Interviewing That WorksHow to Leave a Positive Impression With Rejected CandidatesCharm Candidates With an Irresistible Company Culture6 Jobs to Consider if You Love Halloween10 Horror Icons Careers Before They Were FamousIn the Mood for Something Scary? Read These Job Interview Horror Stories

Reasons to Choose a Financial Career

Reasons to Choose a Financial CareerReasons to Choose a Financial CareerThe financial services industry, as well as financial disciplines common to all industries (such as accounting), have long histories of attracting energetic and ambitious people who are looking for the best career opportunities. Focusing on the financial services industry, here are a few of its most significant selling points for prospective employees. Compensation The financial services industry is noted for compensation structures that are, overall, much more generous than in other sectors of the economy. In particular, successfulfinancial services sales professionalstend to be especially well paid, both relative to other employees in this industry and especially in comparison to salespeople in other industries. Advancement Compared to other industries, the financial services firms tend to place less weight on seniority in judging the readiness of employees for advancement. High performers can move ahea d regardless of age, making this industry particularly attractive for ambitious young people in a hurry. Getting Started Breaking into the financial services industrypresents increasing challenges today due to theconsolidation of financial firmsand the scaling back of traditional entry points such as financial advisor training programs and the renowned Goldman Sachs Junior Analyst Program. Nonetheless, financial internshipsare growing in importance as avenues to the best jobs in the industry. Bureaucracy Many of the leading firms tend to be relatively thinly-staffed. There are comparatively few layers of management. Decision-making tends to be rather quick. Your opportunities for getting face time in front of senior management also tend to be excellent. That is, these firms do not normally operate in a highly formalized, chain of command fashion which is more typical of slower-footed traditional industrial companies. You also are more likely to juggle multiple responsibiliti es within a given job category, often ranging far beyond the official job description, compared to the norms in other companies. Bureaucracy should be an important consideration in choosing employers. Pace A premium is placed on quick thinking, quick acting, and constant production of results. This can be trying for some people, exhilarating for others. The thin staffing and comparative lack of bureaucracy require exceptionally hard work, focus and commitment to stay afloat, let alone to succeed. For those who do, however, the rewards are commensurately great. Caveats As a general rule, the banking and insurance sectors of financial services tend to be rather more bureaucratic, more deeply staffed and less remunerative at all levels than firms whose principal lines of geschftsleben are in (for example) securities brokerage (or financial advisory services), investment banking, securities trading, investment management (or money management), and/or securities research. These l atter types of firms include what is commonly called Wall Street.

Why Almost Everything Youve Learned About Social Media Skills on Resume Is Wrong and What You Should Know

Why Almost Everything Youve Learned About Social Media Skills on Resume Is Wrong and What You Should Know Know your social platforms and tools Managers wish to know that youre current with the hottest social media management tools. SaaS solutions (software for a service) and plugins make maintaining an internet business presence a lot simpler. The tool connects to existing analytics systems so that you may integrate social data with the remainder of your company metrics. Fortunately, there are a few wonderful search engine optimization tools out there. Not all businesses make the most of email advertising campaigns, but if its a skill which youre quite proficient in, you must offer them on the simple fact that its a significant parte of their general advertising campaign. Succeeding in the digital absatzwirtschaft and advertising arena requires a range of skills and knowledge across multiple regions of expertise. Just as any other standard marketer or salesperson, social netw orking managers should have sharp interpersonal skills. Business owners need skilled social networking managers. Customer Service Social media isnt merely a way to receive your message out, its also a means to listen. Social networking is a type of digital marketing. Social networking is about connections and communication. Social networking is your absolutely free refill. Social networking isnt a cut-and-dry field. The New Angle On Social Media Skills on Resume Just Released Getting your key skills at the peak of your resume is a brilliant approach to find an employers attention and encourage them to keep on reading your resume. As you acquire experience in your area, you will discover that its much easier to tailor your resume for each opportunity you apply for. One of the simplest approaches to customize the goal is to go through the employment ad for key skills. This computer skills are amazingly valuable at this time across a wide array of industrieswhich means havin g them on your resume will cause you to be a more attractive job candidate. Who Else Wants to Learn About Social Media Skills on Resume? Key skills are work-related skills that you want to do a job. Rather than listing every skill you might have, its far better to list the skills that are related to the position. You probably have the proper computer abilities. Youre able to learn about all of the important social networking skills that you should increase your resume within the next section. Its simple to navigate and youre able to manage your social networking posts by dragging them around to modify the schedule. Video resumes can be a bright complement to your present job-search. If you are in possession of a digital portfolio, dont neglect to incorporate the hyperlink What Does Social Media Skills on Resume Mean? Other team members can do the true work, but its vital that you understand the way the images are created, to have the ability to speak about ideas in visua l design, and understand HTML coding. Simply speaking, your Twitter profile should display your multifaceted personality thats compelling if youre likely to use it like part of your job application. You have to clean up your social networking presence before it is possible to begin tailoring your resume. It can be beneficial to review a good example of a cover letter for a social networking job, to allow you to formulate your own letter. When creating your social networking manager resume, you have to make sure youre putting your best digital face forward. A great social networking community manager is ready to ask the proper questions to facilitate engagement and answer questions regarding the item, company, or industry. Whether you would like to develop your skills as a social networking coordinator, analyst or marketing manager, being aware of what to put on your resume can be challenging and knowing what way to format it may also be time-consuming. On account of the inte rnets permanence and necessity in the world today, your skills as a social networking manager will forever in demand.

Preparing for 2015 Employee Referral Program Evaluation Checklist

Preparing for 2015 Employee Referral Program Evaluation Checklist An employee referral program is now widely accepted as an important and effective recruiting tool with the capacity to produce better quality hires at much lower costs. However, very few organizations have managed to truly gauge and appreciate the fact that employee referrals can also produce benefits beyond recruiting by reducing attrition and improving productivity. In fact, within recruiting itself, the exact quantum of benefits produced by employee referral programs is hard to find, simply because there has been so little effort put in to measure and evaluate the contribution of an employee referral program to the organization. Referrals from employees can be used to fill any kind and number of positions,from entry-level positions right up to the CxO openings of an organization. But whether referrals actually produce the desired results making it worthwhile to invest time and effort in the program depends to a great extent on how effectively the program is measured to assess the quality of referrals. Organizations often assume that areferral program is performing well simply because they areable to source key candidates from the program they do not bother to go into the details of which aspects of the program are doing well and which aspects of the program actually rumliche lagestumbling blocks with the potential to wreck the program in future.No employee initiative can retain the same usefulness and effectiveness over a long of period of time. With changes in technology and the external environment, organizations themselves undergo change their talent needs to change, too. A referral program that does not carryout a periodic assessment of itself is likely to outlive its usefulness very fast.Evaluating your referral program regularly against a predetermined set of metrics is imperative to ensure continue d success. The metrics for measuring your referral program arebased to a large extent on the goals set out for your referral program. Some common metrics used to evaluate an employee referral program includemeasuring performance of referral hires on the job as compared to non-referral hiresmeasuring ROI of referral programmeasuring referral program usagemeasuring employee satisfaction with the referral programmeasuring turnaround of employee referralsmeasuring diversity hiring through referral programcost per hire metricstime taken to hire through referrals compared to other recruitment sourcespercentage of all hiring through referralspercentage of key jobs filled through referralson-the-job performance of referral hires (measure and compare the ERPs performance ratings to other sources of candidates)retention (turnover rate) of referral hirespercentage of all hires who come from referrals (variant percentage of key jobs filled by referrals)manager/referee/referrer satisfaction with the referral programprocess time by step (delay from referral point to bewerberinterview date, which results in fewer top performer hires)and employee participation rate in the referral program.Employee program usage metricsprovide useful data on the number of employees participating in the program against the total employee population. As the referral program hinges solely on employee participation, this data is useful in determining how well the program is received among the employee population. A low usage metric indicates that only a small group of employees are actually participating in the program, which could account for the limited number of referral applicants or even for referrals of a similar nature. Companies oftenfind that employees of one function are participating in a program whereas other functions are not, resulting in referrals with similar and related skill sets while other skill sets are completely left out. Tracking usage metrics lets companies identify suchpr oblems and take corrective action to encourage other teams and functions to participate as well.Similarly, measuring employee/manager/referral candidate satisfaction with the referral program helps to ascertain the expectations eachstakeholder has for the program and what can be done to address them.Each metrics provides useful insights into the referral program and what can be done to make it a more effective and productive tool. But tracking metrics is just one part of the evaluation process external benchmarking to understand where your referral program stands relative to others in key metrics is equally important if you want to make the best use of your referral program.The Employee Referral Index,an initiative driven by ZALP, enables organizations to evaluate their referral process by benchmarking it against that of industry leaders and other high-performing referral programs of successful organizations. Organizations also receive a personalized ranking report that helps them b etter understand and analyze the performance of their current referral program.Assessing the referral program against unterstellung parameters can help you understand whether or notyourreferral program contains all the elements necessary for aworld-class program. Ideally, a referral program shouldgrow over a period of time to make finding and hiring talent a natural, employee-driven process, benefiting both the organization and its employees.