7 Reasons Your Job Ad Will Be Ignored

7 Reasons Your Job Ad Will Be Ignored Its that time of year when people reflect. They reflect on the year theyve left behind, the positives and the negatives, and peer into the future. What does it hold for them? What do they want this year from their career? Smart business leaders would be making sure they capitalise on this contemplative period. Want to draw good people to your business? The time is now. To make sure your job description doesnt fall on deaf ears  (blind eyes?) it needs to pass basic tests with flying colours and keep prospective employees interested! Unless youre the coolest company in the world that people would give their left leg to work at, youve got to avoid these basic errors or youll pay with quality candidates. Before you post that vacancy online, make sure you havent made these basic  errors: 1.  Theres no title on there It sounds so  blatantly obvious, but youd be surprised at how many job ads fly around with no real title stipulated. And even if there is one, sometimes its so vague that it could mean a million and one different things. If youve opted for Consultant, then great but youve got to bring it to life.  That one title could refer to a shop assistant, a hair dresser or a client-facing bank manager. People need to be drawn in, and often that starts with the title. 2. No years of experience required mentioned People with loads of relevant experience will be turned away if theres no mention of the roles level. They want to know form the job spec that level-wise, this would be a step up for them, or offer a rewarding challenge. If theres no indication of how senior the role is, you run the risk of these great candidates misconstruing things and ignoring the ad.  Likewise if the role is a junior one, you might turn away these candidates, who might think the roles too senior for them. Make it straight-forward. 3. No sense of workplace culture We know that people have a lot of choice about where they work they not only need to feel the role is right for them, but that the environment and culture matches with their own set of values and personality. If the job description doesnt talk about the type of energy  / culture or  include any mention of the social aspects, you will leave no real emotional impression on the person and theyll likely leave it. 4. No descriptive language Further to my last point, if your job ad doesnt include any descriptive language, and merely states the same cold, hard facts you use on all of your job ads, you need to get a bit creative. Im not saying you have to  write the job description as a poem, but at least make it unique and reflect the type of role youre hiring for. Using a slightly conversational tone to properly outline the opportunity will make for easier reading, and using words that  properly describe the post and type of person youre looking for will help the right people identify with the position quicker. 5. Boring buzzwords everywhere Obviously you want the person to be responsible, a self-starter who is professional and demonstrates high attention to detail, but come on,  tell us something we dont already know and assume to be the case! Actually honing down into specific skill-sets and attributes will capture the attention of the right type of candidates, rather than the everyone and no-one  that cares to push through the cliches. 6. Spelling mistakes bad grammar Most people want to feel like theyre joining a reputable organisation. It doesnt matter how senior the role is or how great the company is, if your job description is poorly written and full of mistakes, youll turn away candidates who place high importance on written language! 7. No indication of salary Most candidates will appreciate that recruiters and hiring companies cant show their cards too early and promise a salary on the job description, but there should at least be some mention of salary, to let applicants know that your company values the importance of employees being  financially rewarded  for their hard work. While putting a ball-park range is ideal, as it allows candidates to assess whether its a desirable position for them on a financial level or not, simply mentioning competitive salary or salary dependant on applicant will do the trick for the time being. Failing to make any mention of salary might make candidates think its not being mentioned for a particular reason, or that its low and not worthy of mention. While it isnt all about money, candidates need to know that this is a priority and will be addressed throughout the process that they wont be kept in the dark. At the end of the day, the more you can bring the role to life, the more chance you will have at attracting great, relevant candidates!

Resume Writing For Kindergarten Kids - How to Write an Effective Resume

Resume Writing For Kindergarten Kids - How to Write an Effective ResumeOne of the main reasons why resume writing for kindergarten kids is so important is that they are the most impressionable age group. You do not want to make a bad impression on them because they will keep it forever. Just as important as their intelligence, a school child can be extremely shy and this makes it even more important to let them feel that you are interested in them. In this article I will show you some things you can do in order to make your resume writing for kindergarten kids more effective.Having your own file is just not enough. You also need to make sure that they know where to go to look at their own file. For this reason, I suggest you create an entirely separate file for each child, or even several files if they seem to be using the same one.When working with individual kids, try and get them to tell you what their interests are. This way you can take them to your niche section in order to get them going. By getting them to talk about their own interests you can go ahead and build up your own knowledge about it.Always keep your main idea at the front of your paper. It is common to have some idea you could be putting across to them, but by having it at the top you make them want to read further. With their eyes focused on your main idea they will have more chance of actually getting the main idea across to them.Choose a font color that you are comfortable with. In this age group their eyes are naturally drawn to colors and it will be easier for them to read. Try and stick to an easily readable font, but avoid any distracting colors as they tend to get easily messed up in this age group.Always state the main idea of your resume. In this age group, most people rely heavily on a few keywords which are just buzz words they have heard before. While your resume is for potential employers to see, you don't want them to run off and start searching for the keywords.Instead, you wa nt them to know what your goal is in regards to this type of job and how you got there. There is nothing wrong with saying how you got into the field, but avoid spelling out what it was. They will come up with an excuse for not being able to do it themselves and it will just seem like you are bragging.In summary, resume writing for kindergarten kids is essential if you want to get hired in this day and age. However, it is also very important to remember that it should be done professionally the first time around. This way they will trust you completely and it will be easier for you to start out in the field.

The Hollow Life The Hidden Dangers of the Unfulfilled

The Hollow Life The Hidden Dangers of the Unfulfilled The following is a guest post by Halley Bock.  Her bio follows. Right now, there are more active mobile devices than people in the world, and the growth of mobile devices is outpacing the human population by a factor of five. Even in economically depressed countries, approximately 89.4 mobile subscriptions exist for every one hundred inhabitants. No matter how you slice these numbers, it’s clear we have more  capacity for connection than we’ve ever had, yet we are the most disconnected we have ever been. Are You Disconnected? By this, I mean we are disconnected from ourselves, our passions, our loved ones, and our lives. How many of us park ourselves in front of our computer and attempt to experience life through a machine? Attempt to create deep, meaningful connection through a DSL cable? Choose to stare into pixels instead of eyes? Share status updates instead of intimacy? We choose to plug into the binary code of a computer over the DNA of another person. Simply put, we have lost the skill to connect deeply with ourselves and others because we’ve turned the task over to technology, a task too big even for the best and brightest in Silicon Valley. What is Enough? In addition to being consumed by technology, we have simultaneously become swept up in the self-imposed, achievement-based, drone-producing norms of society. There exists more and more pressure to keep up though the bar never seems to stop rising. This is because we have lost the ability to define “enough” for ourselves. Instead, we cast it out for others to determine and invariably fall short with each well-intended effort, because we’ve borrowed the masthead from someone else’s ship and have set sail on a course that has no destination. We judge our worth by how many “friends” we have on social media, how many cars are parked in the garage, how many appointments fill up our Day-Timer, how many alerts are flashed upon our screen, how many flags we can capture in our reckless slalom through an impossible life. And when we find ourselves exhausted and unfulfilledâ€"yet againâ€"we point the finger at work-life balance or anything else close enough to be our unsuspecting scapegoat. That, or we pour caffeine and pharmaceuticals down our throats hoping they will prop us up as we embark on yet another reckless attempt in our pursuit of happiness. When we careen through life this way, the prices we pay are weighty. Here are four of the costliest: 1)       We are more susceptible to addiction. When we’re unclear of what brings us joy we naturally look to external means to do the trick. We shop, we eat, we drink, we medicate, we gamble, we hang out online, and we do all of this at unsafe and unhealthy levels. We become as frantic and addicted as Skinner’s rats seeking another reward at the push of a pedal, instead of learning how to cultivate that sense of reward from within. 2)       We become sick. Our bodies experience a massive load of stress and anxiety when we are discontent and the repercussions of living with chronic stress are much more dire than the occasional sleepless night. Some of the health issues attributed to stress are depression, heart disease, weight gain, diabetes, auto-immune disease, and premature death. If that last one didn’t get your attention, I don’t know what will. 3)       We are lonely. Because we’ve become untethered from our sense of self, thereby resulting in anemic levels of self-worth, we retract from society and find we are only able to engage on a surface level. When we deny ourselves, we build a wall between ourselves and intimacy. So instead, we hold up a mask and play the part, but deep down we crave the kind of depth of relationship that only truth and vulnerability allow. 4)       Finally, we live in a constant state of regret. In her book, The Top Five Regrets of the Dying, palliative nurse Bronnie Ware recorded the epiphanies of the dying. At the top of the list was the wish to have lived a life true to oneself instead of what others had expected of them. She explains, “This was the most common regret of all. When people realize that their life is almost over and look back clearly on it, it is easy to see how many dreams have gone unfulfilled. Most people had not honored even a half of their dreams and had to die knowing that it was due to choices they had made, or not made. Health brings a freedom very few realize, until they no longer have it.” Unfortunately, many of us have become the walking dead, already steeped and committed to a lifetime of regret. Time To Change Course? The good news is that this condition is reversible. Each day presents the opportunity to make new choices. We can veer off the societal path of mainstream and into the wilderness of our own mind, body, and soul where pursuing one’s passion is not only acceptable, it’s mandatory. As we celebrate Thanksgiving weekend, lets be grateful but also look back and see what we have not yet accomplished. Get clear on what you are passionate about and the dreams that have yet gone unfulfilled then sketch out the next six months to a year and draw out a plan. Look at each week, each month, each quarter and determine what milestones need to be achieved in order to build a bridge from where you are to where you would ultimately like to be. Then, every day, take a step toward your goal. The amount of self-worth you will begin to generate simply by taking action on behalf of yourself each day will pull the tides in your favor â€" allowing a deep sense of fulfillment to wash over you. And instead of becoming yet another tick mark in the column of the dying and unfulfilled, you can rest knowing that you lived fully right here, right now. Halley Bock Halley Bock is the founder and CEO of Life, Incorporatedan organization that fosters mindful connection in all areas of life as the means to experience a wholehearted, fulfilling, and joyful life. More information about her January 2017 release Life, Incorporated: A Practical Guide to Wholehearted Living  can be found at  http://halleybock.com/lifeincorporated/ . Image credits. Main.  Check.   Choices.

How to Get Hired on The Apprentice

How to Get Hired on The Apprentice Ive gone through how not to get fired, which is a step in the right direction, but how about getting hired? Only one lucky contestant can land Alan Sugar as their business partner and win the final prize of a £250,000 investment in their business venture and hes not prepared to dish it out to just anyone. The winner of the competition will have to prove themselves as the strongest individual in the running; so here are a few qualities that they must demonstrate in order to come out on top: 1) Highly competent in business The whole purpose of the show is for Alan Sugar to find a budding entrepreneur who demonstrates promise and is worth investing a large sum of money in. Hes not going to take a gamble on just anyone, so the successful individual is going to have to prove themselves as competent in business. As one of the final stages of  the competition, contestants are asked to pitch a thorough business plan to Lord Sugar, which has the potential to make or break their chances; so it is essential that they have an educated understanding of how they intend on meeting their business goals. 2) A good professional manner A bad attitude is one of the biggest turn offs for Lord Sugar and many a contestant have been sent packing over the previous series because they failed to act professionally in tasks, as well as in the board room. A large part of business, is the ability to create and maintain contacts and if you behave in an unprofessional manner youre likely to cut ties with important connections. Whether it be in the workplace, a job interview, or at a networking event, it is incredibly important to  conduct yourself appropriately. 3) A profitable business idea Whatever the business idea may be, the most important factor is whether it has the potential to create a profit. Theres no point starting a business, if at the end of the day you are going to find yourself at a loss. Before pitching your business plan, it is essential that the required market research has been conducted and the costs and profit potential have been assessed thoroughly. 4) A strong USP For the business to be a success it must have a unique selling point (USP) or there wont be anything that will differentiate it from competitors. This could be an entirely new product or service, or alternatively taking an existing one and improving it or adding new features to it, that makes it unique to what other companies are providing. Lord Sugar started his own business at the age of just 21, so he knows a thing or two about business and wont invest in something he doesnt have faith in becoming a success. 5) Confidence Not to be mistaken with arrogance which a lot of the Apprentice contestants possess! In order to succeed, the contestant must have confidence in themselves, their abilities and their business plan. If they do not have faith in them self, it is unlikely that Alan Sugar will place trust in them as a business partner. An outgoing personality isnt entirely essential for business success, however it certainly helps when it comes to direct selling and presenting sales pitches with fortitude!

Good Resume and Cover Letter Writing in Brisbane

Good Resume and Cover Letter Writing in BrisbaneThere are a number of elements to good resume and cover letter writing Brisbane. Perhaps the best way to start is to make a list of the most important and common requirements. A resume is a concise description of a person's education, experience, skills, or qualification.It is important to describe what skills you possess first. Be sure to mention your interest in a particular field or that you have more than one job, if applicable. You will have a list of qualifications when you go to the resume submission company and may need to cut and paste from the listing of qualifications for the company to be able to process your application. Remember to write out your best qualifications and list each job you've held, including the dates of employment, duties, and salaries.A resume and cover letter, when properly worded, will show that you took the time to research the company and their work. It will also show that you are organized and respons ible. It will show that you know what you are getting into before agreeing to start a project or begin a new job.If a new job requires references, list them in the letter. It is important to know who is working for you so that you can correct mistakes later. Make sure to clarify that you are requesting a reference for that particular person.The day after you submit your resume and cover letter to the company, you are expected to give them a follow up call. However, take note that in order to receive the call, you will need to contact them and agree to an interview within a certain time frame. Contacting them before the interview is unacceptable.Your interview is usually scheduled at least a week before the due date. Call and schedule a meeting with the hiring manager and make sure to tell them about your qualifications, your goals, and your plan to meet those goals. You should also ask to speak with them by phone before the interview in order to clarify details that are unclear on p aper.Give the interviewer a written correspondence to complete after the interview. There should be time allotted for answers to specific questions before and after the interview. The interviewer is there to help you obtain the position, so it is wise to provide them with any documentation you may need.Keep in mind that in order to have a successful meeting, both parties should communicate beforehand about the company's needs, expectations, and goals for the position. When you meet face to face, you will feel more comfortable and will be better prepared to answer any questions they may have.

Im proud of this blog - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog

Im proud of this blog - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog Two weeks ago I got a question from Mark in a comment, that began with these words: My job has been literally killing my soul for the past 3 years. I have known this entire time I needed to leave. But I didnt realize how seriously I was burning out, and now I feel like I am being pushed over the edge. I have drank every night for the past three months. I am acerbic, aggressive and emotionally closed off. I hate the people I serve so much I cuss and spit when I have to see them. I have secondary trauma and can no longer sleep without medication. It is not possible to hate your job more than I do. I passed the question on to all of you, and more than 25 people have taken the time to offer Mark ideas, thoughts or sympathy. Well, Mark read your input, and heres his reply: Well what a response. You guys are something else? you are really so helpful I am kind of taken aback. My thanks to Alex for posting this? I was reticent at first but can take a lot from what everyone offered from their own life experiences. I don?t want to share too many details, for the sake of not being compromised at work, but I work in the helping field and have simply excessively burned out. This kind of help is something the Internet does best: allow people to share their deeply personal experiences in a generally anonymous manner. Anyways, just to follow up, I went on a vacation and got some perspective re: having a choice as to whether I had to put up with this misery at work. I remembered that I do have a choice, which I had forgotten in all of my progressive unhappiness. To relate it back to the goal of this blog/website, I also realized that I had very high expectations for myself and my life that had become toxic; I was expecting things from myself that were based on comparisons to others and how I perceived my life trajectory should be. I was finding that the success train was not coming ?on schedule? and I was internalizing failure based on my measuring myself up to others. This was a recipe for depression and for feeling like a victim. Now, I still have to get out of this job. I am in a temporary good place because I see now, and with the help of you all?s input, that I can leave at any time (it?s staggering how I could have forgotten this). I have applied to the most menial of jobs (won?t say where for anonymity reasons) because I have accepted that it?s just life, not to be taken so seriously, and that sometimes you have to just do what you need to and forget how you think you might measure up to others If my menial job options don?t come through -and maybe I?m saying menial when I have no right to- I will quit and force my own hand. I have family and friends to fall back on and do have options. I just need to remember that. Anyways, this has gone on too long about myself. I do have the support of a counselor and I do exercise regularly. I am actually quite healthy aside from the job and drinking too much in response to it. But I will put some of your suggestions into practice and and very grateful for your input. Thanks so much for offering up your experience to me. And Alex, thanks for the website. Mark I was struck by two things in all of this: First of all, how deeply it affects us when we hate our jobs. It colors every aspect of our lives. I know, Ive tried it. And secondly, how many people could relate because theyve been there. Thanks to everyone who contributed! Thanks for visiting my blog. If you're new here, you should check out this list of my 10 most popular articles. And if you want more great tips and ideas you should check out our newsletter about happiness at work. It's great and it's free :-)Share this:LinkedInFacebookTwitterRedditPinterest Related

September is Update Your Resume Month

September is Update Your Resume Month September is a time of new beginnings. The kids go back to school, Fall begins, and many companies start aggressively recruiting after the slower-paced summer months. September is the perfect time to update your resume. Here are a few points to consider if you plan on updating your resume in the coming month.What successes have you achieved since you last updated your resume? Have you worked on specific projects that have helped the company make money, save money, save time, grow the business or keep the business? Have you completed mission-critical projects ahead of schedule or under budget?Have you recently completed a degree or certification program or taken classes that better position you as a subject matter expert in your field?Have you taken on any new leadership roles through professional/volunteer organizations?Have you authored any books or articles, or presented at any industry events?In honor of  Update Your Resume Month, Career Solvers is offering all previous resume cli ents a complimentary  reference dossier  with any resume update during the month of September when you mention this blog post.  If you havent worked with Career Solvers before, but would like to know if your resume is strong enough to get you an interview, check out our free resume assessment service  here.