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Finding a job in today’s competitive job market involves standing out from the crowd! If your resume is stacked in a pile of 100 other job applicants, does your resume stand out?

5 Tips to Create an Eye-Catching Resume:

• Sell Yourself – Your resume is a sales pitch. Take advantage of the opportunity to focus on your skills, abilities, knowledge, and experience. Be descriptive and relevant!
• Use an Active Voice – Do not be passive in your job descriptions, use an active voice and keywords relevant to your industry.
• Use Bullet Points – Do not write a long paragraph as a description of past employment, instead use bullet points and succinct phrases. Every word counts! Remove irrelevant and very old employment descriptions from your resume and use the space to emphasize your current skills.
• Draw the Eye – Pay attention to the layout of your resume and the amount of white space. Does your resume flow naturally from one section to the next? Is important information eye-catching? Use bold text and underlining to draw the reader’s attention (sparingly).
• Tailor Your Cover Letter – Always tailor your cover letter to the specific position you are applying for. Employers can identify individuals who have used a generic cover letter and may be turned-off by the lack of effort!

Bonus Tip: Using Colored Text – Depending on your industry it may be beneficial to use colored text in your resume (e.g.-heading titles) but remember that most resumes will be printed in black and white, so ensure your resume looks good in both color as well as black and white!

Get help with your resume and cover letter at the Metro College Job Search Support Service and Workshops!

Confidence is a common thread amongst those who are successful in their professional careers. It is sometimes hard to define, but it is easily recognizable!

Confidence has many behavioral and physical manifestations such as maintaining eye contact, having an open and receptive posture, clearly articulating thoughts and expectations, and having strong voice.

 5 Steps to Develop Confidence in Your Work:

• Identify Important Qualities – Write a list of professional qualities that you aspire to embody, and memorize them. Having these qualities ingrained will help you develop a sense of ownership over them. Many individuals recite a mantra to themselves every day for this exact reason!
• Friends and Family – A great resource for support and encouragement are your friends and family. Ask them to tell you about their perceptions of you, and get a true understanding of how others see you. Focus on areas where you feel insecure, such as public speaking, and ask your friends and family to provide honest, constructive advice.
• Find a Mentor – Mentors are as valuable as family, and have a lifetime of career experience to share. Be on the lookout for someone in your field of study/interest who could potentially be a mentor, and start developing a professional connection today!
• Make a To Do List – Focus your efforts on completing items on your to-do-list (these can range from travel, projects, volunteering, etc.). Completing items on your list will help you develop a sense of accomplishment and boost your self-confidence
• Network – Networking with other professionals is not only beneficial for developing contacts, but also for boosting self-confidence. Develop an elevator pitch and test it out by counting the number of new contacts you make!

Do you need help with your interview communication skills and confidence? The Metro College Job Search Support Service are a great resource for students!

Leadership skills are key to career development and success!

It is never too early to start learning and developing skills essential to the workplace and career success. Leadership skills are required by anyone who manages staff, or work in a team environment.

Top 5 Leadership Skills:

• Communication: The ability to communicate accurately and effectively (in writing and verbally) expectations, plans, progress, and results, as well as listen, provide constructive criticism and be assertive, when necessary.
• Strategic Planning: Planning, organizing, and setting goals is part of the process of managing any project or task. Strategic planning considers the available resources in the team to establish the best strategy to successfully meet goals.
• Management: Taking ownership and responsibility for successes, and more importantly – failures is an important aspect of leadership. With tact and diplomatically, leaders protect their team, and take responsibility for mistakes and poor decisions.
• Positive Attitude: Not a skill, but a mindset. A positive attitude is necessary to motivate and encourage others to persevere in the face of obstacles, maintain a positive work environment, and continue to collaborate towards collective goals.
• Initiative: Leaders take initiative, especially in the face of challenging situations, and provide innovative ideas. Persevering in the face of failures and learning from mistakes become second nature to leaders. The goal is to manage, encourage and motive others to succeed.

BONUS TIP – Give Credit: Promote success and give credit to individuals who have contributed. Giving others ownership of the task or project at hand and increase overall dedication!

Are you looking for Career Development Courses to upgrade your skills? Contact us today and speak with an Admissions Advisor about your career interests and goals.

Congratulations on your new job! Now it’s time to figure out what to wear to work.

Often the appropriate work attire is obvious; nurses are expected to wear scrubs, security guards and paramedics wear a uniform.

Other times the dress code is not as obvious, such as in the office environment where attire can range from business formal to business casual; a paralegal working in a large legal firm is usually expected to wear a suit, whereas a paralegal working in a small boutique firm might wear more casual attire.

5 Tips to Work Appropriate Attire:

• Learn from others – observe other employees and take cues from what they wear. If you’re unsure always err on the side of caution and dress professionally until you have learned what attire is permitted.
• Review your contract and employee policies – your employer might have a formal dress code in their employee policies. Some jobs require specific attire, a lab technician might need a lab coat, and a construction worker might need a safety vest. Be sure to read every document provided, and start your job off on the right foot!
• Business formal vs. Business casual – business formal usually involves a suit, button-down shirt, closed toed shoes and a tie for men. Business casual is a wider category and can include khakis, (dark) jeans, and polo shirts. Know what is expected of you!
• Casual Fridays – some businesses relax their dress codes on Fridays. This is an opportunity to show some personality through your attire. Remember, this not an invitation to dress unprofessionally.
• Dress for the job you want! If you would like to be considered for a promotion show your ambition and demonstrate that you have the professionalism required.

BONUS TIP – your online identity matters! Learn how to be safe online and protect your identity.