Time For A New Job?

The 3 top things people make New Year's Resolutions about are:

1.) Losing Weight
2.) Quitting Smoking
3.) Get a New/Better Job

Well, lucky for me, I working on #1 and #2 right now, #3 I did last year, which is how I came here. However, if YOU are in job search mode, then make this down:

What: The 96.5 KVKI JobFair
Where: Pierre Bossier Mall
When: Tuesday 2/28/2012 from 8am until 5pm.

This is where you can get connected with people who are hiring RIGHT NOW. Not that, "we are always taking resumes/applications" line.
Some things you should remember, if you are in the market to Upgrade your paycheck, then this is a great opportunity to do it.

Some Do's and Don't for your resume:
- Do consider a bulleted style to make your resume as reader-friendly as possible.
- Don't go beyond two pages with your resume.
- Do consider a resume design that doesn't look like everyone else's. HOWEVER, do not use bright colored paper or odd sized paper.
- Don't use justified text blocks; they put odd little spaces between words. Instead, make your type flush left.
- Don't ever lie on your resume.
- Do include as much contact information as possible, basically, any method that you can be contacted during the prospective employers business hours.
- Do the half-page test. Do you have everything an employer would want to know about you, if you folded your resume in half, displaying on the top half?
Believe it or not, that is about all an employer reads when they decide to call you or to not call you.
- Don't use personal pronouns (I, my, me) in a resume.
- Do list your job information in order of importance to the reader. In listing your jobs, what's generally most important is your title/position. So list in this preferred order: Title/position, name of employer, city/state of employer, dates of employment.
- Don't leave out the locations of your past jobs (city and state).
- Do list your jobs in reverse chronological order.
- Do use active words and strong verbs, like Designed, Lead, Founded, etc.
- Do emphasize transferable skills, especially if you don't have much experience or seek to change careers.
- Do use numbers. How much? It is all about people who spend money; what did you do to contribute the the organization by bringing in either more money or more customers.
- Don't list too much experience on your resume. The rule of thumb for someone with many years of experience is to list about 10 years worth of jobs. Anything more puts you at risk for age discrimination and even people thinking that you make too much money and unaffordable.
- Do remember that education also follows the principle about presenting information in the order of importance to the reader; thus the preferred order for listing your education is: Name of degree (spelled out: Bachelor of ________ ) in name of major, name of university, city/state of university, followed by peripheral information, such as minor and if you graduated. If you haven't graduated yet, list your grad year anyway. Simply by virtue of the fact that the date's in the future, the employer will know you don't have the degree yet.
- Don't list high school!
- Don't include on your resume your height, weight, age, date of birth, place of birth, marital status, sex, ethnicity/race, health, social security number, reasons for leaving previous job, names of former supervisors, specific street addresses or phone numbers of former employers, picture of yourself, salary information, the title "Resume," or any information that could be perceived as controversial, such as religion, church affiliations, or political affiliations.
- Don't include hobbies or other irrelevant information on a resume.
- Do, however, list sports if you're a college student or new grad. Many employers specifically seek out athletes because of their drive and competitiveness, as well as teamwork and leadership skills.
- Do proofread carefully. Misspellings and typos are deadly on a resume.