Two years ago while applying for jobs, I spent hours worrying about my resume. Is the wording okay? Do I love the design? Thinking about how to improve my resume kept me up at night because I knew that document was my chance to get noticed for an open position.

Recently, as I began my job search for an entry-level position, I saw more and more unique recruitment tools. Last month, I reviewed two applications that asked for links to all of my social media websites and to answer a questionnaire with some pretty unique questions—but did not ask for a resume.

A recent Wall Street Journal article confirmed my thought that more nontraditional means of recruitment might soon become popular.

“Companies are increasingly relying on social networks such as LinkedIn, video profiles and online quizzes to gauge candidates’ suitability for a job. While most still request a resume as part of the application package, some are bypassing the staid requirement altogether.”

Union Square Ventures, a NY venture-capital firm, asked applicants to send links that represent their “web presence” in lieu of a resume. They also have applicants submit short videos demonstrating why they would be the best employee. As a firm that has invested in technology companies including Twitter, Foursquare and Zynga, Union Square Ventures said this helps the firm get candidates that understand what they are looking for.

With technology today, companies are finding that they can learn more about a candidate’s personality and skills by taking a less traditional recruitment route. Many companies are starting to use social media as a recruitment tool. I recently blogged about why it is a great idea to become a “super social” job seeker– because that’s where companies are looking.

Resumes are still the first step of the recruiting process for most companies, but that might not be the case in the near future. Job seekers that may not look as qualified on paper should seek out unique recruiting opportunities– it’s a great way to showcase your strengths and it could lead to a new job. If we’re being honest, I still think about how to improve my resume all the time, but these days there is much more to consider and many different routes that might lead to a great job.

Have you been through a unique recruiting process? What did you think about it?

Article by Dana Schwartz

Dana Schwartz is a senior studying public relations and management at Syracuse University. She has previous internship experience with a small New York City public relations firm, as a communications intern for the Special Olympics in London, and in healthcare marketing. She is looking forward to starting a career in public relations upon her graduation in May.

Despite LinkedIn, Facebook and other new job hunting forums, at some point in the application process you’ll be asked for a resume or CV (Curriculum Vitae: a summary of your academic and professional history). A good resume can still help you get that all-important interview for an open position. There are many excellent Internet articles and even a For Dummies book on what to include on your resume. But sometimes less is more – and resume writing is no exception. So what should you cut from your first draft? Here are five suggestions for meaningful exclusions.

References Available on Request. Drop this archaic language! All hiring managers know you need solid references at some point in the job hunt. Have your list ready before they ask. Verify your contact information for each reference to be sure it’s up to date – and use that process to let each person know you want to use them as a reference.

Your Photo. The specter of a discrimination lawsuit looms large in the fears of every HR person. If they have a picture and choose not to hire you, it’s possible that you could come back and sue them. According to Careerbuilder.com, “In most cases, they’ll throw your résumé away without looking at it, to avoid the issue altogether.”

Every Job You’ve Had Since You Were 16. This advice comes direct from the publication HR World. Evaluate every position you include in your resume by these two criteria: relevant and recent. If a job doesn’t qualify, leave it out.

Resume Clichés. Investopedia.com warns against boring language in a resume. Phrases like “team player” and “detail-oriented” are no longer effective in selling yourself. Use a thesaurus if you need it – but better yet, really describe what makes you a team player or how you actually used your attention to detail to make a specific project successful.

Unprofessional email address. Id Interns helps students and recent graduates in the arts. They remind job and internship seekers that personalized handles like sweetiepie02@yahoo.com or designfreak82@hotmail.com will not impress a potential employer – and may give out information (like your age) that shouldn’t be included in a resume. Instead, they suggest a simple first name [dot] last name address for all job-related correspondence.

For ideas on what you should include in your resume, start with “The Most Important Part of a Resume” (Working Mother magazine) Search Glassdoor.com blogs for titles including “Is Your Resume Disposable?” and “Top Seven Reasons Your Resume Sucks.” And good luck to you! Editor’s Note: Are you a hiring manager with additional advice for job seekers? Send your tips or stories to newsletter editor Paula Damiano at  pauladamiano@hotmail.com.

Entering the job market after college can be an incredibly stressful process, but it’s also equally exciting.  As a new grad, you likely don’t have a ton of practical experience to list on your resume and will be struggling with the best way to sell yourself as a viable candidate to potential employers. Here are some job search tips that are applicable to job seekers at any stage but especially designed for the recent graduate.

1)      Check Out and Clean Up Your Online Reputation. Posting late night pics of yourself may have been fun and acceptable when you were a carefree college student, but as a young professional you definitely need to clean up your image. Start by Googling yourself. Don’t like the results? A potential employer may not either. While it’s somewhat true that once something is on the internet it’s never really gone, a potential employer will not spend extended time trying to dig up dirt on you. It’s your job to make sure that an initial google scan won’t incriminate you. Remove unflattering or inappropriate pictures, tighten up the controls on your Facebook account and start thinking of yourself as a brand – a G-rated brand appropriate for children. Keep it clean!

2)      Create a Web Resume. As a millennial, potential employers expect you to be tech savvy and on the cutting edge of technology. While you still need a traditional resume, putting up a web version on a personally branded domain is an awesome addition. If you do go this route, be sure to include your url in the contact information section of your resume along with your name, address, phone number and email address. Web resumes can be more in depth than a traditional resume and can include links to projects you’ve worked on or uploaded samples of your work. Also, unlike a traditional resume, a picture of yourself is appropriate to include in a web resume. Just be sure to use a professional-looking picture of only you (no group shots please) that presents a polished image. Check out onepagerapp.com to create your web resume. This relatively new service offers one page websites with monthly or annual subscription plans that include hosting. They offer super user-friendly content management and monthly plans are only $10/month.

3)      Use a QR Code. QR codes are personalized barcodes that are compatible with most smartphones and can be linked to images, websites, etc. Once you create your web resume, create a customized QR code and insert it as an image into the header of your resume. There are tons of websites to generate QR codes – simply do a google search for “QR code generator” to find one. One site I like because it offers different background color options is www.qrstuff.com.

4)      Use a Professional Email Address. This tip definitely applies to jobseekers of any age. It sounds like a no-brainer, but I have seen countless resumes with email handles like partylife123 or hotchick99. It’s so simple to create a new email address for your job search, and I actually recommend it to many of my clients. When you start posting your resume on job boards, you’ll be inundated by offers, spam and other unwanted correspondence. If you create a new email address for your job search, you can keep this information separate from your regular inbox.

Rebecca Henninger is a professional resume writer and personal branding consultant. She specializes in personal, one-on-one service and produces resumes that get results for her clients. For more information about personal branding or resume development, or for a resume quote, visit http://www.rebeccahenninger.com

The New Year represents a fresh start and a new opportunity to reinvent yourself for an exciting future.. Even though the job market may be favorable for you in the coming year, it’s still important to focus on enhancing your professional appeal so you can take full advantage of new opportunities. If you’re looking for ways to reinvent your professional image during a 2012 job search, consider the following three tips.

Give your resume a makeover

Your resume is a fundamental component of your professional image because, in many cases, it’s the only first impression you can offer to potential employers. Having a resume that highlights your best attributes, reflects your current status, and reads easily is essential for getting noticed in a sea of other potential, and highly qualified candidates. One of the best ways to revamp your resume is by replacing passive verbs with active verbs. For example, your job history may include a list of responsibilities you had with each company. Instead of listing what you were hired to do, detail what you actually did for the company. This might include changing something like “responsible for marketing projects” to “increased company sales by 15% with a new marketing technique.” This shows how you actively contributed to the company, and how the company benefited from the changes you implemented.

Refresh your wardrobe

Your appearance may not be quite as important as your credentials, but a polished look and a well-chosen wardrobe can make a big difference with an employer’s willingness to hire you. When you work for a certain company, your image and your behavior is a reflection of that company’s image. Having an image that exudes professionalism, class and success can increase your appeal. Purchasing a new suit or outfit may be a bit out of your price range, but an investment in your image truly does pay off in the professional world.

Enhance your education

Perhaps employers have been passing over your resume because the education section is minimal or non-existent. A higher percentage of job searchers now hold college degrees, which means that standing out with a college degree is increasingly difficult. Extending your education is an effective way to stand out among the competition and improve your skills and experiences to prepare you for a professional environment. Options for higher education have recently become easily accessible; there is really no excuse not to extend your education for the job search. From community colleges to an http://www.aiuniv.edu/Degree-Programs/School-Of-Education“>  , you can fill out your education section with a worthwhile investment of your time and effort to continue working towards your career goals.

It’s that dreaded time of year again, that time when we feel compelled to make clichéd resolutions that we hope will bring health, success and happiness (if we can just manage to keep them). Many of us will pledge to lose excess weight, eat more healthfully or begin a new exercise regimen, like hot yoga. Some may even vow — once again — to finally quit smoking!

All of that is fine and dandy, but those who are still unemployed or looking for a better opportunity in the New Year need a different set of resolutions.

The following are seven resolutions for job seekers to make in order to assure a more successful job hunt in 2012.

1. I will acknowledge that my resume could be better.

Your resume is your calling card. It has to be both functional and easy to read — one to two pages max, or hiring managers will quickly lose interest. Cut out everything beyond 10 years and leave a lot of white space around the edges. No photos of yourself (or of you with your pet, please) and exclude your hobbies and interests. Consider a free resume critique to get some expert advice.

2. I will view my job search as a full time job.

It is essential to dedicate an appropriate amount of time each day to your job search because, most of the time, jobs won’t find you. Job boards abound these days in addition to all the social media sites which boast jobs, as well. Update your LinkedIn profile and peruse jobs on that site, too. Avoid distractions. Make your job search a priority ahead of television, computer games and Facebook.

3. I will NOT apply to positions that I am unquestionably not qualified for!

Just because a word in your present job title also is found within the job title of your dreams, does not qualify you for that job. Let’s have realistic expectations. Understand that if, say, you’ve been working as a retail sales clerk at Forever 21, you do not qualify for a channel sales representative position with Oracle. That’s an extreme example but it makes the point. It’s a great waste of everyone’s time when you apply to a position way out of your realm.

4. I will not concentrate too much on job title.

Conversely, don’t lock yourself into job titles, but be open to something comparable or even a lateral move. Keep in mind that titles may vary from company to company, so read the job description and decide if it matches your skillset. Understand your strengths and think outside of the box.

5. I will consider new industries and career paths.

As part of your daily routine, research other industries that could use your skillset (e.g. human resources, network administration, software engineering, accounting, etc.). Also, determine if your skills are transferable to another, often similar type of job (e.g. print journalism to public relations; public accounting to private industry accounting). Research other industries and determine the possibility of making these changes easily.

6. I will think about what I liked and disliked in previous jobs.

Many people had what they thought were perfect jobs until downsizing or a buyout eliminated their coveted positions. Think about the things that made that a perfect job. What made you happy at work? Likewise, consider other jobs you had that were absolute nightmares. From those two diametrically opposed accounts, develop the ultimate job description for yourself. This will help in giving focus and meaning to your search.

7. I will acknowledge that I may not be an interviewing expert.

This is true in general but especially spot-on for those who’ve not interviewed in a while. Additionally, if you have been interviewing quite a bit, but have not yet landed a job, it would behoove you to seek professional advice on how to ace the interview.

This list could have been much longer. But like the perfect resume, it is best to keep it concise and to the point. Good luck to everyone searching for jobs in the New Year.

Although the economy is showing signs of recovering, many people are still out of work or are about to be. And as the labor market improves, large numbers of workers are again considering making a job change. So, in this highly competitive market with lots of people vying for the same opportunities, how do you get that edge over the other job seekers? How can you make sure your candidacy stands out?

Having a great presentation of your credentials is still one of the best and most effective methods, whether that presentation is a profile on a networking site, a resume, a CV, or an executive bio. Recruiters and company executives continue to look at written sources for candidate information even though the methods may have changed from just mail to mail, fax, email, and online application.

Here, then, are the top 10 reasons (and there are many more) why using a professional resume writer will be well worth the investment and will give you that competitive advantage:

1. Looks matter: The very first impression you give may be your only one if you do not appear to meet the employer’s needs and expectations. Executive-level resumes should have a polished, professional appearance that is free of errors and clearly displays your most important and compelling information.

2. An Objective View: Most people find it difficult, if not impossible, to take an objective look at their education and career. What to include, what to leave out, what to emphasize – all good questions. Having an experienced career professional look at your work history will enable you to trim the excess while adding in what matters most to prospective employers.

3. Identifying Your Value: Quite often we undervalue what we have done in our jobs. We think that everyone does that – no big deal. Resume writers will solicit the necessary details of your career in order to craft an accomplishment/outcome-based document that demonstrates your past and future value to a company.

4. Don’t Be a Do-It-Yourselfer: Just as most of us shouldn’t be our own doctor, lawyer, plumber, or mechanic, we shouldn’t write our own job search documents. No one expects you to be an expert at something you do once every two to five years or more. There is no way for you to have the skill and knowledge to create the best job search materials. Some things are best left to professionals who do this every day.

5. Save Yourself Time: We frequently hear from job seekers who spent weeks and even months fine tuning their resume. Instead of delaying the start of your job search AND the start of a new job, hire a pro to help you in preparing the best product in a reasonable time frame.

6. Have the Inside Track: Career professionals and resume writers are in the know about what recruiters and hiring authorities want in a resume. We’ve surveyed them on their preferences and pet peeves. We write resumes that are appropriate for various industries, as well as career levels.

7. Times Change: Just because you’ve always done it that way doesn’t mean your old resume style will still work. Resume writers keep current on the state of their art through certifications, professional affiliations, and ongoing training. You’ve kept up-to-date on your industry and so have we.

8. Save Money: Let’s face it, the job search process costs money to conduct in addition to the lost income while you are out of work or underemployed Paying a resume service may seem like more money going out the door; however, this is definitely a worthwhile investment. We hear almost daily from clients who have found jobs that were professionally and financially rewarding. If you compare the salary lost from a prolonged job search with the cost of job search documents that will expedite the process, you will find yourself financially far ahead.

9. Partner with a Professional: All too often we are uncomfortable discussing our career concerns and uncertainties with family and friends. How fortunate to have someone who not only understands what you are going through, doesn’t judge you, and actually has very helpful advice to guide you to the next step in your professional life. That’s what you get with a resume writer.

10. A Great Product: Let’s face it. We are very good at what we do. We know how to write, we are excellent wordsmiths, we are whizzes at word processing, and our resumes get results. This is our business, we do it extremely well, and we all have hundreds of satisfied customers to support that claim.

In summary, this is one of those times where it pays to go to an expert. As I always say: If your resume isn’t a Winner, it’s a Killer. Do it right.

ResumeBear announced 3 new partnerships today in their continued march toward being the premier job board in the United States.

Solana Beach, Ca (PRWEB) November 29, 2011

ResumeBear announced 3 new partnerships today in their continued march toward being the premier job board in the United States.

ResumeBear and HirePatriots.com:

HirePatriots.com, a non profit, free job board that provides ‘one day and part time’ jobs for military, transitioning veterans, and their spouses has aligned their services with ResumeBear, the premier site for job seekers.

“We provide part-time, sustainable employment for veterans transitioning back into civilian life, until full time employment can be found,” said Mark Baird, CEO of HirePatriots.com. “We were immediately impressed with the technology, tools, and resources provided by ResumeBear, and by their focus on helping the job seeker succeed.”

“When we learned about the mission of HirePatriots.com to help veterans and their spouses return to work, we knew that we wanted to work with them,” stated Heather Brebaugh, CEO of ResumeBear. “Veteran unemployment could be eliminated if each business would hire just one veteran a year. With our resources we know we can be an integral part of ending veteran unemployment.”

Through the partnership between HirePatriots.com and ResumeBear, military, veterans, and their spouses can seamlessly access short term employment through HirePatriots.com while utilizing the tools, tips, resources, and job board available through ResumeBear to find their future career.

Visitors to the ResumeBear website can access HirePatriots.com from the Home Page or from the Military header under the Resources tab.

ResumeBear and TrustedID:

More than 15 million people become victims of identity theft every year. An identity is stolen every two seconds in the United States – the fastest growing crime in the U.S. for the past four years. Knowing the importance that good credit history has on an individual’s day-to-day life, ResumeBear has partnered with TrustedID. TrustedID has been a leader in identity and credit protection since 2005 and was honored with the 2010 Overall “Best-In-Class” award from Javelin Research† for their comprehensive protection services.

“Job seekers are at a high risk for identity theft,” said Brebaugh. “They are often providing personal information during the job search process, leaving them vulnerable to identity thieves. Through our partnership with TrustedID we are very excited to be able to offer free identity theft protection to our job seekers. We continue our efforts to provide an exceptional experience for all of our job seekers.”

Visitors to the ResumeBear website can access TrustedID from the Home Page, under the Resources tab, or from their personal dashboard once they complete their free ResumeBear registration.

ResumeBear and Resume2Hire:

In addition to the ability to quickly upload a resume from a word document or use the resume wizard to create a resume from scratch, ResumeBear realized that many job seekers need professional help to get a top notch resume. Through their new partnership with Resume2Hire, ResumeBear job seekers now have access to certified resume writers that have both staffing and recruiting experience as well as professional writing backgrounds. Writers each have at least three years of experience in professional staffing.

“In keeping with our philosophy to focus on the needs of our job seekers, we have partnered with Resume2Hire to provide high quality, professional, customized resumes at a very low cost,” said Brebaugh.

Resume2Hire’s writers connect directly with each job seeker to create a custom resume that reflects who each person is and what they represent. Resumes are keyword optimized for the specific industry and targeted position. Satisfaction is guaranteed.

Visitors to the ResumeBear website (http://www.resumebear.com) can access the services of Resume2Hire from the Home Page, from the Resources tab, or from their personal dashboard as a registered ResumeBear user.

“We continue to focus on providing the resources that will help all job seekers find meaningful work,” said Bob Warren, Founder of ResumeBear. “By watching our Alexa ranking and seeing how our visibility continues to skyrocket, we know that we are on the right path to becoming the most valuable resource for job seekers.”

http://www.prweb.com/releases/ResumeBear/veteranjobseekers/prweb8994972.htm  (live release)

Eighty percent of all submitted resumes (and 100 percent of resumes sent to Fortune 1000 companies) get scanned by software commonly known as an applicant-tracking system (ATS), and such scanned resumes are stored on a server in a digitized format. Humans are seeing your resume only if it resurfaces based on a query. That’s why most job applicants don’t receive responses from companies after submitting resumes. Therefore, in order to increase your resume chances of being at least viewed by a human–even if it’s not thereafter considered suitable–you have to understand the process and beat them at their own game.

Human resources departments that use ATSs base their queries on keywords they lift from job descriptions or receive verbally from hiring managers. Based on that information, the ATS extracts appropriate resumes from the ones on file. The human resources employee’s query may result in just a few resumes or a vast number. The ATS also scores those resumes and sorts and prioritizes them. Then the employee reviews, say, 20 and submits 5 to be interviewed.

Your job is to ensure that you embed sufficient keywords in your resume. So, what’s the best way to find those magical keywords? It’s a simple, albeit somewhat tedious, exercise.

1. Search the Internet via job boards such as Monster and The Ladders.com to find 5 to 20 job descriptions of jobs advertised in the field you’re interested in.

2. Cut and paste all of the descriptions one after another into a new Word document.

3. Review the document, resetting in boldface what you consider the keywords throughout.

4. Delete everything except the boldface words.

5. Alphabetize the words, and delete duplicates.

6. Copy your resume into a new Word document, and repeat steps 3, 4, and 5 on that copy.

The two resulting lists will display which keywords from the descriptions are missing from your resume. And now comes the creative part: you incorporate the missing keywords into your resume so it seems seamless and a perfect match for the context in which the words are mentioned in the job descriptions.

You really want a posted job, in fact, you really need that job. The problem is, however, you’re worried about how you will explain a gap or gaps on your resume.

That problem is a reality for countless people who are looking to remove themselves from the unemployment list, which currently hovers around 9.1 percent nationwide.

In a day and age when more and more people are coming and going from jobs than their parents and grandparents did, having to explain time off in between jobs can be tricky.

The lack of work on a resume can be due to a variety of factors, including firings, layoffs, time off to raise a family and more. That being said, it is not uncommon for employers receiving a resume with pieces missing to the puzzle to raise an eye brow.

In the event you have some explaining to do on why your resume looks the way it does, keep these factors in mind:

• Be honest – Just about everyone has had a gap in their working life at some time or another. The worst move to make is trying to hide the gaps by making up a story or two. Short of having spent time in jail, explain the gaps if questioned on them;
• Don’t run and hide – Trying to avoid the situation will raise red flags among many employers. It is best to deal with the situation honestly or at least to the point that you can explain it away;
• Note the good stuff – Perhaps you took time off from work to volunteer around the world helping needy people? Did you take time off to start a family? Perhaps you had to take a break from working for a medical issue in order to make you healthier for a potential employer? Whatever the reason, highlight the positive stuff to better reflect on you;
• Highlight what you learned – If you were out of work to travel and help others, point out what was learned from the experience. If the time off was to start raising a family or care for a sick family member, point out the responsibilities you undertook and how you can transfer such roles to a new job;
• Volunteers are worthy too – Some people take time away from their jobs to do volunteer work. Just because someone is not getting paid for a position doesn’t mean their services are not notable. If you took time off to volunteer for a company, organization, etc. highlight what you did and how it could assist you in helping the potential employer you’re interviewing with;
• Point out time away for school– In the event you’ve taken time off to go back to school, by all means point it out on the resume. The time spent for education can definitely be viewed as a positive by a potential employer, especially if they will be the beneficiary of what you’ve learned while away from work;
• Explain a layoff and the reasoning behind it – Countless people go through layoffs during their time in the workforce. Being laid off and being fired are two entirely different things, so don’t confuse the two. In the event you were fired and have been out of work for a while, explain it to the best of your ability without coming out and saying you screwed up on the job.

At the end of the day, employers will hire those who they think are the best candidates to help their company.

If you have the skills and the desire to work hard, even a gap here or there on your resume should be explainable to the point where you have just as much of a shot at the job as the next person.

Dave Thomas, who covers among other subjects’ corporate credit cards writes extensively for www.business.com an online resource destination for businesses of all sizes to research, find, and compare the products and services they need to run their businesses.

We don’t do much in the way of endorsements here at Jobtrakr.  However if there’s something that we discover that could benefit our readers, we have a fiduciary responsibility to share it with you.  Enter ResumeBear.  The internet isn’t short on resume services.  Whether they promise to distribute your resume to all of the job boards or promise to get you a job in 30 days, those services are everywhere on the interwebs.  So understandably we were a little skeptical when we initially heard about ResumeBear.  First thought was, ok great another resume building or distribution service.  We couldn’t have been further from the truth.  After taking a look at the ResumeBear website we had to learn more.

ResumeBear is disrupting the resume industry.  An industry so critical to employment, but hasn’t been disrupted in decades. ResumeBear allows you to set up text and email alerts to notify you when your resume has been read or opened.  Additionally, you will also know if your resume has been forwarded to someone else.  This now puts you in a position to act quickly to secure an interview.

ResumeBear maintains a dashboard where you can keep up with the activity of your resume.  You can track who opened it, how long they viewed it, who it was forwarded to or if it was printed. Indirectly, you will be able to see which versions of your resume are getting the most activity.  You can make changes along the way using the immediate and direct feedback given by ResumeBear.

How many times have you wondered what’s happened to your resume once you’ve submitted it or applied for a job? ResumeBear let’s you know exactly what’s going on, as it’s going on.  This is critical as you build your road map to job search success.

ResumeBear is 100% free for job seekers and is available for your desktop, iPhone and Android devices.