July 22nd– The #LetteroftheDay is “I” as is Ice Cream
July is National Ice Cream Month and the average American consumes 23 pounds of ice cream annually.
According to the International Dairy Foods Association the 10 most popular flavors of ice cream are:
- Vanilla
- Chocolate
- Cookies N’ Cream
- Mint Chocolate Chip
- Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough
- Buttered Pecan
- Cookie Dough
- Strawberry
- Moose Tracks
- Neapolitan
Just like everyone has their favorite flavor of ice cream, everyone has different values. Knowing your values helps you understand what drives you – what you enjoy, inspires you and would like more of. By building a life and lifestyle around our values we create a life that is more satisfying and meaningful to us.
Values change over time and deepen as you understand yourself better. Additionally, your values can also be situations, so what is true for you at work may not be true for you at home. When it comes to values, there is no right or wrong, only who we are.
July 23rd– The #LetteroftheDay is “T” as in Technology
One concern I often hear from more mature job seekers is, “What can I do to hide my age, so I’m not discriminated against?”
There are a few easy things that any job seeker can do if you are worried about “dating yourself,” and it all starts with technology. Do you embrace technology or are you scared of it?
On your résumé, are you using a professional Gmail address or are you still using your AOL address from 20 years ago?
Do you have a fully developed LinkedIn profile with a customized URL that shows employers that you are up-to-date on current hiring trends?
If technology is a component of your job, are you still showing that you have knowledge of outdated software like Windows 95 on your résumé?
Additionally, to help avoid age discrimination remove education dates from your résumé and LinkedIn profile.
July 24th– The #LetteroftheDay is “E” as in Earnings
While your earnings matter, today I want to talk about corporate earnings. In particular, educating yourself on the potential company’s earnings as you prepare for an interview.
Most people know to learn about the company they are interviewing with prior to an interview, however, most applicants only learn the basics about a company. I would encourage you to dive further into learning about the company, including its earnings.
Employers want to see your passion, drive, and desire to work for their organization. One way to is to show the hiring manager that you know more about the company than the basic end product or service they provide.
An applicant who can speak to the latest earning reports, recent press releases, the competitive landscape, and the direction the group is heading speaks volumes about their desire to join the team.
July 25th– The #LetteroftheDay is “L” as in Layout
How important is the layout of your résumé? Considering your résumé is often the first impression that an employer has of you, I would say it is critical. According to The Ladders, a recruiter views your résumé for 7.4 seconds before making a decision whether to move forward or not.
Within 7.4 seconds, you need to convey your unique value, capture the readers’ attention, and make them want to learn more. Here are a few quick tips to improve your résumé layout and make the most of your 7.4 seconds:
- Be concise and use bullet points to showcase your achievements – large blocks of text will go unread
- Use easy-to-read fonts – Century Gothic, Calibri, Verdana, and Helvetica are some of my favorites
- Set your margins to no less than 0.5 inches all the way around
- Use styling elements sparingly – bolding every other word loses its effectiveness, so save emphatic styling for when you want to draw the reader’s attention to a specific area
July 26th– The #LetteroftheDay is “F” as in Facebook
According to a recent JobVite survey, more than 65% of employers use Facebook in their recruiting, making Facebook the second most popular social network for hiring.
Keep in mind that employers often use Facebook as a tool to screen applicants – over 90% of employers and recruiters use Facebook to gather additional information about you, and over 70% have rejected job seekers based on inappropriate photos, comments, or content.
Make sure you sanitize your content for anything that may be deemed inappropriate and tighten up your privacy settings.
