Understanding the ATS (Applicant Tracking Systems)

Understanding the ATS (Applicant Tracking Systems) There is a lot of buzz about how to get your resume through an ATS (aka: applicant tracking system).  An ATS is to a recruiter what JibberJobber is to a job seeker.  It is a tracking system. Before I go on, if you dont think you need JibberJobber to keep track of your job search, realize that HR and recruiters are using some kind of ATS or tracking system to keep track of you.  Dont bring a knife to a gunfight get on JibberJobber! So heres a great article on ATS systems: Ensuring Your Résumé Avoids Applicant Tracking System Pitfalls In yesterdays Ask The Expert call with The Recruiting Animal, Animal said he doesnt use an ATS, and that is really something that internal recruiters are going to use.  In other words, getting your resume through an ATS is not going to be an issue for ALL recruiters. Check out Arnies article Understanding the ATS (Applicant Tracking Systems) There is a lot of buzz about how to get your resume through an ATS (aka: applicant tracking system).  An ATS is to a recruiter what JibberJobber is to a job seeker.  It is a tracking system. Before I go on, if you dont think you need JibberJobber to keep track of your job search, realize that HR and recruiters are using some kind of ATS or tracking system to keep track of you.  Dont bring a knife to a gunfight get on JibberJobber! So heres a great article on ATS systems: Ensuring Your Résumé Avoids Applicant Tracking System Pitfalls In yesterdays Ask The Expert call with The Recruiting Animal, Animal said he doesnt use an ATS, and that is really something that internal recruiters are going to use.  In other words, getting your resume through an ATS is not going to be an issue for ALL recruiters. Check out Arnies article

Steps For Writing a Resume - What Are the Different Steps?

Steps For Writing a Resume - What Are the Different Steps?There are many steps for writing a resume and you need to be able to know what they are. This article will help you understand what steps to take when you are thinking about writing a resume.There are different things that you can do to make sure that your resume is well organized. You want to make sure that the information on your resume is not spread out and you want it to look nice and neat. To do this you need to make sure that you have an outline and you need to take these steps to help you get organized.The first step to take is to make sure that you have a resume template. This is something that will help you get organized and this is something that you can use and continue to use throughout your career. The next step is to make sure that you understand what a standard resume looks like and how it is formatted.The next step is to get the best standardized format for a standard resume. You want to make sure that you incl ude all of the information and make sure that you know where it goes and how to go back. You want to include a number of details about yourself and then make sure that you have the following things in them:The next step that you want to take is to put in the number of years that you have been in your job and then make sure that you have some examples of the most recent work that you have done. Remember that most of the work that you have done has been written on your own resume. You need to make sure that you include this in your resume.The next step is to find out what words are acceptable and which ones are not. You want to use these words and this is something that you need to make sure that you know how to do. After you have worked through this, you will need to have a format for what the words look like.The next step is to know the meaning of the words so that you know what they mean. When you know what the words mean, you will be able to use them and make sure that you know ho w to use them properly. After you have worked through this step you will need to make sure that you have a format for how you format your words.The final step is to know where to go from here. You will want to make sure that you know what to do next so that you can have a great resume that you can use when you are applying for a job.

How to Set up Automated Emails In Mailchimp - Classy Career Girl

How to Set up Automated Emails In Mailchimp Automated emails deliver information to your customers right when they need it, in a way that’s efficient for you and your team. When I first joined Classy Career Girl as a  Marketing Assistant four years ago,  I used  automation workflows  by Mailchimp to easily create and track trigger-based emails that automatically sent to our email subscribers. This is a great addition to your business because you can personally create these emails, like Anna has done and then they go out automatically, so you dont have to be sitting in front of your email system all day. This tutorial will help you determine how much you will need to pay (its not that much and its totally worth it) and then the steps to take to implement the system. Note: Of course, you can also do these automated emails in 1shoppingcart and Infusionsoft but if you are just starting out in your business, we recommend Mailchimp for affordability and ease. (No, I am not even an affiliate. I just recommend the best!) How to Set up Automated Emails In Mailchimp Here is a look at the options for price if you pay per month or pay as you go. Determine how many subscribers you have and what the best option will be for you to get started. Create a workflow 1. After login, navigate to the Automation page and click the Create Automation Workflow button. 2. To choose the list that will receive the emails in your workflow, make the appropriate selection from the  Which list do you want to use?drop-down menu. Youll have the option to  segment recipients later. 3.  Find the workflow type youd like to use, and click  Select. Available workflows display based on the list youve selected. To use one of the grayed-out workflows, your list needs to meet the indicated requirements. (For this example, we will select Welcome Message) 4.  In the  Setup  step, fill out the  Workflow configuration  fields and choose your tracking options. These settings will be applied to all the emails in your workflow. Youll configure each emails settings later. 5. Click the  Send activity digest emailcheck box to receive a  daily email with reporting data  for your workflow. Select  Edit  to choose which  account users  you want the digest email to send to. 6. In the  Trigger  step, confirm or customize your trigger and  segmentation options. Some triggers require more information from you, others are defaults based on the workflow type you chose on the  List and Workflow step. 7.  During the  Emails  step,  add and design emails, organize them in your workflow, and tell us when each email should send. 8. Create a subject for you email and name it. 9. Edit or change the template to how you want it to look. 10. Design your email and add a photo if you like. Remember, make it simple now. You can always get fancy later! 11. Add emails to your workflow and trigger the workflow to be sent out a certain number of days after you start. 12. In the Confirm step, look over the Pre-delivery Checklist and test your emails if you havent already. Click Resolve or Edit to make changes. 13. When youre finished reviewing, click  Start Workflow. And you are ready to go! Youve sent your first automatic email. Now you can start building a relationship with your customers quickly and make more sales authentically.

How to Go Job Hunting in Canada

How to Go Job Hunting in Canada If youre anything like me, the rampant stupidity blasting from every single news report you see lately has you crying, Thats it, Im moving to Canada. Yes, its time to start job hunting in Canada! If youre unlike me, and you actually mean it, there are some things you should know before trekking up into the Great White North. (And, since this is an article about Canada, Ill get this out of the way right now: maple syrup, hockey, bears, Eh, Nickelback/Justin Bieber/Celine Dion sucks, Canadians are so nice, give us your health care, blah blah blah.) Now that thats settled, lets talk about the actual details. Youre not the only one with this idea, apparently, since theres a whole webpage called How to Move to Canada. Seriously. Oh, and if you just so happen to actually be moving to Canada for health coverage, you should know that theres a three month waiting period. You know, just in case thats what you were thinking. But patriating to another country is a little more complicated than picking out a fashion-forward parka, so youre going to want to familiarize yourself with the legal requirements months beforehand to give yourself some time to get the paperwork ready. (But seriously, though, do pick up that parka. I grew up near Augusta, Maine, and our fish tank used to freeze solid when the power went out.) Now, the important part. Nathan Fillion, and his dashing good looks and boyish charm. I kid. Job searching! You know the drill. Jobs in Toronto are hot right now with big companies like IBMjust take a look at the Career Builder results page. The Canadian unemployment rate is at 6.9% right now, and compared to the USs 7.3%, which means that the competition isnt quite as fierce up there. (And hopefully not because .4% of job searchers decided it just wasnt worth the trek out into the snow.) A Canadian birdie (Goose?) told me that the hottest industries in Canada right now are finance, construction, nursing, and pharmacy. If any of these happen to strike your fancy, maybe you should set your sights north. And for the record, Canada gave us the Barenaked Ladies, Sarah McLachlan, Walk Off the Earth, and Alanis Morisette, and that more than makes up for Nickelback and Justin Bieber, you naysayers.

Resume Free Download

Resume Free DownloadA lot of employers today prefer to use resume free download instead of the original versions. This is because, the freebie version has only the required information which helps the employer to make a better job offer for the candidate. Now you can also use this type of resume free download in order to reach the top of the ladder. It is a time-saving way to get a better job and it will help you find the ideal job you have always dreamt of.There are so many advantages of using free resume download. First and foremost advantage is that it is one of the cheapest ways to do a resume. However, there are several websites offering such services but you should ensure that you make the right choice before actually placing your order.The best place to get free resume download is the internet. You can find thousands of websites offering this service but you should compare the price before actually signing up. You should get the exact idea on the price before making your order .Once you have obtained the order of the free resume download, you should go through the details that are offered by the website. The basic information that you need to put in your resume free download is the name, contact number, email address, telephone number and address. These details will help you to contact the prospective employer with ease.It is possible to upload your education as a proof that the employer will get as a proof that you are qualified for the job. The free resume download also offers the sample essays that will allow you to practice on. The sample essays will help you put some of your own ideas and skills on the resume free download.The list of links on the free resume download is a great help to the candidate. It provides the candidate with an extensive amount of details about the job and also gives the candidate the details of the duties required. The links on the resume free download also contain the different styles of resume that the candidate can use for his/her resume. The resume free download also includes the option of making a cover letter.Another option available on the free resume download is the flash animation that is often used in order to represent the applicant's skills. The file format is very easy to read and it will be an added bonus to the candidate. It will make it easier for the employer to verify the candidate's skills. In addition, you can also choose the material from the resume free download that has your name included.You can also use the resume free download in order to become more familiar with the job opening. It is a good way to become familiar with the work and tasks. Once you become familiar with the job, you will be able to create a more convincing resume for the employer.

How to Get More Than the Average 2.9% Salary Raise Predicted for 2016

How to Get More Than the Average 2.9% Salary Raise Predicted for 2016 Mercer recently released their    2015/2016 U.S. Compensation Planning Survey,  indicating a trend towards continuing to reward top performers and  incentivize employees through recognition opportunities that are not only linked to base pay. The key findings of the survey are below.The average salary increase budget is expected to be 2.9% in 2016, up slightly from the average increase budget of 2.8% in 2015.Salary increases for top-performing employees   ( 7% of workforce) will be almost twice that of average performers.Flat budgets have created more reliance on other reward methods like developing career opportunities and creating meaningful work experiencesPromotional increases as a percent of base pay are rising on average about 8%. For executives, promotional increases grew to 9.1% of base salary (compared to 8.4% last year), and for professionals rose to 7.7% (compared to 6.9% last year).41% of organizations are now budgeting promotional increases apart from merit increases, up from 36% in 2014.So how can you  be perceived as  a top performer in 2016? Here are some tips.Document your accomplishments regularly throughout the year Keep track of all the projects you manage. Upon completion of each assignment, write a note to yourself detailing your contribution and how your efforts helped the company make money, save money, save time, grow the business, or retain customers. Quantify your accomplishments with dollars, percentages, and other appropriate metrics. Actively seek out opportunities to improve efficiencies and profits regardless of the task at hand. By showing and quantifying your specific value add, you build a better business case to support the requested salary increase.Become hard to replace Create opportunities to diversify your experience by offering to learn how to perform tasks that support your main role and make you more efficient at what you do. An alternative strategy is to become a subject matter expert in one specific aspect of the job so you are seen as the go-to-guy for a particular type of information. No want wants to lose the go-to-guy because then they have to do it themselves.Take on tasks that no one else wants to do This does not mean taking on grunt work. It might just mean mastering a new technology that no one else feels comfortable with or taking on an assignment that is outside of the traditional scope of the job. Employees who demonstrate this level of flexibility tend to get more flexibility from their bosses on other issues, including compensation.Accept high profile assignments close to review time Since it is easier for people to remember what has happened most recently, why not take on an important assignment to coincide with an upcoming review? The project is bound to become a focal point of the performance review discussion and the boss can quickly remember and document the acheivements relevant to the project.Your success negotiating a salary increase or promotion hinges on your ability to d iscuss the increase in terms of what is fair and reasonable. By including some of these ideas into your career management strategy, you can keep the conversation focused on measureable achievements and build a compelling business case for the requested pay raise.

How to Have a Great Meeting with Your Sponsor

How to Have a Great Meeting with Your Sponsor When’s the last time you met with your sponsor to tell them how things are going? If you’ve been keeping them updated regularly, congratulations. That puts you in a great position to build trust with your sponsor, get the most from the relationship and advance your career. But if you’re like most people, you haven’t updated your sponsor in a while. Maybe you’re busy. Maybe you’ve set the bar so high that you’d have to win the Nobel Prize before going to your sponsor to tell them about it. Perhaps you’re too embarrassed to talk to them until you’ve done something with the advice they gave you last time you met. Whatever your reason for holding back, remember that your sponsor wants to know how you’re doing. In fact, they need to know in order be a great sponsor for you. As a sponsor, it gave me a sense of pride when my proteges took action and got results. Hearing their updates allowed me to give timely advice so they could avoid pitfalls that would make them (and me!) look bad. Most importantly, those updates gave me ammunition to advocate for them behind closed doors. Whether you’re about to have that meeting or need the confidence to know what to say before setting it up, here are three things you need to do to make the most of the time with your sponsor. 1. Identify Your Goals As Steven Covey says, “start with the end in mind”. In this case, that means getting clear on what success would be from the meeting. What do you want to accomplish? What would feel like a “win” for you and your sponsor when you walk out of the room? I like to think of the goals in three categories: What you want to convey What you want to discover, and What you want to put in motion as a follow up Convey There are two aspects to what you want to convey. The first is the content. What are the three main points you want to make? For example, thanking them for the opportunity they gave you, letting them know what you did with it, and sharing your plans are for building on that success. Or it could be updates on the three key projects you’ve worked on. The second is how you show up and the impression you want to leave them with. Are you trying to be more strategic? Do you want to show that you have aspirations beyond your current role? Or come across as calm, cool and confident? Being clear in your own mind on how you want to show up will help you align what you say, how you say it, and how you behave in the most powerful way. Discover What information or feedback would you want to learn from your sponsor? Perhaps it’s feedback on what they’ve been hearing about your efforts, which would help you improve. Or what trends they see in the business and the organization, which could inform your next moves. Or what’s going on with them so you know how you can support them. Put in Motion What next step or steps would you like to have happen? If you have an “ask” then get clear on what that is and how you want to phrase it. If there isn’t anything specific you want as a follow up, it could be just to pay attention during the meeting to anything that emerges as a possibility. And it could be simply getting agreement on when it makes sense to touch base again. As an example, if you’re meeting with your sponsor ahead of a promotion, your content would include a “thank you” for their support and a succinct summary of what you accomplished, what you learned from the key projects you’ve had the privilege to lead, and your aspiration to get to the next level in the organization. And focus the how you show up as being someone who has the desire, confidence and poise to operate at that next level. What you’ll want to discover are the next steps you should take to put yourself in a position to be seen as a strong candidate for promotion. For example, you could ask, “if you were in my shoes, what are the next steps you would take?” or “what would you recommend in terms of next steps?” And if you’re not sure about how the process works or need feedback on how you’re doing, this is the time to ask about that too. Your sponsor’s views on next steps can inform what you put in motion. But in case they don’t offer helpful action steps, make sure you have some of your own. Like asking them for an introduction to someone they say you should meet or inviting you to a meeting where key decision-makers will be present. 2. Handle the Meeting Like a Pro Whether you’re talking to your sponsor about something specific like your promotion or having a general catch up, there are five things you can do during the meeting to make it a success. Thank and Share When it comes to your sponsor, it’s useful to show gratitude. After all, they’re putting their reputation on the line when they advocate for you. I like to start by thanking them for whatever the specific thing is they’ve done to help me. It’s equally important to keep them updated on how you’re doing so they can feel comfortable that the investment they’re making in you is one that is paying off. That’s about sharing a succinct update of whatever you want to convey. And if things have changed or a project isn’t going as planned, you need to let them know what’s going on and what you’re doing about it. Communication builds trust, which makes your sponsor more likely to keep supporting you. Ask Don’t miss out on the opportunity to ask for their wise counsel. It could be asking for feedback on how you’re doing and how you could improve, recommendations on what a good next step would be if they were in your shoes, or challenges the organization is facing that you could help out on. You could also ask about what’s on your sponsor’s plate and find ways to support them in their efforts. Listen A vastly undervalued skill is listening. And when you’re nervous, it’s all too easy to keep talking to fill the silence. After you ask a question, pause and listen. Resist the urge to fill the silence or change your question. Then pay close attention to what your sponsor says. This allows you to ask follow-on questions to clarify and get a deeper understanding. To make room for listening to the wise words of your sponsor, make sure you keep your comments concise and to-the-point. Summarize Toward the end of the meeting, take a moment to summarize your takeaways and get clear on next steps. Often, there will be a natural moment when it makes sense to summarize and bring the meeting to a conclusion. But it’s your job to keep your eye on the time and start wrapping things up when there’s 3-5 minutes left to go. Don’t feel like you have to use up all the time if it’s not needed. Your sponsor will always appreciate getting some time back, and they’ll be happier to meet with you again if you keep to schedule. Follow Up It’s in your interest to create an opportunity to follow up with your sponsor, mostly so you won’t feel funny about reaching out to them again. It could be a tangible action item like sending them the article you mentioned or meeting with someone they recommended you get to know. Or it could be simply getting permission to come back and update them again in three months. Whatever you’ve agreed to do, make sure you do it. 3. Avoid the Meeting Pitfalls Sometimes, despite your best intentions, things can go badly in a meeting with your sponsor. Some will be caused by things outside your control, like your sponsor turning up 15 minutes late to your 20-minute meeting or an emergency that distracts them from paying full attention. But most of the issues are caused by things that you may not be aware of. That’s why I’m including this list of what not to do or say to your sponsor.   Don’t Be ArrogantUnless your sponsor is arrogant and regards that as an attractive trait, you’re best off being what I call “real”. That means having your feet firmly on the ground about who you are and what you bring, and not having a sense of entitlement. Don’t Be Too HumbleThe opposite is also a problem. Being too humble to talk about what you’ve done and accomplished means your sponsor won’t know enough to advocate for you effectively. Don’t Put Them on the SpotBe careful not to ask for help in a way that backs your sponsor into a corner and makes them (and you) feel awkward like issuing an ultimatum (“give me X or I’ll quit”) or making a big ask and expecting an answer on the spot. Don’t Do All the TalkingMake sure you’re doing your share of the listening because your sponsor should be the wiser, more experienced of the two! And when you’re talking… Don’t RambleRespect their time by getting to the point. Tell them just the amount of information they need to know (not the “gory details”). Don’t repeat yourself. Above all, don’t feel like you need to fill the entire time slot. Don’t ArgueYou’re there to achieve your goals, not to be right or score points in a debate. It’s fine to clarify any misunderstandings and explore what they mean by certain statements. But arguing every point takes up precious time and creates negative energy, neither of which is helpful to your sponsor relationship. Don’t ComplainYour sponsor meeting is not a therapy session or a place to vent your frustrations. If you have to talk about negatives, challenge yourself to turn those complaints into opportunities. Stay positive and as my father likes to say, see if you can “use only positive words”. Cultivate Your Sponsor Relationship Sponsors are like gold dust. You’ll be fortunate to have one at any given point in your career. That’s why it’s so important to cultivate those relationships with great care and attention. Sponsors are like gold dust. Cultivate your relationship with great care and attention. If you have a sponsor, treat them with respect when you meet. And when you find potential candidates, approach your meetings with them as though they already are your sponsor. Remember to set your goals before each meeting, focus on the five things to do in the meeting and steer clear of the pitfalls. But most important of all, go and have the meeting with your sponsor! It’s a key part of building and maintaining your relationship. When it comes to meeting with your sponsor (whether current or potential), which of these strategies would most help you make it the success you want it to be? Leave a comment and let me know.