Tuesday, April 21, 2020

Does a Resume Need a Cover Letter?

Does a Resume Need a Cover Letter?There are many different types of resumes available on the market today. When looking for a job, many people just choose to submit their resume as is. However, this often creates more problems for them than it solves. A good resume should contain all of the information a company will need to do an analysis of your skills and experience in order to assess whether or not you can complete the job and to determine whether you will be successful in the position you are applying for.In order to do this, the prospective employer will need to find out a little bit about you and your history. The very first thing you want to do is take the time to do a search online. This is the best way to look up all of the companies that you are interested in working for, and to gather as much information as possible about their needs.You may be surprised to find out that the company you are interviewing with is actually interested in some other person entirely. For exampl e, many companies are interested in interviewing people with the experience of being a cook, although not necessarily someone who has ever cooked before. Others want to interview people who know how to put together a business plan.By taking the time to do your research, you may find out that you have many qualities that make you a great resume candidate. Even if you aren't interviewing for a job, a resume is a powerful tool that can help others make a determination of whether or not you would be a good fit for the job.The person who decides if you are a good candidate, or even if you are a good fit for the job is the person who interviews you. Therefore, it makes sense to include all of the relevant information when you submit your resume. The cover letter is also something you will want to do well. The cover letter is often one of the first things that a potential employer reads, and if it is poorly written, the employer will be much less likely to read it.Having a good cover lette r is even more important if you are applying for a job that requires a detailed resume. In these situations, a good cover letter will give the employer a more detailed look at the types of skills and experience you have. It is also a good idea to include all of the references that you can find.You can also easily find samples of sample resumes online. You can simply use these samples as a guide to creating a resume that will be filled with all of the details you need to include in order to be a great candidate.

Thursday, April 16, 2020

Job Hunting How to Spin a Mommy Gap on Your Resume

Job Hunting How to Spin a Mommy Gap on Your Resume For moms looking to reclaim their professional lives after some years out of the workforce, the road back to gainful employment can be tricky. Employers may see your career break as a risk, worrying that your skills are rusty, you won’t understand the latest technology, you’ll miss your kids and stay-at-home life, and you won’t be able to produce at the same rate as other employees. The opposite could be true, of course: Your break may have given you greater clarity about your goals and new energy to take on professional challenges after the very different demands and satisfactions of being home with kids. It’s time to amp up your confidence and tell your story. Here are tips from employment pros to help you overcome a gap on your career timeline and make a successful reentry. Rework Your Resume The longer you’ve been away from work and your industry, “the bigger the barrier to reentry,” says executive coach Roy Cohen. “That’s why it is crucial to show that you’ve used time off productively by learning new skills, doing freelance or consulting work, or even stretching yourself through community or volunteer roles.” The best way to highlight this on your resume is by downplaying the rigid old reverse-chronology design. As MONEY explains in “What Your Resume Should Look Like in 2017,” all job seekers today should be more creative in telling their story. One key is to craft a short summary for the top to frame the rest of your resume as you wish to be seen. In your case, highlight your top skills and weave in new experiences you’ve gained in your time away to better sell yourself as a great candidate for the job. “It keeps the first thing on your resume from being that time gap, and instead focuses it on your talents,” says Julie Cohen, another executive coach, who isn’t related to Roy Cohen. If you did a major certification program or completed a degree, move your education section high up to show off this achievement and downplay your employment gap. It’s also not too late to take classes or certifications that might freshen your skills and bolster your resume. Check out your local community college or free online education websites like edX and Coursera for relevant coursework. Industry or trade associations may also offer training sessions or professional certifications. For computer basics, Microsoft and Apple offer in-store training that can help you brush up. If you held any positions, even volunteer ones such as at your trade association or at your church that required you to use skills the employer is after, you may want to include those as a line on your resume. And of course, if you’ve done any consulting or freelance work in the time off, include that as a line too. Photo illustration by Sarina Finkelstein for MONEY; Getty Images (5) Finally, consider putting at the bottom of your work experience a brief line that states you took time off from one specified date to another date to care for children, says executive coach Michelle Friedman. “The employer then doesn’t have to do the math. You name and account for the time, but you don’t need to elaborate further,” she adds. Prepare a Talking Point In interviews, potential employers will inevitably ask about the gap in your work record. It’s important that you do not apologize for the break, but rather acknowledge it and pivot directly to why you’re best for the role, says Carol Fishman Cohen, co-founder of career reentry firm iRelaunch. “This means you’ll need to practice the interview and have several anecdotes ready from prior jobs or from experiences you had during your time off so that can bring them into the conversation easily.” This can be the time to mention training you undertook or new abilities you developed through community activities. You want balance, says Roy Cohen, so the focus isn’t all about the fact that you were a stay-at-home parent, but rather on what else you did during that time. Your cover letter should be treated much the same. In one of your later paragraphs, make a mention that you are returning from a career break and explain why. But keep it under a sentence, and immediately follow up with why that break doesn’t matter and why you’re the strongest candidate, says Julie Cohen. Get Personal You can’t conduct your relaunch solely by sitting at your home computer. Submitting dozens of resumes to online job postings and hoping one will land is not a good strategy for any job seeker, but especially not for someone coming off a break, says Friedman. It is critical that you find people within a company who can help push your resume to the top of the pile or make a personal recommendation to offset some of the biases an employer may have when scanning that gap in your career timeline. “Strangers will see your career gap as an irregularity and move on without that connection. Working through people you know helps eliminate that bias,” says Friedman. To get that helpful push, you’ll need to spread the word to as many people as possible. “You have to tell everyone you know that you are interested in going back to work,” says Julie Cohen. Reach out to friends, past classmates, former clients, any professional-association buddies, and old colleaguesâ€"both the senior- and junior-level ones. Fishman Cohen recalls that when she came back from an 11-year break, the person who opened the door for her was a former workmate who held an entry-level gig back then but had since become a manager. To help make new connections, consider joining industry or trade associations, if you don’t already belong, or volunteer to fill a vacancy on a group’s planning committee or board, she says. Another way to meet professionals in your area: Look for a free university lecture series in your field of interest. Challenge yourself to speak with at least a couple of people sitting near you and maybe even the speaker. While it is key to let people know you’re looking to rejoin the workforce, don’t make it seem like your conversations are only about finding you a job. Instead, center your chats around information gathering. Ask your connections about their work experiences and what they like about their employer or role. Also inquire about changes or updates you should be aware of in the field, and which publications, websites, and experts they follow or use to get the best industry information. Seek a ‘Returnship’ Another option is hiring programs that are geared to people just like you: special internships, sometimes called “returnships,” for workers coming back from a break. These programs can introduce you back into the field, retrain you on necessary skills, connect you directly with hiring managers and give you a strong new work experience to top your resume that can help lessen the blow of the gap. Several companies offer such programs. Fishman Cohen’s company iRelaunch has a database on its site that lists over 100 active return-to-work programs. Nonprofit Path Forward is working with companies like GoDaddy, Coursera and Instacart to create 16-week positions for mid-career professionals. Just remind yourself: If you can handle a screaming kid, teething, potty-training and Peppa Pig marathons, you can handle this.

Saturday, April 11, 2020

Common Interview Questions For Dentists - Work It Daily

Common Interview Questions For Dentists - Work It Daily Interviewing is a skill but luckily it does not have to be inherent, it can be learned. The following are some guidelines to help you answer common interview questions for dentists, along with a few other helpful hints to help you get the position. Preparing For The Interview Prepare documentation to highlight your studies and experience Curriculum vitae or resume Description of previous cases List of practiced procedures Letters of recommendation Questions you may want to ask the interviewer Copies of dental credentials and certifications References Review common interview questions for dentists Common Interview Questions For Dentists Education background How would you describe your educational experience? Are you happy with your performance? What would you change about your academic experience? Personality traits How would you describe yourself as an employee? What type of personality types do you work best with? What are your strengths and weaknesses? How would go about correcting your weaknesses? How would your co-workers describe you? How would your friends describe you? What type of people do you like? Or dislike? Do you enjoy helping people? Why? Do you consider yourself creative? Big picture dental philosophy What would you say is your dental philosophy? Once you knew you were interested in healthcare, why did you choose dental and not medical or veterinarian? What do you like most about dentistry? Least? What do you think you can contribute to the dentistry profession? What is your philosophy on how oral health relates to overall body health? Do you think you’ll still be interested in dentistry in ten years? Why? Dental experience What experience do you have in a dental office? Why are you looking for a new job? (if you’re leaving one) How would you describe your knowledge of current technology and procedures? What have you done in the last year to improve your knowledge? How would you handle an unhappy or uncomfortable patient? What experience do you have with the business and administrative side of running a dental practice? Future and other interests What are your goals as they relate to dentistry? Would you be interested in buying-in to this practice or owning your own practice in the future? Describe your volunteer or community service activities. What non-dental organizations did/do you belong to? What personal goals do you have for you or your family? What do you like to do in your free time? General Guidelines For Answering Interview Questions Use examples â€" The best way deliver an answer that will impress your interviewer is by backing it up with real-life examples. Quote people who know you â€" If a co-worker once said, “You are the hardest worker I know,” use that statement in an answer. Be clear â€" Organize your answers so they are easy to follow. Be yourself â€" Employers want to know the real you to make sure you can work well together. Be honest â€" The last think you want is an employer to find out that they were lied to. They will respect your honesty. Be excited and enthusiastic â€" You will likely work daily with the people you meet during the interview, so show them that it will be a rewarding experience. Show interest â€" Show the interviewer that you are serious about this job. Show respect â€" Anyone you meet during the interview may have an impact on whether or not you get the job. Be curious â€" The more you know about the job, the better you will be able to determine if you would be happy there. Questions You May Want to Ask the Interviewer What is this practice’s dental philosophy? What types of patients do you treat? What are the most common types of treatments you administer? What kind of technology do you use? How is your practice changing? Is it growing? Do you actively market or depend on referrals? What are your goals for the practice? What role would I play in this practice? What would your goals be for me?   Related Posts 3 Ways To Build Rapport And Ace The Interview #1 Tip For Acing An Interview: Mirroring What Your Interview Body Language Reveals About You Photo Credit: Shutterstock Have you joined our career growth club?Join Us Today!