Vector Technical Inc Blog

Out of Work?  Searching for a Job?

Come visit us on Wednesday, May 23, 2012!!

We will be attending the JOBAPALOOZA Job Fair.

Time:  9 am – 12 pm

Location:  Lake Erie College Wellness Center  -  Located at the corner of Gillette Street and Walnut Avenue in Painesville, Ohio.

Click on the link below for more details:

http://www.lake1stop.org/Jobapalooza/jobapalooza.htm

We will ALSO be attending the Auburn Career Center Job Fair that day.

Time: 3 pm – 6 pm

Location: 8221 Auburn Rd., Concord Township, OH 44077

Click on the link below for more details:

http://www.auburncc.org/uploadedFiles/Job%20Fair%20Flyer%20Spring%202012.pdf

Immediate openings for the following positions:

Assemblers
Benders
Central Sterile Processing Tech II
Chemical Blenders/Mixers
CNC Operators
Forklift Operators
HIM Coders
Industrial HVAC
Instrumentation Techs
Machine Maintenance
Manufacturing Engineers
Production Manager
Robot Operators
Shift Supervisor
TIG Welder

…..And many more!!

Don’t forget to dress appropriately and bring resumes! Hope to see you there!!

Companies frequently start the interview process via phone, as a way to save time by pre-qualifying your interest and expertise. So how do you get past the dreaded phone screen?

Here are four tips to help you master the telephone interview.

1. Find a Quiet Place. On a phone interview, you only have one tool of communication: your voice. The interviewer’s first impression of you will be affected by all the sounds coming through the phone, so remove yourself from background noise and other distractions. Don’t carry on a phone interview outside on a windy day or near a busy intersection. If you plan to take the call on your cell phone, be sure to find an area where you’ll have clear, steady reception.

2. Schedule the Phone Interview. If you can’t speak comfortably or easily when the interviewer first calls you, ask the interviewer to schedule a specific time for the actual interview. Be sure to define who will call who–you should offer to call the company. That way, you can be fully prepared and in a situation where you can speak without interruptions.

3. Get on Your Feet. During the call, stand up, walk around and smile. All of these things make a big difference in the projection and quality of your voice. Just don’t do anything that will get you out of breath!

4. Ask About the Next Step. At the conclusion of the call, if the interviewer doesn’t offer this information, ask about next steps and the timing of their hiring process. This shows that you are interested in the job and also gives you an idea of what to expect. If you feel the interview went well, mention that you’d like a face-to-face interview–and give a reason, such as a subject you’d like to cover in more depth, or something in your portfolio you’d like to show them.

Most of us are on our best behavior at job interviews. Most of us. Want proof that some people look at the process a little differently?

Here are some true horror stories shared by employers, hiring managers and HR managers as part of a nationwide survey recently conducted by Harris Interactive for CareerBuilder.

Believe It or Not

You’d think avoiding these mistakes would be no-brainers, but survey respondents said the following are actually the most common interview misbehaviors:

• Answering cell phone or texting: 77 percent
• Appearing disinterested: 75 percent
• Dressing inappropriately: 72 percent
• Appearing arrogant: 72 percent
• Talking negatively about current or previous employers: 67 percent
• Chewing gum: 63 percent

And You Thought Texting Was Bad?

Here are some highlights of the respondents’ most memorable or unusual interview experiences:

• Candidate brought a “How to Interview” book with him to the interview.
• Candidate asked, “What company is this, again?”
• Candidate asked for a sip of the interviewer’s coffee.
• Candidate took off his shoes during the interview.
• Candidate talked about promptness as one of her strengths after showing up ten minutes late.
• Candidate wore a Boy Scout uniform and never told interviewers why.
• Candidate was arrested by federal authorities during the interview when the background check revealed the person had an outstanding warrant.
• On the way to the interview, the candidate passed, cut off, and flipped his middle finger at the driver–who happened to be the interviewer.
• Candidate referred to himself in the third person.
• Candidate told the interviewer she wasn’t sure if the job offered was worth “starting the car for.”
• When a candidate interviewing for a security position wasn’t hired on the spot, he painted graffiti on the building.

Trust us–we won’t let you show up on next year’s list. We’ll help you do your homework, stay professional and blow away the interviewer–for the right reasons!

About the author:

Erik Deckers is the owner of Professional Blog Service, a blogging and social media marketing agency in Indianapolis, Indiana. He is the co-author of Branding Yourself: How to Use Social Media to Invent or Reinvent Yourself. His new book, No Bullshit Social Media: The All-Business, No-Hype Guide to Social Media Marketing, is in bookstores and available as a Kindle or Nook book, now.

Whether you are just starting your professional life, a seasoned pro looking to make a savvy career move, between jobs, or simply feeling the need to move on, the quality of your job hunt will determine your level of success.

Do you know what actions might put the kibosh on your quest? Here are 10 job-hunting mistakes to avoid.

1. Relying on online job postings
   The majority of jobs are snatched up before they make it to the Internet. If you sit back and wait for the right job to materialize on a job board, you’ll miss the best opportunities.

   The U.S. Department of Labor claims that 70 percent of jobs are found through networking, so dust off your contacts, reach out in person, by phone, or by email, and let everyone in your personal and professional spheres know you’re on the hunt.

2. Having unclear job or career goals
   Not quite sure what you want to do? Think you’ll know the right job when you see it? Would you travel a long distance without a map?

   Figure out what you want to do before beginning your search, and focus on a particular job, organization or industry. Job search focus will allow you to target ideal organizations and industries, craft a more powerful resume and better prepare for interviews.

3. Looking for any old job
   A recent job loss or layoff may make you feel desperate, especially in this economic climate. It’s rarely necessary to settle right away. Instead, give yourself as much time as possible to find the right fit.

   If you reach a point where you have to consider jobs you wouldn’t have considered in more robust times, look for a job that will make you happy and will allow you to learn something new.

4. Being unprepared for interviews
   Nothing will close a door faster than a lackluster interview. Start by learning everything you can about the organization. Second, familiarize yourself with common interview questions and prepare your answers until you can recite them in your sleep.

   Have a friend videotape you–your smartphone video camera will do just fine–so you can hear how you sound, see what you look like and make any necessary adjustments.

   Not all that interested in the job? Prepare anyway. It’s good practice, and the more you practice, the better you’ll get at the interview process.

5. Going ape with guerrilla tactics
   You want to be proactive in your job search, but you don’t want to come across as pushy, aggressive or overbearing.

   It’s fine to reach out once in a while to keep in touch, to network and to ensure potential employers don’t forget about you or your interest in their organization. But in-your-face ploys like monopolizing phone and email inboxes, not taking “no” for an answer or approaching potential employers on their way in or out of the office or in other places they hang out just creates bad feelings… and is a little creepy.

6. Passing out ineffective cover letters and resumes
   Your cover letter and resume are your first impression. A cover letter that is rife with grammatical errors paired with a resume that is unfocused and poorly formatted will make it no further than the trash.

   Rather than send generic copies of your resume, customize both your cover letter and resume for every job you apply for.

   The more specifically your skills, knowledge and experience match a particular job, the more likely you are to get a second look.

7. Sending a stock thank you note
   Avoid sending generic thank you notes or emailing them. Even worse? Sending no thank you note at all. Instead, a handwritten, personalized, sincere note will send the message that you value the time that was spent with you.

   What if the interview didn’t go well, or the job isn’t a good fit? Send a handwritten note anyway. You might run into that person again in a future job search, and a personalized note will increase the odds that you are favorably remembered.

8. Being unprofessional with your contact information
   Your friends and family might be okay with sending emails to partyanimal@xyz.com, and may be willing to endure Pink’s “Raise Your Glass” before leaving a message on your voicemail, but potential employers certainly won’t be.

   If your email or voicemail can be construed as offensive or immature, change it. If you don’t want to get rid of your personal email address, secure an additional, more professional one from a free account like Yahoo or Gmail. Change your voicemail so it simply states your name and phone number.

9. Not protecting your privacy
   Posting your resume and contact information on job searching sites can pose a risk to your current position. Many employers search these sites to determine if their employees are on the prowl for new opportunities, and if you don’t limit access to your contact information, you’ll be easy to find.

   Instead, arrange to allow potential employers to contact you through the job site, or set up an anonymous email through a server like Yahoo or Gmail.

10. Lacking commitment
    Looking for a job is… well… a full-time job. If you’re squeezing your search in between golf games and wondering why you haven’t landed your dream job yet, it’s due to your lackluster effort and lack of commitment.

    Hoping that something will show up is a fatal strategy in today’s job market. Today’s job searches require action. Put your job hunt at the top of your priority list, and give it the time and attention it deserves.

Eliminate the mistakes, get the job
According to a recent survey, 83 percent of employees plan to look for a new job this year. You can improve the chances of landing a new job by eliminating these common job search blunders.

If you’re anything like me, you’ve sometimes spotted an employment ad or job posting and said to yourself, “I could do that job.” Yet the job is totally out of your field, and you have no actual experience in that area.

How do you portray yourself as qualified for a job for which you have no proven track record? The underqualified or just plain unqualified label most often plagues new graduates with limited experience, as well as career-changers whose experience is outside the area they now wish to pursue.

For both groups, fighting the underqualified label is a tough proposition. Let’s face it–all other things being equal, most employers would prefer to hire candidates with the right qualifications and experience in the field over candidates, no matter how enthusiastic, who lack qualifications. A difficult battle, yes, but it’s not impossible to beat the underqualified label. This article proposes 10 strategies for overcoming a lack of qualifications.

1. Exploit your transferable skills.
   You may not have all the qualifications required for a given job, but chances are, you possess a skillset that contains abilities needed for many jobs, including the job you covet. Scrutinize ads and job postings for the kind of job you seek, and identify skills you’ve demonstrated that are needed for these jobs. Typical universally sought skills include communication, interpersonal, teamwork, and leadership skills. List your transferable and applicable skills prominently on your resume. In your cover letters, take the next step by explaining how your skills apply to the job you’re pursuing.
2. Consider playing up school and other unpaid experience.
   Perhaps you have no paid experience in the field you seek to enter, but you do have some applicable education and/or unpaid experience (through internships or volunteer work). Don’t be afraid to list school and unpaid experience in the main experience section of your resume. Experience is experience; it rarely matters whether it’s paid or not. If unpaid experience helped you develop skills that are crucial to the type of job you seek, it’s fair game for the experience section of your resume. I recently had a resume client who had a terrific background in restaurant management but was seeking to become a financial adviser. To further complicate matters, his most recent experience was as a school administrator. He was, however, an MBA student with coursework and project experience in finance. I wanted the first item the employer saw in his experience section to be finance-related, so I listed “MBA Student” first, with bullet points about his finance-related activities. Another client had 30 years of experience in the IT field but really wanted to be a park ranger. His most recent paid experience was in IT, but he had rich volunteer experience in the environmental, nature, and outdoors areas. So, we listed his volunteer experience first on his resume.
3. Consider a chrono-functional resume.
   If you seek a job for which you are questionably qualified, your job history may be more of a liability than a selling point. Thus, a resume format that de-emphasizes job history in favor of skills that are applicable to the desired job is worth consideration. The chrono-functional resume highlights outstanding skills and achievements that might otherwise be buried within the job-history section while simultaneously presenting, yet de-emphasizing, the chronology of jobs. The focus is on clusters of transferable skills and experiences that are most relevant to the position for which you are applying.

   Be aware, however, that some employers disdain functional formats of any kind, finding them confusing or even annoying. Some employers like to know exactly what you did in each job. Recruiters/headhunters particularly reject functional formats, so this approach should never be used if you are primarily targeting recruiters with your job search. Employers in conservative fields are not big fans of functional formats, nor are international employers. Functional formats, even chrono-functional, also are not acceptable on many online job boards.

4. Don’t apply for jobs for which you’re grossly underqualified, but do remember that job postings and employment ads are often employer wish lists.
   The fact that desperate job seekers send resumes willy-nilly for jobs for which they are not remotely qualified is a major reason employers are so overwhelmed and unable to respond to job seekers. The resumes of the unqualified clog the system. So don’t apply if you are completely unqualified, but if you excel in some qualifications, consider applying. Most employers do not expect the candidate they hire to have every qualification listed in the job posting. An ad or job posting represents the ideal candidate. If you can show you are extremely strong in some of the areas listed in the posting, you may get called for an interview even if you lack other qualifications. Pay attention to the order in which qualifications are listed in the job posting as they are usually listed in order of importance. If you excel in the most important qualifications, employers may be willing to overlook weaknesses in the less important areas.
5. Consider a two-column or “t-formation” cover letter.
   A particularly effective way to sell the qualifications you do have while obscuring the ones you don’t is to use a two-column format in which you quote in the left-hand column specific qualifications that come right from the employer’s job posting and in the right-hand column, your attributes that meet those qualifications. The format clearly demonstrates that you are qualified in so many areas that the employer may overlook the areas in which you lack the exact qualifications.
6. Indicate your flexibility and willingness to learn or gain additional training.
   When separating resumes into piles, one category employers sometimes use is “underqualified but trainable.” If you cannot convince an employer that you are qualified, you may be able to make a case for being trainable. State in your resume and cover letter that you are an enthusiastic and quick learner who can rapidly get up to speed with job knowledge. If a job carries a specific educational, training, licensing, or certification requirement, state your willingness to pursue that requirement. Example: “I am completely committed to pursuing Series 7 and Series 63 licensure.” Tread very carefully, however, in the “willing to learn” realm. Employers don’t like to be reminded of the time and expense of training underqualified employees. Use solid examples to demonstrate your past ability to learn quickly, as well as strong statements of future willingness to undergo training, education, certification, or licensure. If you’ve already enrolled for the appropriate training, your case will obviously be even stronger.
7. Try the “bait and switch.”
   Bait and switch is a negative term in advertising, but it can be used in a positive way in job hunting. Let’s say there’s a fairly high-level job that you are marginally qualified for. Consider applying for that job while simultaneously indicating a willingness to be considered for a job that reports to the high-level position. I recently worked with a resume client who had excellent experiential qualifications for a job with a large, well-known software firm–but the position required a PhD, and my client possessed only an associate degree. To entice the employer to call him for an interview, we made a great case for my client’s experiential background in his resume and cover letter. Knowing, however, that his lack of educational qualifications might be a deal-breaker, we included a statement at the end of his cover letter that he would also like to be considered for a position as assistant to the person in the high-level position. This technique works best when a company is assembling a staff for a newly created department or unit. It also works with start-up companies building a workforce.
8. Find out more about the employer’s needs.
   Let’s say there’s a company or industry in which you’d love to work. Whether or not you’ve actually been rejected for lack of qualifications, you know that on paper, you are not quite the right fit in that company or industry. Try finding out more about the employer’s needs, problems, and challenges than what is readily apparent in want ads and job postings. The trick is to discover needs that you can fulfill, paving the way to perhaps creating a position for yourself. How do you find out about these needs? Performing company research is a good start, but the best approach is informational interviewing.
9. Consider a career portfolio with work samples.
   Seeing is believing. If you interview with an employer who is not quite convinced of your qualifications, you can bolster your case with a portfolio that shows your ability to do the job. Imagine how impressed the skeptical employer will be if you address underqualification concerns by showing living proof of your abilities. The portfolio can contain a sampling of your best work, including reports, papers, studies, brochures, projects, presentations, CD-ROMs, videos, and other multimedia formats, publications, reports, testimonials and letters of recommendation, as well as awards and honors.

   But what if you don’t have samples related to the job you’re applying for because you don’t have work experience in that area? Create them. If you’re applying for a job in web design because you have web skills but no paid experience, show websites that you designed for yourself and for friends. If you have computer programming skills but lack paid experience in the field, show programs that you’ve written on your own or for school projects. If you are inexperienced for the journalism or public relations job you’re applying for, there’s no reason you can’t submit sample news and feature stories or press releases you’ve written. The material doesn’t have to be published.

   A good way to introduce the portfolio is to ask, “Do you know of any obstacles that would stand in the way of your hiring me?” If the interviewer says something like, “I’m just not sure you have the experience to do the job,” you can say, “Let me show you some samples from my portfolio that demonstrate my ability to do this job.”

   And what if you can’t get an interview that would enable you to show your portfolio? Create a web-based portfolio with links to samples of your work. Include the URL to your portfolio in your resume and cover letter and encourage employers to check it out.

10. Consider volunteering to work on an unpaid trial basis.
    There may be no better way to demonstrate enthusiasm and commitment to a job for which you are marginally qualified than to offer to work for a short period on an unpaid trial basis. Strike a balance between how long you could afford to work without pay and a length of time that enables you to show you can do the job. Also be careful here not to come off sounding too desperate.

    An alternative to an unpaid trial is asking to demonstrate skills through a short-term project. Let’s say, for example, that a job’s requirements include the ability to prepare PowerPoint presentations for executives. Ask the interviewer for a specific assignment typical of what you would be asked to complete if you were hired. Then come back in the next day or so with a PowerPoint show that will knock your interviewer’s socks off.

Final Thoughts
While the strategies presented here can go a long way in warding off the underqualified label, they are not foolproof. It’s sobering to realize that, given a choice, many employers prefer to hire the most qualified candidate. Yet considerable research shows that it’s not always the most qualified candidate who gets the job, but the one with the best rapport with the interviewer or the most enthusiasm and confidence. So, maintain a positive attitude, and keep showing that you are enthusiastic and confident. While you are waiting to land a job for which you may seem underqualified, consider pursuing training that will bolster your qualifications. Consider also doing an internship (you don’t have to be a college student) or volunteer work to build skills in your weaker areas.

About the author:

Katharine Hansen, credentialed career master, is a former speechwriter and college instructor who provides content for Quintessential Careers, edits QuintZine, an electronic newsletter for job seekers, and prepares job search correspondence as Chief Writer for Quintessential Resumes and Cover Letters. She is author of Dynamic Cover Letter for New Graduates; A Foot in the Door: Networking Your Way into the Hidden Job Market; and, with Randall S. Hansen, Ph.D., Dynamic Cover Letters and Write Your Way to a Higher GPA, all published by Ten Speed Press. She can be reached by email at kathy@quintcareers.com.

Beyond Skills. How to be the Right Fit Candidate.

Many interview candidates feel that they had a great interview–they made a great first impression, demonstrated their ability to do the job, fully explained their strengths and past achievements, made a personal connection–and then comes the surprise phone call. “I am sorry to tell you that you have not been successful.”

“How come?” you ask. You continue to outline the strengths you showed in the interview, but it becomes clear that the person on the other end of the line has long stopped listening. “You just weren’t the right cultural fit,” they say, and the discussion is over.

Let’s take the story of James, a bright young student at Harvard Business School where he was applying for high-flying consulting and investment banking jobs.

Being a Baker Scholar (one of Harvard’s highest academic achievements), his academic ability was evident. Equally, he had great stories to tell about how he was able to show initiative, or drive, or courage, or teamwork, during the behavioral interviews. (You can read more about behavioral interviewing in our behavioral interviews article here: http://www.careerfriend.com/articles/behavioral-interviews.html.)

But, as the interviews wore on, he received more and more rejections after only the first round of interviewing. He was understandably disappointed–after all, he doesn’t often get rejected from anything!

When he spoke to the recruiters about the reasons for his rejection, he was told he was the wrong cultural fit.

James had never been told he was the wrong cultural fit for anything!! What was wrong with him? Did he crack the wrong joke at the start of the interview? Did he wear the wrong tie or were his shoes the wrong color?

His first reaction was that it must be an excuse–there was something about him that they didn’t like, but couldn’t tell him. Something I haven’t told you yet is that James is an African American.

Was it cultural fit or illegal discrimination?

While it could have been an excuse, there might also have been certain things in James that the interviewers viewed as not fitting in with their culture.

He mentioned, for instance, that he was extremely fastidious in his working style, and would stay long hours to ensure that he always produced work of the highest quality. Admirable within some companies, perhaps, but others might see it as being detrimental to team spirit if James were not able to prioritize, or to relax once in a while if the work he was doing at the time wasn’t critical.

He also mentioned that he liked to take initiative and present the people around him with highly-polished work. But if the organization was used to getting everyone involved in the problem so that the solution was jointly developed, would James accommodate this or not?

So, although the recruiter could be more helpful to James in the feedback which is given to him, there is nothing underhand going on. In fact, the recruiter is working in James’s interests to ensure that he does not join a firm where he will not fit in and excel.

Of course, some firms are less scrupulous, and may use the “cultural fit excuse” as a covert way of illegally discriminating against candidates on the basis of race, gender, age and other factors.

Dealing with discrimination

So what do you do if you suspect that you have been the victim of this illegal discrimination?

While the definition of discrimination varies depending on where you are in the world, many countries have legislation in place that bans discrimination on the basis of race, national origin, gender, age, marital status, HIV or transgender status, disability, religion and sexual preference.

The first thing you must do is to seek legal advice–your local telephone directory will have a number of employment law specialists, or alternatively you could contact an anti-discrimination group who is also likely to maintain a register of lawyers who may be able to help you.

Each country has similar, but slightly different employment law in the area of discrimination, which is too detailed to go into here–you really do need a lawyer to advise you here. The general context, however, is that you must have evidence that it was your race/gender/age or whatever it was which stopped you getting the job, and that there is no job-related reason for you not to be able to do the job. This can be slightly tricky to assess. For instance, many firefighting departments are male-dominated. This is not because of discrimination against women, but because there is a strength requirement inherent in the job which more men are able to achieve than women. Generally it would only be discrimination if the strength requirement was actually greater than that actually needed to be a successful firefighter.

For those who are interested, James became neither an investment banker nor a consultant. The deeper he looked into those careers, the more he realized that he would not succeed. He is now a teacher just outside of Chicago where he is able to develop young minds–who knows, perhaps one of his students might become a banker!

Looking for a new opportunity?
Or perhaps a career change?

Join Vector Technical, Inc. at our next job fair:

HIRING FOR CLEVELAND’S TOP COMPANIES

JOB FAIR

Wednesday June 29^th , 2011

9am-4pm

Vector Technical inc

38033 Euclid ave

Willoughby, Ohio 44094

We have Immediate Openings for the following positions:

ALL SHIFTS AVAILABLE

Auto assembly

FPI Inspectors

Production supervisor

Piping draftsperson

Casting Finishers

Chemical Handlers/ Operators

CMM Programmer

CNC program/ operators

Lab tech

Industrial HVAC

Instrumentation Tech

Machine Operators

Maintenance Electricians

Maintenance Mechanics

Solid works designer

NDT Level 2

Material Handlers

Product design engineer

Quality Inspectors

Sandblasters

Skilled Assembly Workers

Also summer jobs available

Giving Your Career a Physical Examination

Is your career in good shape? Do you feel invigorated at your job? Do you feel healthy coming to work each day, knowing that your hard work is paying off, improving your prospects for the future? In the same way a long distance runner improves his or her cardiovascular system with each run, a properly exercised career will carry you further than a slothful one. A yearly career check-up will help determine whether your current job is the best one available for you, or whether it’s time to flex your employment search muscles. Regardless of title or industry, professionals who take time out on a periodic basis to evaluate and plan their careers will advance faster, earn more money, and stay ahead of their peers in their personal and professional development.

When was the last time you took the pulse on your career? In the midst of the great wave of change in industries such as healthcare and information systems, what part of the wave are you on? Will you ride proudly on the crest, letting the wave carry you forward into your future, or will your career be crushed by the rough waves of change?

There are a number of questions to ask when you give your career a thorough physical examination. It is important to periodically take time and distance to answer these queries objectively and carefully.

Here are some of the important questions to ask when you take a vacation day or a long weekend. Take the time to write down your answers. We suggest starting with a new spiral notebook or blank book. Like any journal process, the more time you put into this exercise, the more you will get out of it. Spend at least five minutes answering each question before going on to the next. A quick mental check will not serve you as well as some deep thought and a long writing session.

• Are your skills and abilities being well used in your job? Do you feel challenged on a daily basis? Weekly? At all? Do you feel under-utilized?
• How long have you been in your present position? Are you still learning? Are you making a contribution to your company’s growth and profitability? How long have others in similar positions been in their jobs? Have you been passed over for promotions? Are you recognized for your achievements and rewarded for merit?
• To whom do you report? Is he or she well regarded in your company? Are they spending time with you to further develop your skills? Does your manager perceive you as promotable? If they move up in the organization, will you be promoted as well?
• Are you listened to? Do your superiors or your co-workers ask for your opinions? Do your honest appraisals or complaints get handled to your satisfaction, or do they fall on deaf ears?
• How does your compensation or pay compare to your peers within your company, or within similar companies in the area? Have you been given raises each year of at least double the rate of inflation? At what salary levels are new employees coming in? Does the company provide benefits such as educational reimbursement, profit sharing, 401-k savings-matching programs, or stock options?
• Is your company staying on top of the changes in your field? Is it known as an innovator? Does top management communicate with and take input from the rank and file?
• Is your organization resting on past performance, or is it actively dedicated to research and development and marketing of new products or services?
• Is your company known as customer-service oriented? Is the company vision communicated clearly and regularly within the organization? Are most employees aligned with the company vision statement, or are they cynical about the company which spouts a philosophy but doesn’t live up to it?
• Do your existing career options lead to your ultimate career goals? Do you have a clear plan of where you want to go in the organization? Do you (and your boss) have a career progress plan set out for you? Have you examined other career options?

The answers to these questions will help you determine whether your position with your company is a healthy one for your career.

If you are finding your job challenging, are learning new skills and gaining new experiences, and your company is working to stay on the cutting edge of technology and the services provided to your customers, you are in good shape for the future. If you have been promoted at least once every two years, and you are listened to when you express yourself about the company’s problems, needs, or direction, and management responds to complaints or problems by fixing what is wrong, you are in an excellent environment which is supporting your future growth.

If you find that most of your answers are negative, it is time for you to examine your goals, write a new resume, and begin looking for alternatives. There are many excellent books in the business section of bookstores which can guide you in your search for a new job. Do your homework, prepare yourself well, and find an opportunity that will get you excited to wake up every morning.

Looking for a new opportunity?
Or perhaps a career change?

Join Vector Technical, Inc. at our next job fair:

Date: 05/18/2011
Time: 10am—3pm

Hilton Garden Inn,
700 Beta Dr.,
Mayfield Village, Ohio 44143

We are looking to hire for the following positions:

Aluminum Welders
Casting Finishers
Chemical Handlers/Operators
CMM Programmer
CNC Set up and Operation
FPI Inspectors
Heat Treat Operators
Heavy Truck Mechanic
Industrial HVAC
Instrumentation Tech
Lab Tech
Machine Operators
Maintenance Electrician
Maintenance Mechanics
Manufacturing Engineer
Material Handlers
Product Design Engineer
Quality Inspectors
Sales Manager
Sandblasters
Skilled Assembly Workers
SolidWorks Designer
6G Welders
…and many more

??

Mary Elizabeth Bradford, CARW, MCD

1. Be focused and clear.
   At the top of your resume–below your name and contact information–list a combination of keywords that communicate exactly what you are targeting. These keywords can include industry, position, key strengths, size of companies (startups or Fortune 100, etc.).
2. Use word economy when writing your objective.
   To me, the objective is the hardest part of writing a resume because it must state in just three or four lines why someone must keep reading. I have found the secret is to be sweet, short and simple. You will probably go back and edit your objective many times until you get it just right. It is equally important to focus on the results you bring rather than what you do.
3. Bold the words you want your reader’s eye to go to first.
   Include your degree and your position titles as well as other catchwords you know your target audience wants.
4. Watch your format.
   Unless you’re a C-level executive, try to keep your resume to either one or two full pages.
5. Keep your bullet lists short.
   When bulleting your accomplishments under any given position, don’t go more than seven bullet points deep.
6. Front-load your quantifiable accomplishments.
   Don’t write, “Created new training program that improved customer service satisfaction ratings by 39%.” Say, “Drove customer satisfaction ratings 39% through creating an innovative training program for the customer service department.”