How to Write a Cover Letter for Your First Job

How to Write a Cover Letter for Your First Job As a new college graduate, you may find writing the cover letter for your first job very difficult. However, a well-written cover letter can very well be the key factor that distinguishes you from other entry-level job seekers. Despite not having much work experience, it is still possible for you to impress your potential employers. A quality cover letter not only shows your potential employers that you value their employment opportunity, but it also demonstrates to them that you can communicate effectively. Here are some tips on how to carve out that impressive cover letter that will capture your potential employer’s attention. 1. Research the job: Before you start writing, you have to know the job you are applying for inside out. From the job posting, you know what skills and education the employer is looking for. If you are not sure, do some research and find out what it takes to do well in that job. On top of this, you will be expected to have an understanding of what exactly it is that the company does and how your skills fit in with that. As well as looking at the employers website, you may also be able to learn a bit more about an organisation and the staff working there from social media profiles, so its worth having a look. 2. Do a personal inventory: Now that you know what the employer is looking for, do a personal inventory and list out all your skills, experiences, and personal qualities that are relevant to the requirements for the job. Ask yourself this question: why should the employer hire you for that? For each asset in your personal inventory, put together a phrase,  elaborating on that particular asset and explaining why it sets you aside from other candidates.   3. Reference the job position: You should reference the job position or type of jobs for which you are applying in the first paragraph of your cover letter. You should show your enthusiasm and tell your potential employer that you are really interested in the job. When discussing your skills and experience, continue to relate back to the job position you are applying for and how those particular skills will benefit you in that role.   4. Use the right format: Employers receive countless numbers of applicants for a job posting, so they like to be able to  scan through cover letters quickly to filter out the potential hires. Therefore its a good idea to make your cover letter scannable by using short paragraphs and a clear structure.   Make sure you use keywords appropriate  to the position, as you never know when a computer may be reading your cover letter, rather than a real person and it will detect relevant phrases.   5. Show them what you’re made of: Employers who hire new college graduates are usually looking for future leaders for their company. In your cover letter, tell your potential employers about any successful leadership role you have played before. In addition, highlight any award and recognition you have received in school or in other side projects, such as volunteer projects. 6. Make your closing strong: In order to leave a lasting impressions in the readers mind, you want the closing paragraph of your cover letter  to  be one of the strongest elements.  You should  reiterate your interest in the job and your belief that you are the perfect match for the position. A little flattery doesnt hurt either, so you may wish to mention the companys outstanding reputation and express how much you would appreciate the opportunity to interview and why you would like to join the organisation.   Image Credit: Shutterstock

College Resume Writing Tips - Use the Right Words and Proper Spellings

College Resume Writing Tips - Use the Right Words and Proper SpellingsCollege resume writing tips can make a major difference in the completion of your job application. If you're the kind of person who knows exactly what to say on their resume, there's no reason to have any trouble with a college resume writing service. But if you're the opposite - the kind of person who has to keep making the same mistakes over again, it's easy to see why it would be difficult to find a service that can provide proper resume help.College resumes are not easy to write. It is a job that requires creativity and reasoning in order to keep the proper tone and the appropriate language. Unfortunately, not everyone has these skills.A good resume will contain the right words and should have a straightforward format. However, this is a skill that many people don't have, because they were in high school or college before they learned about these details. Most college students never learn any of these things, b ecause they are busy trying to figure out how to be all the things that they aren't.One of the biggest mistakes made by applicants when they are trying to submit their college resumes is that they simply forget to use keywords. These are important parts of the resume that need to be included. They allow the reader to get a clear idea of the kinds of information that the person has. And once they see these, they will be able to decide whether or not the resume is worth reading.College resumes should also contain correct spellings of the names of schools. People often get this wrong, which makes it hard for the applicant to tell which name to use. Once they see something different spelled several times, they won't take you serious. It may even cause the resume to be rejected.In order to avoid getting rejected, you need to use the right way to spell the names of the schools. They can sometimes be spelled incorrectly in the college's directory, which is the last thing you want to happen . It will be very easy for an admissions officer to think that you don't know your English. And even if you did have the skills that you're supposed to have, the process would take much longer.The right college resume can also be a very good tool in the search for a job. Because of the tremendous increase in technology, the market for this has changed drastically. If you put together a very good resume, you can find yourself without a job within a day or two.When looking for a college resume writing tips, always remember that there are many ways to go about this. There are a lot of very good services out there that can do just about anything that you could possibly need for your college resume. Don't forget to include those college resume writing tips that you know about!

What to Wear to Your Holiday Office Party

What to Wear to Your Holiday Office Party The holidays are right around the corner and so are those wonderful holiday office parties!  Are you ready for yours?  If not, this post will help!  Todays post is written by Molly who is a fashion blogger for the Affordable Style Network where she loves to follow the latest trends in chic  socks  and sassy  sunglasses. When she’s not creating her favorite looks on Polyvore, she enjoys cooking holiday feasts, bargain shopping (of course!), and spending time with loved ones. Tis the season of Holiday soirees with your colleagues. And while you want to keep your work wardrobe classy and fabulous, you’re also obliged to get dolled up for those annual workplace festivities. That’s where the perfect office party dress comes in: elegant, sophisticated, and tasteful. Not to mention, it’s affordable yet makes you feel like a million bucks. Here are eight dresses (and one skirt) to try this season without breaking your New Year’s budget resolution or the business dress code. Paired with the perfect accessories, a swipe of red lipstick, and chic knee socks or opaque tights, you’ll be the belle of the office ball. Look #1: These chic, understated fabrics will keep you looking feminine, professional, and oh-so-sweet. black dress · clutch · coral dress · gold necklace · retro sunglasses · cream dress · black socks Look #2: Go glam with timeless leopard, throw on a touch of fur, or glitz up that flattering wrap dress. collared dress · handbag · fur scarf · leopard shift · cat eye sunglasses · wrap dress · argyle knee socks Look #3: Play up seasonal colors with posh ruffles, red-hotness, or a lovely skirt and classic white blouse. cream dress · black handbag · red one shoulder . black necklace · oversized sunglasses · skirt · knee socks What are you wearing to your office holiday party?

Buy Early, Sell Late - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Buy Early, Sell Late - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career No, I’m not talking about how to manage your stock portfolio. I am talking about structuring your day to be successful. Cutting-edge neuroscience data is about to be revealed in a new book, Willpower: Rediscovering the Greatest Human Strength, by Roy F. Baumeister and John Tierney. A collection of recent, rather shocking studies prove that as the day goes along, you increasingly suffer from decision-fatigue â€" and quite literally pay the price. Simply put: Buy in the morning when you are sharp. Sell in the afternoon when others aren’t. To do otherwise, is to put yourself in harm’s way. Should you be alarmed if things don’t go that way? Yes, because there’s what I call the Jenga effect, as you load one decision on top of another. Jenga is the game where you create a tower of wood pieces and start to pull them out one by one. Inevitably, the tower will fall. What’s particularly unsettling? There is not a single decision you make that doesn’t lead to your potential ruin, known as “ego depletion.” Over the course of a day, you simply run out of steam to recognize what’s best for you and your organization. As your cognitive resources run out, you witlessly succumb to the forces around you. Your brainpower gets worn down with every simple and complex decision you make. Every decision takes an equal toll when it comes to depleting your ability to decide anything. Here’s an example. On your way into work, you stop for a brace of caffeine. The barista asks, “Coffee or tea?” OMG. This is where it starts â€" unless of course, you already had to decide which outfit to wear, and whether it would be news or music as you commuted. Decisions, all of them, count. The brain-saver tip? Have lots of easy to follow routines. Work it out so you can answer the barista, “The usual.” Otherwise, you begin to exhaust the complex biological processes that are a necessary part of quality decision-making. No kidding. Every single decision draws down brainpower. There’s another shock in the new neuroscience. Every time you invoke your willpower, you deplete your store of it. Stifle a yawn? You might give away too much in the next negotiation. Refuse a pastry before the meeting? You might undermine your determination to refuse a bad deal. Your brain has no size meter! Using your energy to refuse small treats like a candy bar negatively impacts your ability to draw a hard line on big temptations, like caving in on price or delivery schedule when a vendor is being particularly persuasive. It works the other way, too. You might decline a great deal, because you’re just too tired to do the math. Adding to the downside risks of your average day? A hit of glucose from a donut spikes your clarity (wheee!), which then crashes after the quick fix (kaboom!). Think protein and complex carbs in small doses throughout the day so your brain gets sustained levels of glucose.   Stock the house and meeting room with healthy food, so there’s no willpower needed and no mood swings, either. But, eating well isn’t going to save you from decision fatigue and ego depletion. Multi-tasking over long, hard days and using your authority to decide even small issues (should we order business cards today?) whittle away your good sense (we can wait another day!). Add in the often-necessary suppression of natural impulses, like ignoring your desire to answer the call of hunger, thirst, sex, using the restroom or taking a nap, and you become more prey than predator. Hence: make your buying decisions early in the day. Schedule selling and big meetings later in the day â€" on those days when you are able to sleep in.  As “four hour millionaire” author Timothy Ferriss, the internationally successful designer agnes b and me, a leading communications coach have found: night owls enjoy an unfair advantage over early birds. That is, if big meetings are scheduled later in the day. My personal brand has always had a you can call me til 3 AM  vibe, and only emergencies or a time zone issue overrides my desire to put pillow over head when the rooster calls. And from now on, I won’t even try to fake being awake when a client calls my mobile at 8 AM and asks, “Were you sleeping?” I won’t feel caught. I’ll feel smart. Author: Nance Rosen is the author of Speak Up! Succeed. She speaks to business audiences around the world and is a resource for press, including print, broadcast and online journalists and bloggers covering social media and careers. Read more at NanceRosenBlog. Twitter name: nancerosen

Writing a Data Entry Clerk Resume

Writing a Data Entry Clerk ResumeWhen it comes to writing a data entry clerk resume it is important to make sure that the information you provide is accurate. The more up to date you are the better, but even if you are not in the same state of information, you can still write an effective data entry clerk resume that will get you the results you want.The first thing you want to look for when writing a data entry clerk resume is a professional sounding email address. Even if you have the credentials and experience to land the job, it is always a good idea to send an email that clearly states who you are and why you should be hired. No one wants to work with someone that has no attention to detail.Next, find a name that sounds a little bit professional. Try to think of a name that relates to the position you are trying to fill. You want the person on the other end of the email, to think 'this person is serious about working here'. If you are unable to come up with a name, then you can use the name of a friend or family member. This will help to differentiate you from the crowd.You can also consider making your name up. Try saying things like 'data entry clerk from Bakersfield, CA'. This is enough to make people sit up and take notice. You should never make up your own name, but this is usually enough to get the point across.Next, you need to make sure that you have accurate contact information. Make sure that your personal and work email addresses are separated by a space. This is the only way to ensure that your personal information is safe. If there is no space, make sure that you place the entire body of the email into a separate envelope so that you can protect your information.Next, use the company's website to find out what time they are open. They are always opening at certain times, so you need to find out when they are going to be open on the days you are available. You can tell if it is a good idea to call the company to ask them the time because you wi ll be able to tell if the call is made during business hours or not.There are other things that you can do to help you get the attention of the data entry clerk. These tips are important to help you get that promotion or just to get a job interview. Once you learn how to properly write a data entry clerk resume you will have an edge over everyone else.Hopefully, these tips will help you put together a resume that will get you the data entry clerk job you are after. The more up to date your resume is, the more attention you will get.

Im speaking in Spain in June - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog

Im speaking in Spain in June - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog In June Ill be speaking at the 5th International Conference on Happiness at Work in Coru?a in Northern Spain. Considering that Im also speaking in Chile later this year and possibly in Colombia, I should probably get cracking on learning Spanish :) Thanks for visiting my blog. If you're new here, you should check out this list of my 10 most popular articles. And if you want more great tips and ideas you should check out our newsletter about happiness at work. It's great and it's free :-)Share this:LinkedInFacebookTwitterRedditPinterest Related

The 12 Hidden Crises of Entrepreneurial Women - Kathy Caprino

The 12 Hidden Crises of Entrepreneurial Women Several years ago I conducted a yearlong research study with over 100 working women across the country about professional crises in women and how we can reclaim our lives to overcome them.   I was astounded by the findings, and felt they were so universal and important for women, I wrote a book called Breakdown Breakthrough about these 12 crises, offering a three-step holistic model to break through these challenges once and for all. Since the book came out in 2008, women from all over the country have written to me sharing sentiments such as, “You are writing to me, about me, and for me,” and “It’s as if you know exactly what I’m living and feeling!”   My research shows that 9 out of 10 working women are experiencing at least one of these 12 “hidden” crises, and on average, women are experiencing three at the same time!   And over half of these women don’t know what to do about it. These 12 crises are not just tiny “bumps” in the road but full-out, serious challenges that are marked by chronic disempowered thinking and a serious lack of ability to move oneself forward in positive, powerful ways towards one’s goals and visions. These 12 crises fall into four categories that represent how we relate to ourselves and the world.   These four levels depict the nature of our: Relationship with Ourselves Relationship with Others Relationship with the World Relationship with Our Higher Selves In general, each crisis is characterized by an “I can’t do this!” mantra, or some form of disempowered thinking, beliefs and actions.   The crises include: “I can’t speak up for myself.” “I can’t get out of this financial trap.” “I can’t escape this crushing competition.” “I can’t resolve my chronic health problems.” “I don’t like who I’ve become.” “I can’t use my real talents in my work.” “I can’t balance life and work.” “I can’t do work and play that I love.” Entrepreneurial Women Face these Same Challenges As I move forward with marketing consulting work for entrepreneurial women around the country, I’m finding that these same 12 crises are challenging women in their entrepreneurial ventures as well, and in the ways in which they view and run their businesses! Entrepreneurial women are challenged on these same four levels: Relationship With Themselves as Entrepreneurs   Key issue: “Do I have what it takes to be a successful entrepreneur, and am I “good” or “smart” enough to run this business?” Relationship With Others Key issue: “How can I forge a mutually-beneficial and supporting relationship with clients, customers, colleagues, and peers?” Relationship With The World Key issue: “Am I using my real gifts and talents in this business, and is my business providing a service to the world that I care about delivering, that others need and want?” Relationship With the Higher Self   Key issue: Does my business have a higher mission, vision and values that mean more   to me than simply making money? If you’re an entrepreneurial woman and are challenged with any of the above issues  in your life and work, please know that there is indeed help out there for you, and these are very common challenges that entrepreneurial women face.   Also know that new thinking and actions can indeed shift you away from feeling disempowered and unable to tackle the issues at hand.   You can do this, and you can do it well, loving your work and thriving in the process. But you have to take action, and a kind of action that is different from what you normally would engage in. There are four key steps to overcoming these types of challenges: 1. Step Back â€" to gain a fresh, empowered perspective of your situation and what it is telling you about what needs to change 2. Let Go â€" of the thinking, actions, and behaviors that are keeping you stuck and holding you back 3. Say Yes! â€" to your compelling future visions of your business and of your success as an entrepreneurial woman. 4. Create It create a S.M.A.R.T. plan with concrete, measurable goals and action steps  and find someone to help you become accountable   for moving on your way to achieving your visions of success and fulfillment. Try this experiment! Pick up a copy of my book Breakdown Breakthrough and read it.   (Commit to carving out a bit of time just for yourself over the holidays and read the chapters that really speak to you.)   As you read the book and the powerful stories and advice presented by women who have transformed their lives and work, focus specifically on the concepts and information that elicit a feeing of “resistance” in you â€" ideas or words that make you say to yourself, “Oh, I really don’t want to look at that,” or “That’s not me!”   Then take one, targeted action that will help you address the area you resist the most. One of the most powerful concepts I learned in therapy training is, “What you resist, persists.”   Watch closely what you resist, because resistance is a sign that you’re overly attached to one particular view or approach, and you’ve closed yourself off from openly exploring other avenues.   I’ve found that the biggest breakthroughs, learning and growth come when we muster the courage to walk directly toward and through what we resist the most. *   *   *   *   * Let me know how the experiment works!   What is your deepest entrepreneurial struggle, and what did you learn when you mustered the courage to walk through your resistance to Say Yes! to yourself and your business. Thank you for sharing, and wishing you many happy breakthroughs.