Upon the advice of a new professional associate, I have revamped my resume. I've added an objective and more clearly defined my experiences in terms of accomplishments.
Writing an objective has helped me narrow my focus as well. I am now seeking a corporate communication/public relations position in the healthcare, education, or nonprofit sector. I'm focusing on these three sectors because I want my work to improve the lives of others. I also have experience working in all three.
I also have my first peer commendation from a fellow classmate. I worked with this person on an account planning project to gather consumer insights of Tallahassee residents on behalf of Mission San Luis. You can check out this commendation on the Recommendations page of www.HireThatRedhead.com.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Firefox Hates Spelling Errors
I hate spelling errors too, which is why I love Firefox even more now. If you are applying to jobs or posting resume information online like I am, Firefox is essential.
I first built my HireThatRedhead Google site using Internet Explorer (I also stayed up all night doing so). Unfortunately, Internet Explorer (IE) doesn't show you spelling errors as you type information online. So over the last couple months, I have found two spelling errors on my pages just because I switched to Firefox, which catches spelling errors as you type (like Microsoft Word). IE may have an option or add-on for this capability, but it's native and easy in Firefox. This option is also quite handy when posting to a blog.
I have to remind myself that I'm only human and that I still make mistakes. Actually, it's the mistakes that remind me that I'm only human. It's nerve-racking though to wonder if you were passed over for an interview because of one spelling mistake on a resume or website. I also wonder how many people saw the mistake and didn't let me know, which I would hope is common courtesy to do so. I try to email the webmaster whenever I catch spelling errors on other websites. I also wonder if everyone who has checked out my site is as crazy over spelling correctness as I am.
I have learned my lesson. First, Firefox catches spelling errors (you can get it at www.firefox.com). Second, always have someone else check important information that you're posting for hundreds to see (I'm over 400 hits now on www.HireThatRedhead.com). We are blinded to our own mistakes because we are biased. If you're job-hunting like I am, maybe you can learn something from my mistake.
I first built my HireThatRedhead Google site using Internet Explorer (I also stayed up all night doing so). Unfortunately, Internet Explorer (IE) doesn't show you spelling errors as you type information online. So over the last couple months, I have found two spelling errors on my pages just because I switched to Firefox, which catches spelling errors as you type (like Microsoft Word). IE may have an option or add-on for this capability, but it's native and easy in Firefox. This option is also quite handy when posting to a blog.
I have to remind myself that I'm only human and that I still make mistakes. Actually, it's the mistakes that remind me that I'm only human. It's nerve-racking though to wonder if you were passed over for an interview because of one spelling mistake on a resume or website. I also wonder how many people saw the mistake and didn't let me know, which I would hope is common courtesy to do so. I try to email the webmaster whenever I catch spelling errors on other websites. I also wonder if everyone who has checked out my site is as crazy over spelling correctness as I am.
I have learned my lesson. First, Firefox catches spelling errors (you can get it at www.firefox.com). Second, always have someone else check important information that you're posting for hundreds to see (I'm over 400 hits now on www.HireThatRedhead.com). We are blinded to our own mistakes because we are biased. If you're job-hunting like I am, maybe you can learn something from my mistake.
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Another New Recommendation
I just posted a new recommendation letter from a former supervisor at the Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) office at Florida State University. I recently posted a letter from another supervisor (Nik Bogdanov) from that office. I worked on projects for both of these gentlemen as the IT technician for the ERP office.
Randy writes about my strong skills in customer service, project management, and analytical thinking. He uses the ERP office-wide computer refresh project that I worked on as an example of these skills. You can check out this new letter on the Recommendations page of HireThatRedhead.com.
Randy writes about my strong skills in customer service, project management, and analytical thinking. He uses the ERP office-wide computer refresh project that I worked on as an example of these skills. You can check out this new letter on the Recommendations page of HireThatRedhead.com.
Monday, September 7, 2009
Know Your Salary
I learned today that it's important to know your salary, current and future, when applying for jobs. Many companies want to know not only what your current salary is, but also what you want to make if they hire you. This presents a problem for those who know their hourly wage, but not their annual salary. It's also a problem if you'll be fresh out of school and don't know what salary you should be making in a new job. I found a couple resources online to solve both of these problems.
To determine my current annual salary, I used the salary calculator at http://www.grossing.com/Salary-Calculator.htm. It allows you to enter your current hourly wage (perfect for me since I currently do contract work at an hourly wage), and it computes your yearly salary for you. Since I don't work a full 40 hours every week, I used the second calculator on that page which let me enter wage and hours per week.
To determine what I should make in a new position, I used the "Salary Wizard" at www.Salary.com. You put in a job title and zip code, and the site shows you average salaries for the position (or similar positions) in that geographical area. You can drill down even further by entering your level of education to get an even clearer picture of what you should earn.
There are other tools online that perform similar functions, but these two served my purposes after finding them with Google. If you're looking for a job or even asking for a raise, maybe these tools can help you too.
To determine my current annual salary, I used the salary calculator at http://www.grossing.com/Salary-Calculator.htm. It allows you to enter your current hourly wage (perfect for me since I currently do contract work at an hourly wage), and it computes your yearly salary for you. Since I don't work a full 40 hours every week, I used the second calculator on that page which let me enter wage and hours per week.
To determine what I should make in a new position, I used the "Salary Wizard" at www.Salary.com. You put in a job title and zip code, and the site shows you average salaries for the position (or similar positions) in that geographical area. You can drill down even further by entering your level of education to get an even clearer picture of what you should earn.
There are other tools online that perform similar functions, but these two served my purposes after finding them with Google. If you're looking for a job or even asking for a raise, maybe these tools can help you too.
Sunday, September 6, 2009
A New Way to Celebrate Labor Day
I'm applying for my first round of Twitter job postings tomorrow in honor of "Labor" day (quite appropriate I think). I sorted through about 40 postings today and found eight that intrigued me enough to bookmark in my "Apply" folder. I'll read the full job postings tomorrow and apply to the ones that peak my interest a second time.
The jobs included public relations reps and advisers, marketing account execs and directors, and some jobs seeking project management experience (convenient since I'll graduate with a certificate in project management in addition to my marketing/communication master's degree).
I also built a profile today on the Florida State University SeminoleLink website and a "career portfolio" on the FSU Careers page. I'll post links to those once I've finished them. I mainly just provided links back to my official job search site at HireThatRedhead.com.
The career portfolio however has a very intriguing option to build a "skills matrix." In this matrix, one axis features "experiences," such as jobs, internships, and volunteer work. The other axis lists different "skills" such as leadership, research, and life management. You add items at the cross-points showing what skills you developed in which experiences. I'm looking forward to building my matrix and providing a link to it on HireThatRedhead. It seems like a very creative way to showcase one's work and life skills to potential employers.
The jobs included public relations reps and advisers, marketing account execs and directors, and some jobs seeking project management experience (convenient since I'll graduate with a certificate in project management in addition to my marketing/communication master's degree).
I also built a profile today on the Florida State University SeminoleLink website and a "career portfolio" on the FSU Careers page. I'll post links to those once I've finished them. I mainly just provided links back to my official job search site at HireThatRedhead.com.
The career portfolio however has a very intriguing option to build a "skills matrix." In this matrix, one axis features "experiences," such as jobs, internships, and volunteer work. The other axis lists different "skills" such as leadership, research, and life management. You add items at the cross-points showing what skills you developed in which experiences. I'm looking forward to building my matrix and providing a link to it on HireThatRedhead. It seems like a very creative way to showcase one's work and life skills to potential employers.
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
New Recommendation Letter
I've got a new recommendation letter from a recent supervisor posted on my website. You can check it out on my Recommendations page on HireThatRedhead. The letter comes from Nik Bogdanov, Senior Systems Administrator for the Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Office at Florida State University.
I worked part time for ERP as an information technology technician, providing the primary source of general computer hardware and software support. Nik writes about my promptness and thoroughness in serving ERP and also commends my project management skills. I enjoyed working with and getting to know the people at ERP, and I wish them all the best.
I worked part time for ERP as an information technology technician, providing the primary source of general computer hardware and software support. Nik writes about my promptness and thoroughness in serving ERP and also commends my project management skills. I enjoyed working with and getting to know the people at ERP, and I wish them all the best.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)