Objective says "this is what I want out of a job". If you have an Objective statement at the top of your resume, consider changing the word objective to "Professional Overview" or "Professional Summary" but at the same time will will likely need to scrap the statement too.
Most resumes I have seen are pretty self centered documents. It is a sales tool of course selling YOU, but the resume needs to be focused to the best of your ability on the prospective employer.
A good summary statement answers the question: "What kind of problem can I solve for a prospective employer" or "what unique skills and abilities differentiate me from other similar people a prospective employer might consider?"
My point is this issue is more than just nuance and phrasing. You want to speak to employers.
"Here is what I can do for you" trumps "here is what I want" every time.
Recently, I have heard several staffing people and others say, "No, an objective is good because I want to know what this person wants." Maybe this is true, but I'd rather err on the side of a prospective employer having a very clear picture about what I can do for their organization and how I fit and force the few who want to know "what does this person really want out of job?"
The real estate at the top of a resume is the best chance you have to hook someone into reading further. If you fail to speak to your audience, why would they want to keep reading?
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Monday, April 5, 2010
Churches Join in Job Hunt
Churches Join in Job Hunt
New ministries have arisen across Tulsa
By Bill Sherman, Tulsa World Religion Reporter
Originally Published 4/4/10 (Easter Sunday)
Wayne Buck was in the hot seat Thursday.
Sitting alone in a chair surrounded by 50 people at First United Methodist Church downtown, he fielded a battery of questions about his resume, his career goals, his networking skills.
"You need to get a different resume right away," one person said.
"Have you networked through your friends and neighbors?" another asked.
Buck, 61, has been out of work for 11 months.
He has many years of accounting and finance experience in the oil and gas industry. He took early retirement seven years ago from Williams Cos. after 28 years there and was laid off last year from SourceGas in Denver.
He is hopeful that he will soon be back to work.
"The economy seems like it's picking up," he said. "There's some hope out there. I've got a good five or 10 more years of work left in me."
Buck is one of hundreds of unemployed men and women who are getting advice, encouragement and job leads through a variety of jobs ministries at Tulsa churches.
The Employment Transition Ministry at First United Methodist Church started April 1, 2009, as more church members were losing their jobs in the recession.
Kathleen Lee, who has been volunteering with the ministry from the beginning, said 252 people have come through the program, and 25 percent to 27 percent of them have found jobs. More than 50 people attend the weekly meetings, nearly all of them job seekers.
During the first hour — dubbed the hot seat — individuals take about 15 minutes to explain their job situation and what they've done to find work. Seated in a horseshoe configuration around them, other participants offer advice on how to improve their resumes or networking skills, possible leads they should explore and job openings they have heard about.
Humiliation
During the second hour, speakers and group discussions address job issues.
On Thursday, life coach Dave Jewitt described the humiliation, after losing an executive job, of handing a job application to a man at a pizza place who had no front teeth.
"Something in me broke," said Jewitt, who now runs YourOneDegree ministry.
"And I was no good at delivering pizzas. At 50, I couldn't see the street signs at night."
"Don't waste that pain," he told job seekers. "I believe God wants to use that pain" to redirect lives.
Berry Miller, who directs the First Methodist program, knows firsthand the pain of being unemployed.
He left a good job to go into business for himself, and when that failed, he was out of work off and on for nine months.
"We had four kids. It was a high-stress time," he said.
"It was a really empty, lonely feeling. I learned that I needed to get out of my shell and get out of the house and talk to people."
Experts say people who lose jobs often go through a grieving process that includes denial and anger, he said.
"I've been on both sides of this. I felt compelled to help others."
The First Methodist program is a "wonderful example of hurting people helping hurting people," he said.
Roller coaster
Jim Choate and his wife, Diane, run the Church at Battle Creek's Job Assistance Ministry.
"We know what it feels like. We both lost jobs at the same time," Diane Choate said.
"Our heart is to help a lot more people than just the folks at Battle Creek. About half are from outside of the church," she said.
Jim Choate said every volunteer in the program has suffered a job loss at some time.
"It's an emotional roller coaster when you lose your income," he said.
"You go through a whole cycle of things — frustration, depression.
"We tell people that's normal, but the sooner you get through it the better. And it's best to work through it before you begin the interview process."
The program at Battle Creek meets twice a month.
Information is available on how to file for unemployment and food stamps, how to talk to creditors and how to start the job search. Jobs from local employers are posted.
Sessions are held on career assessment and strategic planning, resume writing, networking and interviewing.
Each job seeker is assigned to a volunteer "champion" who contacts them and offers encouragement.
"Fighting discouragement is an issue. It's about keeping your spirits up," Jim Choate said.
"The hardest part is having patience. These things just don't happen as fast as you want.
"The most important part of your job search is to invite God in to help you. He'll close doors on wrong opportunities and open other doors."
Biggest mistake
Asbury United Methodist Church began its Overcoming Job Transitions ministry six months ago in response to the recession.
"We thought people needed help," said Russ Knight, who directs the program.
"I've been through two layoffs," he said. "I've made a lot of mistakes in job hunting. I've become a student of this."
The biggest mistake people make, he said, is failing to utilize people they know.
"As a job seeker, you need to know how to guide your friends, show them how they can help you."
Social media
Kari Mirabal, a career consultant and information technology recruiter, heads the jobs program at First Christian Church, Owasso.
She conducted jobs seminars in January, February and March at the church, and she will resume after summer.
"People are going more to social media for career transition," she said.
"It's an amazing tool; 70 percent of all companies look at LinkedIn for candidates. It's free and easily accessible.
"What we do is we educate, teach how to leverage these tools. The tools have changed. The paper resume is a thing of the past. Things are evolving."
LinkedIn is a networking Web site used by more than 60 million professionals to exchange ideas and opportunities.
"It's who you know and what they can do for you," Mirabal said.
Job fair
Victory Christian Center has a full-time coordinator of its jobs ministry.
Jon Bornert said the ministry has helped 90 people find jobs since its job fair in January 2009.
He is expecting more than 30 employers at Victory's job fair next Friday.
Ministry workers also man a table at each church service to talk to people needing help.
"More and more churches are starting to awaken to the fact that a person's job is a big part of their lives," Bornert said.
"Being out of work can cause marital and family problems. If transportation goes by the wayside, it can be very difficult to continue," he said. Bankruptcy can result.
Guts Church held its first job fair Friday as part of its Servolution program, with employers' booths, interview rooms and classes on job-seeking skills.
Job ministries
Employment Transition Ministry
11 a.m.-1 p.m. each Thursday
First United Methodist Church
1115 S. Boulder Ave.
Job Assistance Ministry
6:30 p.m. second and third Sunday of each month
Church at Battle Creek
3025 North Aspen Ave., Broken Arrow
Overcoming Job Transitions
6:30-9 p.m. third Tuesday of each month
Asbury United Methodist Church
6767 S. Mingo Road
Job fair
12:30 to 3:30 p.m. Friday
Third floor, New Creation building
Victory Christian Church
7700 S. Lewis Ave.
Read more from this Tulsa World article at http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectid=11&articleid=20100404_18_A1_RyanFr476078&archive=yes
New ministries have arisen across Tulsa
By Bill Sherman, Tulsa World Religion Reporter
Originally Published 4/4/10 (Easter Sunday)
Wayne Buck was in the hot seat Thursday.
Sitting alone in a chair surrounded by 50 people at First United Methodist Church downtown, he fielded a battery of questions about his resume, his career goals, his networking skills.
"You need to get a different resume right away," one person said.
"Have you networked through your friends and neighbors?" another asked.
Buck, 61, has been out of work for 11 months.
He has many years of accounting and finance experience in the oil and gas industry. He took early retirement seven years ago from Williams Cos. after 28 years there and was laid off last year from SourceGas in Denver.
He is hopeful that he will soon be back to work.
"The economy seems like it's picking up," he said. "There's some hope out there. I've got a good five or 10 more years of work left in me."
Buck is one of hundreds of unemployed men and women who are getting advice, encouragement and job leads through a variety of jobs ministries at Tulsa churches.
The Employment Transition Ministry at First United Methodist Church started April 1, 2009, as more church members were losing their jobs in the recession.
Kathleen Lee, who has been volunteering with the ministry from the beginning, said 252 people have come through the program, and 25 percent to 27 percent of them have found jobs. More than 50 people attend the weekly meetings, nearly all of them job seekers.
During the first hour — dubbed the hot seat — individuals take about 15 minutes to explain their job situation and what they've done to find work. Seated in a horseshoe configuration around them, other participants offer advice on how to improve their resumes or networking skills, possible leads they should explore and job openings they have heard about.
Humiliation
During the second hour, speakers and group discussions address job issues.
On Thursday, life coach Dave Jewitt described the humiliation, after losing an executive job, of handing a job application to a man at a pizza place who had no front teeth.
"Something in me broke," said Jewitt, who now runs YourOneDegree ministry.
"And I was no good at delivering pizzas. At 50, I couldn't see the street signs at night."
"Don't waste that pain," he told job seekers. "I believe God wants to use that pain" to redirect lives.
Berry Miller, who directs the First Methodist program, knows firsthand the pain of being unemployed.
He left a good job to go into business for himself, and when that failed, he was out of work off and on for nine months.
"We had four kids. It was a high-stress time," he said.
"It was a really empty, lonely feeling. I learned that I needed to get out of my shell and get out of the house and talk to people."
Experts say people who lose jobs often go through a grieving process that includes denial and anger, he said.
"I've been on both sides of this. I felt compelled to help others."
The First Methodist program is a "wonderful example of hurting people helping hurting people," he said.
Roller coaster
Jim Choate and his wife, Diane, run the Church at Battle Creek's Job Assistance Ministry.
"We know what it feels like. We both lost jobs at the same time," Diane Choate said.
"Our heart is to help a lot more people than just the folks at Battle Creek. About half are from outside of the church," she said.
Jim Choate said every volunteer in the program has suffered a job loss at some time.
"It's an emotional roller coaster when you lose your income," he said.
"You go through a whole cycle of things — frustration, depression.
"We tell people that's normal, but the sooner you get through it the better. And it's best to work through it before you begin the interview process."
The program at Battle Creek meets twice a month.
Information is available on how to file for unemployment and food stamps, how to talk to creditors and how to start the job search. Jobs from local employers are posted.
Sessions are held on career assessment and strategic planning, resume writing, networking and interviewing.
Each job seeker is assigned to a volunteer "champion" who contacts them and offers encouragement.
"Fighting discouragement is an issue. It's about keeping your spirits up," Jim Choate said.
"The hardest part is having patience. These things just don't happen as fast as you want.
"The most important part of your job search is to invite God in to help you. He'll close doors on wrong opportunities and open other doors."
Biggest mistake
Asbury United Methodist Church began its Overcoming Job Transitions ministry six months ago in response to the recession.
"We thought people needed help," said Russ Knight, who directs the program.
"I've been through two layoffs," he said. "I've made a lot of mistakes in job hunting. I've become a student of this."
The biggest mistake people make, he said, is failing to utilize people they know.
"As a job seeker, you need to know how to guide your friends, show them how they can help you."
Social media
Kari Mirabal, a career consultant and information technology recruiter, heads the jobs program at First Christian Church, Owasso.
She conducted jobs seminars in January, February and March at the church, and she will resume after summer.
"People are going more to social media for career transition," she said.
"It's an amazing tool; 70 percent of all companies look at LinkedIn for candidates. It's free and easily accessible.
"What we do is we educate, teach how to leverage these tools. The tools have changed. The paper resume is a thing of the past. Things are evolving."
LinkedIn is a networking Web site used by more than 60 million professionals to exchange ideas and opportunities.
"It's who you know and what they can do for you," Mirabal said.
Job fair
Victory Christian Center has a full-time coordinator of its jobs ministry.
Jon Bornert said the ministry has helped 90 people find jobs since its job fair in January 2009.
He is expecting more than 30 employers at Victory's job fair next Friday.
Ministry workers also man a table at each church service to talk to people needing help.
"More and more churches are starting to awaken to the fact that a person's job is a big part of their lives," Bornert said.
"Being out of work can cause marital and family problems. If transportation goes by the wayside, it can be very difficult to continue," he said. Bankruptcy can result.
Guts Church held its first job fair Friday as part of its Servolution program, with employers' booths, interview rooms and classes on job-seeking skills.
Job ministries
Employment Transition Ministry
11 a.m.-1 p.m. each Thursday
First United Methodist Church
1115 S. Boulder Ave.
Job Assistance Ministry
6:30 p.m. second and third Sunday of each month
Church at Battle Creek
3025 North Aspen Ave., Broken Arrow
Overcoming Job Transitions
6:30-9 p.m. third Tuesday of each month
Asbury United Methodist Church
6767 S. Mingo Road
Job fair
12:30 to 3:30 p.m. Friday
Third floor, New Creation building
Victory Christian Church
7700 S. Lewis Ave.
Read more from this Tulsa World article at http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectid=11&articleid=20100404_18_A1_RyanFr476078&archive=yes
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