Blu Ripples – Career Counselling, Career Consulting and Resume Writing Services
Career Counselling, Career Consulting, Planning and Resume Writing Services
Resume Writing Services Articles – Practical Hints and Tips to prepare a compelling Resume
In the nearly 2 decades that I have professionally prepared Resumes for clients, ranging from high school students seeking their first casual/part time position to global management seeking the next challenge, the key issues for individuals struggling to create or update their Resume remains the same – that is, it is difficult for individuals to be objective about their backgrounds. That is, they may have a depth and breadth of experience but they struggle to objectively cull and/or or including relevant and meaningful information.
The second key issue pertains to content and layout; even 2 decades into the 21st century I am still amazed at how many individuals include discriminatory information, give little thought to the layout and flow of the document and whom do not highlight projects and/or achievements utilising quantifying data.
In our Resume Writing Services Articles, provide practical, down to earth perspective, hints and tips on writing compelling Resumes, based on nearly 2 decades of experience in private practice coupled with my experiences and qualifications in Human Resources and Career Development, that aim to highlight your strengths to employers and recruitment consultants.
CAREER CHANGE – ABC RADIO (HOBART) INTERVIEW
Did you miss Katherine’s first radio interview with Louise Saunders of ABC Radio (Hobart) on Monday 18th May 2020 at 7.10pm?
If you would like to listen to this 10-12 minute segment click on the link below:-
Career Change – ABC Radio (Hobart) Interview
then from the commencement of the program fast forward to about 7 minutes and 30 seconds to hear the commencement of segement; it goes for about 13 mintues in totality.
Enjoy.
Earlier this week a career counselling client whom currently works in the real estate industry asked me “Katherine, should I bother applying for jobs now or should I wait until the Coronavirus settles down”?
My answer in short was YES and NO; let me explain: –
From my perspective, it really depends on the industries and occupations that you are applying.
For example if you are wanting to enter the Travel and Hospitality Industry for example now is not a good time to apply for positions when the industry is making thousands of individuals redundant.
If, however you are seeking employment in industries that are not directly impacted by the Coronavirus (COVID-19) then yes keep applying for positions.
My rationale in relation to the above, is that whilst many industries are taking a hard hit with massive job losses and redundancies (the latest been Virgin Airlines) there are other industries, sectors and occupations that are experiencing mega growth and cannot keep up with the demand for example lets look at the big Supermarket chains e.g. Woolworths and Coles whom are struggling to re-stock the shelves and whom are also putting out a call to arms for administration officers and logistics coordinators etc. as they have more positions than they can fill – from what I have heard they just want people who want to work – is that you?
Other sectors that are experiencing a boom because of the COVID-19 are Medical, Transport and Logistics, Nursing, Pharmaceuticals, Video Conferencing and Telecommunications; and what about Community Services, Counselling, Welfare and Social Services; whilst we have not heard much about these industries at the moment it is my prediction that as more and more individuals and families are placed into lockdown it is an unfortunate side-effect that more and more of the general population will struggle to cope and as a result it is highly probable that domestic and family violence will increase and thus the potential for more children to be taken out of their homes and placed into care e.g. Foster Care.
By the way let’s not forget about the associated sectors, industries and occupations that support and/or supply these sectors and industries for example the medical field are in short supply of N95 masks at the moment; there in itself is a wide range of sectors, industries and occupations that will experience a boom from manufacturing (hiring individuals to make and ship the masks), to the wholesaler who buys and supplies to the retailer whom them onsells to the medical industry; to import and export trade, transport and logistics to get the masks from the wharfs and drop off locations around Australia to the hospitals and medical facilities around the nation, to the administrators in the offices who are ordering the supplies…. the list could go on and on….
Thus, my point is as one industry crashes and burns (for the short term or maybe longer term) there will be other industries that come in and take their place in terms of growth and employment opportunities. The question is how badly do you want to work, will you only take a job that is/was similar or comparable to your old one or will you take a job in a different industry or sector at a similar pay level or maybe less that is not ideal role but at the end of the day pays and puts food on the table.
My concern as an individual and career counsellor is the demand that is going to be placed on the welfare system now and the long term impact of this on the economy once we recover; we have had a horrific time of late with bushfires, floods and now the Corona Virus (COVID-19) what is this going to do to our insurance (another industry that is likely to boom as a result of claims been made) from commercial and house insurance claims to income protection insurance payouts.
Thus, is it responsible for us to say hey let’s try and wait this out – that is a judgement call on your part but from my perspective I see now as the perfect time to work on yourself and your career (as I have also previously articulated in my article Career Counselling – CoronaVirus – Impact on Careers – How to Manage and Grow Your Career During the Pandemic); to make use of this time to create or update your Resume, Online Profiles, Employment Documentation, to explore career and academic pathways; to identify your professional goals, strengths and development areas and make an action plan and follow through.
Now is the time to seize the day and keep on top of your career to the best of your ability; to seize the opportunities when they come in so you don’t struggle as an individual or provider for your family but also to grasp these opportunities so that we as a community and proud nation do not suffer to consequences of a recession or depression as a result of this period of time.
You know what, that is OK, that is what career counselling professionals like I am here for to help you figure out your career pathway, career options, key transferable skills, professional attributes and strengths; to empower you and help you write employment documentation so that you feel confident in your skills, capabilities and experiences and the application of same moving forward whatever that likes like.
So give me a call and let’s have a chat about how to get you from been stuck to a place of positive movement forward; remember baby steps – one at a time will get you to where you want to be a lot faster than not taking any steps at all while you wait to see what happens.
As outlined in my article How to access FREE Career Counselling during pandemic – Defence Spouses/Partners it is possible for you to access Career Counselling and Employment Assistance Services if you are eligible and have located within the last 12 months to the value of $1500.00 through the PEAP Program; so if you are not sure where to start, are struggling to find a new career or restart your career particularly in these difficult economic times please make use of this facility and telephone Blu Ripples we will be happy to provide you with a PEAP Quotation and subsequently provide you with the nominated services upon approval by the Defence.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Katherine is the Founder of Blu Ripples a specialist Career Counselling and Consulting practice located in Port Stephens NSW. Katherine is a nationally registered Career Development Specialist and Counsellor; is a Professional Member of the Career Development Association of Australia, Member of the Australian Counselling Association of Australia and Australian Association for Psychological Type.
Blu Ripples Career Counselling & Consulting Services (including Resume Writing Services) is open and running as normal through the Corona Virus pandemic and offering you or your loved one career services through the comfort and safety of your home via telephone or Zoom consultation.
So if you are considering your career options or maybe you have been made redundant and are seeking help to:-
• Write or update your Resume or employment documentation
• Explore your career options and pathways
• Undertake some career or academic planning
• Research the job market now and into the future; or
• Provide outplacement services to your employees
Call us today and start a career conversation, there is no judgement here – just listening and support.
HELPING YOU THROUGH REDUNDANCY AND THE PANDEMIC
As an individual, I have been through redundancy myself and have also helped helped thousands of individuals over the years through career transition be it voluntary or forced (through redundancy or employment separation).
All I can say, is reach out and make the most of this time with a Career Counselling or Career Consulting session. Together we can analyse where you are now where you want to be in the future, develop a plan, take action steps so that you are ready to capture opportunities as they prepare themselves.
LABOUR MARKET CONSIDERATIONS
Remember the labour market maybe tighter now because so many individuals are out of work but it does not mean that there are no opportunities out there for you it just means need to be resourceful and possibly look at different options until the pandemic is over.
OTHER SERVICES AND RESOURCES
Finally, I believe it to be beneficial to mention that as a nationally registered Counsellor (with the Australian Counselling Association), I am also in a position to provide Personal Counselling Services to clients who maybe struggling with fears, worries or general anxiety as a result of the changes that are occurring as a result of the pandemic – so if you are struggling and want to talk – I am here
For those in the Defence Force – I am able to provided Career Counselling and Employment Assistance Services to Defence Spouses and Partners through the PEAP Program so make use of this program through your self-isolation or lock-down time and be ready to jump when opportunities present themselves.
You can contact me on 1300 300 557 or via e-mail at info@bluripples.com.au
Stay safe everyone and if you do get the virus please self-isolate.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Katherine is the Founder of Blu Ripples a specialist Career Counselling and Consulting practice located in Port Stephens NSW. Katherine is a nationally registered Career Development Specialist and Counsellor; is a Professional Member of the Career Development Association of Australia, Member of the Australian Counselling Association of Australia and Australian Association for Psychological Type.
Career Counselling: – I had a client yesterday tell me that their boss sent them to Melbourne for a work trip and when they got back even though they had not been around people with the coronavirus and displayed no signs and symptoms that the boss insisted (mandated) that they go into lock down for two weeks and work from home; a difficult task when you are in the real estate business.
In outside world, I am hearing on the news that industries such as musicians, airlines, conference centres etc are all been restricted in some way due to conditions placed on public events and not gathering in groups of 500 or more; the economic impact is that this potentially will have a devastating impact on our economy and take some time to recover.
On the positive side, the crazy panic buying that everyone is engaged in at the moment is seeing Coles employ another 5000 casual employees nationwide to cope with the demands; so whilst some industries are clearly struggling others are growing in terms of labour requirements at the moment so much so that they are not coping with the demands just look at what is happening in Woolworths, doctors surgeries etc the lines are so long and supplies are in short supply (both material and labour).
So what we have here from a very clinical point of view is the Labour Market expanding and contracting, shifting and changing, to adapt to a new (hopefully temporary) world where it is said that the vast majority of the world’s population will contract the virus on some scale over the coming months from what I read an estimated 80%.
Thus, the question is not will I get the virus but when I get the virus what will I do.
At the moment the self-isolation period is for 2 weeks in which time you are not to leave your house and potentially infect others, so if you are sick please adhere to this, but in the meantime from a career point of few what can you do to manage your career.
First and foremost if you are employed on a full time, part time or casual basis explore options where you can minimise going into work for example what remote working strategies are available to you? Have a sensible and realistic conversation with your employer about working from home, the guidelines, expectations and boundaries around this.
When you are required to self-isolate use this time review your career – for example
In short whilst the Corona Virus will have an impact on the labour market and the economy in general it does not have to be all doom and gloom every – focus on the positive what you can achieve during this down time, make use of it attend a Career Counselling session – create a career plan – grow, develop and evolve as an individual and professional during this time and then when things start to recover you will be in a better position to capture new and exciting opportunities as you have capitalised on the down time rather than squandering it.
Make a solid choice to use this time wisely to plan your career and make your future goals a reality by doing your research now.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Katherine is the Founder of Blu Ripples a specialist Career Counselling and Consulting practice located in Port Stephens NSW. Katherine is a nationally registered Career Development Specialist and Counsellor; is a Professional Member of the Career Development Association of Australia, Member of the Australian Counselling Association of Australia and Australian Association for Psychological Type. Katherine has worked in private practice since 2003 and prior to that worked in the corporate sector for a period of 12 years predominantly in Human Resources and Administration.
Authors Notation: As a result of writing and publishing this article one was invited by ABC Radio (Hobart) to participate in an interview on Career Change with the renowned Louise Saunders on 18th May 2020 at 7.10pm; to listen to the program segement click here and fast forward to 7 min 30 into the commencement of the program.
In March 2018, I wrote a popular blog article entitled “Resume Writing Services – The Low Down” in which I shared 5 Hints and Tips for sourcing a professional Resume Writer.
Over the last few days, I was contacted by an acquaintance in one of my social media groups seeking some career guidance as they felt they had hit a brick wall with regards to their job search.
Been the professional helper that I am, I encouraged this individual to send me through a copy of their Resume to see where they were going wrong.
In addition to the above social media acquaintance, I also provided some Resume Critiquing Services to a new client whom stated they were not receiving any responses to their existing employment document and sought my feedback as to the possible cause.
The key aspect where these two individuals went wrong is in my professional opinion was both the layout and content of the document; which truth be told is not that uncommon.
IMPROVING THE LAYOUT AND CONTENT OF YOUR RESUME
From my perspective, “the layout and content of a Resume – CV is like the perfect little black dress or suit; that is, the Resume should be designed to highlight your best assets in terms of your professional experiences, strengths, achievements and functionalities”.
Now just like the perfect little black dress or suit, your Resume-CV can be accessorized to suit the occasion; that is not every single piece of employment and academia needs to be included on the document; rather you should carefully strategize which pieces of information you include on your Resume or CV with the sole purpose of providing enough information to capture the readers interest but not so much that you overwhelm them and cause them to loose interest and dump your application because it lost its appeal.
Providing the right balance of information in a smart professional document is an art form in itself.
5 TIPS TO WRITING A COMPELLING CV-RESUME
As outlined in my blog post entitled “Writing a Clear and Concise CV- Resume (Part 2), posted in September 2010; there are 5 Key aspects to writing a compelling CV-Resume; been: –
In today’s world when there is so many so-called professional Resume Writers, Job Coaches, Career Counsellors, Consultants and Development Specialist spruIking their wares it is hard to sort the chaff from the wheat in terms of quality Resume guidance.
FOCUS ON TELLING YOUR NARRATIVE IN A PROFESSIONAL MANNER
My philosophy has always been to keep it simple (layout) and professional so that it flows easily and to follow my 4C’s approach; you see as an individual with a background and qualifications in Human Resources coupled with nearly 2 decades in writing Resumes for individuals (from first casual positions through to global management) I know and understand that management, Human Resources and Recruitment Consultants base decisions on facts – cold hard black and white facts, utilizing a skills matrix system. That is, there is a high degree of detachment when making recruitment and selection decisions based solely on how you meet and/or exceed their criterion.
Therefore it is imperative to understand that if you fail to present yourself in a professional manner with the likes of clip art, photos, multi coloured fonts and borders etc – employers, HR and recruiters are going to start focusing on what you are trying to hide or where you do not meet their standards in terms of criterion rather than what you can do and have achieved; in short this will put you on the back foot and do you a disservice.
So forget the tacky clip art, pictures, fonts, borders and information that will discriminate and focus on telling the professional narrative (story) of you; that is: –
Focus on this and you will be in with a chance; provide them with a tacky and ill-written Resume – expect to be discarded or at the very best be put at the bottom of the pile and only looked at when other quality candidates have be reviewed and eliminated – don’t be someone’s’ last resort – make yourself shine and encourage the reader to call you because you can demonstrate how you meet their criteria.
In closing, I hope that the above Resume Writing Hints and Tips and have provided you with some meaningful Resume guidance and direction; if you have any questions or seek some feedback in relation to your existing Resume please contact me via e-mail or telephone – listed on the contact page.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Katherine is the Founder of Blu Ripples a specialist Career Counselling and Consulting practice located in Port Stephens NSW. Katherine is a nationally registered Career Development Specialist and Counsellor; is a Professional Member of the Career Development Association of Australia, Member of the Australian Counselling Association of Australia and Australian Association for Psychological Type. Katherine has worked in private practice since 2003 and prior to that worked in the corporate sector for a period of 12 years predominantly in Human Resources and Administration.
As a Career Development Specialist and Counsellor whom lives and works in Port Stephens, a regional area on the NSW North Coast, one has facilitated numerous regional and rural clients since 2012 to identify and explore career options and pathways and as such understands the challenges and opportunities that come from living in areas outside of major CBD locations.
Whilst it is true that the volume of opportunities is not the same as a major CBD location such as Sydney; it does not mean that opportunities do not exist. It simply means that regional and rural community members need to dig a little deeper, explore labour market statistics in more detail, identify and respond to opportunities and possibly make a few more compromises in relation to their desired outcome(s) for example embracing portfolio careers (having several part time or casual positions) rather than traditional full time 9 to 5 positions.
Like their major city counterparts regional and rural community members need to: –
Just like each individual, each regional and rural area across Australia has its strengths, areas of growth and opportunities for community members.
In the 7+ years one has lived in Port Stephens NSW with ones’ husband; over this timeframe we have noticed a lot of change and growth in our suburb and surrounding area; in fact, we have seen the area progress with: –
All of this within a 10 or so minute drive of our home; thus, when reading the above information – what does this tell you about this particular region?
From ones’ perspective, when analysing these changes in terms of employment industries the obvious industry that is booming in the area at the moment is Construction; which just so happens to be a top 3 industry across Australia and within Port Stephens (based on latest labour market statistic information).
Occupations that fall within the construction industry include Electrician, Painter, Tiler, Project Manager, Construction – Site Manager, Labourer, Excavator Operator, Fencer, Surveyor, Plumber, Building Estimator, Building Inspector, Pest Inspector, Carpenter and Joiner.
However, just like any other industry there is a myriad of occupations and industries that complement and/or support the Construction industry both during the planning and construction phase and post construction (in terms of providing products and services to residents and the border community) for example: –
Sometimes we become so stuck in our particular mindset of I want to be this, I want to earn so much per week, I don’t want to work in that location and/or even that we are above a particular position or industry that we fail to see the opportunities right in front of us.
As one highlighted through the above summary, opportunities do exist in regional and rural areas; it may be that we just need to take a step back and clearly look at our marketplace (what is happening in our region) in greater detail – to do a little more digging (research) and analysis to find out what the opportunities are in order to ascertain where you fit – be it marketing yourself and your unique skill base as an employee or independent worker to capture the market or better yet the niche in the market.
As previously discussed, opportunities do exist in rural and regional areas however a little more digging maybe required to find out where you fit in the grand scheme of things.
One way to start, digging a little deeper, is to research your regions labour – employment market statistics; there is a wealth of free and paid information on the internet.
In fact, in researching data for this article, one found (online) a letter dated 10th March 2017 from Port Stephens Council to Senate Finance and Public Administration Committee – Parliament House Canberra; supporting the relocation of government bodies to regional areas.
In the aforementioned correspondence the author (Mr. Wayne Wallis) stated that “the Hunter Region has been experiencing economic restructuring with a shift away from traditional goods-producing sectors like mining and manufacturing to high value added knowledge based service sectors”.
Ones’ interpretation of this commentary is that councils in the Hunter region are strategizing and actioning change management plans to shift the employment market, of their respective areas, to a high quality knowledge base sectors such as Information Technology, Accounting, Counselling, Business Management, Medical and Allied Health, Education and Training and moving away from sectors such as Manufacturing, Mining, Electricity and Gas.
Thus, whilst the current labour market in this region maybe goods-producing at present; those considering their career options and pathways would be wise to take this commentary on board and plan for the future rather making decisions based on todays’ (current) needs.
Remember it takes time to study and gain experience and when you have completed any training it is important that the jobs are available in your region, a region close by or that you can develop online services to target the wider community in order to support yourself in your preferred residential location – community.
In closing, as one has clearly articulated throughout this article; each regional and rural area in Australia is different. However, if you are prepared to do some research and analysis, observe the current services and industries in your area, identify the shortfalls and develop a service or product to meet these needs as an independent worker; or conversely if you can tailor your training and employment documentation (Resume-CV) to the needs of employers through the clear representation of your key transferable skills, knowledge and experiences you will be in front of the competition.
Katherine is the Founder of Blu Ripples a specialist Career Counselling and Consulting practice located in Port Stephens NSW. Katherine is a nationally registered Career Development Specialist and Counsellor; is a Professional Member of the Career Development Association of Australia, Member of the Australian Counselling Association of Australia and Australian Association for Psychological Type. Katherine has worked in private practice since 2003 and prior to that worked in the corporate sector for a period of 12 years predominantly in Human Resources and Administration.
Labour Market Statistical Analysis, once the domain of Human Resource departments and recruitment organisations for the purpose of identifying, exploring and capturing talent, to structure remuneration (pay) and benefit frameworks to obtain and retain talent; to identify current and emerging labour market trends to navigate an organisation forward in an ever-changing workforce. Labour Market knowledge and the application of same was and still is an imperative functionality of the recruitment, selection and talent management process.
WHY IT’S IMPORTANT FOR YOU TO UNDERSTAND
Thus, it is imperative that individuals particularly job seekers understand the fundamentals of labour markets in order to effectively identify and capture opportunities and negotiate the terms and conditions of their employment.
Whilst many may be aware of the current national unemployment rate, 5.4% (June 2018), and that currently more jobs are been created thus consistently decreasing the unemployment rate over a period of time. That is usually where the average individuals’ knowledge stops with respect to labour market knowledge.
AVAILABLE LABOUR MARKET INFORMATION
Did you know that it is possible for the average individual to source and review a wealth of labour market statistics at the click of a mouse for example it is easy for you to:- Continue reading “Career Counselling – Understanding Labour Markets in the Job Search Process”
Have you ever wondered what it is like to find the right career pathway for you, to find your passion?
Over the last couple of weeks I have had the privilege to work with two such individuals.
The first soul whom cam to see me, came to have a Career Development Report produced. The individual soul in question came to me with some firm ideas about what they wanted to do but at the end of the psychometric assessment process had their interest piques in a totally new area; you could say their perspective or awareness was awakened. So much so that the individual soul telephoned me a copy of time before the delivery of their report and told me that they had discovered a firm interest in Primary Education as a result of the psychometric profiling session and had subsequently taken action and applied to university to do a bridging course in preparation for study next year; and now was just waiting to have the report delivered to put the final pieces of the puzzle into place.
The second soul whom came to see me, had already transitioned into her passion (new career) a couple of years before hand and sought help to prepare her employment documentation for the next strategic career move.
Interestingly both souls were in their 40’s, the first in their early 40’s the second in their late forties.
At a time when most of us can become stuck nay bogged down in our career and life, because of life circumstances and/our mindset. These two individual souls broke the glass ceiling or pushed their way through the mud and reached new peaks, dispelling fears about starting over and/or not gaining employment because they were “too old” they simply established their goals and moved forward with confidence, determination and vigour.
So looking back at both of these souls what are the 3 qualities they displayed and how can we learn from them Continue reading “Finding the Right Career Path for You”