Resume Tips for Better Results on Job Search Sites

Resume Tips for Better Results on Job Search Sites

This post includes some fundamental resume tips for better results in your job search.  They are applicable to the majority of jobs. When searching for a job, there are certain steps you have to take and do so quickly in order to receive the most possible leads.

resume tips for better results

It’s not that hard to find a job if you know what to do. However, if you are not willing to do the needed work, you will not get the results you desire. Most of the job openings are posted by companies, with some of the advertisements being too strict to meet the requirements.

Submit at Your Own Risk.

Submitting your resume as a PDF with no graphics, your name or a throwaway reference is not your best bet. If you’re the designer or developer behind your own resume, chances are you’ve got a really cool custom design that shows off all your professional skills. Most designers use our industry-specific job search sites to create cool-looking resumes to share with their professional network, to land them a job, or to impress an employer. They do not realize that they are unintentionally hurting their chances of success by using social media.

Use Generic Job Titles

Do They Help? Employers don’t think employees are as happy as they should be – even if they are happy. According to recent research conducted by Nielsen, nearly half of all American workers don’t feel engaged at work. An engagement score is a composite metric that considers four behaviors: confidence in the company, trust in the company, trust in senior leadership, and enjoyment of their work.

Use simple words

You’re not trying to impress people with your writing.  I’m guessing that you’re not trying to sell your book. You don’t know what your audience wants. The challenge is not so much to impress people with your spelling, grammar, punctuation, or level of education, but rather to give them your message as clearly as possible. You can’t just launch into this multi-paragraph explanation. Your readers will only skim what you have to say and move on.

resume tips for better results

List Your Job Skills

Make sure you include your skills and any training that you may have. This will show the employer exactly your strengths and capabilities. The more experience you have, the more valuable you are. Update your résumé at least once every six months. This will allow employers to keep track of your skills and how you are growing. Try to make it look as great as possible, while still being honest and authentic.

Check Your Spelling and Grammar

resume tips for better results

Although it’s not easy, but it’s oh so rewarding. Everyone writes differently, but if you’ve got grammatical issues or run on sentences, it’s a definite turn off. I don’t think I’ve ever had someone tell me they didn’t like my writing because of a simple grammar error, but there are a lot of fantastic writers that may have issues with one word. And by one word, I mean one particularly important, very basic word. There is only one. A comma. Especially in dialogue. Think about how often you use commas in a conversation. There are also lots of great sites for advice on grammar.

Flexicrew Support

From  helping sharpen your game plan on how to tackle the toughest questions to resume tips for better results, Flexicrew supports you.  Even making grooming or clothing suggestions, we’ve got you covered.  We provide a dozen ways to make sure you bring your A-game.  Flexicrew will prep you for the populare resruiter interview questions.  Contact us to begin Today!

resume tips for greater results

Avoid These Manufacturing Resume Mistakes

Avoid these manufacturing resume mistakes if you want to gain your dream job.  You’ve probably been applying for manufacturing jobs all over the place.  Yet, you’re wondering why you’re your resume hasn’t gotten you any interviews.

Avoid these manufacturing resume mistakes

Manufacturing Job Resume Emphasize these Aspects

You must be honest on your resume. The majority of jobs require a background check these days so a recruiter will most likely discover your lie.  And when a recruiter uncovers a falsehood on a manufacturing job resume they will trash the resume regardless of how well it matches the job requirements.

Ensure you make the most of the small amount of space you have.  Therefore, tailor your resume for unique machine operator jobs.  Doing so will greatly improve your chances of landing an interview.

Also, use language that is easy to understand.

Avoid These Manufacturing Resume Mistakes

Here are three manufacturing resume mistakes to avoid:

1.Don’t Fabricate or Inflate Your Experience or Skills

The worst thing you can do on your resume is list skills you don’t have. You might get hired for the job, but it will rapidly be obvious that you lied, and you’ll likely be fired. Rather, emphasize your skills that correspond to the job requirements.

2. Don’t Include Skills That Are Not Relevant or Dated

Include skills on your resume based on the specific machine operator job you are apply for. List skills that are relevant to the role for example, and don’t include those that aren’t. Remember, you have limited space to explain why you should get an interview, as is the recruiter’s attention span.

3. Don’t Overuse Jargon or Insider Terms

Recruiters receive tons of resumes, and, jargon starts to become inane. For example, words like ‘team-player, ‘quick learner, and ‘enthusiastic’ cease to have the impressive meaning you think they do.  And they just become space-wasters.

Machine Operator Job Search Support

Need to find a new job? Flexicrew takes pride in connecting talented manufacturing professionals like you with rewarding career opportunities. We’re here to help, whether you’re searching for machine operator jobs in  Antioch, TN or receiving/shipping positions in Columbus, Indiana, so contact us today to get started!

Everything I Learned About Talent Recruiting I Learned On Halloween

Halloween & Recruiting – Sweet Parallels                

 

Halloween was my second favorite holiday, just behind Christmas.

Each year I’d chart out the neighborhoods and plan where I would trick-or-treat. With a few years of experience under my belt, I knew which houses passed out the best candy.

My friends and I moved in a pack because it was more fun, but mostly for protection from the bigger kids who would try to steal our candy.

The key for us was to visit the most houses so we could to fill the biggest bag of candy. That gave us better odds of getting candy that we liked.  Because for every 6 Starbursts I received (not my favorite) I also got a Snickers (yum). I just hated those stale popcorn balls that were supposed to be ‘healthier.’ Whose idea was that anyway?

 

That’s just the beginning of a recruiting strategy

In retrospect, I was using good recruiting strategies in search of maximum ‘good’ candies. My strategy to maximize the amount of ‘good’ candy is similar to the goal of recruiters to uncover and hire ‘good’ qualified candidates.

But that’s just the beginning of the recruiting strategy.  Here are a number of parallels that you can use in your recruitment strategy…

 

Wider range, more candy

My primary Halloween strategy was to reach the greatest number of houses possible.  Then I would go where I knew the houses gave ‘good’ candy. Also, this meant not wasting time walking to neighborhoods with few houses or didn’t give out candy.  The only restriction was our time curfew and/or how inclement the weather was while we were trick-or-treating.

In recruiting, the goals are the same.  You want to use as many ‘good’ sources as possible to get as many qualified candidates as possible – the ones that give the best candidates.

In order to do this, you must look at your past successes and failures in recruiting, analyze which recruitment methods worked or didn’t, then decide what route is best for your team.  Our restrictions may still be time. Maybe you’re on a tight deadline. But the primary concern is usually money – the hiring budget.  You need to decide where is the best place to spend those dollars.

 

Combing through your Halloween bag

One of the most fun times during the night was seeing what kind of candy I received.  I’d empty my bag (always an old pillow case) and review what I had, sorting the good candy from the candy I wouldn’t eat.  I would put the candy I liked back in my bag for later and then I’d try to trade with friends for candy more to my taste.

Once you have collected a quantity of candidates from your recruiting efforts, start screening through resumes & candidates. Much like splitting the candy, you need your recruiting team to sort candidates into qualified and unqualified for the position.  You want to collect as many qualified candidates as possible to give you a candidate pool with more alternatives and choice.

Don’t forget to look out for candidates whose qualifications don’t fit the position you are recruiting for but may fit another position that needs to be filled.

 

Making the candy hang in there

After returning home with all my candy, I tried to make it last as long as possible. I squirreled away my candy in the pantry and when my friends had run out after Halloween, I still was hanging in with candy for snacks.

Similarly, you should keep in touch with the ‘good’ candidates that your efforts have dug up. Don’t abandon any. All qualified candidates should be interviewed for the current position and also placed into your database for consideration for future assignments.  Some ‘good’ candidates just aren’t right for the current spot, but may be perfect for a future position.

Just like a kid on Halloween, you need to make sure you are able to optimize the amount of candy or candidates you get from your efforts.  If you use the best recruiting techniques and effectively screen the candidates you have found, you may just have sweet success!

Business is always changing. Flexicrew supports you as your business strategy and recruiting challenges evolve – so you always stay ahead.

If you would like to discuss our strategic recruiting programs, please contact us – we are a treat to deal with.

Scary Temporary Workers – Do They Work for You?

Do you believe you have to go to a haunted house to get spooked this Halloween?

 

Think again – some bosses don’t even have to leave work to get their fill of fright with some of their full-time or temporary workers!

 

We at Flexicrew have a soft spot for employers and HR people who have had to deal with temporary workers who were rude, reckless and willing to break the rules. Some employers have even caught temporary workers breaking the law while in the workplace – Frightening!

Does your company employ Temporary Workers like any of these Halloween Creatures?

Some employers think their workplace is scary because their workers act like these famous Halloween creatures.

Do you employ any of these scary temporary workers?

  • The Wolf Man: fine one minute, howling the next
  • The Invisible Man: never around when you need him
  • Casper the Friendly Ghost: eager to help, but often misunderstood
  • Dracula: constantly sucking the life right out of you and everyone around him
  • Wicked Witch of the West: always acting conniving and sending out minions to do his/her dirty work
  • The Mummy: slow-moving and has an ancient thought process
  • Grim Reaper: constantly delivers bad news and inspires fear among workers
  • Frankenstein: green with envy what assignments or hours others are getting

 

In addition to spooky personalities, some scary temporary workers actually have a fear of:

  • Heavy workload
  • Tight deadlines
  • Hours worked
  • Taking direction from their boss or supervisor
  • Arriving at work on-time
  • Sitting through meetings
  • Performance reviews

Now that’s scary…

 

So, if any of these employees make you tremble, please call Flexicrew Staffing to knock out spooky risks and send you temporary workers who will give you peace of mind!

 

Get a quote today! https://flexicrew.com/get-a-quote/

 

 

 

5 Lessons Baseball Can Teach Your Recruiters and HR Staff

In October every year millions tune in to Major League Baseball as the playoffs begin. Many – maybe someone in your family – have been a fan since grammar school, so they’re filled with excitement.  Everything reminds us recruiters of baseball!

Recruiters & HR managers can learn 5 baseball lessons to score with hiring

We at Flexicrew find that baseball can teach business supervisors, HR managers and recruiters how to win at their jobs.

Baseball teams labored 6-months for 162 games, through a whole season to make it to the playoffs.  Now, coaches have the fear if their top talent will perform now at crunch time. Hiring managers can feel  a scary sensation (it’s almost Halloween) parallel to these teams’ coaches.

All they have accomplished over a lengthy period of time can be spoiled by one key hire gone wrong. A recruiter understands that pressure also – spending time becoming acquainted with the client’s open position requirements, reviewing resumes, interviewing candidates and then…one false step anywhere in the process can ruin the expected hiring outcome.

Want to prepare your workforce for the big leagues? It may be simpler than you think.  It’s because baseball can teach business hiring managers several useful lessons.

Reflecting on this connection between hiring and baseball, here are some short lessons to take into account during the MLB playoffs.

  1. Hiring – Team Flexibility Is Essential

Sometimes in hiring, the ‘high-flyer’ candidates don’t automatically yield the best outcome. Like in baseball, there is a reason in business organizations are called ‘team.’ And the most successful teams combine skills to achieve the best outcomes.

The new hire must be good, but team flexibility is crucial.

It takes more to win than just the most gifted individuals. The business team, like the baseball team must be talented and versatile over a variety of areas and conditions.

Team chemistry trumps all!

  1. The Tide Turns

This season, the Cleveland Indians represent a vivid story for hiring. After losing a total of 55 games Even if you fall short 55 times, (as Cleveland lost that many games) sooner or later you will break the streak and when you do, it can be exhilarating. Cleveland then went on to set a record for consecutive wins in a season with 22 straight!  Were they exhilarated!!  It’s easy to give up as a recruiter – the job can be discouraging and, in some cases, downright overwhelming. When a recruiter’s placement falls-through, or an employer’s new hire fails to deliver, or you simply have an off day, remember the Indians and remember you can’t be great if you don’t keep going to bat.

  1. There’s Always an Opportunity to Contribute

There’s always an opportunity to contribute in baseball.  A player can strike out on his first three at bats or make three errors in the field, yet still hit the game-winning homerun in the bottom of the ninth-inning.

The same goes for working. For your new temp workers their first three attempts at learning a complex process may not turn out the way you want, but that doesn’t mean the temporary staffer can’t practice, and with your coaching, improve his skill at the task.

  1. Hire for Fit as Well as for Skill, Capability, and Smarts

Every MLB team employs scouts in all major league cities.  There is a ton of effort that goes into evaluating players – both minor leaguers as well as big leaguers from other teams.

Baseball teams want to select quality players who give performance and will also fit with their teammates.

Some research points out that in business, the majority of newbies hired into new roles leave within a year.  The primary reason is fit, or the job wasn’t as expected, or the organization wasn’t as expected.  Fit is critical in a tight talent market.  There is little room for error.  The disruption of a bad hiring decision is costly for the organization and for the individual.  A key is making sure the job people actually get when they join and the job you sold them in the interview process is the same.  Making sure they are the best talent for the work you need done, helps everybody win.

  1. Know your capabilities

The stud pitchers in the majors have a variety of pitches for every batter and pitch count. They have a go-to pitch which they feel confident will be a strike in every situation – for every batter.

Similarly, an HR manager or a recruiter needs to know how to shine in every phase of recruiting/hiring. It’s like a baseball game with both strategy and timing and recruiters and HR must recognize their capabilities and their drawbacks to achieve their goals.

The best way to know and enhance your HR capabilities is to practice them consistently until you are at the top of your game.

The key to maintaining your momentum is experience.

So, if you pay attention to those 5 lessons baseball can teach your recruiters and HR staff, then

 your team will score game after game.

Want a heavy hitter to ‘go-to-bat’ for you with staffing, please give Flexicrew Staffing a call.

If you bite off more work than you can chew, let Flexicrew pinch hit for you with temps around the holidays and the year-end rush.

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Hiring Temp Employees…..What You Must Know But Were Afraid to Ask

Hiring temporary employees can bring positive energy to your business and help your team meet goals. Still, there are several areas you need to understand before hiring them.

 

Permanent talent is better than hiring temp employees, don’t you think? We say: Not necessarily. The increasing trend toward hiring temps indicates these employees might actually help you out.

 

CareerBuilder indicates 42% of businesses have plans to increase temp hires, and 43% hope to convert temp workers to full-time.

 

Staffing Industry Analysts forecasts that the temp worker trend will continue through 2017.

Hiring Temp Employees - Apples to Apples

Do temporary workers a permanent solution to your workforce needs or are they  a short-term solution? To answer, let’s start by looking at the in’s and out’s of temporary staff.

Temp Employees—Who is hiring them?

 

Department of Labor defines a temporary employee as one who will be employed less than 12-months or who has a specific end date. These workers make up a larger share of our US workforce than ever, over 2.9 million people or more than 2% of the total workforce .

 

Some have a mistaken belief that temporary workers are used only in certain job market segments, such as day laborer, seasonal help, or low-skilled jobs. A study from CareerBuilder and EMSI showed that companies use temp staff for almost everything including purchasing agents, writers, drivers, maintenance, sales, and marketing.

 

$64,000 Question – is temp staffing a cost-effective  strategy for companies to achieve business and operational objectives and goals?

 

Does Hiring Temp Employees Actually Cost Less?

 

Think about the typical costs of recruitment. You pay to post job ads, pay for employer branding material like brochures and materials, pay to attend job fairs, and sometimes even to fly in talented candidates. Those are just the costs on the surface. The hidden costs can be much more prohibitive.

 

You have to pay for time spent skimming through, on average, at least 250 resumes for a single position. You must pay for onboarding an employee, and hope this money for training and education will pay off. If it doesn’t, a bad hire can set your company back $50,000 or more, to say nothing of lost productivity and a renewed gap in your workforce.

 

Temporary talent can be a great way to deal with a short-term problem while nurturing a long-term solution. The cost of temporary labor isn’t free, but it can often lead to more confident hiring, since the candidate went through a “try before you buy” period to ensure fit and skills.

 

You can see how their skills really shake out in a real-world setting, and evaluate how well they fit in to your existing culture.

Hiring Temp Employees to Look Beyond the Resume

 

Taking on temporary talent can provide an opportunity to give someone a chance. You might not have been impressed by a candidate’s credentials and experience, but when you connected in person or through a video interview, you were impressed with just how passionate they were about the opportunity.

 

Passion is necessary for all companies, and it’s often the lifeblood of growing businesses. Hiring passionate people with room to grow might be a better idea than hiring someone with the perfect skills that is only lukewarm about your company. Setting a trial period for a temporary hire will allow you to see if this candidate’s passion translates into value for your company and an ability to learn new skills and grow into a great employee.

 

Flexicrew Staffing has the expert knowledge and resources to help you find the right candidates. Let us assist you in finding the right person for your small or midsize business.