LinkedIn: Focus on Your Strengths

Having worked with hundreds of clients to improve their profiles, expand their networks, and leverage their connections, I have noticed that many people are nervous talking about their strengths. When we reach the summary section, skills section, or experience descriptions, many clients immediately cringe from my suggestion of expanding the verbiage to include more strengths. Generally speaking, individuals fall into two camps: they either say they “don’t want to brag” or they “don’t have any strengths.” For those who don’t want to brag, my response is fairly simple: it isn’t bragging, it’s...

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Kick Your Job Search into High Gear

If you are like many people, then performing a job search can start to wear on you very quickly. In my own job searches, I became fatigued after about 3 weeks—I would apply to job ads online incessantly, and then become disheartened when I didn’t hear anything. Struggling to land even an interview can be very discouraging, and can lead to you ceasing to apply altogether. Rather than letting your job search get bogged down, try the steps I’ve included below. Sometimes, to land that interview and find your next opportunity, you just have to change the way you do things to get more leverage out...

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More than Just Words: Keywords

The advent of job seeking on the internet has led to both great and terrible things for job seekers. Jobs are now easier to search for, and geographic location no longer limits networking to your immediate area. On the other hand, however, it has become harder for job seekers to stand out in the job search, in part because of the implementation of programs known as “ATS” or Applicant Tracking Systems. These systems scan through applicant resumes and cover letters, ranking them based on keyword saturation. The higher the count of keywords in your resume, the more likely it will be pushed...

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4 Questions to Ask in an Interview

Getting an interview can feel like a gift from above. When I was job searching last summer, I would send out resume after resume into the void of the online job boards, and usually hear nothing back. Getting asked for an interview seemed like the best possible outcome, and in a lot of ways it was. What I quickly learned, however, is that getting an interview didn’t necessarily mean I fit with the company. Sometimes, the interview simply reinforced that I wouldn’t be a good fit in that position, or with that company. What I learned, after doing a couple of interviews, was how to ask questions...

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Resignation Letters: Do’s and Don’ts

Here at Career Solutions Group, we often meet with individuals who have decided to leave or have recently left their job. This decision often happens  for a variety of reasons, depending on the person and situation. Needless to say, such a transition should be handled with grace. Our career counselor, David, wrote a great article on Tuesday outlining how to leave a job without burning bridges. One important aspect he mentioned in his article was the letter of resignation. Whether or not you feel a letter of resignation is warranted, it’s important that you write one. It offers a clean break,...

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