Saturday, December 12, 2009

Writing a Stay at Home Mom Resume

When you are a full time mom and you are about to re-enter the workforce you will have to create a great looking resume, as does anyone these days, to ensure you will get plenty of calls from potential employers for interviews. The problem is that you will have gaps in your resume when it comes to the work history portion of the resume and you may be a bit apprehensive as to how to fill in those gaps.

While no employer likes to see time gaps there is a certain way to go about filling in those gaps and there is a certain way not to fill in those gaps. Here is what you should and shouldn’t do in relation to the time gaps on your resume:

• Don’t get cute: Don’t get cute and use terms like, ‘mom’s taxi’ or ‘housekeeping specialist’ as these terms may not go over so well with some potential employers. There is no doubt that deciding to stay home with your kids in the first several years of their lives is an admirable thing to do but not everyone will think this way. Many potential employers may not like the fact that you got to stay at home with your kids because perhaps they did not and when you use cute terms to highlight the fact that you did get to stay at home it may be taken as a face rubbing of sorts.

• Try to find relevance: Use your noggin; did you do anything during your time out of the workforce that could be construed as work related? Maybe you were on the board of the PTA in which case you could cite the countless hours of volunteer work that you did and put that down. Maybe you took an online class in which case you can tell about how you took the time to further your education. Get creative in this instance but remember to always tell the truth.

• Don’t leave it blank: However you decide to go about writing your mom resume don’t leave the time that you stayed at home with the kids blank. While time gaps can be tough as it is to explain, a potential employer will not want to see a huge gap and may think that you simply didn’t want to work or maybe even that you have something to hide when they see a huge time gap left blank. It is always better to put down something over nothing.

When being a full time mom there were probably many instances where you had to get creative and improvise. Well filling out your mom resume is no different. Use your head and think before you write and there is bound to be something that you can put down to fill in the gaps. If you raised kids full time for several years this should not be any more challenging than that was for you. Make it sound good and professional and then explain your case once you have the interview locked up.

Read resume writer reviews to find the best service for your needs.

Friday, December 4, 2009

Requirements for SES Positions

Senior Executive Service, or SES, is a group of people who are responsible for administering public programs at the top levels of Federal government. Because these jobs are so limited and so well compensated they are highly sought after positions. Though there is only one hire per job posting, there may be many who will apply. So what exactly are the requirements to obtain an SES position?

All SES candidates must meet two distinct types of requirements before being considered for any SES position. Every SES position requires candidates to meet Executive Core Qualifications, or ECQs, and each individual job posting must be met with qualifications that are specific to that particular job. Here is a further breakdown:

• ECQs: The ECQs are made up of five core components that all candidates must possess in order to qualify for an SES position. These components are:

1. Leading Change: This is the ability to organize thoughts and execute the visions during an ever changing environment.
2. Leading People: This means that the candidate must display that they can not only lead people in a work environment but also have the ability to help develop others, incorporate teamwork amongst co-workers, and settle disputes quickly.
3. Results Driven: This is the ability to analyze risk and problems and be able to come up with a decision that will produce high quality results.
4. Business Acumen: This is the ability to be able to strategically handle human resources, financial resources, and information resources all at the same time.
5. Building Coalitions: This is the ability to work with different levels of the government at the Federal, state, and even local levels and get all to work in unison towards the same goals.

• Job Specific: Depending on what the job is there may be some specific qualifications that must be met in order to qualify for that job. The requirements may be technical, educational, or professional. If there are specific requirements that must be met for a specific SES position then those requirements will be listed on the job posting which is found at different agencies vacancy announcements. It is recommended that if you do not have the specific qualifications that are being asked for on a particular job posting that you don’t even apply for the position. Again, there will be many who apply and only those that meet all the qualifications will be considered.

A review board will take all the completed applications and review the ECQs and job specific qualification to help determine who is best suited for the position that is being filled. If you are in consideration for one of these positions then you will know that you are among the best of the best.

If you are considering applying for an SES position and you posses all the ECQs and can meet job specific qualifications then go ahead and apply for the spot. Just be sure that you are filling out the application the right way and that you have all the proper paperwork accompanying your application as another qualification to getting an SES position is following all the red tape procedures to the letter.

Consider using a professional SES resume service to assist you with applying for SES positions.

How to Find the Best Resume Writer

Your resume is the window to yourself and a well written resume will ensure that you have the best possible chance of getting the job that you are after. While you may be the best at what you do you may not be the best at writing a resume and there is no shame in that fact, but fear not because there are plenty of well qualified professional resume writers who can write your resume for you in such an eloquent way and leave you with what you need to stand out from the rest of the crowd in the eyes of potential employers. So how do you find the best resume writer?

Simply executing an online search for resume writer will leave you with thousands of options to choose from and you need to know what to look for in order to ensure you are getting a quality resume writer. Here are some things to consider when deciding on the best resume writer for you:

• Do they have samples: A good resume writer will have plenty of samples of work they have done in the past for you to look at. Be sure that you are happy with the style and tone of the resume writers writing before you hire them for the job.

• Can they write in the style of your profession: It should be noted that a government resume is different from a managerial resume and they are both different from a medical resume. The point is that many resumes call for many resume writing styles. Be sure that the resume writer you are considering has plenty of experience in writing resumes for your field.

• How long have they been around: Because of the Internet and the ease of creating a website, many resume writing companies are popping up but are nothing more than a flash in the pan. You want to go with a reputable resume writer who has been in the business for a number of years. If you find a resume writer that has been in the game for many years then you will know that they are able to adapt to the ever changing standards of how resumes are to be written and keep up to date with their chosen profession.

• Are they accredited: There are a number of different designations that a resume writer can obtain and if you see one or more of these credentials then you can feel good knowing that the resume writer had to pass many standards and be in the business for several years before they could get the designation. With so many resume writers out there these days, it is silly not to go with an accredited one.

Lastly you should consider the price of the resume writer’s services. But before you consider price, know what you are getting for that price. Many times in life you get what you pay for and a resume writer is a classic example of that. Working with a good resume writer will give you a leg up on the competition and a great shot at career success.