Job Search

What Do Professionally Prepared Resumes Cost?

April 16, 2019 By jenowenby

Prices vary greatly, but the following accurately reflects the competitive mid-point someone will pay for resumes written by professionally trained and experienced resume writers. My prices typically run below the national average, and I offer 11 years of industry experience.

Entry Level Resume ~ $300-$400
These resumes are for students, new graduates, and entry-level applicants just entering the job market.

Professional Level Resume ~ $450- $550
Professional level resumes are primarily for people with 3-10 years’ experience, not in management and not in other specific careers like Technical or Program/Product Management.

Mid-Career Level Resume ~ $550-$650
Mid-career level resumes tend to be for people with 10+ years’ experience that are not in a management role or in IT or other specialized areas.

Specialized Level Resume ~ $750+
These types of resumes are for specialized professionals who need specific information, keywords, and other needs for their particular industry that others may not require. This includes technical, sales, program management, product management, etc.

Management Level Resume ~ $850+
A management level resume refers to all managers with hiring and firing responsibilities for individual contributors within a company.

Executive Level Resume ~ $1100+
Executive level resumes are built for senior management with bottom-line fiscal, hiring and firing responsibilities for managers.
Also, here are a few questions to ask when speaking with a resume writer:

Are they the person writing your document?
Do they outsource overseas?
Do you use templates or design your resumes For additional information on how I create a resume that gets you noticed, please visit www.onbproresume.com.

Keys to Assist With a Performance Review

October 28, 2017 By jenowenby

The purpose of the self-assessment is to help your manager understand your perspective concerning your work performance and accomplishments. When responding to questions on the self-evaluation form, look at the list of activities, projects, and accomplishments you prepared and use that information to substantiate your responses. The self-evaluation form allows you the opportunity to provide additional insight about your contributions as part of the performance review process.

Even if your manager doesn’t give you a formal self-assessment to complete, reviewing your own performance is a necessary part of preparing for your review.

As part of your self-assessment, you should identify areas for improvement or development during the review period (i.e., the next 12 months). These may include:

• Things you’ve struggled with

• Where you’d like to expand your skills, experience, and/or expertise

• What you need — training, coaching, mentoring, a specific course (or degrees), special assessments, job shadowing, or volunteer work

As part of this exercise, you should also prepare your goals for the upcoming year. The goals should be specific assignments to participate in, learning objectives, or aligned with ongoing or future projects.

Your goals should be S.M.A.R.T.:

• Specific: A clearly defined outcome that you want to achieve

• Measurable: Using numbers, specify how you will measure and track your progress towards completion

• Achievable: You should stretch to reach the objective, but it should still be within reach

• Realistic: Consider the available resources you have (time, money, people)

• Time-Sensitive: Set a due date for the achievement of the goal

Another part of the assessment process may be a “peer evaluation,” where your co-workers are given the opportunity to provide input on your work performance.

What To Do With This Information

Ask your manager their preference — do they want to review the information before your meeting, or should you bring it with you to the meeting?

Questions to Ask in Your Review

Here is a brief list of questions to ask in your performance review:

• On a scale of 1 to 10, where 10 is someone about to be promoted, and 1 is someone about to be fired, what number would you rate me?

• How are you measuring my success in this position?

• What individual and company goals should I be focusing on?

• What aspects of my performance stand out?

• Which areas should I focus on for improving my performance?

• Can you provide me with specific examples of a time when my performance did not meet your expectations? How would you prefer I had handled that situation?

You may find that your boss sees situations from a different perspective, which can help you improve your performance, even if you don’t think you handled a situation poorly, to begin with. Because your boss is the person evaluating your performance, you want to make sure that your performance aligns with his or her expectations. If you disagree with the criticism, don’t get into an argument with your boss about it. Instead, think about what you are hearing. In particular, if you are surprised by what is brought up, take the time to think through the situation instead of responding defensively during the performance review.

Remember that “perception is reality” when it comes to your performance. Determine whether this issue is something that could put your job in jeopardy or put a promotion and/or raise at risk. Ask your boss, “What can I do to improve this situation going forward?”

If you’re located in the U.S., click here to schedule your free strategy session today!

Jennifer Owenby offers her combined expertise as a recruiter along with training as a professional resume writer. Please visit ONB Professional Resumes and LinkedIn Services for additional information and scheduling an appointment.

How to Network Your Way to Hiring Managers

February 28, 2017 By jenowenby

With multiple changes to LinkedIn, one thing that hasn’t changed is the ability to message fellow Group members directly even if they are 2nd or 3rd-degree contacts. It will also get you around the InMail requirement. This is a great tip for networking your way to hiring managers within your industry.

If you are a member of a LinkedIn Group with the person you’re trying to contact, you can directly send a Message instead of having to send an InMail. But you can only do it from within the Group. When you are within the Group, click on the member’s name and you will see a “Message” button.

If, however, you just search for the same person’s profile (outside the Group), you will see an “InMail” button instead. So if there is someone you want to connect with, first search your Groups and see if you are both members of the same Group.

Speaking of Groups, the link to the Groups page is now harder to find. There used to be an Interests tab on the main menu, and Companies and Groups were under that.

Now, Groups are in the “More” section on the main navigation bar.

The main Search bar is now the “easiest” way to find Companies and Groups, but it’s definitely not as intuitive.

You can also use the direct URL for the Groups page:

http://www.linkedin.com/Groups

Because the “More” tab includes things like “Learning” and “Post a Job,” most casual users are likely to overlook the “Groups” button there.

Have an amazing day.

Career Checklist: 10 Tips for Success In Your Job Search

January 27, 2017 By jenowenby

Most people have never been taught how to find a job. However, research shows that the average worker only spends 4 years in a job — and you’ll have as many as 12-15 jobs over the course of your career.

Here are 10 things every job seeker can do to be successful in your job search.

Follow this checklist to learn how to find your new job faster. Remember, you only need one company to hire you. Instead of focusing your efforts on making dozens or hundreds of contacts with prospective employers, be selective!

Start with the end in mind. Take the time to think about what kind of job you’re targeting. What job title, functional roles, and industry are you interested in? Any specific companies you’d like to work for? If your ideal job was available, how would you describe it?
Take time to organize your job search. Outline a strategy and then use your plan to create a weekly list of activities.
Create a schedule each day for your job search activities. Make a list each day of the activities you want to complete. However, if an interview or networking opportunity comes up, of course, you will rearrange your schedule to fit it in!
Set aside a workspace for your job search. Designate a specific area to use when conducting your job search. This should be an area free of distractions.
Devote sufficient time to your job search. The more time and energy you devote to your job search, and the more aggressively you network, the faster your job search will proceed. If you are not currently working, commit yourself to a minimum of 40 hours per week devoted to your search campaign. If you are currently working, devote 15-20 hours per week at a minimum.
Recognize that your motivation is going to increase and decrease, depending on the success (or lack of success) you are having in reaching your job search goal. Reward yourself for effort, not for results.
Get the support of a team to help you. You don’t have to go it alone in your job search.
Ask your family and friends to support you. Join a job club. Use the services offered by your city, county, or state employment office. Contact your university alumni association. Hire a résumé writer and/or career coach.
Enlist an accountability partner. Recruit one person to support, encourage, and motivate you in your job search. This can be a friend, another job seeker, or a coach/counselor. (Choose someone who can be objective with you — and critical of your efforts — when they need to be. That role might be too difficult for a spouse/partner.)
It can be easier to get a job if you have a job (even if the job isn’t related to the job you want). Employers sometimes see hiring someone who is unemployed as “riskier” than hiring someone who is already working.
If you are having difficulty finding a job in your area, consider relocation. If you live in an area with high unemployment — especially in your industry — consider whether moving to another city, state, or region would improve your chances of getting hired.

Click here to schedule your free strategy session today!

If you loved this article then you will enjoy Tips and Tricks on How Not to Reveal Your Salary During the Interview Process. Just click here.

Easy Cover Letter Tips And Tricks

December 6, 2016 By jenowenby

Not sure how to write a strong cover letter? These tips will guide you through it.

Don’t just repeat information from your résumé in your cover letter — give the reader a reason to read the cover letter. Focus on the reasons why you’re a fit for this specific position.
Address the cover letter to a specific person, not “To Whom It May Concern.” Ten or fifteen years ago it was very difficult to find a hiring manager’s name. Today, with Google, LinkedIn, and company websites, you should be able to secure the specific individual’s name and job title with a quick search (and maybe one follow-up phone call).
Make sure the cover letter is “employer-focused,” not “you-focused.” It’s not about what you want — it’s about how you can add value to the prospective employer.
Show — don’t tell! Just like on the résumé, don’t use clichés to describe yourself and your work — let your accomplishments do the talking. Instead of saying “results-oriented,” showcase the results you’ve achieved! Use specific dollar amounts, percentages, and other numbers to quantify your accomplishments.
The cover letter is an opportunity to bring attention to older experience on your résumé that is relevant for the job you’re seeking, but that may not be easily found.
You can also use the cover letter to highlight work experience that would substitute for education requested in a job posting — or highlight training and classes that have prepared you for the work being done.
Don’t include your photo on your cover letter. It doesn’t belong on your résumé either. But you absolutely need a great photo on your LinkedIn profile!
Stand out! Don’t just apply online for a position. Your cover letter and résumé may never make it out of the ATS software. If you apply online, follow-up with a hard copy of the résumé and cover letter — either mailed or dropped off to the company — or email an e-note and résumé to the hiring manager.

If you’re located in the U.S. or Canada, click here to schedule your free strategy session today!

What Do Professionally Prepared Resumes Cost?

Keys to Assist With a Performance Review

How to Network Your Way to Hiring Managers

Career Checklist: 10 Tips for Success In Your Job Search

Easy Cover Letter Tips And Tricks

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