Tuesday, April 21, 2020

How to Improve Your Resume Writing and Make it Stand Out

How to Improve Your Resume Writing and Make it Stand OutIf you are looking for ways to improve your resume writing and need help, you should consider applying for an internship at a comic book publisher. If you have a great understanding of how to make your resume stand out and impress, you will find that you will be able to get the job without spending a fortune on advertising. You can also impress upon the company that you have the talent they are seeking by showing them that you understand how to write a resume.Your resume is one of the most important documents you have to make before you go through any interview. It helps to get the first impression of you from the person reading it and most importantly, it tells the person hiring you what to expect. The goal of a resume is to win the job so you want to use every piece of writing you do to grab their attention. So when you consider applying for an internship with a comic book publisher, you should take some time to analyze the co mpany's history and style of producing comics and take an honest look at the company itself.You want to be sure that the company you are thinking about working for is an interesting company to work for so you will want to make sure they know what they are doing and that they have been around for a while. That is why you should compare the comics that you read on a regular basis with what the publisher prints, even if it is something that you think is not very good.Even the good companies do not advertise much about their comics so they must be able to create what you like and what the rest of the readers want to see. The more people you have read the company's comics, the more likely you are to find a job when you go back and look at the original material.Comic book publishers are full of great artists, so you might not know who is responsible for every single comic that is being published in their catalog. But in order to make sure that you are getting the best job possible you sho uld read the main series as well as the mini series and then go over the individual ones that interest you. If you like the approach the company has, the artist is having, or the look they are going for, you will want to investigate them to see how you can write to those themes to get yourself an interview.When you apply for an internship at a comic book publishing company, you want to have a great resume to show them. This should be a statement that says you have the qualities that the company is looking for and that you have the knowledge necessary to be able to work for them. It is also a statement that shows how you have the ability to read and translate your own ideas into the written words and presentation of the company and what they do.Graphic novels have become popular these days as a way to keep people interested in reading comics and graphic novels. Many young people enjoy them and can tell when a story is coming to an end or a change is taking place that needs to be kept in the comic book that they are reading. If you are trying to get a job at a comic book publisher, you should take the time to analyze the company and how they handle their material so you will be able to turn it into a good resume.

Wednesday, April 15, 2020

The 3 Things You Must Know About How Your Employer Sets Salaries

The 3 Things You Must Know About How Your Employer Sets Salaries Recently, the idea of salary transparency has been bubbling to the forefrontâ€"from President Obama signing an executive order in April prohibiting federal contractors from retaliating against workers who discuss their pay to companies like Buffer posting their employees’ salaries publicly for all to see. The same arguments come up every time this topic makes headlines: On one side are those who argue that employers are the only ones benefitting from secrecy; on the other are those who fear that complete openness around compensation could lead to jealousy and infighting among employees. Whether you think it’s a fantastic or horrible idea for everyone to know the size of everyone else’s paycheck, there’s one area where I think discussions around salary should absolutely be transparent: discussing your own pay with your own employer. If every individual employee had a better understanding of how their employers made decisions about compensation, there would be far less discontent around the subject of salaryâ€"assuming, of course, that the employers have a good and fair compensation strategy. (To be clear, fair doesn’t necessarily mean equal pay for everyone working in a particular role. A number of factors can, and should, impact an individual’s compensation: years of experience, education/training, skills, and performance, among them.) There are three things everyone should understand about their own pay and that I hope employers are willing to discuss: 1) How your employer sets pay Most employers use compensation data of some kind to set salary ranges for the various roles within the organization. However, most employees don’t know where that data comes from. It’s a good question, and one that more people should probably be asking. Next time you’re discussing your pay (or chatting up your HR person at the water cooler), just ask. If they can’t give you an answer, that may be reason for concern. You want to know your employer is using valid data to set appropriate pay ranges and not pulling a number out of a hat. 2) Where you fall within the salary range for your specific position Not knowing if you’re being paid fairly can breed discontent. According to a recent study “pay secrecy might also hurt your work performance and prompt top talent to look for new jobs.” If everyone understands the full salary range for the given role, it’s easier to have open, honest conversations about why you fall where you do within the range. Even if your employer isn’t willing to share the range they’re using, do your own homework and make sure you have a sense of the salary range for your position. You can even share your findings with your employer so that they can let you know if it’s similar to the range they’re using. If it’s different, it’s another opportunity to ask about what data they’re using so that everyone is working off the same numbers. 3) What you can do to move up in the range If you’re at the 50th percentile or above within the range for your position, you’re doing pretty well comparatively. But, if you’re below the 50th percentile, it might be time to ask for a raise. If you’re already a top performer, pull together a list of recent accomplishments that show how you’ve contributed to the company, and ask to set a time to discuss your pay with your manager. If the feedback is that you aren’t quite working at the level they’d consider for a raise, ask your direct manager what goals you should be working toward to make it to that next level. Keep the conversation focused on your career path and your desire to contribute more to your organization. A good manager will be more than willing to talk about how you can get there. __________ Lydia Frank is editorial director at PayScale.com, a site that provides on-demand compensation data and software to employees and employers.

Saturday, April 11, 2020

How To Customize A Cover Letter For A Specific Job Opening - Work It Daily

How To Customize A Cover Letter For A Specific Job Opening - Work It Daily It's finally happened. After months of searching the job boards, you’ve found the job you have been waiting for. All that's left is to send in a resume and get that face-to-face interview, and the job could be yours. Related: 4 Inside Secrets To Writing A Great Cover Letter The question now is how do you make sure that your resume gets you chosen? How do you make sure that your resume is even seen? The answer: by creating the best cover letter possible. Make The Cover Letter Specific To The Position Recruiters, in more cases than not, spend a little time looking at a cover letter before deciding if they want to go ahead and read the resume. Your cover letter is like a sales page, and you need it to really speak to the person in charge of hiring. You need a cover letter that lets them know that you are the ideal candidate for the position and that you are more than qualified and capable when it comes to handling the job. So, how do you do it? You tailor the cover letter to the job itself. If the company has mentioned four things they are looking for in the ideal candidate, you make it clear near the beginning that you possess all four qualities or abilities and explain how or why this is true. Try to match the language the company uses in case they utilize filtering software to select potential candidates. Explain what makes you a great fit for that specific company, and make sure that you have done your research into their brand and into the way they present themselves so that the tone of your cover letter is in line with the general tone of the company itself. If a company is innovative and fun, you want to use different wording than you would for a company branded around professionalism and tradition. Tailoring your cover letter doesn't have to be a difficult process, but it should involve some research. Really get to know the brand behind the company you want to work for, and strive to create a resume and cover letter that match that brand. It not only helps you stand out, but it shows the company that you are a good fit for their ideals and their style. Your cover letter is your ticket to the next step in the hiring processâ€"make it count! Want to know more? Here are three secrets to creating an interview-winning cover letter. Writing a compelling cover letter not your best strength? That’s OK! We can help use the strategies above and many more to create an interview-winning cover letter for you. Get the cover letter help that you need now. This post was originally published at an earlier date. Related Posts How To Write A Hot Cover Letter 5 Cover Letter Techniques = Spellbound Hiring Managers How To Make Your Cover Letter Stand Out About the author Jessica Holbrook Hernandez, CEO of Great Resumes Fast is an expert resume writer, career and personal branding strategist, author, and presenter. Want to work with the best resume writer? If you would like us to personally work on your resume, cover letter, or LinkedIn profileâ€"and dramatically improve their response ratesâ€"then check out our professional and executive resume writing services at GreatResumesFast.com or contact us for more information if you have any questions. Disclosure: This post is sponsored by a CAREEREALISM-approved expert. You can learn more about expert posts here. Photo Credit: Shutterstock Have you joined our career growth club?Join Us Today!