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New Jobs You May Never Have Heard About Before Now

The first time I appeared on the WGN Morning News, I was asked to talk about new careers that most people do not know exist.  Here is a summary of the new careers.

Sustainability Expert – Consults with companies to integrate sustainable practices into all parts of their business.

Chief Listening Officer – Analyzes social media posting all over the web to determine what people are talking about and how their employer should design promotions around what their current and future customers want.

Healthcare Liaison – Partnered with a patient by the hospital, or hired by a family, to make sure that healthcare, or eldercare, is optimized for the patient. Families also hire a Healthcare Liaison to make sure their family member is happy, safe, and secure in their assisted living center or in their home.

Talent Management Coordinator – Works for companies in employee retention, mediating between employees and supervisors to make sure employees are performing fulfilling work and do not want to leave the company.

Natural or Green Funeral Planner/Director – Use special training, materials, and procedures to assure that all portions of the funeral process are environmentally friendly.

Want to learn more about these and other new careers?  Please take a moment to click here to watch the video and then read my July 21, 2015 blog post Jobs That Didn’t Exist 10 Years Ago.

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Why Use a Resume Writing Service

Your resume gets your foot in the door for a job. If you aren’t getting invited to an interview and it feels like your resume is going into a black hole, you could benefit from hiring a resume writing service. Here are a few reasons why you should work with a resume writing company:

Promote Your Experience

Your resume should showcase your experience and accomplishments. After scanning your resume, a hiring manager should understand how you can contribute to their organization and what unique value you add.

A strong resume is a marketing document where you’re essentially selling yourself and your skill set to answer the question “Why should I hire you?”.

A resume writing service can discuss your work experience with you, then craft a strong resume that markets you as a candidate.

Understand What Hiring Managers Want

Resume writing services know exactly what companies are looking for in a resume — whether it’s keywords for your industry or preferred formatting.

If you apply for jobs and don’t receive an interview request, you rarely receive a reason why. Over time, this gets frustrating. A resume writing service can demystify the hiring process for you, giving you the inside scoop on what hiring managers want.

They’ll revise your resume so it shows the information hiring managers want to see. Your revamped resume will get more interest, which will translate to a job.

Overcome Gaps and Other Employment Issues

If you have employment issues, such as gaps or periods of unemployment, you need help presenting these on your resume. Many job seekers know this, and they experience crippling writers block because they don’t know what to say.

Let a resume writing service prepare a strong resume that overcomes challenges.

After using a resume writing service, you’ll feel more confident about your prospects and may perform better in interview.

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Closing the gender-pay gap

A big hot button in this election season is the gender-based pay gap. It’s shocking to me that 2017 is right around the corner, and yet this is still a critical topic of conversation. I had the opportunity to discuss this recently with a diverse group of people at a professional conference. I was pleased that everyone (women AND men, various ages and ethnicity) who took part in this discussion group saw eye-to-eye. In general, women shouldn’t have to ‘do’ anything to close a gap that should never exist in the first place. But what about the things that can be controlled? For any position and for every reason, women have to put forth their best job search campaign (a polished, accomplishment-based resume and strong, confident interview skills). When a woman receives a job offer, she must be able to negotiate (strongly and confidently!) on her own behalf for market pay and benefits. Many women start their career at a lower-than-market salary, and then have to spend their most capable years in ‘catch-up’ mode.

Just like her male counterparts, she has to campaign for, earn and be available for management positions and then pass it on by recruiting and mentoring junior-level women. And of course, it’s not just women who have a hand in this. Men must do their part to create a diverse and inclusive environment. When seeking to become a mentor, men should make themselves available to women candidates (which is rare).

The gender-pay gap is not going to be fixed overnight; it requires a systemic overhaul of processes, attitudes and opportunities.

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2017 Hiring Trends

I was recently asked by another career professional if there are any ‘trends’ that candidates should be aware of in this current employment market. After considering the question carefully, two things come to mind:trends

One trend that won’t be going away anytime soon is that recruiting and interviewing stages have become much more robust – and much more exhausting (for candidates). It’s expensive to bring on a new employee. Employers no longer have unlimited funds to correct a mistake. For this reason, candidates are sitting through more rounds of interviews and employers are taking extra measures to ensure the candidate will be a good fit. Some of these measures are taken before that candidate even comes in for the interview! Candidates can expect their social media accounts will be reviewed, references will be checked and more filters will be put in place. But the good news is that once you’ve been offered a job, you’ve earned bragging rights!

Another trend is that more employers now find their candidates through in-person and social networking. Employers aren’t publicly posting as many jobs like they used to (unless they are required to, by law). For the past few years it was alright if a candidate wasn’t on LinkedIn, or had a ‘skeletal’ LinkedIn profile. That’s no longer acceptable. Having a sub-par LinkedIn profile or a non-existent profile is now just as damaging as having a sub-par resume.

These are the two biggest trends in hiring that I believe are here for the long run.

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3 Summer Job Search Tips

If you have contacted the ResuMAYDAY office in the past two years, there’s a good chance that you’ve spoken to my lovely assistant, Sz’Moyne. Her favorite part of the job is talking with job seekers and helping them solve their problems whenever and however she can. And it’s with that positive attitude that she approached me with a few ideas to share with our clients about their summer job searches. So without further ado, I’d like to introduce a new segment to the ResuMAYDAY blog: From the Desk of Sz’Moyne Arnwine…

3 Summer Job Search Tips:
Now that summer is here, most job seekers will think that it’s a good idea to place their search on hold until the fall. While it’s true that some companies don’t extend offers until the fall, keep in mind that they interview before the offers…in summer. Here are three reasons not to believe that myth that it’s a waste of time to launch a job search in the summer:

1. Going to a pool party or summer event? You never know when you will run into a hiring manager or an industry professional at a picnic or other summer event. Make sure you have perfected your elevator speech, and drop a few business cards in your beach bag. If you find yourself with some summer free time, spend a few minutes making sure your LinkedIn profile is updated with your current career goal, all the right keywords and a good-looking profile picture. Summer is also a great time to conduct informational interviews with others who also have down time. Remember to think strategically, and act opportunistically.

2. Sometimes no news is good news. We have all been there before. You apply to a position but you don’t hear anything back right away so you assume that you aren’t qualified. Guess what? All bets are off when summer schedules take over. With summer in full swing, HR may be working with a reduced staff or the decision maker may be out of the office. Expect that it’s going to take a little longer to hear from someone. Be patient and don’t assume the worst.

3. Set small, obtainable goals that work with your schedule. Yes, it’s summer. You’ve earned some downtime, so go for it! Just be sure that you are setting aside time to fit in a few job search activities. Set a schedule of days and times that you can commit to your search. If you don’t do this, a week off can quickly turn into a month. Before you know it, the entire season can be behind you, with no job search progress to show for it. Small, obtainable goals will help keep you on track.

In conclusion, be proactive and take advantage of the season. Summer downtime and parties provide great opportunities to network and add momentum to your search. Be prepared! You never know what’s around the corner!

Sz’Moyne Arnwine is the Client Relations Manager at ResuMAYDAY. She loves learning about job search and business strategies, and generously shares them with the ResuMAYDAY community.

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