Should You Write a LinkedIn Summary in 1st or 3rd Person

Should You Write a LinkedIn Summary in 1st or 3rd Person LinkedIn is a great website and a necessary tool for getting yourself noticed with candidates and clients. A lot of key people take time to get their profiles updated, including the CEOs of Fortune 500 companies. This shows that LinkedIn is not only used by recruiters but also managers and executives who may be looking for potential candidates to take under their wing and train. Therefore, ensuring you have a complete LinkedIn profile to push your career forward has never been more important! No Concrete Steps to Building a Profile: The only difficult thing about LinkedIn is that there is no prescribed way to get your profile done. There are so many bits of information required, including an area that requires you to write a summary of your life in 2000 characters or less. This stumps most people, and even turns some away from creating a profile on the website. Here are some tips that you could use to make the exercise much easier: Be yourself â€" the summary is to give people an idea as to who you are, not what you have done in the past five years (that’s what the bio-data is for). Call on your creative juices and try to make a personal connection with your readers within the first two or so sentences of your summary. Be concise â€" you are given two thousand characters to use when creating your summary, and that translates to roughly 500 words, give or take a few. Do remember though that the people viewing your profile are not doing so to kill time. They would be businessmen, and would have a limited amount of time to check LinkedIn. Shorten your summary, but don’t leave anything important out of it! Avoid overkill â€" in 2012, the most overused buzzwords were identified. Among these were: creative, effective, motivated, innovative and analytical. All employees are expected to have these traits, and announcing them would be a waste of space. Thinking out of the box and demonstrating this while creating your LinkedIn profile would be a better way of proving that you are innovative and analytical. Close the deal â€" whenever you get into a sales situation, you try to close the deal as many times as you can. A LinkedIn view is a potential sale, and your profile is the sales pitch. Be sure to offer a close at the end of your summary, and that would be in the form of a recommended action such as “Do reach out to me should you want to talk about baseball, football, or improving your sales program.” RELATED:  Do Yourself a Favor and Spruce Up Your LinkedIn  Summary! First Person or Third? What most people ask (and what this article was first set out to do) is whether the summary should be written in the first person or third person point of view. There is a comic I read in my childhood wherein one character said that great people refer to themselves in the third person. Using the third person does have a certain appeal to it, and it does make you feel as if you are praising someone else and not building a shrine to yourself. However, using the third person does not create that personal feel. In the end, it would really be up to you and how you feel about it. It would be best though if you do take ownership for all the things that you have done to make yourself a cut above the rest. Yes, it will give you a bit more difficulty in the terms of trying to sound humble and proud at the same time, but once again, they are your actions. Own up to them, especially if they are good things. That would get people to read your profile even more, and you might get more offers that you would even expect. READ MORE:  Stop Writing  Your  LinkedIn  Profile in the 3rd Person! Image: Shutterstock

Relieve Your Holiday Stress with a Little Help from this Sweepstakes

Relieve Your Holiday Stress with a Little Help from this Sweepstakes As I write this post it’s an ungodly hour. I’ve had another night of interrupted sleep. The combination of pre-holiday stress (SO many gifts to buy still) and a set of looming December deadlines at work have gotten the best of me. Not to mention that a slew of holiday parties (holy hangover!) and cookie baking dates have zapped my time, energy and hydration. As much as I love all the joys of the holiday season, I must admit my stress level is high. The makers of Excedrin ® Extra Strength and Dr. Keri Peterson, M.D. have put together some interesting tips that invite you to “Take a Holiday from Headaches.” To help avoid your triggers: Stick to your regular routine.   Eating, sleeping and exercising as you do the rest of the year can help reduce the chances of getting a headache.* Manage your time and plan ahead. Coordinate plans and responsibilities in advance with relatives and friends, compose set menus when hosting a party and try to purchase gifts early so you’re not rushing at the last minute* Stay in ventilated spaces. As you browse through the mall, watch out for those scented candles or perfume if you are sensitive to smells** Eat and drink in moderation. Eat, drink, and be merry, but try not to consume sweets or alcoholic beverages in excess, as they could trigger headaches** *via Cleveland Clinic, **via Headaches.org With all of the stress that can come with the holidays, the makers of Excedrin ® are hoping to help alleviate some! Visit Facebook.com/Excedrin until January 1, 2014 to enter the “Take a Holiday from Headaches” sweepstakes, where you’ll be eligible for a chance to win daily prizes including gift cards to popular retailers and one lucky grand prize of $25,000 to help with shopping, travel and other holiday expenses â€" all of which can give anyone a headache. See official rules here.

Why You Should Consider a Flexible Job as a New College Grad -

Why You Should Consider a Flexible Job as a New College Grad - You’ve walked the aisle, received your diploma, and taken photos with your excited family and friends. Congrats! You’ve graduated collegeâ€"now what? The journey of finding a job can be different for everyone: frustrating, long, short, easy, difficult. No matter which way it goes, new college grads would be wise to consider a flexible job (remote, freelance, flexible schedule, etc.). Even if you’ve never considered anything different than a traditional, in-office job, many of your peers are diving into the flexible work world. In a 2017 study that included over 1,100 millennial responses, 83% said they wanted to work remotely 100% of the time, 72% wanted a flexible schedule, and 48% desired to work remotely some of the time. With all of this demand, the good news is that flexible and remote jobs are available in a variety of different career industries, and they can be found at every career level, including entry-level. In fact, FlexJobs research shows that remote work increased 115% from 2005 to 2015. A whole 3.9 million U.S. workers now work from home at least part timeâ€"back in 2005, only 1.8 million did so. Are you ready to join them? Here’s a few reasons why college grads should consider   flexible or remote jobs:  Flexible work opens up your options. Consider this: when you type in your desired job title into a job board, your search is going to bring you results within your own city and surrounding area. If you’re open to a remote position, you’re not relegated to only jobs within your city. Your search can expand to the whole country or the whole world. If you live in a small town or a rural area without a lot of work options, finding a remote job means you won’t have to relocate or settle for a job that you’re unhappy with.  Flexible jobs lead to increased productivity and happiness. It’s been well-documented that flexible workers are more productive and happier. Working from home or on a flexible schedule typically allows for more time to attend to personal needs, eliminates or reduces a commute, decreases distractions, and can even lead to healthier eating. When you wake up in the morning and you don’t have a long, stressful commute staring you in the eye and you can begin work in a home office that’s comfortable and quiet, productivity and happiness can flourish.  Flexible jobs save you money. Working remotely can save you $4,000 a year or more. How? FlexJobs broke down the estimated savings as follows: gas $686 saved per year; car maintenance $767 saved per year; dry cleaning and laundering: $500 to $1,500 saved per year; lunches and coffee: $1,040 saved per year; professional wardrobe: $925 saved per year; tax breaks: $750 saved per year, if you’re a freelancer or self-employed. Saving this type of money each year should be a real factor into your decision to look for flexible work. Flexible jobs can allow you to work on your own schedule. Some remote, freelance, and flexible schedule jobs allow you to set your own schedule, meaning that you can choose the hours you work. This is a big advantage for those who don’t perform their best during typical office hours. Perhaps you’re a night owl and would do well working after dinnertime.   Or maybe you need a few hours in the afternoon to turn off the computer and get some exercise. Whatever your needs might be at this stage in your life, a flexible schedule can help you achieve great balance for your personal life and professional life. Flexible Jobs and Remote Jobs Are Great Options! As a new college grad, you have so many options in front of you. Deciding to pursue a flexible job can put you on the path to a happier and more productive work life. Best of luck in your search! This guest post was authored by Rachel Jay Rachel Jay is an editor and writer for the award-winning site FlexJobs. She has worked remotely full time since 2012 and believes strongly in the benefits of remote work.   She strives to help make the FlexJobs blog a strong resource for those in search of flexible employment opportunities.

10 Best Resume Writing Services in Boston, MA

10 Best Resume Writing Services in Boston, MA If you’re looking for work in Beantown, you have your work cut out for you. What could be more stressful than marketing yourself in a city that attracts the best and brightest employees? What you need is a professionally written resume.Resume writing is a sophisticated business these days, considering that you have Applicant Tracking Systems and keyword optimization to contend with. Your resume will have to jump through myriad electronic hoops before it gets to a potential hiring manager, and even then, it has only seconds to impress.Finding the right partner in your job quest is key, and we have done the hard work for you with this list. You can use any of these companies to start your job search off right.And wicked fast.Best Resume Services in BostonIf you are in a hurry and don't want to read our detailed reviews below, here is a list of the Best Boston Resume Writers:Find My Profession (that's us!) Resume by Recruiter Spring Forward Resumes Resumes Plus New England Resumes Kla xos Beacon Resume Job Search Divas Same Day Resume Whole UAnd now for the detailed reviews...1. Find My ProfessionFind My Profession is not just a top-notch resume service available in Boston. We are a global company headquartered in the US on a mission to master effective, ATS compatible resumes that convert into offers.A major perk of Find My Profession is that we are not a one-person shop.Collectively, our team of elite resume writers has experience in 85+ unique industries/professions. This allows us to assign you a professional writer (in the United States) based on your unique background and experience.We are also not a resume factory. We will never use “ghostwriters”. You will have your resume writer’s name, email, and phone number for direct communication.With 100+ 5-star reviews and a 60-day interview guarantee thatspeaks for itself, you can sleep easy knowing that your satisfaction is our #1 priority.Pros:Find My Profession commits to working with each client until t hey are completely satisfied. Don’t worry about having a limited number of edits, or a set amount of time with your writer.Cons:Find My Profession is a virtual/online company. While we provide services in your city, we don’t have a physical office.Also, with a focus on more senior positions, our entry-level resume service may be a bit pricey for recent graduates.Turnaround: 3-5 business days. Can expedite to 2 business days.Cost: $395-$895Phone: (831) 888-0967Don't take our word for it, check out some of our 5-star reviews.Trustpilot2. Resume by RecruiterResume by Recruiter, based in Norfolk, MA, is made up of a team of human resources professionals with 25 years of combined experience. Some of the industries they specialize in are oil and gas, energy, technology, engineering, education, and consulting.Pros: They say on their website that they are available 15 hours per day, 365 days a year. That’s dedication for you! Their full-service package includes coaching sessions and i s discounted for new grads.Cons: If you are looking for an in-person consultation service, they do not work that way.Turnaround: Not stated.Cost: $165â€"380 (the lower price point is a resume review service only).Phone: (617) 863-70713. Spring Forward ResumesSpring Forward Resumes is one of Thumbtack’s top ten Boston-area resume writers and has received awards from Thumbtack for the last three years running. Reviewers rave about the interviewand job success they have had with resumes and LinkedIn pages crafted by the company's founder, Karen.Pros: Spring Forward Resumes prides itself on personalized care and does not use templates, ever.Cons: You will have to contact the company to get a price quote. If you are looking for exact pricing before contacting a company, this will not be a possibility.Turnaround: Turnaround times vary by project complexity and time of year, however, 3-5 business days is standard.Cost:Custom quoted projects at $50/hour.Phone: (401) 231-58674. Resumes Plu sResumes Plus owner Bea Hait has had samples of her resumes featured in a variety of publications related to smart job searching. She is highly qualified and experienced and has wonderful reviews. She has been in the business since 1992, so she has watched resume submission methods metamorphize from the all-paper formats of yore to the sophisticated digital methods we have today. Fun fact: She will still give you printed copies on high-quality paper, like it was in the old days, just in case you need them.Pros: In addition to a traditional resume package, Resumes Plus can create a webpage for you on resumespotlight.com with a personal URL for an extra fee. You can direct people to that page when you don’t have a resume to hand.Cons: Located in Holliston, you won’t likely be making an in-person visit, although Bea is certainly still close enough tohave her finger on the pulse of the Boston job market.Turnaround: 4â€"5 business days.Cost: $340 and up.Phone: (508) 429-18135. New En gland ResumesNew England Resumes can be found in the Financial District and not surprisingly, it has a large number of customers in the financial industry. Owner Mir Garvy stresses the importance of a strong LinkedIn presence in today’s job market and includes a LinkedIn makeover in all resume packages.Pros: There are a wide variety of packages to choose from, including a special CV package for academics. This company has also been in business for nearly 10 years!Cons:The resume samples were a bit hard to find. We did eventually find them on the bottom of the home page.Turnaround: 5 days.Cost: $350 (entry-level) and up.Phone: (617) 383-71766. KlaxosKlaxos’ simple motto is, “We know what recruiters want.” What more can you ask for? Klaxos is a larger company with a downtown Boston office. They make their resume writing process exceptionally clear on their website, which users no doubt appreciate. Like New England Resumes, Klaxos understands the importance of a well-performing LinkedIn profile and will bundle a profile-writing service into your resume package for a 20% savings.Pros: Klaxos is mindful of the need to optimize your resume for Applicant Tracking Systems and their reviewers attest to their algorithm-busting power. Their turnaround time is very reasonable.Cons: Their resume samples are a bit bland looking, but they do provide sound reasoning for their traditional approach on their website. It comes down to your preference.Turnaround: 4 business days.Cost: $399-949.Phone: (703) 679-77197. Beacon ResumeBeacon Resume’s Joe Gallo will tell you that what your resume needs is clarity, purpose, and focus. Located in the heart of Boston, Joe’s team of writers is ready to make you look great on paper and will help you harness the power of keyword optimization.Pros: If all you need is a resume overhaul or a critique, you can get just that service from this company. They can also offer you a text/ASCII version of your resume.Cons: Although the writin g process is made clear, there are no samples, prices, or turnaround times disclosed on the web. Estimates are free.Turnaround: Not stated.Cost: Not stated.Phone: (617) 423-15158. Job Search DivasJob Search Divas owner Elizabeth Gross was formerly a marketing executive at Monster.com. Without question, that is valuable insider knowledge to have. The company offers additional services such as interview coaching, salary negotiation advice, and job search strategizing.Pros: Gleaning job search strategies from someone who has worked at Monster cannot be a bad thing.Cons: The company has excellent reviews but they divulge no pricing information at all on their website. They do, however, mention discounts when buying multiple services, such as a resume writing plus LinkedIn profile writing.Turnaround: Not stated.Cost: Not stated.Phone:(617) 923-43509. Same Day ResumeSame Day Resume is located in East Boston. Despite the name, not all the jobs they do are necessarily rush jobs. In fact, th e lower price point represents a 3-5 day service. If, however, you do need a resume in a hurry...they will patiently deal with that, as their customers can tell you. You need only submit your current resume and a description of the job you are applying for by 11 am and you will have a crisp resume ready that day.Pros: If you do go with the same-day option in an emergency scenario and upon reflection decide your resume isn't exactly how you want it for the long term, free edits are included for up to three weeks.Cons: Some resume samples on the website would really give users some peace of mind, especially when so many of them will be clicking on to the website in a desperate state.Turnaround:Same dayâ€"5 daysCost: $300â€"499.Phone: (857) 919-800010. Whole UWhole U is primarily in the career coaching business but offers a resume editing package as well. If you are feeling directionless or unsatisfied at work and would benefit from career coaching and networking, you can attend their sessions and add this resume package as a one-stop-shop.Pros: Reviewers are enthusiastic about the results they get with Whole U resumes.Cons: There is only one resume package option, which might not make this company a good choice for new grads. It is essentially a resume review service, offering to edit your current resume rather than a from-scratch service.Turnaround: Not stated.Cost: $997.Phone: (617) 378-7977This List Serves The Following Areas Near Boston, Massachusetts:Cambridge, Somerville, Newton, Watertown, Waltham, Medford, Malden, Chelsea, Winthrop, Revere, Quincy, Salem, Brockton, Weymouth, Plymouth, Worcester, Framingham, Lynn, Lawrence, LowellBest Executive Resume ServiceNot worried about finding a local company? Want to work with the best of the best? Check out the Best Executive Resume Services.Best Resume Writing ServicesBy Major CityBelow you will find a handful of lists on all of the top-rated resume writing services we could find.Whether you are looking for a lo cal resume writer to meet in person or you just want to work with a resume writer in a particular location, this list should help you find what you are looking for.Allentown Hartford Portland Atlanta Houston Providence Austin Indianapolis Richmond Boston Jacksonville Sacramento Bridgeport Kansas City Salt Lake City Buffalo Las Vegas San Antonio Charleston Los Angeles San Diego Charlotte Memphis San Francisco Chicago Miami San Jose Colorado Springs Milwaukee Seattle Columbus Minneapolis Silicon Valley Dallas Nashville St. Louis Denver New Orleans Tampa Detroit New York Tucson El Paso Orlando Ventura Fort Worth Philadelphia Virginia Beach Grand Rapids Phoenix Washington D.C.

Can My Resume Be Two Pages Or More?

Can My Resume Be Two Pages Or More?Is it possible to have a resume that is two pages or more? Will this really make a difference in your job search?There are certain things you need to think about when it comes to a resume. The first thing you should keep in mind is how much information is going to you on the page. The next step is figuring out how long you want to go with the information.What is certain is that there are certain types of resumes that will have a specific length. They tend to go down to one page, but some have a two page format which can be very useful.The two-page format is used more for a particular type of company. A company that is looking for an entry level position is going to be looking for information that has no financial details.This means that they do not need to have any numbers or data, only a bit of analysis about the economic field. In this case, you can be able to fit a few lines about why you are the right person for the job in about two pages.It is important to know how long you are going to go with your resume. You want to be sure that you can create enough of a resume to give you the best chance at getting the position.If you are trying to get a job with the knowledge that you will need to learn certain things, then you want to be sure that you have enough information to go with the job. When you have been looking for awhile and cannot find a job and you need to have that knowledge, it will be very helpful to go with a two-page format.Some people feel that they do not need this extra information, but you should realize that it is there if you are going to need it. The first step to improving your chances of finding a job is to make sure that you have enough information in your resume.

Shouldnt I just be happy Career Advice

Shouldn’t I just be happy â€" Career Advice Some of my clients are almost apologetic when they present their concerns to me. It sounds something like this: I don’t know what I have to complain about, my job offers me a good salary, flexibility, challenging opportunities, etc. Most of my friends don’t have these opportunities, and would love a job with my flexible schedule, my salary, the travel experiences, etc. What do I have to complain about? However, those same clients are not fulfilled. They like their salary and would like to keep a job with a similar salary if possible. They utilize the flexibility and appreciate it. At the end of the day, though, they are not fulfilled. It’s okay to want your work to fulfill you. Even if you are offered other perks, that does not mean you shouldn’t also seek a job that you enjoy going to and feel a sense of fulfillment from the work itself. Oftentimes with these clients, we first look at their values. What is most important to them in their lives and career? Then we evaluate where their career and their life is in alignment and out of alignment with their values. What is missing? Once we know what is missing, we begin the process to figure out how to build that into their career. Sometimes they may have to give up a perk or two to find fulfillment. Sometimes they don’t. They just need a change in organization, department, or work environment. Sometimes an entire career transformation is necessary to truly feel fulfilled. Sometimes it is just a series of small tweaks. The important thing to remember is that it is okay to ask the questions. It is okay to try and understand why you aren’t fulfilled with your career. Even if your career meets other people’s values and what is important to them (or what is important to society), it doesn’t mean it meets what is important to you. Take the time to ask the questions of yourself. Insight is imperative. Taking the time and asking the questions are the first steps towards owning your career.

Are you a procrastinator or an incubator - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog

Are you a procrastinator or an incubator - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog My good buddy Robert Biswas-Diener, AKA the Indiana Jones of Positive Psychology, tells this story in an article on cnn.com, that fits in perfectly with my post from yesterday about the rules of productivity of knowledge workers: Mark had only a handful of days to write applications for internships, turn in final papers and secure letters of recommendation and had fallen into a deep funk. Not only was there no progress, but he had frittered away hours in meaningless pastimes like downloading music and walking in the park. Mark uttered the all-too-familiar phrase, I am such a procrastinator! My instincts told me that it was not a lifetime of chronic procrastination that led Mark to his current situation. On a hunch, I asked him a crucial question, When you get around to completing your work and we both know that you eventually will how will the quality be? My client seemed taken aback by the question. He answered with confidence, a single word: Superior! I realized, in that moment, that there may be a subtle but important difference between the back burner mentality I saw in my client and the traditional way a procrastinator works. What Mark presented was something qualitatively different: a clear sense of deadlines, confidence that the work would be complete on time, certainty that the work would be of superior quality and the ability to subconsciously process important ideas while doing other often recreational activities. I realized I was looking at a strength, one I called incubator. When I shared this term with Mark, he felt as if the weight of the world had been lifted off his shoulders. Robert goes on to explain the key differences between procrastinators and incubators based on a study he did of 184 students. Theres even a test you can take to figure out if youre an incubator or a regular old procrastinator. Also, check out Roberts web site for a lot more great stuff on positive psychology and using your strengths. Go read the whole article it rocks! Related posts: Top 5 new rules of productivity for knowledge workers. How to procrastinate effectively. The Seven-Day Weekend. Thanks for visiting my blog. If you're new here, you should check out this list of my 10 most popular articles. And if you want more great tips and ideas you should check out our newsletter about happiness at work. It's great and it's free :-)Share this:LinkedInFacebookTwitterRedditPinterest Related