Monday, April 20, 2020

Writing a Resume For the CIA

Writing a Resume For the CIAWriting a resume for the CIA is no easy task. There are so many regulations regarding the CIA that it is impossible to know what you can and cannot write. Therefore, some people do not write resumes because they are afraid of what they might say in them. I don't think this is very smart and I won't tell you to not write them unless you want to be known as a fraud.Your resume will go straight to the executive director or the special assistant to the president. You can hope that they will see it and decide to call you for an interview. Don't wait till then! Write it the minute you know you will get the job. You never know who is checking the resume.Who cares about the years that you spent in the academy? In the CIA they don't hire you because you did well on an exam. They ask for recommendations and that's what your resume should do.Who cares if you spent several years with the CIA. The only thing they will find out is whether you wrote your resume. At least the CIA will give you a chance to prove that you have what it takes to be their employee.Who cares how much experience you have had working with kids? The only things they will read from your resume are the hobbies and personal stories. Why does this matter?Who cares how long you worked for the CIA. The only thing they will notice are the qualifications and the skills you showed while you were an analyst. Therefore, write your resume exactly like you want to be remembered.The only thing you should focus on when writing a resume for the CIA is that you are familiar with the company and that you are qualified to fill the position. No more bogus questions in there.

Wednesday, April 15, 2020

Will My Facebook Rant Keep Me From Getting Hired

Will My Facebook Rant Keep Me From Getting Hired Q: Can my employer refuse to re-hire me because of an old Facebook rant? In 2014, I left a very toxic work environment in my small town. Stupidly, three months later I posted a very negative rant on Facebook, which resulted in an online community discussion and leadership and policy changes at that place of employment. Now, a couple of years later, leadership has changed at that employer and the environment is not so bad. I recently visited with a manager about coming back to that employer, only to find out that the Facebook post has been printed out and placed in my HR file. Is it legal for my previous employer to add that post to my file months after I was no longer an employee there? Read More: My unhappy coworker won’t stop complaining about our office A: Yes, it’s legal. You badmouthed your former company publicly (and possibly shared information they considered confidential), and that usually means you’re not going to be welcomed back. And yes, they can add to your employee file after you leave if additional relevant information becomes available. Sometimes this stuff becomes more intuitive if you put yourself in the position of an employer. If you employed a nanny in your home and after quitting her job with you, she posted a negative rant about you on Facebook but then reapplied for work with you a few years later, would you be inclined to re-hire her or would that be a deal-breaker? For most people, it would be a deal-breaker. Same thing here. Read More: A former employee is on a public vendetta against me Q: My coworkers keep complaining about our new manager I work as part of an administration team of 10 people. A few months ago, our old supervisor left for another position in the company, and there’s been a period of about five months where we reported to the general manager, who is out of the office a lot. A new supervisor was eventually hired two weeks ago. My issue is that two of my coworkers are criticizing everything she does. If she tries to have informal one-to-ones to get to know staff, she’s trying too hard. If she implements a small change or sends an email with instructions, she’s on a power trip. And if she doesn’t come into our office for a day, she’s aloof and doesn’t care about her staff. And advice on combatting this constant stream of negativity? Read More: My manager doesn’t defend me from mistaken complaints A: Ooooh, this kind of thing is so toxic. And if your new manager is good at managing, it could ultimately result in your coworkers getting pushed out (and it really should, if they keep it up). Sometimes in your situation, people just stay quiet, which then gets interpreted by the complainers as agreement â€" so make sure you avoid that (both because it’s unfair to your new boss and because you don’t want anyone who overhears this to lump you in with your toxic coworkers). That means that at a minimum, you should push back in the moment: “It doesn’t seem problematic to me.” “This seems pretty normal for a manager to want to do, y’all.” “That’s not my impression.” But you could also just ask them to stop: “Could you rein in the complaints about Jane around me? I don’t have the same concerns that you do, and it’s distracting to keep hearing negativity about her.” If you want to, you could add, “For what it’s worth, I think you might be making things worse by complaining about her so much â€" that has a way of making stuff seem even worse over time.” Video Player is loading.Play VideoPlayMuteCurrent Time  0:00/Duration  0:00Loaded: 0%Stream Type  LIVESeek to live, currently playing liveLIVERemaining Time  -0:00  SharePlayback Rate1xChaptersChaptersDescriptionsdescriptions off, selectedCaptionscaptions settings, opens captions settings dialogcaptions off, selectedAudio TrackFullscreenThis is a modal window. This video is either unavailable or not supported in this browser Error Code: MEDIA_ERR_SRC_NOT_SUPPORTED Technical details : No compatible source was found for this media. Session ID: 2019-12-30:5dc1b458a068cf2755a89238 Player Element ID: jumpstart_video_1 OK Close Modal DialogBeginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window.TextColorWhiteBlackRedGreenBlueYellowMagentaCyanTransparencyOpaqueSemi-TransparentBackgroundColorBlackWhiteRedGreenBlueYellowMagentaCyanTransparencyOpaqueSemi-TransparentTransparentWindowColorBlackWhiteRedGreenBlueYellowMagentaCyanTransparencyTransparentSemi-TransparentOpaqueFont Size50%75%100%125%150%175%200%300%400%Text Edge StyleNoneRaisedDepressedUniformDropshadowFont FamilyProportional Sans-SerifMonospace Sans-SerifProportional SerifMonospace SerifCasualScriptSmall CapsReset restore all settings to the default valuesDoneClose Modal DialogEnd of dialog window.PlayMuteCurrent Time  0:00/Duration  0:00Loaded: 0%Stream Type  LIVESeek to live, currently playing liveLIVERemaining Time  -0:00  Playback Rate1xFullscreenClose Modal DialogThis is a modal window. This modal can be closed by pressing the Escape key or activating the close button.Close Modal DialogThis is a modal window. This modal can be closed by pressing the Escape key or activating the close button. These questions are adapted from ones that originally appeared on Ask a Manager. Some have been edited for length.

Friday, April 10, 2020

3 Tips On What Not To Do In The Cover Letter - Work It Daily

3 Tips On What Not To Do In The Cover Letter - Work It Daily The cover letter may be a second thought to many job seekers because there’s the feeling that employers aren’t going to read it, but the fact is you never know if it’ll get read or not. There are certainly employers who just go straight to the resume, but there are also those who will take the time to read it to determine if they’d even move on to the resume. And it is just more professional to have one. Related: 6 Real-Life Cover Letter Blunders To Avoid As a job seeker, you’re better safe than sorry. Don’t let a poorly written cover letter be the reason the employer dismisses you as a qualified applicant for the job. The cover letter is in fact another opportunity to help you sell and impress if you know how to write it effectively. There’s a lot of information out there on how to write cover letters effectively, so here we focus on some things you SHOULD NOT do: 1. Don’t waste the opening paragraph. Most people start by stating I saw your posting and I am very excited to apply. This is the most important part of the cover letter so if you want to tell them what job opening you are applying just put Regarding: name of position ABOVE your salutation. 2. Don’t tell your story - talk about what you can do for them. Many people want to tell their story: I started here and then went there and so on. But the employer does not really care about your story. The average time spent looking at a cover letter is 3-5 seconds so you need to start right off by saying “this is what I can do for you”. 3. Don’t have long paragraphs. Again, the cover letter is quickly scanned so after the opening paragraph, use bullets and short statements so they are easy to read. Do not just repeat information you already have on your resume. Since you said what you can do for them in the opening paragraph, now have some proof statements. For example: Driving record levels of sales and market share is what I do best. I have over 10 years of success in technology sales and have consistently been recognized as a top performer. Highlights of my background include: Ranked #1 out of 30 peers for delivering 157% of my sales quota in 2015. As a job seeker, don’t worry whether or not the cover letter will be read by the employer. Just know that if it is read, you will leave an impressive a mark with your cover letter as you will with your resume. The cover letter is another sales tool for you to win employers’ interest to contact you. For additional tips to cover letter writing, also read: “4 Red Flags Employers Watch For On Cover Letters.” Related Posts Should I Remove My Volunteer Work From My Resume? 5 Ways To Remove Digital Dirt 7 Phrases To Delete From Your LinkedIn Profile   About the author Don Goodman’s firm was rated as the #1 Resume Writing Service in 2013, 2014, and 2015. Don is a triple-certified, nationally recognized Expert Resume Writer, Career Management Coach and Job Search Strategist who has helped thousands of people secure their next job. Check out his Resume Writing Service. Get a Free Resume Evaluation or call him at 800.909.0109 for more information. 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!