Ispeak

10 Writing Tips to Keep Your Resume Out of the “No” Pile

Want to know a sure way to do yourself in on the job hunt? Use poor grammar and writing on your resume and cover letter. I don’t just mean little typos (which you should make every attempt to avoid, but which can and do happen). I’m talking about the errors that expose your bad writing to the world—the kind that knock an otherwise well-qualified candidate entirely out of the running.

1. Use apostrophes correctly. An apostrophe preceding an “s” usually implies the possessive form of a word. Apostrophe abuse is becoming so common there’s a whole website dedicated to poking fun at it. If you’re a chronic mis-user of apostrophes, you should spend some time on that site.

Incorrect: Use apostrophe’s to make a sentences meaning clear.

Correct: Use apostrophes to make a sentence’s meaning clear.  

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MnCareers Magazine Can Help You Succeed

Will you be graduating from high school soon? Are you a college student unsure of your major? A job seeker who doesn’t know what your next career move should be? An educator looking for great sources to include in your college or job search course?  If you or someone you know is in any of these groups, check out MnCareers – the annual magazine that can help you make better career and education choices.

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8 Quick Tips for Choosing a College

For college-bound seniors and their parents, searching for a potential college can be overwhelming. There are many factors to consider.  Here are eight quick tips to get you started.

 1.  List three schools.  If you need help building your list, try the education search on ISEEK, which lets you find schools by searching programs, field of study (major), or keyword.  Once you’ve narrowed down your list, jot your schools down in a place where you can record more details about each one as you do your research.

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Job Hunting? Quantity Isn’t Everything

If you’re out of work, it’s logical to think that the more jobs you apply for, the more likely you are to get an offer. But is quantity what matters? As featured on CNN, this story involves a woman who applied for a whopping 759 jobs since June 2008 but got no job offers. This reflects how weak the job market is, but also indicates that applying for every possible opening may not be the best job search strategy. Doing so just to end up at ground zero can be demoralizing.

I suggest being flexible, but not loose.

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Stuck in a Job You Hate? Act Like You Love It.

The recession may officially be over, but now isn’t the ideal time for a job hunt.  Unemployment is still high, and employers still seem to be feeling skittish about hiring.  If you’re among the ranks of the fully employed, you probably realize you’re better off than many.  But this is little comfort if your boss is a jerk, your coworkers irritate you, your job duties are boring, and you can’t leave.  You may feel out of options, but there’s one simple thing you can do that’s almost sure to change your outlook: act like you love your job. 

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