WebMD by Jen Uscher

If you’re finding it more challenging than ever to juggle the demands of your job and the rest of your life, you’re not alone. Many people are putting in extra hours, or using their smartphones to be on call when they’re not physically at work.

Here are five ways to bring a little more balance to your daily routine:

1. Build Downtime Into Your Schedule - When you plan your week, make it a point to schedule time with your family and friends, and activities that help you recharge. If a date night with your spouse or a softball game with friends is on your calendar, you’ll have something to look forward to and an extra incentive to manage your time well so you don’t have to cancel.
2. Drop Activities That Sap Your Time Or Energy - Take stock of activities that don’t enhance your career or personal life, and minimize the time you spend on them. You may even be able to leave work earlier if you make a conscious effort to limit the time you spend on the web and social media sites, making personal calls, or checking your bank balance.
3. Rethink Your Errands - Consider whether you can outsource any of your time-consuming household chores or errands. Could you order your groceries online and have them delivered? Hire a kid down the street to mow your lawn? Have your dry cleaning picked up and dropped off at your home or office? Order your stamps online so you don’t have to go to the post office? Even if you’re on a tight budget, you may discover that the time you’ll save will make it worth it.
4. Get Moving - It’s hard to make time for exercise when you have a jam-packed schedule, but it may ultimately help you get more done by boosting your energy level and ability to concentrate.
5. A Little Relaxation Goes A Long Way - Don’t assume that you need to make big changes to bring more balance to your life. Brooks recommends setting realistic goals, like leaving the office earlier 1 night per week. Even during a hectic day, you can take 10 or 15 minutes to do something that will recharge your batteries.

Extracted from U.S.News & World Report LP by Miriam Salpeter

Job searching is challenging for everyone, but experienced job seekers, especially those who realize they want to change their career tracks, may face special challenges. Marc Miller, career design specialist with Career Pivot (careerpivot.com) and author of Repurpose Your Career–A Practical Guide for Baby Boomers, suggests these six key steps to follow when making a career change:

1. Decide what you want. - “Know thyself” may sound like a cliché, but it’s crucial if you want to make sure you find a role where you’ll be happy. Avoid moving from one job or career to another before you narrow down how you want to spend your working hours. When you make a change, take the opportunity to focus on yourself and your needs.
2. Elevator Pitch. -  Once you narrow down what you want to do next, Miller suggests you craft an elevator pitch to highlight what you offer your target employer. The best pitches clearly explain how and why you’re a good fit for your ideal job. Especially if you’re transitioning to a new field or career, be sure you make a solid case for why you’re well qualified.
3. Build your team. - Miller calls this your “tribe”. These people are willing to help and support you during your career transition. Is there a friend or family member you can turn to when your spirits are low? Who might be willing to brainstorm next steps with you? Do you know someone who can act as a second pair of eyes to review your resume and other job application materials? Build a team around you and keep in touch with them.
4. Act on facts, not assumptions. - Instead of assuming anything, make sure to use actual research and data to make your decisions and choices about your future. Use all of the resources available to learn about companies and positions, including online and social media tools.
5. Network strategically. - Networking is important for all job seekers, but for people in career transition, it’s even more crucial. You must connect with people who can introduce you to decision makers. When you meet new contacts, make sure they understand why you’re a good fit for the type of job you want. Use social media tools such as LinkedIn and Twitter to find and target individuals who can be your allies and develop relationships with them. When you target your networking, you will find people willing to advocate for you, which makes all the difference for job seekers.
6. Learn to ask for help. - Miller reminds career changers that it’s tough (maybe impossible) to head into new territory and to succeed without help. He suggests you “set aside your pride in order to reach for something new. Career change is hard at first; but it gets easier.”

Starting your first “real” job can be nerve-racking. You’re probably excited to have landed a full-time gig–but also scared about meeting new colleagues, learning office etiquette, and making the transition from your college classrooms to your corporate workspace.

1. Dress For Success - Start by recreating your wardrobe and sprucing up your appearance. Dress appropriately for the job you’ve landed. Remember that first impressions can be lasting. If you’re dressed to impress, you probably will.
2. Relax - If you exhibit apprehension, you may not be taken seriously. Be aware of your nervous habits and try to control them. If you ramble when you’re nervous, make it a point to limit your chatter.
3. Be Confident - Don’t be narcissistic, but show your colleagues that you deserve to be there. Don’t hesitate to share your thoughts, and believe in your ability to succeed in your new position. One way to exhibit confidence: invite your colleagues to lunch.
4. Be Innovative - From day one, confirm that you bring something new to the table. If this applies to your new position, be sure to offer your boss or colleagues ideas for how to enhance the product or company.
5. Separate your personal and professional lives - Once you’re settled in, avoid making personal calls, sending personal emails or taking long lunch breaks. Show that you are dedicated to your new job and that you want to be there. If you have nothing to do, offer to take on another task or help a colleague who looks overloaded. Not only will you impress the boss, but the days will fly by.
6. Communicate - Always be in touch and in tune. Speak up and ask questions, make suggestions and periodically check in with your boss.
7. Challenge Yourself - Just because you did some research before your interview doesn’t mean you know enough to be successful there. It can take time to get to know the company itself, but it is important to do research, look back at old projects, and find out what has worked for the company or your team in the past. Once you’ve had the opportunity to become acquainted with your new workplace, evaluated the work environment, observed your fellow employees, and surveyed the office protocol, work flow and discourse, you should set goals for yourself.

A CV does one thing, and one thing only. It gets you an interview for a job. A CV is not a potted biography. It is not a record of every thing you have ever done. Think of it as a piece of highly-targeted direct mail. Direct to the one person who is going to put you on a short list.

What should a CV contain?

You should produce a unique CV for every job for which you apply. A single general, one-size-fits-all CV will not do. That may sound like a lot of work, but an hours work to get a £50k+ return is not bad work.

How long will a recruitment consultant look at my CV?

Probably between 30 seconds and a minute. Really. What that means is you must have maximum impact and present information – not opinions, not puff – in the most succinct, direct and easily digestible manner.

The Golden rule of CVs

If you pay no attention to anything else in this article then remember this. Your CV should be no longer than 2-3 pages. Less is more. Two is much better than three unless you are a very senior director/CEO when it is just about acceptable to go to a third page. There are almost NO circumstances under which a CV should be longer than three pages.

Most CV’s contain information that is unnecessary, clutters up your CV and, for those who have paid attention to the two-page rule, has meant they have not included other, more important information.

Candidates with overly long CVs will remain candidates for a long time.

What is a recruitment consultant looking for?

He or she will have a clear idea in their own head of the background and skills they are looking for. The first thing they will look at is the last employer you worked for and what job you were doing. If that experience is relevant, they will look deeper at your CV at what other experience you have. If the information is presented in a clear, immediately accessible way, you stand a much better chance of being selected for interview. If the information is buried deep in several pages of closely typed, poorly laid-out, badly spelt text, then no one is going to bother.

How do I organise my CV?

There are two main types of CV

Time-based CV

The traditional, and for most people, preferred layout. Arrange your career history with your current/most recent job first and work back. Make the job title and your employer clear. If your job title does not really explain what you did, then expand on it to provide enough detail. Jobs held more than 15 years ago should be very briefly dealt with.

Skills-based CV

Organised around your skills. May be more appropriate for someone who has moved jobs a lot or has significant experience gleaned from other areas, such as voluntary work. Also useful for candidates contemplating a major career switch so that previous experience needs to be put in context to make it relevant. Members of the Armed Forces may find it relevant. Commanding an aircraft carrier or drawing up plans to invade Iraq may need some interpretation for the civilian world. Not a popular format with recruiters.

Tip #1: What to put in? Facts. And only facts.

Whatever format you adopt, stick to the facts. Tell the consultant what you did, what your achievements were and provide the evidence for it. Avoid flannel. Use bullet points. Don’t say you are a “world class leader” say “Head of 15-strong team in three locations  worldwide.”

Tip #2: Do not be tempted to lie.

If you are found out, you can be dismissed, and it is unlikely that the recruitment consultant will deal with you again.

Tip #3: Things you can safely leave out

The following list is not definitive. And don’t forget, this kind of information can be presented later in the application process if you make it to the interview list.

• Marital status
• Number/ages/names/sex of children
• Details of your primary school
• Your O/GCSE level subjects and grades
• Almost certainly your A level grades unless you a very recent graduate
• Any exams/qualifications you failed
• Place of birth
• Nationality
• Hobbies and interests

Tip #4: Consistency

Devise a style sheet and stick to it. Think about the hierarchy of headings — section headings: Profile, if you have to have one, Career and achievements, education, other information; then how are you going to present your job titles (dates, Job title, company name). This is where the use of different fonts can help. Use differing weights and font sizes to help the reader pick out the key information. Perhaps 14 point Arial for the main sections headings, then 12 point Arial bold for the second level headings, with 10 point Times Roman for the main body text.

Tip #5: Language

• Use bullet points
• Keep sentences short
• Active not passive verbs
• Stick to facts, not opinions
• Use standard job titles, not company specific ones. This will increase your chances of your CV being found in a key word search

Tip #6: Opening statements

An example-

“I am a versatile, pro-active, board level manager with wide range of skills encompassing sales management, marketing, operation efficiency and corporate planning. Having worked in highly pressurised situations I have shown the necessary skill set to bring complex situations to a fruitful conclusion. I have been instrumental in orchestrating and managing teams during complex and innovative sales of technologically advanced …

There seems to be a view among candidates that these kinds of statements are needed. Most recruitment consultants and employers don’t believe that they are worthwhile and don’y actually read them.

Tip #7: Keep it factual

Although it may sound impressive to describe yourself as a “hands on proactive team player with business acumen and entrepreneurial flair who strives to exceed” it is, even if true, it sounds like just so much flannel.

Tip #8: Keep it short

The grim truth is that recruitment consultants are going to spend at most a minute reading your CV when compiling a long list. A huge slab of text at the top of the page is not going to be read. Keep it to around three, bullet-pointed, sentences and above all do not refer to yourself in the third person.

Extracted from Ways to Make Resume by wikihow.com

1. Formating The Page

Regardless of which résumé style you choose, it should be formatted in a specific way. Proper formatting draws attention to your accomplishment rather than to the font. By following the guidelines, you’ll polish your résumé so that it makes a strong first impression. Guidelines to follow when formatting your résumé:

Set your margins to 1” all around.

Use a standard font such as Arial or Calibri. Times New Roman is acceptable but a little hard on the eyes; every second you can get a potential employer to look at your résumé counts, so consider using a sans serif (i.e. a font with no projecting features at the end of strokes).

Use font size 16 for your name, 14 for section headings, and 12 for all other text.

• Use plenty of white space (blank lines). Proper use of white space will make your résumé easy to scan quickly and to read.
• Unless applying for a job where unique formatting is thematically appropriate, always use white paper and black font.
• Use bold font for your name and section headings.