Jean Cummings is the founder and president of A Resume for Today and Gig Resumes. She is a Certified Personal Branding Strategist, Certified Professional Resume Writer, Certified Employment Interview Professional, and Resume Expert & Career Strategist for YourBizOffice.com and ITHo...
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  Trick Interview Question: Can You Bake Me a Cake?
by Jean Cummings - Mar, 2013
I just had to write a quick post to let you all know about an intriguing trick interview question and the trick to answering it! I was talking to an IT Director who said that he was asked this question when he was applying, earlier in his career, for a position managing a Help Desk. He was offered the job on the basis of his answer. The hiring authority told him other candidates failed to answer this question in a way that ...
 
  7 Key Ways to Use Social Media in Your Job Search
by Jean Cummings - Mar, 2013
One of the biggest concerns my executive clients have is how to use social media in their job search. They know that it's the new kid on the job search block, but they themselves have rarely gone beyond a bare bones LinkedIn profile (LIP). Facebook evokes shudders of horror, and Twitter is deemed trivial. Some rethinking might be in order. Life calls on us to go out of our comfort zone on occasion - and this may be one of t...
 
  Job Search via Social Media While You Sleep! 10 Tips
by Jean Cummings - Feb, 2013
Usually we think of "passive" being a negative descriptor, right? Well, in terms of job search and career management in general, being passive in social media is good! Being active is good too! It's a case, not of either/or, but of both/and. Today we're going to talk about the passive job search via social media. Once you implement the tips below, you can be attracting recruiter interest 24/7. With the acceleration of socia...
 
  Best & Next Practices in: Executive Resumes, Personal Branding & Executive Job Search
by Jean Cummings - Oct, 2012
Have you been wanting to improve your LinkedIn Profile without tipping off your employer, boss or peers that you are looking? A number of people I talk to are reluctant to fully utilize the potential of LinkedIn for job search for fear of getting questioned or fired by their employer. It's a legitimate concern. Some companies do keep an eye on changes employees make to their profiles and may view them as red flags. So what ...
 
  "Transferable Skills" Fallacy: When is too late to change industries?
by Jean Cummings - Sep, 2012
Executive at a crossroads Let’s call him Jesse. His story is a hypothetical example, but one that is not uncommon. Jesse has done all kinds of great things. Wonderful quantifiable achievements. And in several industries – IT, Manufacturing, Consulting. Clearly, he’s loaded with talent. So, he’s 45 or thereabouts. And he wants to apply at the VP level for positions that might come up in any of those fields. The trouble is...
 
  6 Ways to Ensure Your Job Search Will Likely Fail
by Jean Cummings - May, 2012
It's amazing, though understandable, that so many people are pursuing job search strategies that are apt to yield no results. The job search environment is more complex and requires greater sophistication to navigate than ever before. Here are 6 of the things you should not do to avoid getting stalled in your job search. 1. Give your resume to your contact list and assume you've done their networking 2. Failed to get ...
 
  Five Tips for Writing a Killer CIO Resume
by Jean Cummings - Feb, 2012
The top technology authority in an organization can be the CIO (Chief Information Officer), CTO (Chief Technology Officer),VP of IT (Vice President of Information Technology) or one of the newer hybrid titles that emphasizes leadership in both the business and technology organizations. What aspects of your role do you want to emphasize in your CIO resume? How much do you want to emphasize your technology credentials versus...
 
  Six Tips for Overcoming Age Discrimination in Employment
by Jean Cummings - Feb, 2007
If you are 55, 48, or even 40 and looking for a job, you are probably wondering if age discrimination will affect you during the hiring process. According to ExecuNet, 84% of executives say that age discrimination is a serious problem, and 65% have encountered it in a job search (an increase of 7% just since 2001). Is there anything you can do? Some people turn to cosmetic procedures to give them a younger appearance. They ...
 
  Who Owns Your Skills?
by Jean Cummings - Feb, 2007
Bob was laid off from a position as a top-performing Senior Project Manager at a leading high tech firm after 30 years with the same great company. A familiar story? Many people over the last few years have seen their jobs disappearing as business slowed or as companies were acquired or went out of business. Many people were confronted with challenges they hadn’t faced before – “What is my goal now that there are so few job...
 
  Why You Need a Personal Brand
by Jean Cummings - Feb, 2007
What do the most successful people over 50 have in common? They know and express who they are. They have honed and communicated their professional identity and made others aware of their personal attributes – their expertise, talents, and deepest commitments. In other words, these people have developed a personal brand – or a “Brand You,” the term coined by Tom Peters. Mention their names, and you instantly think of a ...
 
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