Sample resume > Boost Your Job Search with the Buddy System

Boost Your Job Search with the Buddy System

by: C.J. Hayden, MCC

Remember back in grade school when the teacher asked you to hold hands with a friend on field trips? The idea behind the buddy system is that it?s much harder to get lost if there are two of you traveling together. When you get into trouble, your buddy can help you out, or find someone else who can.

Maybe you could use a buddy in your job search. The constant challenges you encounter while seeking out job opportunities and going on interviews make job-seeking a difficult road to travel all alone, and it?s easy to get lost. Teaming up with a job search buddy can give you:

Perspective - A different point of view on your progress or challenges. Just hearing your problem restated by another person can give you new insight that will help you find a solution.

New Ideas - A partner for brainstorming and an extra pair of eyes and ears to spot opportunities. You can double the amount of knowledge and experience at your fingertips.

Accountability - Someone other than yourself to whom you are accountable -- who will ask you once a week what you have done so far, and what's next.

Support - Space to complain or celebrate out loud, with someone who cares about your progress. If you?re facing a roadblock, grousing about it for a few minutes may be all you need to get back into action. And having someone to share your success with can make it much sweeter.

While you could use your spouse, best friend, or a co-worker to provide this extra help, the individuals closest to you may not be the best choice. The people in your personal life will not always be thrilled with how much time you?re spending on looking for work, and your co-workers may tend to sidetrack you with day-to-day job issues. You may find it more helpful to find a buddy who can maintain some detachment, but who also understands the importance of your job search.

You and your buddy can assist each other in reaching your goals by setting up a regular check-in, where each of you reports on progress, announces successes, and describes challenges. The buddy's job is to listen, celebrate, commiserate, and be a brainstorming partner. Here?s how to make the buddy system work for you in job-seeking:

1. Set a fixed time to talk. Whether you meet by phone or in person, set a start and end time for your conversation. Half an hour is enough; an hour is plenty.

2. Check in about goals and action steps. Make a brief report about where you are with your job search and what steps you have taken since your last meeting. Keep your check-in brief and to the point, e.g. ?I got one interview this week, and set up two appointments for networking lunches. I revised my r?sum? to include more of my past accomplishments, and applied for three new job openings.? Acknowledge your buddy?s progress and celebrate his or her success.

3. Help each other solve problems. Ask your buddy to first just listen while you tell him or her what's going on and clear your emotional reaction to it. Your buddy can say things like, "Gee, that's tough," or "How awful!" but should not offer any advice until you are through. Talk about not only what is happening, but how it makes you feel. If it sounds like complaining, that probably means you're doing it right.

You might say something like this: "I've been trying for two weeks to finish my r?sum?, and there's just been one emergency after another, and now my mother wants me to help sell her car, and I'm so frustrated! All the words I write down just come out wrong, and I don't think it'll ever come together, and I needed it yesterday, and I'm so worried that..." You get the idea.

Set a time limit of 5 minutes for reporting and clearing. At the end of that time, ask your buddy to summarize for you: "I hear how frustrated and worried you are. You seem to have two problems that need to be solved -- finding the time to work on the r?sum?, and getting the words to come out right. Are you ready to look at some solutions?"

4. Brainstorm possible solutions. Your buddy's job is not necessarily to hand you the right answer -- his or her more important role is to help you expand your thinking to come up with some new ideas. Take your problems one at time, and together with your buddy, make a list of possible solutions. Don't edit the list as you are brainstorming; include anything and everything that comes up. You are not allowed to say, "That won't work," or "I already tried that."

Here are the potential results of a brainstorm on getting the right words for a r?sum?:

hire a r?sum? writer
plagiarize my friend?s r?sum?
use the thesaurus
ask my cousin the writer to help
do a r?sum? with only pictures
don't use a r?sum? at all
look at sample r?sum?s on the Internet
take a class in how to write a r?sum?
use what I have and stop worrying
have some colleagues review it

5. Decide on your next steps. If none of the brainstormed ideas seem right, look at each one to see if there's something useful in it. Maybe you can't afford a r?sum? writer, but you know one you could ask for a word or two of free advice. Perhaps a class would take too long, but you could check out a book from the library. Find just one thing you can do that will get you moving toward a solution.

Regardless of any problems you try to solve during your session, always end by naming what steps you will take on your job search before your next meeting. Write these steps down ? both yours and your buddy?s ? so you can check in about them next time.

6. Keep the relationship reciprocal. Make sure each of you gets an equal amount of time at your meetings. If you end up spending the whole session on one person?s problem, devote the next session to the other buddy. Keep your buddy in mind as you make new discoveries and meet new people, and share any opportunities you uncover. The buddy system works best when you do for your buddy what you would like your buddy to do for you.

About The Author

C.J. Hayden is the author of Get Hired Now! and Get Clients Now! Since 1992, she has helped thousands of professionals make a better living doing what they love. C.J. is a Master Certified Coach who leads workshops internationally ? in person, on the phone, and on the web. Find out more about C.J. and get a free copy of "How to Find a Job in 28 Days or Less" at http://www.gethirednow.com.

Sending Samples With Your Press Release-- Should You Or Shouldn't You? Here's A Guide?

by: Dianne Beiermann

When you begin to send out your press releases, you will start to get calls and emails from the editors requesting samples of your product. What do you do? Well that all depends. Below are some tricks and tips for gauging when you should or shouldn't send samples.

When you should send samples with your press release:

1) When the item is very low cost: If the press release you're sending is about a product that is under $10.00, you may want to consider sending a sample of the product to the editors. Since the item is low cost, it makes sense to send a sample. Sending a sample can help improve your chances for getting some free publicity for your company.

2) When it is a major publication: Another good time to consider sending a product sample is when you're dealing with a major publication. If the publication has a wide distribution...

Sending Samples With Your Press Release-- Should You Or Shouldn't You? Here's A Guide?

Sample resume > Sending Samples With Your Press Release-- Should You Or Shouldn't You? Here's A Guide?

Don't Rush It or You?ll Lose the Job

by: Nell Taliercio

You've searched for months for the telecommuting job of your dreams. You've spent countless hours online hunting down a job. You've had the perfect resume crafted and brushed up on your interview skills. And all of the hard work and preparation has now paid off in the form of the perfect job!

You scanned the job ad and found the contact information, pasted your cover letter and attached your resume. You pause before you push the send button and think "better make sure that I have everything they need", but then that other voice tells you that you HAVE to get this to them ASAP before someone else beats you to the job...so you hit send. OH NO, you think, you realized that you misspelled the job title in the subject line of the email and you forgot they needed your phone number. But, now it's too late! The email is in internet outer space.

Has this ever happened to you? You've become so...

Don't Rush It or You?ll Lose the Job

Sample resume > Don't Rush It or You?ll Lose the Job

6 Vital Tips For Creating A Superior Resume

6 Vital Tips For Creating A Superior Resume

by: Rita Fisher

1, Keep It Short

Considering that initially HR personnel only spend approximately 10-20 seconds on a resume, the shorter your resume, the most desirable it is. Aim for one page.

Of course, it is sometimes impossible to create such a short resume. You might have to include a second page because you have way too much information regarding your work experience, accomplishments, etc. In this case, make sure that you list the most relevant information within the upper half of the first page because that is the section that gets looked at first. This way, these important insights will surely be noticed.

2, Spelling, Spelling, Spelling

It is not enough to run the word processor’s spell checker on your document. Proofread your resume at least 3 times, once backward (sometimes that is how you notice mistakes.)

Remember, a sloppy presentation is almost a guarantee...

6 Vital Tips For Creating A Superior Resume

Sample resume > 6 Vital Tips For Creating A Superior Resume

The Real Secrets to Getting a Good Deal on Stained Glass

The Real Secrets to Getting a Good Deal on Stained Glass

by: Tim Jeffries

Did you know that you can find stained glass deals if you look hard enough?
There are a number of places to buy stained glass ? let?s look at a few of them.

The easiest and least risky way to buy glass is in a kit.
You can purchase kits online:
simply search for ?stained glass kits? and you?ll see dozens of online suppliers.
Or you can buy kits at Michael?s Arts and Crafts, Ben Franklin, or your local craft store.
Many smaller craft stores may not stock kits, but they will be glad to order what you want.

The kit will only include glass you need for the project; you don?t have to worry about leftovers.
If you?re new to the hobby, start with a kit or two ? that way you won?t invest in glass inventory you may find you don?t need.

If you decide to buy glass in bulk, the first place to look is your local glass...

The Real Secrets to Getting a Good Deal on Stained Glass

Sample resume > The Real Secrets to Getting a Good Deal on Stained Glass

Tips to Creating Your Own Cover Letter Template

Tips to Creating Your Own Cover Letter Template

by: Heather Eagar

Using a cover letter template when job hunting is a logical and time saving measure.
Your time is limited, so writing one basic one and using it as your template will simplify the application process, making you more efficient and hopefully employed all that much faster.

A basic template can be either bulleted ? sometimes called an Executive Summary ? or in paragraph form.
The paragraph form of cover letter template is more traditional and preferred by many for the neat appearance it presents.
Since hiring managers are busy however, the bulleted format does have advantages.
This cover letter template allows you to make quick changes in the emphasis you are placing on your skills in case there is more than one type of job for which you are applying.

A
good bulleted template will begin with the date, address and salutation. ...

Tips to Creating Your Own Cover Letter Template

Sample resume > Tips to Creating Your Own Cover Letter Template

The Business Failed, But Did You?

by: Tim Knox

Q: After years of dreaming about starting my own business, I finally took the plunge a little over a year ago. To say the least, my dream quickly became a nightmare. The business didn't do nearly as well as I had hoped. I ran out of money within six months and had to take out a second mortgage on my house just to keep things going. I have now closed the business and am left with a pile of bills that will probably...

Boost Your Job Search with the Buddy System The Business Failed, But Did You? payroll

Sample resume > The Business Failed, But Did You?

Boost Your Job Search with the Buddy System

How Game Shows Can Make Your Life A Success!

by: Kenny Goh Jern Yue

As our society progresses, we often find ourselves in challenging situations and tough scenarios which often challenge our wits and abilities to the extremes. So what happens if we fail? Depending on individual characters, some may get up and keep going, while others may suffer a heavy blow to their self confidence and slump into depression.

Why does anyone get depressed? Ever felt that...

How Game Shows Can Make Your Life A Success!

Sample resume > How Game Shows Can Make Your Life A Success!

Boost Your Job Search with the Buddy System perfume Sample resume

How to Buy a LCD TV in 3 Easy Steps

by: Amy Metz

I've got a confession to make. I love television. And I love big screen TVs. Especially the new flat panel models. Before you know it, everyone will forgo their traditional CRT television sets and own a LCD flat screen TV. This idea really isn't as strange as it sounds. LCD flat screen TVs are becoming more and more popular, and with good reason.

But, you may be wondering, what exactly is a flat screen TV?...

Boost Your Job Search with the Buddy System plasma How to Buy a LCD TV in 3 Easy Steps Sample resume

Sample resume > How to Buy a LCD TV in 3 Easy Steps

How Game Shows Can Make Your Life A Success!

by: Kenny Goh Jern Yue

Why does anyone get depressed? Ever felt that...

How Game Shows Can Make Your Life A Success!

Sample resume > How Game Shows Can Make Your Life A Success!