Tag Archive for: strengthen resume

Let’s Talk Resume Boosters!

As we move full-force into the new year, it’s time to update our resumes! For those who are in a job transition, job hunt, or soon to be college graduates- let’s discuss some ways to boost your resume. Your resume gives the hiring manager a first glimpse of who you are and what you have accomplished.  Adding role-specific or software certifications to your resume is one way to raise your value as a candidate.

Role-Specific Certifications

Online certifications are popping up everywhere and they are very accessible to everyone. Make sure you are taking the time to complete certifications that are tailored to your field of work. This will help ensure that your certification can make a difference on your resume. A recruiter might not take a second look if you are certified in something that is not applicable to your field. With the right research, you will be able to find a certification that is helpful for your job/role. To get started, a few role-specific certifications are listed below.

Software Certifications

Software certifications are very relevant in our world of technology. This certification can help any resume stand out, not just people in the field of IT. Careers like digital marketing, software engineering, data science, etc,  can all benefit from a software certification. Read below to find out more about these software certifications.

Google: Analytics, Publisher, AdWords

  • Google has plenty of free online certifications that you can complete. You simply make an account and start the certification courses. Google Analytics is especially useful for students who are going to be graduates soon and on the job hunt. Adding a certification like Google Analytics will show the hiring manager that you can analyze reports, track data collections, processing and configurations, and many more.

Salesforce: CRM certifications

  • Salesforce is a website that offers customer relationship management services. This can be useful in any career where you are directly working with other people- like sales, marketing, customer service, etc. Completing a Salesforce certification will help you to be well-versed in analytics.

Not all certifications are useful, in fact, some can be pointless to add to your resume. Do your research before completing a certification in order to know it will benefit your resume. Certifications can be time-consuming, but they can also be worth it. Your resume might stand out more to the hiring manager if you have appropriate certifications.

Working on your resume? Read here to find out what fonts to use!

Searching for a new position? Check out our open jobs list!

What you need to know about Online Courses for Job Skills

Whether you’re looking to flesh out your resume, refocus your career path, make the most of unemployment/childcare leave, or simply add some variety to your intellectual life, an online course can help you achieve your goals with minimal disruption to your life and finances. However, taking the wrong class can be a waste of time and even money. Here are some aspects of an online course for job skills to consider before you enroll.

1. Timeline

Both the pace and length of a class can affect much you get out of it. Studying a new language over the course of one summer will get you about as far as “where is the bathroom?” If you want to learn a language for work-related communication, plan on a years-long commitment. Similarly, if you have a 60- hour workweek, childcare duties, or other time-consuming responsibilities, then a fast-paced, high-workload class may not be right for you.

Luckily, the abundance of learning options on the web offer flexibility for everyone. Saylor, for instance, allows for self-paced units. Sites like Open CourseWare provide college-level materials without the structure of a class setting– great for a review or learning within tough time constraints. Open 2 Study, on the other hand, offers month-long courses with week-long units. If you have even more time, check out this list of classes you can take over ten weeks or less.

2.  Course Level

Online Course Job Skills

Identify the right online course for your lifestyle and desired job skills with these tips.

Taking an advanced data analytics class when you never took basic statistics is a recipe for disaster. Sometimes, the most useful courses are introductory topics that help you build the foundation for a new system. Maybe you need an online course for job skills that will help you work up to a more relevant one. If that’s the case, try starting at Coursera, which offers a range of classes to help you start a new subject. If you want more guidance, Alison features a series of progressively more advanced courses, called a learning path. Finally, if you’re seeking deeper expertise in a field, you might look into a university’s Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs)…

3. Source

Yale, Harvard, Stanford, and many other top-tier universities offer free classes online, a great option for industry veterans. However, if you’re not ready for a college-level course, your time may be better spent at other sites (just make sure to run a quick google search for credibility from new sources). Remember that colleges aren’t the only reliable institutes on the web. For instance, Microsoft offers a number of classes for tech-phobes and game developers alike.

4. Relevance

The thousands of class options out there can be distracting or daunting. From the start, make sure your course is relevant to both your field and the specific job you want. Consider searching for classes by topic, like digital marketing or data science, to make sure it’s an online course for job skills you need.

 

Whether you used to love school or hide in the corners, online courses provide an opportunity to all kinds of learners to improve their job prospects. Make sure you commit to the right course by considering its pace, level, origin, and relevance to your career goals!