Working at Neohire I am connected to some of the top VC funded start-ups. Not only do we work with top companies on immediate hiring needs, but we are in constant communication with various industry leaders on the future goals of their companies. I know what they need now and what they will need in the future so I am always looking for the best of the best when it comes to talent.

Being on top of industry trends and needs makes the difference between proactive recruiting and reactive recruiting. An important part of recruiting is not just knowing what your clients need now, but the organizational goals for the future and how they plan on getting there. Who will they need and when. Who will succeed on their team.  It’s important to know what your company wants to achieve and who they will need to help them get there.

Good tip for candidates- hiring does not slow at the end of the year. Most of the companies we work with want to finalize hiring decisions now to get great employees on board and ramped up for the beginning of the new year. Recruiters are constantly looking for top talent. Make sure your resume and profile are updated on the tools we use such as ResumeBucket and Linked-In. Talk with recruiters about the companies they work with and ask them to get you visibility to companies you are interested in. They could have an immediate role to fill or may need someone like you in the future. Keep making those connections and getting visibility to the right people.

…And if you ever are looking for a tech job in the greater Los Angeles area contact me, Gemma via Linkined or Gemma@Neohire.com

The only one stop website for literally hundreds of free resume samples and free cover letter samples. With the less-than-ideal economic times our world is pushing through, your resume and cover letter are the first tools of the trade for landing yourself that new career path, first job, or getting back into your industry. The first step…

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Now more than ever both your cover letter and resume need to compliment each other and be written flawlessly or you risk getting lost in that dreaded pile of other applicants.

Take advantage of our free, MASSIVE database of resume and cover letter samples.
We cover all our bases when it comes to sample documents for any type of career.

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With an complimentary resume to follow up the cover letter:


Not bad, but if you were looking for something a little different, but still related to the Medical field, just glance at the plethora of free samples ResumeBucket offers just for that niche. Resumes. Cover Letters.

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Find one of that fits your needs, edit it, use it as a guide to create your own, or print it out as is. We have some of the most highly acclaimed resume and cover letter writers in the industry handing them to you for free. You are only a few clicks away from creating your own FREE professional sample resume and professional sample cover letter!

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]]> http://www.resumebucketblog.com/resumebucket/free-samples/feed/ 0 http://www.resumebucketblog.com/resumebucket/promoting-your-personal-brand/ http://www.resumebucketblog.com/resumebucket/promoting-your-personal-brand/#comments Tue, 21 Apr 2009 17:46:13 +0000 aaron http://www.resumebucketblog.com/?p=140 Searching for a new job is a competitive field. You are in a contest with potentially hundreds of other qualified applicants so take that extra step to set yourself apart from the crowd and get noticed by that employer. So you have your resume–that’s a great start but now it’s time to create your personal brand.

The Internet is the best tool you have as a job seeker to create an amazing network of contacts. Social networking has taken off expoentially these past few years with websites emerging for specific niche demographics which include business networking. You will want to do a bit more in-depth research but a quick google search can give you list of business oriented social networks; it’s a good bet to start off with Linkedin and Twitter.

While social networks have gotten many people jobs, there is still a much more you can do for yourself. Consider carving yourself a personal space on the Internet. For example an excellent resource would be to create a website than expands on your resume. While your resume is a short and concise summary of your qualifications, a website can give those potential employers a lot more information should they choose to seek it out.

Remember anything you do online with under your name can potentially be googled so be sure to keep everything professional. This includes your Facebook and Myspace pages because employers often seek those out to get a feel for an individuals personality. This is a direct reflection of yourself to a potential employer so keep that in mind the entire time you are crafting your personal brand. You don’t want this happening during an interview! Websites should be easy to read and navigate so leave out busy artwork and confusing fonts. Before anything gets published you’ll want to proof read and correct all typos, consider having a friend go over it also to catch some mistakes you may forget. Remember, even one tiny typo could leave a nasty impression with an employer.

This is our nations first major recession in which job seekers have these types of tools at their disposal to assist them in their hunt. Be creative and consider ways to promote yourself that may be unconventional but effectively set you apart from the others in the market for your dream career.

First you should check out these ten rules that no longer apply when creating a resume, and edit your own accordingly. You then need to make sure your resume looks like an attractive document; for instance if it was sitting on your desk would you glance over it or would you pick it up? If you have trouble laying out your resume in an attractive fashion consider hiring a professional to draft it.

Every resume should have all your contact information at the top making it easy for an employer to get in contact with you through e-mail or a phone call. A common mistake that people make is putting a phone number, such as a home number, that is not exclusively your own. An employer does not want to leave a message with your significant other, or hear little children running around in the background. The same concept applies to your e-mail address. Create a professional one with your first and last name included.

Get to the point on your resume and don’t bore the reader with mundane facts about your personal life. Following this structure outline is a great start to creating a flawless resume. When formatting the final draft of your resume make sure you pay attention to detail; typos such as incorrect punctuation and misspelled words give a nasty first impression to the reader.

“A great resume doesn’t just tell a prospective employer what you have done but makes the same assertion that all good ads do: If you buy this product, you will get these specific, direct benefits. It convinces the employer that you have what it takes to be successful in this new position.”

A resume is your gateway into the any company, you need it to be an immaculate representation of yourself. The process of creating a flawless resume can seem overwhelming but with a little extra effort you can make your resume stand above the rest.

We hope this post this post finds you well on your way to a job you love, if you have any questions or comments feel free to post them and we will gladly respond.

Each cover letter should be tailored to go with a specific company. Do not make the mistake of creating a generic cover letter and attaching it to your resume, doing so shows lack of interest and plain laziness. You need to be willing to invest time and energy to formulate a directly targeted cover letter showing the hiring manager you are a legitimate prospect and not a desperate job seeker spamming out their resume to anyone who will take it.

The four main things that you should keep in mind when creating a cover letter are:

1. Research
2. Professionalism
3. Why me?
4. Format

Doing background research shows the employer that you have a genuine interest in their company! An easy start would be to research their website and do a quick google search. While doing that it’s a good idea to retain any excess information such as company history which could be useful during an interview, should you get one.

Keep the cover letter professional! Don’t use any crazy fonts or clipart. Keep it direct and to the point. Making it an eyesore to the reader will leave a nasty impression if they choose to read the entire thing. Format ties in here also. Research sample cover letters to give you an idea of how professional format looks.

After doing research go back and make an outline for yourself as to why you would be the ideal canidate for the avalible possition. This is a chance for you to expand on certain sections of your resume, but don’t get to wordy and try to expand on all of them–just the ones that are more so directly related to the specific job.

A cover letter gives your resume a boost, shows interest to the employer, and gives you a personality in your absense. Make sure all your effort that you put into your resume doesn’t go to waste by letting the cover letter fall by the wayside. For some examples of cover letters specific to your industry, be sure to check out our free sample cover letters on ResumeBucket.  Do everything in your power to get that job!

“Although today’s job market may be bleak, there are some bright spots if you know where to look. While   recessions hit some sectors hard, others go on like clockwork — or even experience growth.”

Be creative on how you approach looking for a new career. Apparently twitter is the new way to find jobs now. Stay ahead of the curve and get on networking websites because not all jobs are posted in the public sector. Your friend might not know of a job but your friend’s friend might know of an opening.

“Finding a job still requires networking skills – whether you are glad-handling potential bosses at a job fair in the city or following employees of the companies you want to work for on Twitter. It’s not about creating an “online brand” of yourself, but about using social networks to showcase or develop what you are already are doing in your life.”

Have you tried everything and still haven’t found that job? Rome wasn’t built in a day and your career won’t be either. It takes time and effort so work on it everyday and you will find a job. In the mean time, stay positive and focus on why the recession is good for you.

"Your resume here"

Times are obviously tough when folks with masters degrees are posting their resume in the middle window of the cab that they’re driving.  It’s both funny and sad; I don’t know Mr. Williamson, and I have no idea whether he’d be a good employee for a position in his desired career.  But I do know that he’s willing to do what it takes to make ends meet, and he’s definitely bold for posting his resume in his cab.

It just goes to show you, though: be creative when you’re promoting yourself, and you never know what will happen.  You might end up in an AP news feed =)

According to Wikipedia, multivariate testing is “a technique for testing hypotheses on complex multi-variable systems, especially used in testing market perceptions.”

If you don’t think that hoards of HR employees or office admins sorting through resume after resume is a “complex, multi-variable” system, think again.  You’re appealing to humans, the same way a product web site is trying to appeal to visitors.  You’ll never know what works best unless you try some different approaches.

Mixing Up Your Cover Letter

Whether it’s a separate attachment, the body of an email, or a cover page on your resume, the first thing a prospective employer will see is your cover letter.  So how do you make it count?

There are several variables, including:

• Your industry
• The type of company that you’re applying to (corporation, start-up, small business)
• Your experience level
• The public perception of the company
• What has worked for you in the past?

Don’t discount the last item — build off of your successes.  If you’ve had a lot of luck in the past getting interviews with formal cover letters, but not so much luck with friendly or personable ones, then figure out why the formal route has worked.  Is it because of your industry or the type of companies that you’ve applied to?  What perception did you have of the companies that interviewed you?  Did they seem relaxed or corporate?  Were they large corporations or small operations?

Start with what has worked.  And then make some variations.  Write ten different versions of your cover letter, and mix in different tactics:  slightly witty, confident, short and sweet, complimentary, excited, bold. Get some feedback from the people you respect to narrow your options down to 2 or 3, and continue to tweak.

Once you feel comfortable with your choices, move on to your resume.

How To Vary Your Resume

This can be a tough task for some people, especially those that do not have a lot of job searching experience.  What information should you include on your resume?  How much detail should you provide about your responsibilities at each position you’ve had?  Should you include references on your resume?  How many pages long should your resume be?

Start small.  Make an outline, and keep it simple at the beginning.  Stick to the primary sections of a resume:

Career goals, qualifications, experience, education, references.

Don’t waste any time tweaking your resume up front.  Wait until you complete these five steps before you spend any serious amount of time editing.  Don’t worry about typos, wording, styles, or anything else until you have some resumes to work with.

1. Create a solid, simple, visually attractive resume and save it as your first option, and then continue to build it out. 

2. Add each job title that you’ve held for each company that you worked for.  Save that as your second option. 

3. Add your responsiblities, in detail, to each job title.  Save that as your third option. 

4. Add every project of considerable size to your responsibilities, and save that as your fourth option.

5. Add your extra-curricular activities from college and/or high school, and save it as your fifth option.

At this point, you can go over each option and start tweaking.  Once you’re happy with your resumes, pass them along to your peers for review, and make the changes you see fit.

But I Don’t Work A Traditional Job

Actors send headshots with their resumes, designers send portfolios.  Mix these up.  Get a second set of headshots, or re-order your portfolio in a few different ways.  I don’t know what you’d send to NASA if you were applying for a job as a lead scientist, but I assure you it’s something more than a two page fact sheet about yourself.  No matter what you’re attaching to your resume, make sure there is some variation.

The Fun Part Begins: The Testing

Any statistical test requires a sample size.  This may mean applying for jobs in cities that you’ll never move to, or for jobs that you’d never take.  Your goal is to find out what works best for you.

Find at least 75 jobs related to your career, and email your cover letter and resume to each of them.  Keep track of them in a spreadsheet.  Select three cover letters and the version of your resume that you feel is the best fit for each.  Note which cover letter and resume you sent to each prospective employer in a column in your spreadsheet.  Send an even number of each pair.

Wait for feedback.  Any time you get a response, mark that row in your spreadsheet as a success.  If you get an interview, take it, even if you know you’re not taking the job.  This is practice!

At the end of your interviews, ask your point of contact what they liked or didn’t like about your cover letter or resume.  Get real feedback from people whose job it is to hire someone like you.  Make adjustments and start the process over.

What About Jobs That I’m Actually Interested In?

Apply for those, too!  After your first round of testing, you should have at least a general idea of what is working and what isn’t.  If option 1 netted 6 responses and the other two options netted less, go with option 1 for the jobs that interest you.  If each option resulted in a similar number of responses, spend the time to determine which of the options you think is best for each company that you apply to.

Most importantly, continue to get feedback.  Continue testing, even if you land a job.  Who knows if you’ll like it or if it will pan out? 

There’s no harm in sending your resume to prospective employers, even if you’re gainfully employed.  Knowing what works and what doesn’t for your industry will only help you when the time comes to find your next job.