What is a killer resume?  I can tell you what it’s not.  It’s not the flashiest, fanciest, most unusual or best designed resume.  A killer resume is a resume that gets you an interview.  Period.  What gets you that interview?

The ability to concisely, articulately and succinctly demonstrate that you can solve the hiring manager’s problem or add value to the company.

But how do you know what that problem is or what value they need?  Here is where the proverbial rubber meets the road.  It’s up to you to find this out and then to tailor your resume (at least somewhat) to demonstrate this for each job you apply to.  But what if you can’t find this information out?  What if you are simply answering a blind ad on a job site?  Then you make your best guess.

Securing an interview is the ONLY reason to create a resume.  And the only way to secure the interview is to demonstrate the above.

And you have 15 seconds tops to do that in.  Huh?  That’s right.  The BEST of resumes are only read for an average of 15 seconds?  That’s what the statistics say.  Now, look at your watch – measure 15 seconds.  Not a lot of time is it?

How can you possibly portray your experience, qualifications, achievements, personality, etc. in 15 seconds?  You can.  And if you want an interview, you must.

To help you, I’ve put together a list of Top 10 Tips.  If you follow these you’re sure to make your ’15 seconds of fame’ count (and you may even get an interview out of it.)  In fact, many of my clients report going from not receiving a call for an interview in months to receiving multiple calls per day once they reformat their resume using these tips.

Go ahead.  I dare you.  You have nothing to lose, and if my clients’ past experience is any indication, everything to gain.

So, in ascending order of importance:

10.) How far is too far?

The only reason to go back more than 10 years is to demonstrate that you have experience that is beneficial to the job you are applying for, that you have not done in recent times.  Otherwise, there is no need.  Would you really want to do a job you did 10 years ago?

9.) The company does what?

Itʼs very important to let the reader know what your previous employers do, especially if youʼre in a position of responsibility,.  A sentence or two on the size of the company, the companyʼs products and any other relevant information helps the hiring manager

understand your background in more depth.

8.) Donʼt look like a job hopper when youʼre not!

Many candidates list different positions within 1 company as completely separate jobs,

repeating the company name, etc.  Interviewers are basically lazy (and you would be too if

you had the number of resumes to read that they do at the moment).  At first glance they

may not realize that youʼve been promoted every 18 months to 2 years (which is a good

thing).  They may interpret your format to mean that youʼve changed jobs every 18 months

to 2 years (not such a good thing).  The proper format is to list the company name and details once

and make it stand out (larger font, Bold and Underlined, etc).  Then list each position

underneath and make it obvious that they are positions within the same company.

7.) How long is too long?

Remember the 15 second rule?  Resumes should be from 1 – 2 pages in the United States and up to 4 (at the most!) pages elsewhere in the world, depending on your level of experience.  Less is more, as long as itʼs impactful.  The only exception to this is a traditional Curriculum Vitae, which would be used in academia or scientific fields.

6.) A picture tells 1,000 words.

Except on resumes.  The rule of thumb here is never including your picture on your resume.  Ever.  Full stop.  Period.  The end.

5.) Ditto

In regards to including your age, marital status, children or pets names (donʼt laugh, Iʼve

seen more than 1!) see #6.

4.) Form over substance.

Again, remember the 15 second rule?  Make it easy for the interviewer to read your

resume and keep it from the bin. Use lots of white space, put paragraphs into bullet points,

donʼt use a lot of different fonts, standardize your presentation and be concise and

articulate in your descriptions.

3.) Once is never enough.

One standard resume is generally not sufficient to apply for every role you look at.  I

encourage my candidates to have 2 – 3 resumes highlighting different areas of expertise.

But always, always always customize your resume to the job you are applying for.

2.) Iʼll call you.

Make sure that you have your contact details (name, phone number and email are

sufficient these days) in your header or at least on the top of your first page.  Donʼt make

the interviewer struggle to figure out how to contact you or they may just say, “next!”

Also, make sure that you have voice mail turned on if youʼre actively looking (with an

appropriate message).  And nowadays itʼs perfectly appropriate to include your Linkedin

Profile in your contact details as well.

1.) Substance over form

The most important thing on your resume is not your duties and responsibilities, not your

education, awards or qualifications.  The most important thing on your resume is your

achievements.  Your achievements should be specific accomplishments that are a result of

your doing your job or (preferably) going above and beyond your job description.  They are

what separates you from others with the same experience.

Having specific, quantifiable, robust achievements will do more to differentiate your resume from the hundreds of other applying for the same roles than anything else.  Get this right and you will have hiring managers calling you within hours to set up interviews.

Achievements are:

The end result of a project

A demonstration of your going ‘above and beyond’

An accolade or award

Typically quantifiable

Achievements are NOT:

A process procedure

Part of your job description

Expected as a routine part of your daily work

Bonus: I know I shouldnʼt have to say this but I must, given the number of spelling and

grammatical errors I see on resumes.  Spell check!!!  Itʼs easy enough to do with todayʼs

software.  Itʼs also a good idea to have at least 3 people look it over, including at least one

person that has no idea what you actually do.  Many human resources people do the first

screen on roles that they are not that familiar with.  Having someone unfamiliar with what

you do ensures that anyone can follow your resume.

Your resume doesnʼt need to win awards.  What it does need to do is keep the reader engaged long enough to have him or her say, “I need to call this person for an interview.”

By following these simple steps you will come one step closer to hearing those words you

long for, “Youʼre hired!”

Kim Seeling Smith speaks, trains, coaches and writes on Staff Retention and <a href=”http://www.MyCriticalPath.com“> Career Management</a> issues after having spent 15 years as a recruiter studying the differences between those talented and capable people who successfully reach their career goals and those equally talented and capable people who plateau or senselessly slide backwards as they near them. www.MyCriticalPath.com

Glass tiles can be used by people where ever they want to use and on the other hand people can also do different types of activities on glass tiles as well. Glass tiles look effective and attractive too for many people. Glass tiles can also be shaped in different types as well and thus they look attractive in their own way. Different colors can also be added up to the glass tiles and thus people can also perform different activities on them too. Glass tiles had been used up by people from a longer time period and thus they had been liked by many people to a greater extent.
The history of tiles goes back to an ancient time period. The tiles usage first began in Greece and India. People on glass tiles can do any sort of artistic work, which looks attractive to people. People can observe the glass tiles in any type and style they want to. On the other hand people had found all the styles of glass tiles to be an attractive piece of work and secondly all the designs presented by the companies are very much unique and different from other designs. The glass tiles can be formed into any shape the person wants and the person can do any sort of drawing on it such as the painting, stain glass or some other activity.
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Are you confused what to present to the newborn baby of someone very close to you? If your response to this question is positive, this article can help you to some extent by giving you some common ideas for personalised baby gifts. The personalized items are believed to be the best ways of conveying your immense care and love for the infant. This content also deals with some of the options for best gifts for dad. Very few occasions give you the opportunity to express your love and respect for your father. The presents that you offer your dad are the medium to communicate your emotions and affection towards the most special person in your life.

Everyone in this world admires his or her father and sees him as their ideal. Thus, to select a present for someone who is your role model is a bit tough. But don’t worry, even if you do not give anything to your father, he would bless you as he always does. But still, the children always want to make their dad feel special by offering them the best gifts for dad. If you know your father well, try to purchase something that he likes, either it is expensive or inexpensive. If you have a low budget, don’t hesitate because anything you buy will be the most precious one for him. On the other hand, the addition of the new member in the family is always a special occasion and therefore; the personalised baby gifts serve to be the best source of showing your care and happiness on the birth of the child.

The first personalised baby gifts alternative include the clothing stuffs. When a baby is born, the parents require several items for him or her, one of which is the clothes. You can make the clothes yourself or even buy it from the shops to present it to the newborn. It would be the best item for the parents. Check the fabric that is used for making the clothes before you offer such items. It must not be harmful for the baby’s skin. As far as the fitting is concerned, the clothes must not be skin tight, in fact a bit lose to make it comfortable for them. As far as the best gifts for dad are concerned, apparels for your father can be a great gift alternative. Based on his dressing style, you can select appropriate clothes for him.

If your father is a sport fan, items related to his favorite sport can be included in the list of the best gifts for dad. Other options can be the items related to his hobbies. For example, if he likes photography, you can present him a camera so that he could use it as a recreational activity. In case, he is passionate about painting, arrange for a canvas and colors that he can utilize for refreshment by doing something that he likes the most. The personalised baby gifts include the set of toys that might be helpful for the infants, such as, teether, rattles, sea turtle, etc.

These are some of the personalized baby gifts and best gifts for dad alternatives that you can choose from to make it a lifetime memento for the recipients.

Baby gifts are a wonderful approach to welcome a newborn baby into the world. Babies with their sweet smile have the power to melt everyone’s heart. There are various items available in the market which you can gift to the newborn. The gift items can include from essential materials like diapers to clothes and toys. If you are looking for a gift which sets you apart from the rest, newborn baby gift sets will be a great option to go for.

Among the various types of newborn baby gift sets available, choose the one which you will feel will be appropriate for the baby. It can contain essential items for the baby like diapers, rattles, colorful toy mobile and many other items. Some of items it can also contain are nursery rhymes CD to sooth the infant when they crying. Along with these, there are also various lullabies present in gift set to put the baby to sleep. These baby gifts will definitely be appreciated by newbie parents.

The best part of purchasing these newborn baby gift sets is you can even add items to it. In this gift set you can include anything from clothes to food items to toys. If you want, you can also include some good melodious songs which will help the new parents to put the baby to sleep. You can also include items like blankets, changing mats and many more. If you are planning to add clothes in the gift set, care should be taken to choose the one which not only looks beautiful but which is comfortable for the baby to wear. If you are planning to purchase clothes as baby gifts for girls there are various beautiful dresses which you can choose from. For boys, you can choose simple onesies or something which he will be comfortable in.

Traditionally when choosing baby gifts for the baby, pink color items are associated with baby girls and blue color items are associated with baby boys. Many people still follow this tradition when purchasing gifts for babies. In present times there are several beautiful and appropriate colorful items available in the market besides these traditional colors. The newborn baby gift sets are also available in various colors. You should choose the one which you feel is suitable for the baby and which the parents will appreciate. When choosing clothes as a gift for the baby, it is imperative to choose the one which the parents will like because they will be the ones who will dress the baby.

If you are busy and do not have time to visit any gift store to purchase these newborn baby gift sets, you can always purchase it with the help of online shopping. This is one of the easiest and fastest ways to purchase any item because you can do not have to stand in queue nor tire your self. With the help of online shopping you can easily purchase these items from the comfort of your home. Since these baby gifts are beautiful decorated, your gift will definitely stand out from the rest.

Friends are those who stick by you in thick and thin moments of your life. In many twist and turns of our life we make many friends but only a few of them hold a special meaning to our life. You take a lot of time to search that one gift which he or she will truly appreciate among the various gifts for friends available. Choosing an ideal gift for your friend among the numerous items available may seem like a difficult task but its not.

To narrow down the options available as gifts for friends, choose gifts related to their hobbies. If your friend loves to read books, present her with a collection of books by her favorite author. She will definitely cherish your gift for many years to come. You can also give your friend jewelries as gifts. All women love jewelry. Give her a necklace or pendant or bracelet which is stylish as well as elegant so that the item can match with any attire she wears. Buying these gifts for friends will be fun experience for you as well.

If your friend is into adventure sports then as a birthday gift plan a trip with her to go skydiving, paragliding, etc. You can make all the reservations of the flight and hotel before and surprise her on her birthday by presenting her the tickets of the flight. This type of gifts for friends may burn a hole in your pocket but the surprise and happiness which you see on her face when she realizes your gift will make it all worth while.

When choosing gifts for friends there is no hard and fast rule that you have to buying her something expensive. If you are true friends then she will not mind if you just wish her because the bond which is shared between two friends is much more than materialistic things. In contrast to these items, if you are looking for a suitable gift for children, piggy banks will be a good option. This item will be a prefect gift for children for any age. They are available in various shapes and sizes.

These piggy banks are mostly made of ceramic, porcelain, vinyl, etc. The ceramic ones are probably the most traditional forms of a piggy bank. Since this is made of ceramic it is breakable. These items have been there for many generations and are still very popular among kids today because it teaches the kids all about saving money. The piggy banks are broken to gain access to the saved money since there is no other opening.

The porcelain piggy banks are very expensive compared to the ceramic ones. Since they are expensive a rubber plug is present at the bottom to take out the money when required. The vinyl piggy bank is made of vinyl polymer. For the retrieval of the contents present inside the piggy bank, it has a removable nose attached to it. Compared to these traditional items, there are numerous piggy banks which teach the kids about saving, donating and investing. These are the latest items which have been launched to teach the kids about money management.

Biometric face recognition system is considered the most efficient technology in biometrics. Fingerprint devices stand the risk of duplication and easy hacking. Besides, it may deny access if the fingers are wet or dirty. Iris recognition devices are too interfering. It exposes the diseases and other physical ailments which one may not wish to reveal. Voice recognition devices can fail to deliver results in some conditions, especially when the person is suffering from a sore throat. Face recognition system may not be perfect, but is advanced than the others.

A face recognition system may use 2D or 3D images as a template to store in the database. 2D images are common; 3D is less in use. Each model has its own advantages and disadvantages. 2D recognition works better if the illuminating light is moderate and is influenced by pose changes. Facial expressions and changes in the face due to aging may affect the recognition rates in a face recognition system. On the other hand, a biometric face recognition system using 3D model database is getting cheaper and faster than before. But the 3D model databases are very few.

A biometric face recognition system using 2D model databases takes into consideration only the two dimensions of the face. But the face is a 3D object! This makes the expectation level rise, from a 3D model database, with regard to performance. However, no experiment till now has been able to prove this popular belief. 3D data capturing is not completely independent of light variations. Different sources of light may create different models for the same face. Besides, they are still more expensive as compared to a 2D face recognition system.

2D represents a face by intensity variation and 3D represents a face by shape variation. A face recognition system discriminates between faces on the basis of the intensity or color of the features of a given face. 3D face recognition system discriminates between faces on the basis of the shape of the features of a given face. As the 3D images use a more reliable base for recognition, they are considered to be more accurate. However, a lot of improvement needs to be made in the field of 3D biometric face recognition system.

3D devices in the market are not as matured as 2D devices. For this reason, many people are reluctant to use 3D technology for facial detection. Constant improvements in the 2D face recognition systems are also an affecting factor. Companies are working on increasing the recognition rates of 2D biometric face recognition systems. Improving the existing technology seems more feasible than developing a new technology.

Experiments show that the combination of 2D and 3D technology yields better results. The use of multiple biometrics is more accurate than best possible sensor for single biometric. An accuracy rate of 98.8% was recorded in a recent study of biometric face recognition system using 2D and 3D images. The combination of two technologies outperforms the use of single technology in face recognition system.

face recognition system is the future of security industry. However, at present it is not capable of handling the security of the entire premise independently. Enhanced quality of images stored in the database will give it the support to stand on its own.

Biometrics exists since long in the real world. People were indulging biometric devices in various ways. Sometimes it was used for the protection of the metal safes through face recognition access control system, sometimes for the protection of the premises using biometric fingerprint system. But until then, it was not even imagined that biometrics can extend to face recognition technology! A surprising issue isn’t it! But the truth is somewhere lying beneath the name itself. Yes! Biometrics has enhanced itself and security can now be offered based on recognizing the faces of human beings.

Biometric face recognition system is gaining popularity slowly and steadily only because, in order to change the security structure of the premise, one needs to get convinced totally. If the biometric face recognition devices are concerned then, undoubtedly out of the three major face recognition systems that is, face recognition time attendance system, face recognition access control system and face recognition visitor management system, face recognition time attendance system has gained the maximum popularity. Every now and then, especially in the corporate sector face recognition time attendance can be noticed to the maximum.

Face Recognition Time Attendance System:

It is somehow known to everyone regarding the face recognition technology. A newest method of offering security, based on recognizing the facial details of the individuals. A biometric time attendance system is based on no human touch technology, where it authenticates people by matching the facial details.

Very shortly, during the enrollment process the biometric devices captures the facial details of the individual and store those patterns electronically inside the database of the computer. During the next visit, the devices re-capture the facial details and then perform the matching process between the newly captured and already stored patterns. The device then performs the checking process, if it finds the match then it grants the authentication else it denies. This is a common program while dealing with face recognition system but while you are implementing face recognition time attendance system, along with the authentication the respective time would be saved electronically.

Reason for Popularity of Biometrics with Time Attendance System:

It is really something unbelievable that just recognizing your faces timing details can be recorded and managed. Not only this, but the recorded timing details in corporate, can also be used for calculating the shift hours of the employees. Due to the accuracy, authorities can even analyze the productive working hours. The shift arrangement can also be done effectively.

However the biometric time attendance system’s collected data can even be used for the accurate auto payroll generation with the collaboration of other specialized software. Just imagine! A single device possesses so many implications.

Not only biometric time attendance system, but also face recognition access control system can be effectively used in the premises for protecting the resources and controlling the access over a particular arena. The device supporting the face recognition access control, works in the same way like any other face recognition system works.

World has now much more to offer now! So, come out of your older security system and try something more advance!

Have you ever sat in a meeting where everyone is busy giving their point of view and trying to prove why they are right? Where no one is actually listening or trying to understand other points of view. The alternative meeting format is where everyone listens to and agrees with the meeting leader. No one contributes or adds ideas, they are just compliant.

Most meeting are usually either one or the other. But when you think about it, what is the point of having a meeting? Meetings are usually held to make decisions. The outcome that participants want from the meeting is that the BEST decision is made, not that any decision is made, or another sub-committee is formed but that a decision that delivers results is made.

So as we hustle from meeting to meeting being very busy, achieving nothing in the way of measurable results, we land up with yet another sub-committee. All because we have lost the art of dialogue. So, the question is; what is the difference between dialogue and discussion?

DISCUSSION – Discussion is the way that most people communicate. During discussion we present our ideas and everyone analyzes and dissects them from their different points of view. The purpose of discussion, though, it to make sure you win, or that your point of view is the one that is accepted. During the discussion you will support your idea and give your points more strongly until, eventually, others agree with you. You want to prove that you are right, and the most knowledgeable, as does everyone else in the discussion.

With everyone trying to win the argument, no decision is ever made and we eventually need to form a sub-committee to decide. Or the CEO, or team leader, uses his or her divine autocratic right and decides for the team.

DIALOGUE – Dialogue on the other hand is an exploration of ideas. It is not a new form of communication but is the way the ancient Greeks and many so called ‘primitive’ societies are seen to explore ideas. During dialogue everyone works together contributing towards the original idea, adding to last person’s ideas. The team is greater than the sum of the parts; therefore more is achieved by the group working as one instead of in competition to each other.

In a dialogue no one is trying to win. They are trying to learn and create. They suspend their individual assumptions and explore ideas and issues. It is a free flow of ideas where participants continue to think and watch themselves think. The great physicists Heisenberg, Pauli, Einstein and Bohr described the conversations they had with each other. As we know from history their conversations (dialogue) changed traditional physics because what they could achieve as a group exceeded what each could do as individuals.

How do you get your team to dialogue? There are 3 conditions needed:

• Everyone must suspend their assumptions. Dialogue comes to a grinding halt when someone digs in their heels and says “this is the way”. They need to suspend their assumptions to really see where the truth lies. Suspending ones assumptions is not easy, as often they are so deep seated that we don’t even know that they are assumptions! Instead, we take them for being the truth.

• Team members must be thought of as colleagues and equals. If you manage to think of others as colleagues you will interact as colleagues. Team members will feel less vulnerable and less likely to either want to dominate the discussion or not say anything at all. Thinking of everyone as colleagues can be difficult in a hierarchical workplace environment. Can an individual in authority come down from their lofty position and talk to everyone else as an equal or do they like their elevated position and pontificate wildly?
• There should be a facilitator. A facilitator can help ensure that ALL assumptions are suspended. This means questioning statements and beliefs as they are mentioned. They are also important in keeping the dialogue moving. As a team gets better at dialogue the needs for a facilitator is reduced.

You are closer to achieving dialogue when your team meetings are filled with questions. Questions indicate an attempt at understanding. Sit back in your next meeting and see how often a question is asked. No questions = no dialogue.

Teams can enter dialogue if everyone knows what is expected of them in advance and if they truly want the results created through dialogue. Dialogue is playful conversation and everyone must be willing to play with new ideas. Who says you can’t have fun and grow at the same time?

I hope you can achieve dialogue in your teams. Since we became aware of the difference and have been trying to practice dialogue we have really had some amazing insights into our business and what we do. We have achieved a whole level of new understandings.

Who knows, maybe there is something amazing that your company could achieve if you all just put your heads together. 1 + 1 = 3 makes a lot of sense!

At Arcturus Advisors we work with business leaders and their teams to get everybody on the same page pulling in the same direction to improve results. We implement systems to allow businesses to work smarter!

Graeme Nichol, principal, has worked on 4 continents gaining experience through Big Six consulting companies and boutique firms. Including; Business strategy, project management, change management, systems thinking, developing learning organizations, team development, productivity and quality improvement, and large scale ERP implementations.

www.ArcturusAdvisors.com   (866) 593-2207