Your work experience isn’t the only thing that matters to employers. Ultimately, employers are looking for people that can add value to their organization. Sometimes that means you have to have special skills in order to do the job well, but there are also a lot of “soft skills” or personality traits employers look for that are often forgotten by job seekers. If you’re a college student or new professional, then you probably don’t have a long work history. Here’s a list of ideas of where you can uncover accomplishments that you may have never though of.

It’s official. Kareer.me has partnered up with nonprofit student organization BCEA (Business Careers in Entertainment Association) to offer its members a free upgraded account. Active members of the BCEA will receive the ability to create 7 free resumes, as opposed to the standard 3 resumes.

I recently attended an online webinar on “the resume for the well-rounded student” presented by well-intended career services veterans. Unfortunately, at a time when near-graduates and students need all the high-quality counsel they can get, the webinar was not likely to help anyone find work – ever.

Why? The entire focus of the resume template featured in the webinar was about academic achievements – what the student DID in school. The presentation barely mentioned the need for the resume to demonstrate readiness to enter the workforce – or what the young professional can DO for an employer.

Huh?

To hire the right person, I don’t need an entire resume section dedicated to GPA. Nor do I need one-third of a page listing “relevant coursework”. And, I absolutely do not need objective statements describing how book smart applicants may be. Yet, these three academic sections alone accounted for nearly one full page of resume content – when many feel entry-level resumes should only be one page total? One full page… and I would still know nothing about the candidate’s ability to do the job?

Epic Fail.

Is being a good student and citizen important? Of course; first and foremost, we look to hire good people.

However, in the initial 30 seconds I, as the recruiter, am going to give your resume what really matters is not what you DID in school. What matters is what you can DO for the company, including:

1. How the experience you’ve gained so far stacks up against your job seeking competition
2. How quickly I believe I can get you up to speed – and become a contributor
3. How well you’ll fit in with the existing team

Of my top three criteria… academics is nowhere to be found.

In fact, when I see a resume dedicated to telling me what a good student you are – with no mention of transferable skills, leadership ability or quantified real world experience – I (and many other recruiters, as well) will delete your resume (and it won’t take anywhere near 30 seconds to decide).

Your schoolwork is important – to your professors, parents and to you while you’re in school. It may also be important to those who hire “top of their class at Harvard” type talent. And, if my decision comes down to you and another top-notch candidate where every other decision criteria seem equal, your schoolwork will be a difference-maker.

If you follow the old-school advice given to those who attended that webinar, however, and present a resume that shows you as an “academic” student – and nothing else… you won’t stand a chance.

Why?

No one hires students. We hire young professionals capable of doing the job, right now. And your resume should reflect what you can DO for me now – and not what you DID in classroom.

This article was graciously contributed by

More about YouTern:

YouTern advocates high-quality, mentor-based internships and connects emerging talent to dynamic leaders and mentors at start-ups, entrepreneurial small businesses and non-profits! Visit YouTern.com to get more helpful tips.

Webification recently interviewed the founder of Kareer.me to discuss some interesting topics regarding the process of starting a tech startup. The article discusses inception of the idea for Kareer.me, why it exists and where Kareer.me is headed. Get an inside look into how Kareer.me was built, how long it took to get off the ground, and why Kareer.me wants to create the best tool to help job seekers get hired.

Webification has been doing a great series of interviews with tech startup founders and is pleased to be featured as one of the startups.

Click to see the interview with founder of Kareer.me.

Kareer.me is a website that offers a way for job seekers to create beautiful, trackable, online resumes for free.

All new and improved. Kareer.me has just launched its super simple professional profile creator. Create a professional profile that is search engine optimized to get you discovered by recruiters and employers. Your safety is our priority, so we’ve given you the ability to control what forms of contact get published to your page. It’s your new home on Kareer.me.

You can create your new professional profile in just a few clicks if you have a Linkedin account. Here are the steps:

1. Login to your Kareer.me account
2. From the dashboard, click the edit profile button.
3. Click the gray bar that says “Kareer.me Public Profile Info”.
4. Click the large “Get My Linkedin Info” button.
5. Done. Just navigate to your page.

Here is a sample of what you can create using these simple steps.

For more great features and to learn how you can create awesome online resumes that will get you noticed, drop by Kareer.me. We hope to see you soon!

Words matter. It’s not often that most of us have to communicate how awesome we are to others using only words. The task is even made more difficult when you’re being compared to other job candidates solely based on these words alone. Scary….yes. The good news is that if you are careful with the words you do choose, then you will have a much better chance at standing out against the other candidates.

Crafting words in your resume is all about leaving out the vague and turning up the heat on specific actionable examples. Here are some tips to help you work through your resume and improve the way you communicate your awesome-ness.

Replace this…
“Experience working in a fast-paced environment.”
With…
“Reduced customer checkout time from 90 to 45 seconds. The fastest avg. checkout time at XYX company.”

Replace this…
“Excellent written communication skills.”
With…
“Write a highly followed blog on the topic of X. Increased follow base from 100 to 1,200 readers in under 3 months.”

Replace this…
“Team player with the ability to take on a variety of tasks.”
With…
“Coordinated with my local team and over ten clients to increase A/R and sales by over 25%.”

Replace this…
“Demonstrated success in evaluating client needs.”
With…
“Created and implemented comprehensive client survey that lead to an increase in customer satisfaction and retention.”

The demonstrations above should give you a good idea of what is meant by crafting actionable examples in your resume. If you are looking for a good guideline to know if you are on the right track, check out this list of words and avoid them at all costs. Sure they sound good, but they don’t give the resume reviewer any insight into what you actually did. Here is a list of words that should key you into vague phrases that may hurt your resume.

Words to avoid.

• Aggressive
• Ambitious
• Competent
• Creative
• Detail-oriented
• Determined
• Efficient
• Experienced
• Flexible
• Goal-oriented
• Hard-working
• Independent
• Innovative
• Knowledgeable
• Logical
• Motivated
• Meticulous
• People person
• Professional
• Reliable
• Resourceful
• Self-motivated
• Successful
• Team player
• Well-organized

Looking to improve your chances of getting hired? Check out Kareer.me to see how you can create beautiful web resumes that will get you noticed and…..you can start completely FREE.