Resume Writing | JobTabs Job Search & Resume

May 7, 2013

JobTabs Releases Free Resume Builder – Free For Real

Filed under: Job Searching,Resume Writing,Sell Yourself — admin @ 1:01 am

Free makes people happy.

JobTabs Free Resume Builder is free. In fact, the JobTabs Free Resume Builder was created with the purpose being free as the very first design requirement. How so?

We are the authors of JobTabs Job Search & Resume Builder commonly known as JobTabs. JobTabs is arguably the most powerful end-to-end job search tool in the world. When people trial JobTabs and then uninstall it, we invite them to comment on what we could have done to make it better. The most common request we received was for a resume builder. We were baffled. We saw so many sites professing to have “free resume builders”. Why should we create a resume builder when they can just use one of the many free resume builders out there? It is easy to import resumes of any type into JobTabs, so what was the problem?

Finally, we decided to see what short-coming all of these free resume builders had that turned so many people away. To our shock and dismay, we discovered that none of the free resume builders were free! They would invite you to fill in your contact information, work experience, education and everything else under the sun not to mention any other information they could get from you such as industry, location, professional level, etc. They would compile the resume into a template and then show it to you. Okay, . . . . but when we would try to save the resume to our hard drive, email it, or anything other than just look at it we were denied. We couldn’t even copy the contents of the resume – we built – to the clipboard! Unless, of course, we paid them some money. These people profess to offer job seekers a free resume builder? We were appalled.

What was equally surprising is the number of sites that shared the same business model. They all offered free resumes, but wouldn’t allow you to do a single thing with it unless you paid them some money. Egads. This is bait-and-switch in its most obvious form. If you are offered a free resume builder, why shouldn’t you at least get a resume after you’ve built it?!

We were exasperated. And to have a bait-and-switch plan not on the jet-set, high-living crowd, but the segment of the population that was looking for a job. The nerve.

Welcome to a genuinely free resume builder. For real.

We need to mention that the JobTabs Free Resume Builder, is the property of JobTabs, LLC. It is licensed for free use, but it is still owned by JobTabs, LLC.

It is yours to use as you wish. Share it, email it, burn it to disk, publish it on the web, whatever you want to do. Build your resume, your friend’s resume, your roommate’s resume, yo’ mama’s resume. Most importantly, share it with someone or some group that is looking for a job. This is free software. Build your resume, export it to pdf, docx, doc, rtf, html and several other formats and send it to a prospective employer. It is time to celebrate your freedom and the freedom of so many job seekers who are unwittingly being shaken down by “free resume builders” across the web.

Download our free resume builder here,

JobTabs Free Resume Builder

Help other job seekers here,

If you like free, post a comment below to give us the assurance that we are doing the right thing.

If you like FREE, like us on Facebook!

John Coffey is the President of JobTabs, LLC. Through JobTabs Job Search & Resume Builder, thousands of job seekers have taken control of their destiny in finding new and fulfilling careers. JobTabs Job Search & Resume Builder motivates job seekers by making the job search easier by a huge order of magnitude. John Coffey can be reached via his website at JobTabs Job Search & Resume Builder, by email via jpcoffey at jobtabs.com, and by phone at 404-255-0248.

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June 17, 2011

Inventory Your Career With A Master Resume

Filed under: Resume Writing,Sell Yourself — Tags: accomplishment, Career, employer, experience, job, JobTabs, master, resume, skills — admin @ 12:22 am

Inventory your career when job searching.

Is this straight, baby?

When my wife and I got married, we moved out of our respective domiciles and into our new home. It was a bear of a move. I remember saying to myself, “I never knew I owned this much stuff!”

And so it is with your career. It is absolutely amazing how much experience you can accumulate in a short amount of time. If you were to look back on the last twelve months of your employment,

· How many different projects did you work on?
· How many audits/reviews did you prepare for?
· How many working relationships did you have to coddle?
· How many glitches did you have to delve into just to get things moving again?
· How many new people were you introduced to?
· What were your victories? What were your defeats?

In the course of a year, it is amazing how much we have done. Now do it for the last X years of your career. You have done a lot more than you think you have.

All of this experience can be extremely valuable when you are job searching. As I have told so many job seekers, the likelihood of any job seeker getting a job that exactly mirrors their experience to date is near zero. It is highly likely that you will have to draw on the peripheral work you have done to get under the wire. In this economy, this is doubly important yet, all too often, job seekers under sell themselves. They have a few resumes and share the resume which most closely matches the position they are pursuing. Here at JobTabs we call this, The Highway to Hell.

Taking a written inventory of your accomplishments is extremely important. The best way to do this is to develop a master resume. A master resume isn’t a resume that you would actually send to anybody. It is used only to list everything you have ever done at any company. It is your personal checklist to jog your memory to see what you can come up with to be as close of a fit as possible for any job listing in which you have an interest. A master resume has no facilities you would use in a Functional Resume. It is purely chronological and used purely for your reference. There is no page limit; the longer the better. Ultimately, you want to use your master resume to copy specific accomplishments for pasting into resumes you are tailoring for a specific job. Remember, there is rarely – if ever – any job you are going to be applying to that mirrors exactly what you have been doing, so you have to be able to draw on all of your experience.

Describe each accomplishment in your master resume much as you would a regular resume. You want to be able to copy and paste from your master resume into a resume that you would send to the employer. If you do not put everything on your master resume, it is likely that you will forget what you accomplished and that hard earned work experience will be lost forever.

In addition to listing all all of your accomplishments, you may want to do the following.

Add tags.

If you have enough bullet points, it will be easier to add a tag to them to make them easier to find. Consider adding tags for leadership skills, financial skills, team building skills, managerial, helping skills, technical skills, etc. These could help you find specific experience more easily.

Add notes to yourself.

Add extra details about the specific accomplishment to include anything an interviewer might ask you. If an interviewer asks you how you quantified a certain accomplishment you want to be confident as to how you came up with those figures. Again, you are not going to include the calculations on the resume you send to the employer, but if asked in the interview you don’t want to appear unsure as to how you arrived at those figures. Add notes about people involved in the project. If there is someone who would be happy to attest to what you did, you could add their name and contact info if you need to use them as a reference. Put these notes in a different font or color so that they stand out from the body of your resume. You don’t want to risk pasting them into your real resume accidentally.

The experience that you have garnered over the course of your career is important. To let your accomplishments slip into the ether because you didn’t remember doing it is foolhardy. It can make the difference between getting the interview or getting passed over. Take inventory of your career and you will be prepared for life.

John Coffey is the President of JobTabs, LLC. Through JobTabs Job Search & Resume, thousands of job seekers have taken control of their destiny in finding new and fulfilling careers. JobTabs Job Search & Resume motivates job seekers by making the job search easier by a huge order of magnitude. John Coffey can be reached via his website at JobTabs Job Search & Resume, by email via jpcoffey at jobtabs.com, and by phone at 404-255-0248.

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December 21, 2010

Age Discrimination is Over!

Filed under: Job Searching,JobTabs,Motivation,Resume Writing,Sell Yourself — Tags: Career, jobhunt, jobsearch, jobseeker, resume, Resume Writing — admin @ 12:23 am

Who's the boss?

There is a steady undercurrent in the job search space about age discrimination. I believe it. However, what I don’t believe is that it cannot be overcome. People, it is all about packaging.

Think about it for a moment. Let’s say someone is 50 years old and has been in the workforce in varying capacities for roughly 30 years. This person has 30 years from which to draw accomplishments which are relevant to any job posting he applies to. Take someone who has only been in the workforce for 5 years. That person only has 5 years from which they can reference relevant accomplishments when applying for a job. This gives experienced job seekers a huge advantage over less experienced hires.

The key word here is relevant. What many job seekers fail to grasp is that the likelihood of their next job being an exact match of what they have been doing up to this point is nearly zero. When applying to a new job, there is invariably going to be some nuance of the job posting that the applicant is going to have to correlate to his experience to date. Examples could include,

Managing other people.
Setting goals and a course of action for projects.
Working within a budget of varying sizes.
Demonstrating some knowledge of government law such as safety, employment, environmental, etc.

Experienced job seekers, if they work hard to chronicle their career to date, would have a much easier time getting under the bar to fulfil what the employer is looking for. Then there are a host of subjective considerations that the senior job candidate is far more likely qualified.

Conflict resolution among individuals, teams or departments.
Proactive problem solving.
Identifying the chain of command and working within it to get buy in.
Generally more likely to be looked to as a leader by subordinates than by someone closer to their own age.

A cornerstone of JobTabs Job Search & Resume success has been its ability to easily manage a large number of resumes for a wide number of job opportunities. As the experienced job seeker applies to more and more positions, he gradually accumulates more and more supremely tailored resumes for different job descriptions. Here is the lynch pin . . . . as the experienced job seeker creates more resumes in JobTabs, it becomes easier and easier to create even more refined dead-on resumes for each job they apply to. The breadth and depth of their experience is pared down to only what is absolutely relevant to the immediate job posting – as it should be! Creating a copy of a resume that meets 80% of the requirements and bringing it over 95% becomes incredibly easy!

While the junior candiate has his own advantages, he does not have the experience pool that a 50 something job seeker has. This is a very touchy subject among many. If you have any enlightening comments to share with me I would readily welcome them. Otherwise, age discrimination is over!

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January 14, 2009

Do you mortise your resume? I hope so!

Filed under: Job Searching,Resume Writing,Sell Yourself — Tags: Job Search, JobTabs, Resume Writing, Sell Yourself — admin @ 12:09 am

When we moved into our house, the previous owner had these wide closet doors that wouldn’t stay shut and it drove my wife crazy. I decided to solve the problem by installing ball catches to hold the doors in place.

Whenever I go to the hardware store, I always read the instructions of anything I need to install before I make any purchases. It gives me the opportunity to buy any extra tools I might need and gives me a chance to make sure I am up to the task. Picked up a Stanley ball catch and read the instructions. Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. Got it. Took it home, whipped out my hulking, pseudo-phallic symbol of a power drill and went to work. I always read the directions several times before I do anything, because a mistake on a home project is acutely painful – especially if there is a drill involved.

I don’t know how I did it, but I completely missed this word ‘mortise’. I didn’t really know what it meant, but how difficult could it be? Any step described by one word can’t be that complicated. Step 6 was soon upon me, ‘mortise’. I whipped out the dictionary and looked it up and still couldn’t figure it out. Then it dawned on me. I had to gouge out a recess in the door frame so that the strike plate would be be flush with the frame. When the door closes, the ball in the ball catch needs a recess in the frame to hold the door shut. I don’t like the idea of gouging anything and began to make the problem much more complicated than it really was.

“Huh? I have to gouge a recess in the frame?! Why didn’t they just say so?! These people were expecting me to get my wood chisels and start carving a hole in the door frame. I’m not a carpenter! How many rows upon rows of lexicographers did it take to come up with this word – mortise!? If they wanted me to gouge out a hole in the frame, why didn’t they just say tell me to ‘gouge out a hole in the frame?’ These corporate titans sitting behind their massive mahogany desks preying upon the everyday house husband. These people screwed me!”

I was fuming. Eventually, I cooled off, accepted my situation, and set out to come up with a solution. Wound up drilling a couple shallow holes and then finishing it with a slightly deeper hole in the center. Piece of cake. The ball catch works beautifully and is the standard to which all persons installing ball catches should aspire.

Then the pall of the irony hit me like a ton of bricks. The Stanley Corporation did exactly what I would have told them to do. They skirted over the unsavory details. They created an image of simplicity by making their instructions so trite, I would just read right through them. If I had been reading the instructions in the store and read, “6. Gouge or drill a recess in the frame of the door.”, I probably wouldn’t have purchased the ball catch. I would have looked for a “simpler solution” from another company. When I actually went about installing the ball catch the real problem was freaking out when things weren’t as straight forward as I expected. I over-reacted, even though I had all of the tools and savvy I needed to do the job. They did what I encourage job seekers to do every day. Downplay the details of anything that the prospective employer might find unsavory. Bring attention to what you have accomplished in the context of what they want to hear. Downplay everything and anything that does not pertain to what they are looking for.

This of course begs the question, “Don’t you risk running the chance that the employer will be fuming after you get hired?” The answer is a firm and resolute, “No!” That’s the job you want, right? You have the experience and can attest to it, right? How can the employer fume? Gentle reader, when you are looking for a job you need to close the deal. If there is any dissonance after you are hired, you need to mollify the employer’s fears by reaffirming your qualifications and then going out there and doing an over-the-top job. In fact, if your performance is anywhere near as good as my ball catch installation you can look forward to a long and mutually beneficial relationship with your employer!

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January 12, 2009

Billy Mays here with some great tips on getting a job . . .

Filed under: Job Searching,Resume Writing,Sell Yourself — Tags: Career, Employment, Job Search, JobTabs, Resume Writing — admin @ 12:48 am

Billy Mays didn’t write this post, but he serves as the backdrop for resourceful ways to sell yourself on the job search.

There are all kinds of subtleties at play during the process of selling. You need look no further than the ads that abound on CNN and late night TV. Personally, I find these ads demeaning. The sales pitch is so overwhelming it is as if they are focusing on creating a knee jerk reaction on behalf of the user to pick up the phone and buy the product. The most prolific seem to be these ads featuring Billy Mays, the purveyor of

Mighty Mendit
Mighty Putty
HandySwitch
Steam Buddy
and a host of other handy dandy items.

I have studied these ads intently.

What can I glean from these ads that would help the taberatti (people who use JobTabs) land their next job?

Common to all of these sales pitches, whether it is Billy Mays or someone else, is invariably,

“This product is amazing!”
“If you order now I will double/triple the offer!”
“But wait there’s more, I will throw in this handy dandy gizmo absolutely free!”

If you think about it, these are all resourceful ways to sell yourself on the job front. Let’s have a closer look.

This product is amazing! The message is that this is a product that delivers solutions. There are compelling videos of people struggling without their product and then showing satisfied people who are using the product.

Let the value you impart as an excellent candidate be unmistakable. Here is how you do this.

1. Present yourself as a problem solver. Much like the videos, use your resume to paint a picture of problems that were not being solved and how the company was suffering. Then you came in and solved the problems and everybody was happy. This is the P.A.R. (Problem – Action – Results) approach to writing your resume.

2. Quantify the impact you had on the solution. What percentage did sales increase? How many dollars did you save? You don’t have to do a business school case study to get these numbers. Use the best resources available to you and roll with it.

3. Sprinkle the commendations and accolades you have received from management to let the person reading your resume know that you are good at what you do.

Be sure you understand the professional demands of the position you are applying to. There are often challenges faced in one company that have been overcome in another. Be sure that your exposure in the field is rounded enough so as not to disqualify you from consideration. Make an effort to research the company and find out what challenges they are up against. The best thing you can do is put your talent in the context of the specific challenges the company is facing to the best of your ability.

If you order now, I will double the offer. The goal is to create a sense of urgency.

Don’t be afraid to create a sense of urgency. This can be a powerful motivator for employers to give your candidacy serious consideration now. It is important to note that this has to be done with tact. Too urgent could disqualify your candidacy because the administrative process cannot move fast enough. Not urgent enough, will cast doubt on how urgent all of this really is. In your cover letter, you can mention that you are getting a great response from companies looking for your qualifications, but working at XYZ Corp. is the fit you are looking for. Examples,

“The breadth of my hands on experience in the field has garnered more interest from employers than I had initially anticipated given the economic downturn. As much as I appreciate their interest, I firmly believe working at XYZ Corp would be the best fit for me. Simply put, I have the experience to leverage the breadth of the product line to give key advantages to XYZ customers that competing firms cannot offer. As confident as I am that I could deliver results for XYZ, I would not want any delays in the hiring process to impact my candidacy with other employers who are more forthcoming with their interest. If we could meet this Friday . . . “

“My success at delivering results has garnered more interest from employers than I had initially anticipated given the economic downturn. As much as I appreciate their interest, I firmly believe working at XYZ Corp would be the best fit for me. Companies want increased sales and that is what I do best. I would not want any delays in my candidacy for this position to be construed as ambivalence by other employers who are ready to move more quickly. If we could meet this Friday . . . “

“My ability to think outside the box and deliver innovative solutions has garnered more interest from employers than I had anticipated given the economic downturn. As much as I appreciate their interest, I firmly believe I can lend the most value to XYZ Corp. While every company needs structure and deadlines to succeed, XYZ Corp has long had a reputation for fostering innovation and creativity and this is an environment where I thrive. As confident as I am that I could have a huge impact at XYZ, I do not want to put off any employers who have made their interest in my innovation and creativity readily apparent. If we could meet this Friday . . . “

But wait there’s more, I will throw in this handy dandy gizmo – absolutely free! The message is that if you buy this product, you will get more than what you pay for.

We are hardly suggesting that you work for half price. We are suggesting that you stress the extra value you are bringing to the table above and beyond what they are looking for. Remember, it is not incumbent upon the employer to draw the conclusion that you are bringing a lot to the table. For example, if you have a Masters Degree in Management don’t count on your employer saying, “Hey, this candidate has a Master’s degree. This will provide a better foundation for her judgement.” It is incumbent upon you, the job seeker, to tie the extra value you are bringing to the table with what they are looking for. Sell it. For example, in your cover letter for a Product Manager position you can say something like,

“My immersion in Boston University’s M.S. in Management program allowed me to understand organizational behavior and the signposts to look for as a product line evolves. In addition to leading the product team more prudently, I will be set able to set realistic goals as well as avoid pitfalls that have beset lesser companies.”

In closing, getting a job is going to require some level of salesmanship. While we readily discourage the use of any knee-jerk, impulse buy sales tactics, there are some subtleties in this approach that you can use to improve your candidacy for the jobs you apply to. Give your candidacy an edge and sell yourself. Did I miss any other part of the sales pitch? Let me know and I will fill in the gaps!

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