emewar

30Jan 2019 by emewar No Comments

Three Ways To Refresh Your Resume For 2019

If landing a new job is one of your goals for 2019, you’re likely thinking about updating your resume. While that’s actually not the first thing you should do to prepare for your search (see here for the steps you should take to build a strong job search strategy), crafting a compelling resume certainly is an important piece of the job hunt. Resume conventions and preferences are always shifting. As someone who reads a lot of resumes in my recruiting work as well as coaching my clients on resume best practices, I stay attuned to the latest trends. Here are three recommendations I’ve been making frequently to my clients as we work to update and refresh their resumes for the new year. 1. Add a summary section As I…

20Dec 2018 by emewar No Comments

Give Yourself a Holiday Gift: Celebrate Your Accomplishments

career coaching, job search, strategy

Last week, I hosted an event for my clients and I asked them to share an accomplishment they were proud of from this year with each other. While people are often initially stumped in reaction to this question, soon the answers started flowing - projects completed, new jobs landed, personal goals achieved (and even an appearance on Jeopardy!). There was so much positive energy in the room as everyone shared the things they were proud of; I wish I could have bottled it up and captured it! It’s rare to have this kind of conversation because we are so programmed to focus on what doesn’t go well: what we wish we’d done differently, or how we didn’t get it exactly right or achieve every single thing we set out to…

18Oct 2018 by emewar No Comments

What If We All Stopped “Networking”?

job search, networking

As we approach Halloween, I thought it would be appropriate to write about one of the scariest topics out there for many job seekers: networking. I was surprised to realize I hadn't written a post specifically about this topic, even though it’s one of the biggest things I focus on with my clients. And it’s especially relevant this time of year, when there’s so much hiring activity going on and the calendar is full of conferences and events. There’s so much to say about networking, but today I want to focus on demystifying the process a bit and helping overcome some of the negative perceptions out there. For many people, the idea of networking feels "icky", transactional, or intimidating. And understandably so, if you think about it solely as a means…

13Sep 2018 by emewar No Comments

Fall Cleaning For Your Job Search: 10 Ways to Prep For Peak Hiring Season

job search, LinkedIn, networking, resume, strategy

I spent all of Labor Day weekend cleaning out and organizing my house. It was definitely not the most fun way to spend a long weekend, but it was pretty satisfying to get rid of clutter and finally see the floor of some of my closets. This is not something I regularly do (thus all the clutter!), but there’s something about the start of a new season that energizes me to finally tackle nagging chores and start with a clean slate. I especially feel this way at the start of fall: no matter how old I get, the start of a new school year is exciting and feels like a chance to start fresh. Fall is also a peak time for hiring, so there’s no better time to dust off…

16Aug 2018 by emewar No Comments

Still Not Sure What To Be When You Grow Up? Start Here

career coaching, job search

Do you feel like you’ve never quite figured out what you want to be when you grow up? Do you find yourself jealous of those people who seem to have it all figured out and go from one job to the next in a perfectly logical, linear fashion? I’m going to let you in on a little secret: there are fewer of those people than it seems, and many of them are not all that happy with the path they’ve chosen. From the outside, their careers may look perfect, but there are many reasons they may have chosen a direction that doesn’t actually suit their skills and interests: family or societal pressures, financial need, or simply the inability to figure out what they really want to do. According to some…

25Jun 2018 by emewar No Comments

Three Lessons I Learned From My Own Career Pivot

job search, strategy

Four years ago this month, I started working for myself. It started with a small consulting project, which I thought would be a short-term gig to bridge the gap until I found my next “real” job. I had just moved to Seattle and left the job I had been at for five years, and I wanted to give myself some time to build a network in my new city and figure out what was next. Little did I know that four years later I’d have a thriving business. I am incredibly grateful to my amazing clients and the many supporters who helped me get to this point. But it certainly was not an easy path, or a straight one. It was terrifying to take the leap and quit my job…

23May 2018 by emewar No Comments

How to Write a Resume Recruiters Want to Read

job search, resume

I love transforming resumes. Other people’s resumes that is - I’m not sure if anyone likes working on their own! Helping clients revamp their resumes is one of the most tangible aspects of the work I do. Unlike crafting your story or building your network, which can take a little longer to bear fruit, updating a resume is more straightforward and the results are immediate. Resumes are also an important place to demystify the job search process, which is what drives me to do what I do. I love seeing the lightbulb moment when one of my clients realizes that what they thought a resume was - a chronological description of their work history and education with a few skills and interests thrown in - is very different from what…

26Apr 2018 by emewar No Comments

Why You Need a Job Search Strategy (And How To Create Yours)

job search, strategy

Are you approaching your job search strategically? If you’re not sure how to answer that question or you’re shaking your head with an emphatic “no”, this post is for you. Having a job search strategy sounds like a good thing, but what does that really mean? We tend to throw around the word “strategy” a lot, and I think it helps to come back to the definition: “a method or plan to bring about a desired future” and “the art and science of planning and marshalling resources for their most efficient and effective use.” So, having a strategy means you have a plan to bring about your desired future (a new job), while efficiently and effectively using resources (your time and energy). Sounds straightforward, but it’s something many job seekers…

20Feb 2018 by emewar 1 Comment

When Will It End? What to Do When Your Job Search Takes Longer Than You Thought

career coaching, interviewing, job search

As I write this we’re in the depths of February. Here in the Pacific Northwest, the rain is constant and the sun is scarce. Even though I know spring will eventually come, at this point in the year it always seems like winter will never end. It can feel like that when you’re job searching too, especially when the process takes longer than you thought it would. The job search has so many ups and downs, and at times it can feel like it will never end. It will end eventually of course, but as you’re in the midst of the process it can be hard to remember that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. A longer than expected job search can be very challenging, yet…

22Jan 2018 by emewar No Comments

You Set Some Goals – Now What?

career coaching, job search, strategy

February is sneaking up on us. Are you faithfully executing on all your New Year’s resolutions? Or do you have some ideas scribbled on a post-it note that you are semi-implementing and you know that you need to spend more time to actually plot them out? If you’re nodding at option #2, we have something in common! As most of us have experienced, turning ideas into concrete action can be challenging. Many well-intentioned goals fall by the wayside when the rubber meets the road and life takes over, especially when they focus on the more complex areas of our lives, like our careers. Last month I shared four questions to ask to give yourself a year end career review, and today I’m following up with some specific strategies and tools…