Why You Should Never Lie on Your Resume [INFOGRAPHIC]

Why You Should Never Lie on Your Resume [INFOGRAPHIC] We all know the job search landscape can be a difficult and competitive place. Companies are looking to hire the best of the best, and it can often be a daunting  time. Many people are left wondering how they can make their resumes stand out against the competition- and  a whopping  53.3% of resumes and job applications have been embellished with information that isnt true. Resume fraud is becoming a real problem for hiring companies. It estimated that resume fraud is costing employers $600 million a year, so its  increasingly important for recruiters to perform a full background check on all candidates. In the infographic below, BackgroundChecks.org  share with us some shocking figures that illustrate the resume fraud problem. Takeaways: 51% of employers say they would immediately dismiss an employee if they found out they had been lying on their resume. Quite a low number considering! Employers in the financial services are the most likely to catch employees/potential employees out of all industries. IT companies come in a close second. The most frequent resume  lie is the embellishment of an employees skill set. 40% of HR managers have increased the amount of time they spend checking references over the past 3 years. RELATED: What are the Top 5 Resume Fails to Avoid?

Dos and Donts of Resume Writing

Dos and Don'ts of Resume WritingResume writing is a different form of writing than most other forms. In writing a resume, you have to work hard on making it look like a well-written one. There are some dos and don'ts that you need to know to make it look as good as possible.The first dos and don't for resume writing are about grammar and spelling. You have to keep in mind that your writing will be read by the employer, so you have to get the right spellings and grammar to show that you know how to write. Grammar is very important in making your resume look better.The next dos and don't for resume writing are about use proper punctuation. You have to make sure that your sentence structure, grammar, and spelling are correct. One good way to do this is to watch and learn the speeches made by some successful people. A good example is Barack Obama, who has made speeches so many times that even his speeches look polished.You should also make sure that you add the right formatting to your r esume. To help you out with this, you can use templates. There are free resume templates online. All you have to do is add your information to the template and you are done.The next dos and don't for resume writing are about formatting and putting fonts and colors that would look good on your resume. You can do this by using Microsoft Word. It comes with a formatting tool that you can use to format your resume.The last one is about how to properly attach your resume. Most employers will look at your resume to check if you have what it takes to work in their company. So you need to attach your resume in an appropriate way. This can be done by doing a good job in writing your resume.The last two dos and don'ts for resume writing are about when to apply for an interview and when not to. The first thing you have to do is check if you have time for an interview. If you don't, it is better for you to wait until the right time to apply.Resume writing is a different form of writing compared to others. There are some dos and don't that you have to follow when writing resumes. You just have to do what you think is best for you.

7 Work Habit

On the Job by Anita Bruzzese How to Break the 24/7 Work Habit First, let me apologize to those of you who tried to read this story I did for Gannett/USAToday in an earlier blog post. No matter what I tried the post ran together, refusing to mark paragraphs, bullets, etc. Well, today is a new day, so I'm trying this again..... Do you take your smartphone to bed because you claim to use it as a nightlight? Or you say its the only alarm clock you have? Or you dont want to miss a critical text? Heres the problem with that thinking: Now that the phone is only an arms reach away, its easy to check a few emails, perhaps sending off a few responses so you have one less thing to do tomorrow. Youve just stepped onto a very slippery slope that will make it difficult not to be connected 24/7. Youve become one of those millions of workers who fire off emails at midnight, or reach for the smartphone before your first cup of coffee every morning. You may claim that you have to work this way because your job or your employer demands it. But Leslie A. Perlow finds that this drive to stay connected all the time is really our own fault, and not something that can be blamed on just an employer or a job. Perlow is the Konosuke Matsushita Professor of Leadership at Harvard Business School and decided to conduct some research into our need to be on 24/7 and learn if such a habit could be broken. Using professional services firm The Boston Consulting Group (BCG) as a sort of guinea pig, she asked a team of high-powered, always-connected consultants to see if they could disconnect more and actually improve their performance and job happiness. Perlow unveils the results in Sleeping With Your Smartphone: How to Break the 24/7 Habit and Change the Way Your Work, (Harvard Business Review, $27). She found that the team not only found ways to turn off one night a week, they became closer as a team, more satisfied with their jobs and produced better company results. The company saw a clear improvement in recruitment, retention and engagement, and the process spread throughout the organization, she says. Perlow says she chose the consultants because they were an extreme example of being connected, often putting in long work days and staying connected even through vacations or other time off. But by committing as a team to predictable time off for each person, they communicated more and supported the efforts of disconnecting by everyone and held one another accountable for slip-ups (such sending emails during designated time-off periods). The problem when someone is connected 24/7 is that it sets a norm for other members of the team, she says. They start to feel that to be responsive, they have to respond late at night to emails. Its not even urgent, but it just matriculates all this bad behavior. In other words, the biggest enemy to work/life balance isus. Even doctors who do life-saving work have times when they are off and times when they are on-call, she says. So, why dont the rest of us? The process of predictable time off will work only if all the team members agree to it, she says. If a team wants to try it, she gives a list of suggestions in her book: Be honest. Tell other team members your hopes and fears. Dont be stubborn. Maybe the collective goal of the group having an afternoon off every two weeks doesnt meet your top priority. Still, dont let that stop the process. Look for goals everyone can meet that seem doable, but also are a stretch. For the BCG team, for example, the jobs unpredictable nature of never knowing there might be a night off was solved by giving everyone a certain night off. Just having that predictability was valuable for everyone, she says. Meet regularly. Its critical that a team shares on a regular basis what is happening in their lives. This helps build trust and a willingness to support one another. If things get off track with a team member, dont jump to conclusions or judgments but try to understand whats going on by asking questions. Hold one another accountable. While the agreement may be entered into with the best of intentions by team members, it can be easy to slip back into old patterns when work becomes stressful. Thats when its the most important, however, to remind one another to take a step back and realize that the work will get done better if the balance is maintained. Perlow says that her research has found that people with unpredictable work often try to gain predictability by becoming more connected but that only leads to more unpredictability. The key to remember is that were often our own worst enemy, Perlow says. You do have a choice in changing things.

7 Ways VR Is Changing How We Work - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

7 Ways VR Is Changing How We Work - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career Virtual reality is a technology we mostly associate with video games, an accessory that makes a digital world tangible. But it’s more than just a hobby â€"  it’s a device that’s changing the working world, too. That’s because virtual reality has multiple uses for companies large and small, jobs tech-related and old-fashioned. Soon, it’ll probably be part of your daily grind, too. Here are seven ways it’s revolutionizing the modern workplace. 1. It’s Creating Jobs For starters, the popularity of virtual reality is a boon to employment as a whole. Not only are more and more people becoming developers, but, with the improvement and proliferation of the technology, there are even more job openings in the VR sector. You don’t have to be a computer science pro to become involved with virtual reality, either. Everyone from marketing specialists to lawyers to business developers will undoubtedly be involved as the technology becomes more common at work and in homes. 2. It’s Revolutionizing Collaboration Sure, you can consult with far-flung co-workers via email, instant message or even through video chat â€"  but have you tried conducting a meeting with VR? The possibilities are truly endless in this regard. Rather than shuttling employees from site to site â€" more on that later â€" you can show them a new construction project and its progress through VR. Or, you could use the technology to have designers from all over the world brainstorming, drawing and revising their creations in ways they never could before. Even a face-to-face conversation is more immediate, real and personal with VR. 3. It’s Updating Training Some jobs require very intensive training before staffers are ready to complete the task at hand. In the past, this put employers in a tough position â€"  how can you prepare someone for a challenging role without the liability of having a newbie at the helm? VR is already changing that. Virtual reality has revolutionized things as specific as ship captaining and navigation. Now, training can take place through VR, giving users full access to radios, autopilot, tracking and other controls they’d need to get a ship from point A to point B. And this practice gives firsthand experience that’s informative enough to put practitioners behind the wheel sooner, rather than later. 4. It’s Bringing Virtual Employees Into the Office We already touched on the fact that VR is changing collaboration â€"  namely, that it brings together employees from across the world to take projects from planning to reality. But this technology will affect remote employees, too, whose jobs usually isolate them from the rest of the team. Now, they can come to the office regularly for meetings, status updates or feedback sessions. For a company with offices around the world, VR will make every conversation that much more personal. And, if you like who you’re working with, you’ll be happier and a better employee in turn, so VR could improve workplace performance as it hones communication. 5. It’s Improving Employee Health Sitting at a desk all day can be detrimental to a person’s health â€"  research has linked everything from slower metabolism to spinal injuries to depression to a sedentary lifestyle. But VR could be the answer to this problem. For starters, VR allows staffers to get up and move around while remaining productive. They can collaborate with and speak to their colleagues while sneaking in a bit of exercise they wouldn’t be able to get otherwise. Or, companies can someday use the technology to make workplace tasks easier on the body by making some controls virtual. These implementations are just the beginning when it comes to bettering a workforce’s health. 6. It’s Transforming the Face of Marketing It’s a specific niche, but VR is having a particular effect on the marketing world. Now, those within the industry have to consider the technology and how they can use it to improve the promotion of their product or service. It’s a powerful tool, too, since it’s so immersive and gives potential buyers even more of an experience than traditional marketing methods. Not every marketing firm has made this avenue a priority, though, and that could be a big mistake. If this happens to be your industry, start familiarizing yourself with the types of VR available to consumers and brainstorm how you could use it to your great advantage. 7. It’s Reducing Business Travel The only ones who will be unhappy about this one are the airlines that routinely fly businesspeople from one office to another. VR makes it possible for employees to slip on a headset or a pair of goggles and attend in-person meetings without setting foot on an airplane. The face-to-face collaboration will be the same â€"  the only difference is that it doesn’t take any travel to make it happen. Jetlag, hotel fees and expense reports will become obsolete, too. Go Virtual The Internet completely revolutionized the way we work and play, but that was only the beginning. Virtual reality is on its way to revamp the way we collaborate, communicate and cut down on unneeded business expenses â€"  in other words, you don’t want to miss out. So, think of ways you can make VR part of your company’s day-to-day tasks and implement them right away. The time to go virtual is now.

Resume Writing Tips - How To Write a Professional Resume That Makes Employers Love You

Resume Writing Tips - How To Write a Professional Resume That Makes Employers Love YouWhen it comes to writing a resume, many aspiring job seekers prefer to have professional resume writing tips to make the process of writing a resume easier. If you are also preparing to write a resume and looking for some of the best resume writing tips available to you, then you are in the right place. In this article, we will explore some of the most effective resume writing tips to help you craft a great resume.Resume writing tips should you put personal info should include a detailed explanation of your accomplishments. Include personal info such as name, address, and employment history. You should also list your education and work experience. However, you should be careful not to use up too much space on your resume. It is important that you avoid putting too much information on your resume.The majority of resumes consist of personal info. Many employers prefer candidates to leave the personal info on their resumes. On the other hand, most job seekers want to write a resume that includes their achievements on personal information. Many people write about their accomplishments on their resumes, but there are people who choose to leave the personal info off their resumes.While most people feel this way, employers do not. If an employer can read a resume, they can tell if a person is sincere or if they are just trying to get a job. At the same time, if an employer sees personal info on a resume, they can think the person has other intentions. If you are unsure if you want to put personal info on your resume, then write the same information about yourself on each section of your resume. By having the same information written on each section, you can assure the employer you are really interested in the position and that you really want the job.Other resume writing tips include using color on your resume. Most job seekers believe the more color on a resume, the better. While, t his may be true, you should keep in mind that employers read resumes in a monotone tone. In this case, by utilizing a little bit of color, you can be sure to catch their attention.Your resume should be no longer than two pages. There are a number of resume writing tips that would state that your resume should be five pages long. The only thing worse than being rejected for a job is being accepted for a job only to discover you were not truthful with your resume. Be sure to include all the necessary information on your resume; however, the length of your resume is more important than its length.A good resume should contain all the necessary information. Some job seekers enjoy giving out some personal info on their resumes, but too much of it on your resume can be a turn off. Keep in mind that a job search can be quite tedious. If you put out too much personal info on your resume, the employer might decide to pass you over for someone else.When it comes to writing a resume, you need t o take all the advice in the resume writing tips into consideration. Once you learn how to write a resume, you will find the process of creating a new resume is a lot easier.

My favourite movies - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog

My favourite movies - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog I just reached a major milestone: I have now rated over 900 movies on imdb (the internet movie database). Just for kicks, heres a list of all the movies that Ive given a 10, the top rating: The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (1994) 7.2 Aliens (1986) 8.3 Being John Malkovich (1999) 7.9 Blade Runner (1982) 8.2 The Deer Hunter (1978) 8.1 Dogville (2003) 8.1 Down by Law (1986) 7.6 Fabuleux destin dAmlie Poulain, Le (2001) 8.7 Fantasia/2000 (1999) 7.4 The Fatal Glass of Beer (1933) 7.6 Festen (1998) 8.1 The Fisher King (1991) 7.4 The Killing Fields (1984) 7.9 Life of Brian (1979) 8.0 Love Actually (2003) 7.8 The Matrix (1999) 8.5 Pulp Fiction (1994) 8.7 The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975) 6.8 Russian Pizza Blues (1995) 6.5 Schindlers List (1993) 8.8 Se7en (1995) 8.4 Shichinin no samurai (1954) 8.9 The Silence of the Lambs (1991) 8.5 Strictly Ballroom (1992) 7.2 Unbreakable (2000) 7.1 The Untouchables (1987) 7.8 The Usual Suspects (1995) 8.7 Wo hu cang long (2000) 8.3 Ying xiong (2002) 8.2 The number printed after the year is the movies average rating on imdb. Thanks for visiting my blog. If you're new here, you should check out this list of my 10 most popular articles. And if you want more great tips and ideas you should check out our newsletter about happiness at work. It's great and it's free :-)Share this:LinkedInFacebookTwitterRedditPinterest Related

Southwest Airlines stories by Stephen Hopson - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog

Southwest Airlines stories by Stephen Hopson - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog Stephen Hopson collects great business stories on his excellent blog Adversity University many of which happen to be about Southwest Airlines. Im a huge fan of Southwest myself not that Ive ever flown with them, Ive just read a lot about them, including the excellent book Nuts! by Kevin and Jackie Freiberg. Heres one of Stephens favorite stories that shows how employees at Southwest use their intuition: a flight attendant from Phoenix named Debra Undhjem stepped in to help an elderly (87 years old) passenger. Although the elderly woman missed her plane in Oakland, she did make it to Phoenix only to miss her connecting flight to Tulsa. Since there were no more flights to Tulsa after the missed flight, the customer had no choice but to stay overnight and catch the next available flight the following morning. In light of her situation, customer service supervisors decided to put her up in a local hotel at the airline?s expense. Thats when Debra got personally involved. She decided to go beyond the call of duty and invite the elderly customer to her home for the night instead of putting her in a hotel room all by herself. Debra made necessary phone calls to relatives in Tulsa informing them the elderly lady would be arriving on the first flight the next day. The following morning Debra brought this customer back to the airport and waited with her until she was aboard the first flight to Tulsa. This is not only a touching story to me it illustrates how employees who work for a happy company are much more likely to have the will, the initiative and the energy to do nice things for other people. Stephen also shares the story of how Southwest Airlines was invented by Rollin King, a San Antonio entrepreneur, John Parker (his banker) and Herb Kelleher (his attorney): One day, Parker was complaining how expensive and inconvenient it was to fly between Houston, Dallas and San Antonio and suggested that a new airline be started up. Rollin shared this concept with Herb who at first thought the idea was crazy but ended up talking about it over cocktails. In the final analysis, Herb famous words were: Rollin, youre crazy. Lets do it! Youre crazy. Lets do it! reminds me a little of Richard Bransons motto: Screw it! Lets do it! Stephens own story is pretty fascinating too hes a former Wall Street stockbroker turned motivational speaker, author and piliot. And hes also deaf. You can read his story here. If youre in the mood for a thrill, you should read his story of The Flight That Almost Killed me Part I and Part II. And for more on Southwest Airlines read their blog which is always a laugh and a half. Thanks for visiting my blog. If you're new here, you should check out this list of my 10 most popular articles. And if you want more great tips and ideas you should check out our newsletter about happiness at work. It's great and it's free :-)Share this:LinkedInFacebookTwitterRedditPinterest Related