I learned yesterday that my husband also hates to "eat out of a microwave" and thinks that it is "unhealthy." So, I have a new challenge of coming up with lunch ideas that he can take to work and eat (so he's not going out to eat every day.) He also says that although it's nice that I'm coming up with lists of food for him, I should be getting up extra early to prepare them for him too. Grumble grumble-not gonna happen.
Today, however, I got up on time and packed both of our lunches. We had fat free cottage cheese (1pt per serving), quinoa salad from Costco (value unknown) and cilantro lime shrimp from Costco (2 points per 4 oz serving).
Trying to find no heat needed meals has left me really frustrated. I have this thing where "everything's a side dish." Salads, even meaty salads, are not a main course. Same goes for soups. Speaking of soups, I'd never realized just how many low calorie options Progresso has. Holy cow. Eating a broth-based soup as a first course helps increase feelings of fullness. Maybe when I'm packing our lunches in the morning I should put the soups in a tupperware? Maye if it's in a Tupperware vs a can he'll feel better about it? Plus, each can is two servings anyways.
Wraps: http://www.hungry-girl.com/weighin/printable-recipe/419
Beef Jerky: Costco's "Steak Strips" are 1pt per ounce.
Sandwiches: Chicken Salad Sandwich Turkey Club Sliders
Salmon Salad (I would probably make it into a salad sandwich) Egg Salad (also would make into a sandwich)
Salsa-fied Tuna Stacks - Mix 1/4
cup flaked albacore tuna (packed in water and then drained) with about 3
tbsp. salsa. Divide the mixture between two rice cakes (or crackers, if you can't stand rice cakes). The whole
thing has only about 150 calories!
Hard-Boiled Egg Whites
This just in: He changed his mind. He'll eat leftovers, just not frozen foods. I guess now I have to plan what we're going to cook for the week...
Friday, December 2, 2011
Thursday, December 1, 2011
Resume Building
So, this is something I've wanted to write for a while, especially after I helped my husband with his resume a few months ago. With his resume and interview skills, he found a job in 5 days. We began submitting applications on Sunday, and he had a job by Friday. Note: My husband never attended college. When I looked for a new job in March, I found a new job in 8 days, and I graduated with a BA and tons of accolades and honors. I worked with a career services professional at a college in writing my resume, which is where I learned most of these skills. I have also helped inmates write their resumes and practice for interviews.
Basics:
It is not the quantity of applications you submit, but the quality. You can't write one resume and send it off with every application. You can't rush and answer the essay-style questions on the application. Some applications are your initial interview, just in written form.
My husband and I both have multiple versions of our resumes. For him: one that highlights leadership/management skills, one that highlights customer service skills, one that highlights food service and hospitality industries. For me: ones that highlight my work with children, my work in corrections, my skills in a professional office setting.
Expect to spend at least two hours working on your resume, and multiple drafts. Expect to spend at least half an hour on each application you fill out.
Use keywords. If the job posting says they want someone with x, y, and z, make sure the words x, y, z are in your resume/cover letter. Tell them what they want to hear. They told you what they are looking for, so give it to them, and give it to them in an easy-to-digest format. They are reading HUNDREDS of applications, they don't want to have to dig for what they're looking for in your resume. Oh, employers will also just have a computer program scan your resume. Literally, keywords. If you don't have enough of the ones they're looking for, a real person will never review your application.
Employers are looking for two things: who you are (personality traits) and skills. I typically put this in an "overview" or "skills section." One example:
Short and sweet. No one wants to read your novel of a resume. Don't use sentences: use bullet points. It's easier to scan for key words. If you're applying for an entry-level position, one page is sufficient. If you're applying for a position that wants 3-5 years experience in the field, a longer resume that highlights all the experience they're asking for is needed.
Use strong verbs. Drop the "I". Make sure every bullet point starts with a strong verb. If you were a flagger for a construction company don't put, "flagged behind concrete trucks." Instead state, "complied with industry regulations and insured safety of crew and motorists." You just told me that you understand the importance of your job, that you can be trained and learn to follow instructions. You're not "just a flagger" you are a central part of making sure that we don't get cited for failure to follow safety protocols. You keep people safe. This word and skill choice is especially important if you're changing fields. The specifics of your job won't matter as much as the broader idea. If you had a summer job as a lifeguard and swim instructor, don't say "responsible for teaching group swim lessons." Tell me about how you had to provide individual attention to students while also ensuring that the group remained safe and on-task. This shows people skills, attention to detail, and ability to multitask. You can see both the forest and the trees.
Also, verb continuity of tense. Don't go from: "meets cleanliness standards" to "answered telephones" to "balancing budgets." It either needs to all be present, or past, or ing.
Play to your strengths. Education matters. Especially when you're applying for your "first real job." Put your education at the top. It will explain why your work history is short/menial. "This person has all these great skills, but why has she been working in a restaurant/at the mall for the last 7 years?" "Ohhh. She was putting herself through HS and college." It also says a lot about your character. "Ohhh. She's hard-working. She has time-management skills." Working while you go to college is impressive. It also tells your future employer that you've hopefully learned some people-skills for working with other people and have experience managing conflict among coworkers and job stress. If you've held a job before, you're less likely to have unrealistic expectations for work conditions, raises, benefits, etc.
Make it easy to read. This goes along with the bullet points, but also use font sizes and bold/italics and indentations to tell me what I'm reading. Underline the name of the company, bold the job title, something. A lot of this depends on how your resume is structured. Did you have multiple positions within one company? You want to emphasize that they valued you enough to promote you, so make clear distinctions in the timelines, job duties, and job titles.
Another bonus to your formatting is that you can gloss over negative parts of your resume. Were you unemployed for 6 months? Give only information on years employed instead of months and years. Also, they don't need to know EVERY job you ever had (unless they ask for a complete work history), but if you only managed to work for a company for 3 months, that looks bad on your resume, so just pretend it didn't happen if you had strong employment sandwiched on either side of those 3 months. If you're going to do month and year write out August 2005 instead of 08/05-03/07. It looks like numbers and squiggles and requires more effort to comprehend than August 2005- March 2007.
Have someone else read your resume. You might know what you were trying to say, but the HR rep might not understand the jargon of your field (unless it's a keyword on the job posting).
This probably isn't comprehensive. Any other suggestions for having a good resume? I'll do some posts on interviews next.
Basics:
It is not the quantity of applications you submit, but the quality. You can't write one resume and send it off with every application. You can't rush and answer the essay-style questions on the application. Some applications are your initial interview, just in written form.
My husband and I both have multiple versions of our resumes. For him: one that highlights leadership/management skills, one that highlights customer service skills, one that highlights food service and hospitality industries. For me: ones that highlight my work with children, my work in corrections, my skills in a professional office setting.
Expect to spend at least two hours working on your resume, and multiple drafts. Expect to spend at least half an hour on each application you fill out.
 | |
| This is your resume. Better make it good or no one will read it. | Photo Source |
Use keywords. If the job posting says they want someone with x, y, and z, make sure the words x, y, z are in your resume/cover letter. Tell them what they want to hear. They told you what they are looking for, so give it to them, and give it to them in an easy-to-digest format. They are reading HUNDREDS of applications, they don't want to have to dig for what they're looking for in your resume. Oh, employers will also just have a computer program scan your resume. Literally, keywords. If you don't have enough of the ones they're looking for, a real person will never review your application.
Employers are looking for two things: who you are (personality traits) and skills. I typically put this in an "overview" or "skills section." One example:
|
Skills
Personal Skills:
Experience working with diverse populations, respecting the sensitive nature of
their needs and situations. Detail and goal oriented. Able to work
independently and within a team setting, multi-tasking while prioritizing tasks
as necessary to ensure all work completed in a timely fashion. Excellent
communication skills, written, in person, and over the phone. Highly trainable
and able to learn new tasks quickly.
Office &
Computer Skills: Phone, Reception, Data Entry, Auditing, Meeting Minutes,
Spreadsheets/Reports, Executive Support, Ordering, Commissioned Public Notary, 90WPM,
Proficient in MS Word, Excel, Visio, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Publisher.
Research Skills:
Structured interviews, literature reviews, manuscript writing, coding data,
etc.
Short and sweet. No one wants to read your novel of a resume. Don't use sentences: use bullet points. It's easier to scan for key words. If you're applying for an entry-level position, one page is sufficient. If you're applying for a position that wants 3-5 years experience in the field, a longer resume that highlights all the experience they're asking for is needed.
Use strong verbs. Drop the "I". Make sure every bullet point starts with a strong verb. If you were a flagger for a construction company don't put, "flagged behind concrete trucks." Instead state, "complied with industry regulations and insured safety of crew and motorists." You just told me that you understand the importance of your job, that you can be trained and learn to follow instructions. You're not "just a flagger" you are a central part of making sure that we don't get cited for failure to follow safety protocols. You keep people safe. This word and skill choice is especially important if you're changing fields. The specifics of your job won't matter as much as the broader idea. If you had a summer job as a lifeguard and swim instructor, don't say "responsible for teaching group swim lessons." Tell me about how you had to provide individual attention to students while also ensuring that the group remained safe and on-task. This shows people skills, attention to detail, and ability to multitask. You can see both the forest and the trees.
Also, verb continuity of tense. Don't go from: "meets cleanliness standards" to "answered telephones" to "balancing budgets." It either needs to all be present, or past, or ing.
Play to your strengths. Education matters. Especially when you're applying for your "first real job." Put your education at the top. It will explain why your work history is short/menial. "This person has all these great skills, but why has she been working in a restaurant/at the mall for the last 7 years?" "Ohhh. She was putting herself through HS and college." It also says a lot about your character. "Ohhh. She's hard-working. She has time-management skills." Working while you go to college is impressive. It also tells your future employer that you've hopefully learned some people-skills for working with other people and have experience managing conflict among coworkers and job stress. If you've held a job before, you're less likely to have unrealistic expectations for work conditions, raises, benefits, etc.
Make it easy to read. This goes along with the bullet points, but also use font sizes and bold/italics and indentations to tell me what I'm reading. Underline the name of the company, bold the job title, something. A lot of this depends on how your resume is structured. Did you have multiple positions within one company? You want to emphasize that they valued you enough to promote you, so make clear distinctions in the timelines, job duties, and job titles.
Another bonus to your formatting is that you can gloss over negative parts of your resume. Were you unemployed for 6 months? Give only information on years employed instead of months and years. Also, they don't need to know EVERY job you ever had (unless they ask for a complete work history), but if you only managed to work for a company for 3 months, that looks bad on your resume, so just pretend it didn't happen if you had strong employment sandwiched on either side of those 3 months. If you're going to do month and year write out August 2005 instead of 08/05-03/07. It looks like numbers and squiggles and requires more effort to comprehend than August 2005- March 2007.
Have someone else read your resume. You might know what you were trying to say, but the HR rep might not understand the jargon of your field (unless it's a keyword on the job posting).
This probably isn't comprehensive. Any other suggestions for having a good resume? I'll do some posts on interviews next.
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