New Year, New You  and New Career

New Year, New You and New Career New Year, New You and New Career No matter what your personal religious, political, or social views are, we can all agree on one thing 2016 was a tough year. Friends and families were pulled apart by political differences. Workers went through difficult corporate layoffs and restructurings. Violence and death appeared daily in the news.Its been rough very rough.In fact, many people are opting to take breaks from social media just to regroup. Others are refocusing on eating healthy and taking care of themselves. Theyre using their time to prepare for a better, mora positive year in 2017.This is one of those times when I feel extra thankful for fresh starts. And what better way to begin again thanwith a few new years resolutions Rather than focusing on things outside of your control, its time to reflect on what is inside of your sphere of influence. As you can guess, I recommend your career be placed at the very top of your list.Your careerhas a very direct and immediate impact on your daily life. It can affectyour financial well-being, your personal stress, and the general fulfillment you feel.Transforming Your Career in 2017Take inventory of whats working in your career and what youd like to change. Do you want to land a promotion? Would you like to make more money, work in a different industry, or live in a different city? Are you looking for better work/life balance? Would you prefer to use your strengths in a different way?Theres no right answer when it comes to deciding whats important in your career and your life. The most important thing is to be in touch with whatmatters to you. From there, you can set goals.But dont fool yourself. Career transformation is a process. It rarely happens overnight, and its certainly bedrngnis easy.First, prioritize your goals by determiningthemost important ones. Then break them down into steps. Perhaps one goal is to update your LinkedIn profile. One step might be to take a new photo ano ther step might be to add your latest job title and accomplishments.Breaking your goals down into bite-sized pieces makes them more attainable. Attaching those goals to due dates will help youhold yourself accountable.Whatever path you choose to pursue in the new year, start strong. Companies really do begin hiring in January, so dont put off the changes you want to make. Put failure out of your mind. Acknowledge that the effort is the most important part of the entire process. And dont be afraid to ask for help. Moving up in your career is rarely a goalachieved alone. It takes great managers, mentors, friends, confidants, coaches, and family members.Im certain that with a little effort and teamwork, we can make 2017 brighter all the way around.A version of this article originally appeared in theMemphis Daily News.Angela Copeland is a career coach and CEO at her firm,Copeland Coaching.

8 Tips for Parents Returning to the Workforce

8 Tips for Parents Returning to the Workforce8 Tips for Parents Returning to the WorkforceIf youve been a stay-at-home parent whos now returning to the workforce, you might feel intimidated. After all, youre competing against candidates who didnt step away from a professional track, your skills might feel rusty and it might have been years since you interviewed. But with some effort and the right mindset, you can get yourself back to work. Here are eight key tips to make the transition from stay-at-home mom or dad to working parent. 1. Dont put child-rearing on your resume as a job. Some parents who are returning to work are tempted to list their time at home as its own job, complete with titles, such as domestic engineer, family CEO or household manager, and duties, such as scheduling, budgeting and child care logistics. Dont do this. Your resume is for professional accomplishments and employment where you were accountable to someone outside of your family. And you dont want to co me across as if you dont understand why the difference matters. 2. Explain the gap in employment in your cover letter. Employers will wonder about the gap since you last worked, but you can simply explain in your cover letter that you took a few years (or however long its been) to stay home with your child but are now eager to return to work full time. 3. Dont try to hide your time away from work by using a functional resume format. Stay-at-home parents are often advised to avoid a standard chronological resume format and instead use a functional resume to downplay their work gap. Functional resumes dont show employment dates or a clear career chronology, but instead simply list skills and achievements. The problem is that the format is an immediate red flag to hiring managers that youre trying to hide something. It makes it impossible to understand what you did and when you did it. Functional resumes are often an instant deal breaker for employers. Theyre elend worth the risk. 4. Lean on your network. Your network will be one of your most important assets when youre ready to look for work again. When youre competing against candidates with more recent work experience, having a connection to the hiring manager or a referral from someone who knows you can be the thing that gets you an interview and serious consideration. Hopefully youve been maintaining your network long before you began thinking about returning to work by staying in touch with past colleagues, occasionally going out to lunch and just generally not letting those connections lapse. But if you havent done that, its not too late. You can still reach out to past colleagues, classmates, neighbors, even parents of your kids friends, and let them know that youre looking for work. 5. If possible, do some contract work while youre out. Completing a few contract projects will give you more recent work to put on your resume, and it will start building a group of new contacts who might eventually hir e you for full-time work or refer you to jobs at other companies. 6. Join a professional organization in your field. Professional organizations can be great places to meet people in your field, get job leads and fleck yourself more strongly for your return. You can amplify the benefits of membership even further by volunteering to serve on the organizations board or one of its committees, as well as attending its networking events. 7. Talk with your partner about how youll divide child care duties now that youre returning to work. If your partner has been working while youve been at home, he or she may assume that youll continue to be the primary person responsible for juggling school pick-up and drop-off, homework supervision, packing lunches, field trips and everything else you juggled when you were at home full time. But just because it used to be your job doesnt mean that it should continue to be. Now that youre both working, its time to revisit that division of labor and come up with a new plan thats fair to you both. You may even need your partner to take on more than half while youre getting settled in your new job. Whatever you decide, dont assume that youre both on the same page. Sit down and talk it through. 8. Make sure you have a solid child care plan with backup options. If your daycare wont take sick kids, do you have a backup sitter, an agreement with your spouse to split the care on those days or some other plan? Sick kids can eat up your annual leave quickly, especially if your company gives fewer days to new employees, so youll want to have plans in place to handle inevitable kid illnesses when they arise.

Get Noticed With Our Fast Food Worker Resume Template for Word

Get Noticed With Our um ein haar Food Worker Resume Template for WordGet Noticed With Our Fast Food Worker Resume Template for WordIntroductionIf you want your resume to be strong and attentionExperienced and ambitious fast food cook with a diverse background in food and customer service. Fully committed to ensuring that all customers receive the highest standard of service during each transaction. Strong understanding of sanitation principles, cash register operations, and positive verbal communication. Perfect Your Skills SectionThe skills section of your resume provides you with the opportunity to showcase your talents and abilities in a concise manner. When writing your skill section, be sure to use bullets and statements. You do not need to add periods to the end of each statement. You should also tailor your skills section to the job description. For example, if the job descriptions states that a hard worker is needed, use your skills section to show exactly how hardworking you are. The fast food worker resume template for word above does this perfectly, so it can serve as a valuable resource when you are writing your own. Using key abilities throughout your section will also be good for ATS purposes. Here are some of the most useful skills a fast food worker can have Ability to operate a POS systemCustomer service skillsMultitasking Active listeningPolish Your Work History SectionA wellAssociate of Arts 2008Las Vegas Community CollegeCertificationsHospitality and Restaurant Management