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Articles by Maria Hebda

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93 articles by Maria Hebda · showing 43

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By Maria HebdaRecently published1 topic

Top Secrets of Expert Resumes

It seems no matter how good we have it, we all want a better job. That means keeping track of job listings, networking, tracking down leads, analyzing potential employers and scheduling interviews. But these depend on other people, word of mouth, and the quality and quantity of job postings available at any given time. Only your resume gives you total control over how you're perceived by potential employers. It doesn't have to be a passive job listing with subjective information on why you think you're a great and wonderful person (which of course you are).

Primary topic: Career Transition
Career Transition
1,304 views
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By Maria HebdaRecently published1 topic

Accessing the Hidden Job Market

The Truth Behind the Open Job Market Most job seekers relay on the open job market which includes job posting boards and help wanted advertisements in local newspapers to source job leads. While it appears on the surface that these search vehicles have an abundant number of job leads, the reality is that very few people secure their positions through these methods of search. Only about 5-10% of people in search find their jobs using these two methods combined.

Primary topic: Career Transition
Career Transition
895 views
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By Maria HebdaRecently published1 topic

Seven Strategies for Reducing Stress During a Job Search

Job loss ranks high on the list of most stressful situations. Many report going through a grieving process, similar to the stages people go through after the death of a loved one. Shock, denial, anger, and depression are all common reactions to the loss of a job. These emotions are important and you should acknowledge them. Unfortunately, some people become stuck in one of these stages and this is detrimental to a successful job search campaign. Below are seven strategies you can use to reduce stress and generate acceptance and enthusiasm during your search. Maintain a Routine

Primary topic: Career Transition
Career Transition
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By Maria HebdaRecently published1 topic

Set S.M.A.R.T. Resume Goals & Get Your Dream Job

Locating and securing a job is a job in itself. In fact, many people dread the employment search process because it is often very tedious, grueling, time consuming and unrewarding. We are frequently mistreated, misunderstood and misrepresented. The up side to this dilemma is we can eliminate most of the confusion and despair that accompanies beating the streets for that ideal career position by implementing a simple, yet very successful, plan of action. Which starts with a good resume.

Primary topic: Career Transition
Career Transition
1,688 views
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By Maria HebdaRecently published1 topic

Make Your Network Work for You

Networking is the art of building and maintaining mutually beneficial relationships. Frequently when I coach people who are in a job search and we discuss networking within the context of job search, many will say "Does that really work?" Like anything else, networking requires a bit of practice and finesse, but if done correctly, networking can be an invaluable part of your job search campaign. Here are a few tips to help you develop a network that works for you. Be a teacher

Primary topic: Career Transition
Career Transition
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By Maria HebdaRecently published1 topic

Top Ten Excuses Why People Don't Network

I don't want to ask for a favor. Many people think that when you network you are asking someone for a job. But this is not the goal of networking. When you network, you never ask for a job. You ask for information about an industry, company, or position. Fear of rejection. Many people fear that if they ask for information the other person might not be willing to talk to them. While it is true that not everyone will agree to meet with you, many people will extend help to you and you have nothing to loose by asking.

Primary topic: Career Transition
Career Transition
1,128 views
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By Maria HebdaRecently published1 topic

Objectives in a Resume: Yes or No?

Arguments abound, even among career professionals, about whether or not you should put an objective on your resume. Here are some PROS and CONS to consider about objectives: 1. You need to know where you want the resume to take you, and you need to make sure it's crystal-clear to the prospective employer. I can't emphasize this enough: Employers will not play a guessing-game to figure out what kind of work you want to do!

Primary topic: Career Transition
Career Transition
2,439 views
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By Maria HebdaRecently published1 topic

3 Reasons Never to Include Your Street Address on Your Resume

Below are the three reasons never to include your street address on your resume: 1. Personal Safety If you post your resume online, you're opening yourself to security risk. Most of us wouldn't include our home address on Facebook posts, personal Web pages, or tweets but we never think twice about putting it on our online resumes for the entire world to see.

Primary topic: Career Transition
Career Transition
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By Maria HebdaRecently published1 topic

Why You Need a Personal Brand

What do the most successful people over 50 have in common? They know and express who they are. They have honed and communicated their professional identity and made others aware of their personal attributes - their expertise, talents, and deepest commitments. In other words, these people have developed a personal brand - or a "Brand You," the term coined by Tom Peters.

Primary topic: Career Transition
Career Transition
1,211 views
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By Maria HebdaRecently published1 topic

The Perils of Online Posting

I was captivated by a CNN interview with an unemployed father named Eric Bell. Mr. Bell was laid off and immediately took the shotgun approach to job hunting that I passionately argue against. As a mid-level manager with a solid employment history, Eric figured he'd simply post his resume online, send out a few hard copies, and wait for the job offers to come rolling in. They never did (and I'm here to tell you that they rarely do).

Primary topic: Career Transition
Career Transition
1,201 views
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By Maria HebdaRecently published1 topic

Your Resilient Career: Learn How to Bounce Back More Quickly

How Resilient Are You? “Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.” ~Confucius Have you noticed that some people seem to recover from setbacks more quickly than others? Have you wondered what their secret is? Bouncing back is an increasingly important skill for professionals who want to thrive in today’s fast-moving world of work where careers are less predictable, job changes are more frequent, and there is less job security.

Primary topic: Career Transition
Career Transition
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By Maria HebdaRecently published1 topic

Stand Out – Follow Up

Whether you are applying for posted positions, connecting with recruiters, or networking to build a business, a critical component is often overlooked — follow up. What can you do to turn the business cards you have diligently collected into opportunities? Here are few tips:

Primary topic: Career Transition
Career Transition
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By Maria HebdaRecently published1 topic

Publishing an Ezine: Why bother?

Here are the Top 5 reasons that I suggest you publish an ezine: 1. Staying in touch with your clients and prospective clients shows them you care about cultivating a relationship with them and that you have their interests at heart. 2. An ezine is a simple and straightforward way to systematically deliver free and valuable information to your clients and prospective clients. 3. A well-written ezine increases your credibility as a career expert. 4. A consistently delivered ezine demonstrates your professionalism.

Primary topic: Career Transition
Career Transition
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By Maria HebdaRecently published1 topic

Use Your Resume to Create a LinkedIn Profile

When I’m working with a new client and take a look at his/her LinkedIn profile (if the individual has one), I often see either a bare-bones profile or one that is clearly a verbatim online version of the client’s existing resume. Since he/she is usually coming to me for resume help, that’s a conce from the get-go because it typically means the LinkedIn profile is based on a resume that doesn’t represent the person well.

Primary topic: Career Transition
Career Transition
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By Maria HebdaRecently published1 topic

To Be or Not to Be an Interim Executive?

Interim Executive... Many companies are using Interim Executives. To quote Karen Klein of businessweek.com: "Unlike consultants, Interim Executives work within a company, filling a position that has gone vacant due to an employee leaving, dying, or being dismissed. They can fulfill as many as three functions: Stepping into a job that needs doing, helping to interview and choose a permanent replacement, and diagnosing and implementing important internal changes." Advantages:

Primary topic: Career Transition
Career Transition
1,087 views
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By Maria HebdaRecently published1 topic

Choosing the Wrong Career Path

Do you find yourself spending a lot of time ruminating about your past career decisions, wondering if you should have done things differently-if you should have made other choices? Do you worry that you wasted your efforts or made a wrong decision somewhere along your path? Let me reassure you. Having had the honor of working with thousands of individuals with a wide variety of career experiences, I have come to believe that there are no wrong choices. New Directions

Primary topic: Career Transition
Career Transition
2,099 views
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By Maria HebdaRecently published1 topic

Resume Strategies: How to Entice Employers

Professional achievements and skills are two elements that must be included when developing your resume. Without them, you will only have a boring list of companies and job duties that you performed. This lack of strategy will not entice a potential employer to read your resume; not in this job market! To get noticed, you need to add value by highlighting your accomplishments throughout your document. In essence, your resume should be a marketing billboard that sells "you."

Primary topic: Career Transition
Career Transition
1,219 views
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By Maria HebdaRecently published1 topic

Big Changes Require Bold Moves

Do you ever look at others who have achieved great things and think, "They're different from me. I could never find the courage to take such bold steps?" Don't sell yourself short. Often, it's a matter of determining the right career fit and breaking your goals down into attainable steps.

Primary topic: Career Transition
Career Transition
1,322 views
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By Maria HebdaRecently published1 topic

5 Best Practices for LinkedIn Profiles for IT Professionals

This headline should come as no surprise to you if you've been following Google's growth and expansion in the Northwest: Google plans 840-worker office in Bothell. This is a tremendous opportunity for those with the right skills to fit Google's technical needs and the right personality to fit Google's culture. Do you know if this is you? I'll bet that 'Google culture' hits the top ten in search results over the next 2 weeks.

Primary topic: Career Transition
Career Transition
1,229 views
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By Maria HebdaRecently published1 topic

Value-Added vs. Job Description Resumes

Put yourself in the place of the busy manager who has to read a stack of job description resumes. Your reaction might range from falling asleep to tearing out your hair-or wanting to! Why is that? Because job description resumes are BORING and do absolutely nothing to distinguish you from the crowd. If you're not taking appropriate steps to make yourself stand out, there's not much point in submitting your resume anywhere these days. The job market is too competitive.

Primary topic: Career Transition
Career Transition
1,257 views
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By Maria HebdaRecently published1 topic

Top Reasons Why You Are NOT Getting Client Leads

Hearing "I have client leads for you" is no doubt music to the ears of any business owner! Next, is "how can I work with you?" Getting referrals is another excellent way to get client leads and it happens--why? Because someone did some marketing for you. For example, in the "careers" industry there are thousands and thousands of people searching for career services every single day. But if you are a career coach or resume writer and they can't find you anywhere, how are these thousands and thousands of people going to know that you even exist?

Primary topic: Career Transition
Career Transition
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By Maria HebdaRecently published1 topic

Death of an Objective, Birth of a Headline

Just a short time ago, it was customary for your resume to have a line towards the top that read something like: "OBJECTIVE: To obtain a position in customer service in which I can utilize my skills at an organization that facilitates innovation and growth". Times have changed since then, and undoubtedly, so has the criteria that formulates an effective resume.

Primary topic: Career Transition
Career Transition
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By Maria HebdaRecently published1 topic

Writing Resumes for C-level Tech Executives

The department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) just released employment numbers that revealed a monthly net gain of 4,400 IT-related jobs, a sixth straight net jobs gain in IT labor segments. On the surface, this sounds like incredible news - the job outlook for IT is improving although at a somewhat slow pace. Insightful analysis of this data by Foote Partners, an independent IT benchmarking research and advisory firm, tells a completely different story that will have staggering impacts on the careers of IT professionals.

Primary topic: Career Transition
Career Transition
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By Maria HebdaRecently published1 topic

Five Steps to Job Fair Success

While you will need a strong resume for any job fair, don't forget - attending a job fair is not just about submitting your resume. It's about socializing and networking with the representatives of the companies and showing off your communication skills. In order to do those things confidently, you MUST do your homework in advance and follow these 5 steps for a successful job fair experience. * STEP ONE:

Primary topic: Career Transition
Career Transition
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By Maria HebdaRecently published1 topic

How to Brand Yourself with Your Resume

In our world today, inventors and developers pride themselves on developing products that will do several functions - like the cell phone that is also a camera and a GPS device. But a resume is not such a product. It needs to do one thing - make the employer want to interview you - and it needs to do that one thing extremely well.

Primary topic: Career Transition
Career Transition
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By Maria HebdaRecently published1 topic

Part II: Resume Makeovers; I Should Hire You?

This is the second of a two-part series on making over your resume. If you read Part I, we talked about having a focus. Now, that you know how important that is let's talk about the next topic. I've said in the past that you have 8-10 seconds in grabbing the reader's attention. That's not a long time! So you need to hook them in really, really fast. Don't assume the reader is going to read your entire resume just because you sent it, when in reality unless you spark their interest quickly they will put it down.

Primary topic: Career Transition
Career Transition
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By Maria HebdaRecently published1 topic

Career Coaches CAN'T Help You - Here's Why

If you're not willing to be coached or open to change they can't help. When you're willing to be coached, open to change and new ideas, when you welcome constructive criticism, and commit to taking action is when coaches can help. What a Career Coach Does: Challenges and inspires you to do your best, and will be there to support you each step of the way. Provides you with feedback, backs you when times get difficult, and will be honest and up front.

Primary topic: Career Transition
Career Transition
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By Maria HebdaRecently published1 topic

In a Saturated Marketplace? 7 Steps to Great Business Ideas

The difference in business ideas can be compared to the difference between mediocre and exceptional and between boredom and passion. Whether you're coming up with an effective way to streamline the job search process, writing a best-selling headline to attract new clients, or coming up with a product or program that can take your business to the next level, to attract potential clients you need to stand out or you'll be overlooked. You're an expert at making your clients stand out from the crowd. Now it's about making you stand out from the crowd.

Primary topic: Career Transition
Career Transition
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By Maria HebdaRecently published1 topic

Stop Keeping Your Business a Secret!

Demonstrate your value and get on the radar of potential clients. Your business shouldn't be a secret. It's time to STOP hiding! If you don't let people know your exist, who will? Getting yourself out there and being seen and heard by your target audience is how you reveal your industry expertise and build your credibility as a career expert while building your brand. Putting yourself out there also gives you the opportunity to really connect with your ideal clients, giving them a chance to get to know, like, and trust (KLT) you.

Primary topic: Career Transition
Career Transition
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By Maria HebdaRecently published1 topic

What Is Career Coaching About Anyway?

There are still many people who don't really have a clear understanding of what career coaching is or how to go about choosing a career coach. Let's just say it's not uncommon for me to get emails, social media messages, or phone calls asking me about one or the other. So... What is career coaching exactly? It's championing and helping you reach your ultimate career goals and your career coach being with you on that journey.

Primary topic: Career Transition
Career Transition
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By Maria HebdaRecently published1 topic

What Free Stuff Does for Your Business

I haven’t met anyone who doesn’t like free stuff. Offering something for nothing does have its benefits. As a small business owner, are you taking advantage of this opportunity? I’m not saying give away all that you know but rather just a free “taste” of your expertise. How you give it away is up to you. It can be via a special report, class audio, or e-course. Other ways you can give a free sample is by putting together some type of checklist, self-test, or maybe a reference guide of some kind that would be ideal for your target market.

Primary topic: Career Transition
Career Transition
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By Maria HebdaRecently published1 topic

Invest in Yourself Without Going Broke

You ARE your business. Investing in yourself IS investing in your business and should be viewed as a business strategy. How you show up in your business and the impression you leave with potential clients whether having a phone conversation or a visit to your website helps them determine whether or not they think you’re a “good fit” or not when it comes to hiring a career professional. Unfortunately, many business owners pass up professional development because their bank account can’t support the expense right now.

Primary topic: Career Transition
Career Transition
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By Maria HebdaRecently published1 topic

Top Mistakes Career Service Businesses Make

The career service industry covers a lot of ground from career coaching in various areas to writing career documents (i.e., resumes, cover letters, etc.), to positioning your clients in the right light on social media via LinkedIn profiles and online networking. Social media plays a huge role in how people communicate nowadays. So when it comes to job searching, you, as a career professional, can serve as a key resource for people seeking help and guidance when it comes to presenting themselves in the best possible light both online and in person.

Primary topic: Career Transition
Career Transition
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By Maria HebdaRecently published1 topic

Invest in Yourself without Going Broke

Investing in yourself IS investing in your business and should be viewed as a business strategy. Unfortunately, many business owners pass up professional development because their bank account can’t support that expense right now. How you show up in your business and the impression you leave with potential clients whether having a phone conversation or a visit to your website helps them determine whether or not they think you’re a “good fit” to do business with when it comes to hiring a career professional to their job search or anything career related.

Primary topic: Career Transition
Career Transition
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By Maria HebdaRecently published1 topic

Worst Habit That TAKES Away from Your Business

One of the worst habits to have as a solopreneur is letting your inbox take control. As solopreneurs, it’s very easy to become a work-a-holic, not feeling your work is ever done and giving a great deal of time to your email can only add to your stress level without even realizing it. Improving your email habits can drastically increase your productivity, allowing more time and energy to focus your efforts on projects that support your clients and strategies that build your business.

Primary topic: Career Transition
Career Transition
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By Maria HebdaRecently published1 topic

5 Things to Know About Market Research

Offering your career services and products based on what you “think” your clients or potential clients may want is cutting back on the amount of business you could be doing. To start off 2016 on a strong note, below are 5 Quick Tips when it comes to market research and attracting ideal clients. 1. Determine what specific services and products you want to offer potential clients and existing clients as their career coach or resume writer. Go beyond the humdrum "I do career coaching" or "I write resumes" as a way to describe and market your service.

Primary topic: Career Transition
Career Transition
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By Maria HebdaRecently published1 topic

Is Your Resume Employer Driven?

Are you interested in knowing what potential employers are looking for in a resume? If you haven't updated your resume over the last few years, you might be surprised to learn what companies (large and small) are requesting in today's resumes. In the past, resumes would begin with an Objective Statement, which showed the type of position you were seeking along with your career goals. Today's "employer-driven" resumes are designed to grab the attention of hiring managers by highlighting "what you can do for the company."

Primary topic: Career Transition
Career Transition
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By Maria HebdaRecently published1 topic

Technical Careers: It's Not Just a Paycheck

Even in the toughest of job markets, it's important to keep your values in sight. Certainly money matters, but we all want to work for more than just a paycheck. We need to be able to articulate what matters to us and what gives us satisfaction, whether it's in solving complex problems, providing excellent customer service, being part of a team that does great things, or anything else that motivates you to excel in your profession. Whether you are unemployed and seeking a job or feeling trapped in an unrewarding job, some introspection will help guide your career in the right direction.

Primary topic: Career Transition
Career Transition
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By Maria HebdaRecently published1 topic

Part I: Resume Makeovers; Does Your Resume Have A Focus?

This will be a five part series in helpful tips on making over your resume. As I have stated in previous discussions everyone can create their own resume if they had the proper tools in which to do so. It takes time and in depth research on your part when it comes to writing down what your accomplishments/achievements are in creating a resume that's "value-based", not one that is not. Employers today want to see when reading your resume the value or talent you are bringing to the workplace, not the job responsibilities you did.

Primary topic: Career Transition
Career Transition
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