Mother May I

I graduate in a month and I don’t know what I’m doing. For the past four years I’ve flip-flopped what my goals are, where I want to be, how I want to do it; I have so many interests and talents, I didn’t want to limit myself to just one. For a while I thought I wanted to be a Spanish teacher, but now I feel like I was just taking the safe route. Besides, I will have degrees in English and Spanish come May, but no teaching certificate. So I will have to go back to school for a while to get certified and, right now, I can’t even begin to fathom doing more school. All I want to do is start my life and start making money (and do I need money).
Okay, it’s obviously more complicated than that. You see, my mom is a major influence in my life. I am the oldest child and one that has always succeeded in school and other activities. But I am also a child who does not have it all figured out, like Mom wants me to have. Mom is a nurse. She’s been a nurse since she was 18, she always wanted to be a nurse and nursing is something she’s great at. I, on the other hand, have always wanted to be a writer. And a teacher. And an intellectual property lawyer. And don’t forget an Oscar winning actress. Her thoughts are “pick one,” and preferably the teacher—the safest, most stable of the series and a job she knows and can predict what my life will be like. So for a while I said, okay, let’s be a teacher. But more and more I found myself not being excited about the possibility of being settled so soon. I will be 22 in the summer and to go to school for another year and then move home to the suburbs to teach for thirty years, well, just seems boring. For me. For some people, it’s a dream. But like I said, there are all of those other positions that I want to explore before I take the safe route. You always lose 100% of the shots you don’t take, right?
So here’s my eureka moment: I want to be completely excited and in love with what I’m doing every day, or else what’s the point of life. Naïve? Probably. Idealistic? Yeah. Optimistic and motivating? Definitely. What do I do now? I figure out what makes me happy and what will continue to make me happy. And I figure out a way to make that happen. If it doesn’t work, I can make Mom happy and be a Spanish teacher. But I won’t say I didn’t try first. And so the job search begins.

Goals outside of work

When I first get laid off from a seasonal job, it is pretty easy for me to start collecting unemployment. The State has no problems giving unemployment benefits for somebody in my position. They require me to apply for two jobs a week, and put my resume on the State’s employment services website. This is really easy to do, and there is always the slim chance that an employer will call with a good job. During these times, I take great care to use this valuable time accordingly.
Something should be said for fulfilling goals and dreams outside of work. In my job field, I am laid off for months at a time. There are a few avenues you can head down from here. One, find an unfulfilling menial job and take a step back on your resume. Two, do nothing and sit around not saving any money or doing anything worth while. Three collect unemployment and go on a road trip. Most of the time I opt for the last option. To me, there are times when not having a job is a blessing.
I have just spent the last couple week’s rock climbing in Joshua Tree National Park in southern California, and Red Rocks National Conservation Area outside of Las Vegas, NV. A lot of my goals include some foolish activities such as climbing. Thanks to libraries and wireless internet connections, I can apply for jobs, and check in with the unemployment office while on the road. I can even do a touch tone dialing option to file for my weekly unemployment bank deposit. I have done this while hiking towards cliff faces.
Last week while walking toward the cliff faces west of Las Vegas, I was cornered by a job offer and accepted. I will be moving to Colorado next month for another 6 month job. I urge everyone out there who is out of work to focus on non-work related goals. You are only (whatever your age is) once.

Marketing Management Resume Sample

Marketing Management Resume Sample: The resume depicted here is for a marketing professional with over 10 years of experience. By her resume, you can tell she delivers results. It is clear how a company will benefit from hiring her to become part of the executive management team in the marketing department.
SUMMARY
Experienced marketing management professional with more than 10 years of award-winning results in multiple sectors. Increased sales from zero to $26 million in two years in latest position
(2002-2004).
PROFILE
Strong management background includes strategic planning, alliancebuilding and staff development, with experience directing budgets up to $4.2 million and teams of up to 156 professionals.
Extensive marketing experience in new market/product development,direct marketing, branding and affinity marketing, in manufacturing, financial services and non-profit sectors.
Delivered $26 million in new revenue and 14% growth in market share as Director of Marketing (2002-2004). Produced $120 million in new revenue as VP/CMO (1999-2001).
Superior communication skills. Experienced handling crisis and marketing communications in media relations roles. Presented to boards, government leaders and other high-level decision makers.
Senior Vice President said: “Any Name is very simply the best marketing/communications executive with whom I have been associated in my 20+ years in the communications field.” (2004)
KEYWORDS
Brand Communication and Development, vice president, VP, branding,
marketing communications, mar/com, marcom, marcomm, Director of
Marketing, Marketing Director, Business Development, Strategic
Alliances, alliance building Market Development, Brand Manager,
management, strategic planning, staff development, budgets,
budgeting, new market development, new product development, direct
marketing, affinity marketing, manufacturing, financial services,
non-profit
MANAGEMENT EXPERIENCE
Director of Marketing:XYZ Surfaces,Any City, Any State (2002-2004).
Developed strategies to drive sales of quartz counter tops nationwide. Served on top management team, reporting to GM.
Enabled growth from 36 to 312 employees. Managed three staff and $4.2-million budget.
Produced $26 million in revenue, growing start-up manufacturer into highly profitable firm, with 14% market share and recognized brand. Planned and led all marketing (Internet and traditional).
Developed brand identity and strategic plan to aggressively launch quartz product line into residential and commercial markets. Grew quartz from 13% to 39% share of product segment.
Increased sales 25% in one year by rolling out new products and colors (2003-2004).
Rapidly achieved profitability in core cities of Any City, ABC City and XYZ City in two years.
Planned and bought all media in 32 markets. Secured national spokespersons such as Any Name1, Any Name2 and Any Name3. Grew network of certified fabricators from three to 78 nationwide.
Managed in-house agency handling all design, layout and production of collateral, print advertisements, product displays and trade show booths. Also initiated and led Web site development.
XYZ Financial Services, Any City, Any State 1993-2001
This 302-employee firm ranks in top 70 among 11, 201 credit unionsin America. Highlights of tenure:
Played key role in more than doubling assets and nearly tripling net income during tenure.
Grew assets from $380 million to $820 million and net income from $5.2 million to $13.3 million
Executive Vice President/Chief Marketing and Communications Officer
(1999-2001).
Served on executive team developing long-term business strategy. Directed Marketing, Research, Communications, Business Development,Public and Legislative Affairs Divisions.
Oversaw e-business strategy and strategic brand management, as well as development of data warehouse and CRM strategy. Managed and developed seven direct reports, with $1.2-million budget.
Increased revenue/assets by $120 million with effective marketing strategies.
Planned and led marketing for two wholly owned subsidiaries:
Members Investment Services and Hirman Insurors, involving commercial and retail insurance lines. Worked with GMs of each subsidiary.
Transitioned sales force from “order takers” to “rainmakers” in newly established retail environment, successfully advancing new strategy. Also led new customer relationship management (CRM)
strategy.
Continually exceeded 32% response rates with direct marketing program. Managed in-house ad agency of art directors, copywriters, marketing communications and production staff, as well as vendors.
Won three straight prestigious Golden Mirror Marketing Excellence Awards (eight total during tenure).
Senior Vice President of Marketing and Business Development
(1998-1999).
Managed business-to-business sales and new product development, with staff of six and $800,000 budget.
Increased revenue/assets by $85 million. Developed strategies to grow overall assets, affiliate companies, members and revenue-producing products per member. Reported to CEO.
Provided strategic leadership of community involvement, legislative and public affairs. Successfully integrated marketing, business development and sales organization to achieve business plan results.
Built and led team of branch managers and business development officers to sell throughout Midwestern states. Developed and executed customized promotional strategies to achieve sales success.
Maintained 98% service quality rating (ensuring long-term profits) and oversaw brand management.
Vice President of Marketing and Business-to-Business Sales (1996-1998).
Advanced sales strategy and reorganized corporate resources, for maximum revenue. Served on top management team. Managed 14 business-to-business sales staff and $520,000 budget.
Increased revenue/assets by $121 million. Sold to executives of high-tech and medical tech companies regionally. Represented organization at business expositions and tradeshows throughout Midwest.
Played leadership role in effective lobbying efforts at state and federal levels. Leveraged wide network of contacts in XYZ and nationwide.
Managed sales effectively. Oversaw goal setting and monitoring, training all reporting.

Marketing Manager (1993-1996).

Managed efforts of in-house advertising agency. Supervised Art Director, Associate Art Director and Communications Specialist. Managed all vendor relations and $400,000 budget.
Produced $114 million growth in assets/revenue. Managed marketing communications, advertising and promotions. Wrote, produced and designed direct mail, as well as corporate/product publications.
Developed company’s first Web site. Also developed and launched home-computer banking product.
Launched Fair Value Relationship Pricing program. Successfully introduced concept of continuous, overlapping promotions to sales organization.

Director of Marketing: XYZ College, Any City, Any State
(1989-1993).
Served on executive team. Developed all marketing strategy and tactics, managing $800,000 budget.
Led organization from brink of shutdown to current position as thriving university. Significantly increased enrollment by growing non-traditional student population from 2% to 46%.
Planned and led aggressive marketing strategy to reposition school.
Directed successful marketing using print, direct mail, radio and community affairs. Served as media spokesperson.
More than doubled annual donations from alumni and community/corporate leaders.
Director of Marketing and PR: Executive Council of XYZ Girl Scouts, Any City, Any State (1986-1989).
Increased membership 23% over 24 months. Enabled 31% increase in cookie sales, despite tampering scare, by managing crisis communications with media and winning support from key corporate leaders.
Director of Marketing,XYZ Education Unit, XYZ Service America, Any City, Any State (1984-1986).
Marketed employee assistance programs to such firms as XYZ, ABC and MNO.
EDUCATION
Master of Education: HR Management and Training and Development,
Univ. of XYZ (1997).
Bachelor of Arts: Marketing; Child Development and Family Life
Education (dual major), University of XYZ (1984).

New Resume Writing Blog Helps College Grads — Just In Time For Graduation

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Minneapolis, Minnesota (March 31, 2006) — If you’re writing a resume, there is an abundance of resources and information available to help you. In fact, there are so many, it can be downright confusing — every person you ask for advice may tell you something completely different. The one piece of advice that everyone seems to agree on is to pattern your resume after leaders within your field. For this reason, CollegeRecruiter.com, the highest traffic career site for job hunting students and recent graduates and the employers who want to hire them, has created a resume writing blog that will bring help college graduates and others who are victims of resume insanity.

The new CollegeRecruiter.com Insights by Resume Writing Experts Blog features resume writing experts such as Kevin Donlin of Guaranteed Resumes. The Blog will revolutionize the way college students and recent graduates view their overall online job-hunting experience.

“It’s difficult for resume writing first timers to know where to start or what to include,” said Steven Rothberg, President and Founder of CollegeRecruiter.com. Before sifting through the more than 250,000 job postings on CollegeRecruiter.com, jobseekers will now be able to review and compare their resumes against those of top professionals across a wide spectrum of industries. In addition, the Blog will also include resume and cover letter writing advice from experts such as Donlin.

“When you’re searching for a new job, a successful resume is your first hurdle to employment,” said Donlin. “When Steven Rothberg approached me about his idea to create a blog that would combine the advice of resume writers with sample resumes, I welcomed the opportunity to help educate some of the thousands of young minds who are about to enter the workforce.”

“Even though we’re seeing a bright 2006 for many college students and graduates, it is still a competitive and tight employment market,” said Rothberg. “During these times, standing out from the crowd is challenging — especially for college students and graduates seeking new positions. The way you present yourself and your skills via your resume can either open doors to a better variety of interviews or keep them closed. At CollegeRecruiter.com, we not only try to open doors of opportunity but we also try to act as your guide toward success.”

Just like its dozens of podcasts, thousands of employment-related articles, hundreds of Ask the Experts questions and answers, and its previously launched award winning blogs, CollegeRecruiter.com will charge no fee for full access to its new CollegeRecruiter.com Insights by Resume Writing Experts Blog.

About Kevin Donlin:

Kevin Donlin is President of Guaranteed Resumes LLC. Kevin has written and edited more than 4,273 resumes and cover letters, with a 97% satisfaction rating for over 2,377 clients in all 50 states since 1996. And he’s the only writer in the world who guarantees you’ll get a job using his methods or your money back.

About CollegeRecruiter.com

CollegeRecruiter.com is the highest traffic career site used by job-hunting
students and recent graduates and the employers who want to hire them. Three
million visitors per month use the CollegeRecruiter.com network of career
sites to find part-time positions, summer jobs, internships and career
opportunities. CollegeRecruiter.com features tens of thousands of job
openings and over 3,500 pages of employment-related articles and Ask the
Experts questions and answers. Further information about
CollegeRecruiter.com is available at
http://www.CollegeRecruiter.com/pages/press-room.php.

CONTACT INFO:

CollegeRecruiter.com
Steven Rothberg
3109 W 50 St Ste 121
Minneapolis, MN 55410-2102
USA
Phone: 800-835-4989
Fax: 702-537-2227
Steven@CollegeRecruiter.com
http://www.CollegeRecruiter.com

New Resume Writing Blog Helps College Grads — Just In Time For Graduation

If you’re writing a resume, there is an abundance of resources and information available to help you. In fact, there are so many, it can be downright confusing — every person you ask for advice may tell you something completely different. The one piece of advice that everyone seems to agree on is to pattern your resume after leaders within your field. For this reason, CollegeRecruiter.com, the highest traffic career site for job hunting students and recent graduates and the employers who want to hire them, has created a resume writing blog that will bring help college graduates and others who are victims of resume insanity.
The new CollegeRecruiter.com Insights by Resume Writing Experts Blog features resume writing experts such as Kevin Donlin of Guaranteed Resumes. The Blog will revolutionize the way college students and recent graduates view their overall online job-hunting experience.

Continue Reading

Job Search and other stuff

Hi, I’m James. I recently graduated in the Fall of 2005 from Temple university In Philadelphia. My degree is in communications, which apparently means very little. I started applying for jobs in October of my final semester. I have no idea how many times I sent my resume out, Probably around 4.6 billion Out of all the jobs I applied for I think I walked away with about four interviews.My first few were complete train wrecks.Besides looking good in a suit I brought very little to the table. I was nervous, tripping over my words, when I got asked “If I had any questions?” I replied “No”. All in All, I had no chance of getting the job but the experiences weren’t a complete waste. After my second or third horrifc interview,I knew it was time dry clean the wrinkles out of my only suit, and get some books or information on how to perform well interviews. Luckily, I was working at a book store that had a real relaxed policy with their employees receiving stuff for free. So, I picked up some books on the top answers for interview questions. After that, I pretty much developed a script of answers for the general questions you get asked in an interview. I was on point. I landed two jobs after that. I know you don’t really learn this in college but studying can really help you do significantly better with things. If you’re struggling with interviews I strongly suggest picking up a book or two to help you out. They can really help you word the information on your resume into something that sounds alot sexier to the potential employer.

Another One Bites the Dust

Well my excitement over having a job interview was premature and, after Tuesday, a disappointment. Monday night I made sure to have everything ready; had my suit layed out, my stack of resumes and research on the company printed and filed in my brief/planner, the directions to the office, and a list of questions to ask the interviewer. I went to bed earlier than I normally do, and set 3 alarms to make sure I got up in the morning.
Next morning, I woke up and took my shower. Got ready, grabbed everything I needed and went out on my way. Half-way there I noticed I had forgotten my cell phone at home, but it was too late to turn around to go get it. I followed the directions to the T, and pulled into an office complex that had the address that was given to me. I went to the suite I was given, and walked in; the receptionist asked if she could help me and I told her I had an interview with so-so. She informed me that I was in the wrong place, and that company doesn’t even have an office in the building. I didn’t have my cell phone with the recruiters phone number to call the recruiter to find out where I went wrong with the directions.
I walked back out to my car, and decided to see if I could find the office by chance or see if someone else could tell me where it was located. I went to the building next to the previous one that I had just entered and did the same thing. They had no clue where the company was located either. I continued to do the same thing with another building and got the same response. At this point I was 15 minutes late for the interview.
I drove to the university I attend that was nearby where the interview was to be located, and I hurried and emailed the recruiter to find out what went wrong. I didn’t get a response right away, so I drove home thinking I would call her when I got back. There was a message from the recruiter on my land line and on my cell phone; the interviewer called her to tell her that I didn’t show up. I checked my email and she had responded by then. She told me she was sorry that I got lost. The company couldn’t reschedule me for another interview until next week Wednesday. However, they had 2 other interviews schedule for Friday and they may hire before they could reschedule me.
Needless to say I was completely and totally disappointed and frustrated. I have never missed an interview in my life, and it frustrates me that this happened. It makes me look bad and incompetent.

Job Hunting Skills: Are They Common Sense?

One of the authors of the CollegeRecruiter.com Insights by Candidates Blog posted an interesting entry earlier today. The author wrote that she applied for a job and received an email from the employer saying that he’d like to meet with her. For those of us who are so far past the point of applying for our first professional position, the natural reaction would be, “great!” But the candidate doesn’t know what to do. Not because she’s dumb, but because she lacks experience. She simply has never experienced this before. While it would be nice to advise her to use her common sense, I don’t believe in common sense. I simply don’t believe that such a thing exists.
We all are born with certain skills, such as the ability to breath. Those are instincts and not common sense. But everything else that we do, including responding to emails from potential employers, are learned behaviors. This candidate has not yet learned what to do in this situation. As soon as she’s gone through it once, she’ll know it forever. But in the meantime, she doesn’t know how to proceed.
I wish that more human resource professionals and hiring managers would keep in mind that entry level candidates are, by definition, inexperienced. Not stupid. Not lazy. Just inexperienced. They don’t know what to do and must be trained. And that includes not knowing how to respond to a request by an employer to set up an interview date. Hopefully most employers don’t get too frustrated by the inexperience of these candidates and instead understand that with a little guidance and training, they can and often do turn out to be phenomenal stars.

Financing your Dream

We have now seen the forks of life and decided that going straight is real a possibility. Blazing your own trail is never easy and there are a lot of questions that arise; the main question being “where am I going to get the money to open my own franchise?” This is a large concern to which there is no definite solution, however, when hearing the word franchise our minds right away think $$$, not all franchises that are successful cost millions. There are many successful franchises to be bought for less than $100,000; tailored to the white collar business professional. Educated individuals tend to not be interested in opening a restaurant franchise, but want to use the skills and knowledge they have learned to become a successful entrepreneur and the $100,000 franchise is the answer.
Once again we come to the ever pressing question “How am I going to franchise my dream?”
The answers are not simple but they are obtainable with a little leg work. If one is not willing to seek out all their options when looking to open a business they are going to be an ideal candidate to run a profitable franchise. The banks have programs set up for the start up business person that is very affordable in regards to interest, as many are willing to negotiate interest charges or even waive them for a period of time while you get on your feet. Banks are very inclined to loan money to individuals who present a coherent business plan that shows were your money is to be spent and how you foresee paying back your loan.
Another option includes finding an investment partner who will go into business with you while providing the financial means to support you. This option is becoming more and more common as it doesn’t take just one person to run a business and a partnership is often how successful people get their starts.
A less popular choice is going back to your loved ones to make a contribution whether it be they co-sign for a loan (be 100% sure) or they loan you the money in order to jump start your career. Once again presenting a thorough business plan will go along way when attempting to borrow money.
Institutions and those close to you are very willing to help individuals out in life provided there is a plan that will ease the payback period. No bank is going to lend you money if you don’t have a plan, no investor will invest without a guarantee that there is going to be a return on their investment.
If you are willing to show a concrete business plan and show that you are organized in your business venture you will find obtaining the money to finance your endeavor will not be that hard and you can then move onto building your business and start profiting.
One thing that is extremely important when looking at a franchise is matching your skills with those required from a franchisor.
Next Week: Matching your skill set and finding the perfect business.

Warning

So, it has been nearly a year since I received my undergraduate degree that I worked so hard for. Yet, I do not have a job that utilizes my hard earned skills and abilities. I have always liked to think that I have not led a sheltered life, that I understand that people are dishonest and often cruel. However, I committed a huge mistake. As my college career was winding down, I really put a lot of effort into my job search. Unfortunately, like so many of my peers, I rely on the internet for many of my daily activities and concerns. I pay my bills, do my banking, keep in touch with friends, so why not use this tool in my job search? The number one reason: it is full of scams. So many of the jobs listed for “recent grads” and “entry level” positions are truly scam artists trying to make a quick buck via a pyramid scheme using unsuspecting and eager graduates. This is not to say that all internet job searches are a bad idea. Just please use caution when exploring and narrowing down options. Fortunately for me, I have a wonderful career center at my alma mater that helped me research the companies that I had interviews with beforehand, and I found out just what I would be signing up for. I quickly cancelled my appointments, and hope that this advice will keep some graduates from making a big, money-draining, and time-consuming mistake.