Tuesday, April 21, 2020

Writing a Resume With College Name Has Changed

Writing a Resume With College Name Has ChangedCollege students all over the country are learning how to write a resume with college name has changed. This kind of important document is not something that you can just throw together and send out for an interview.If you're anything like me, you tend to be a little anxious when it comes to writing your professional resume. There's always something going on at work that will prevent you from getting to work, there's always something at home that requires your attention, and there's always the annoying little nagging reminder that your mother is always telling you about: how much you have to save up, how you can start your own business, and so on. While I'm sure this doesn't help you avoid all those annoying reminders, you can at least try to prepare yourself for how you'll handle them as you write your resume.In addition to preparing yourself for the changes in the way your resume is written, it is very important to keep the way your col lege name is written in the same way. This is extremely important because if you don't follow the old format, you could find yourself making some minor errors that might make it hard for the employers to find what you're talking about. You don't want to fall into this trap so be sure to use the same formatting so that they can easily read your resume.As I stated above, there were a few other things you need to be sure to include on your resume, and one of them is how you met your current employer. One of the easiest ways to do this is to leave out your college name. This leaves it up to the employer to decide which school you attended.Another thing's obvious is that you want to include a job description. Yes, it can be awkward to show a job description but it can really be difficult to come up with a good one without including your college name. The only way to get around this is to remove your college name altogether. However, I highly recommend that you include it just so that you can tell the employer why you're applying for the position.An easy way to do this is to include your university on the cover page. Employers really appreciate the integrity that it shows. They'll also appreciate the fact that it is on the cover so they can see it without having to see everything you wrote on the resume. Finally, this simple technique will give you a good, clean resume without using any words that can't be included.So, now that you've learned a few tips to write a resume with college name has changed, you can use this information to determine if you want to use the format that I recommend or one that is more complex. Either way, you'll be sure to get better results that will help you land your dream job.

Wednesday, April 15, 2020

What Not to Say in an Investor Pitch

What Not to Say in an Investor Pitch Unfortunately, there are many different areas where you can fail with a startupâ€"and raising money from investors is no exception. Having founded numerous companies, advised dozens more, and put together more pitch decks together than I can count, I learned the hard way which pitching mistakes are fatal and which ones are survivable. This is why having veteran entrepreneurs in your startup team is an attractive factor for investors; experience is often life’s best teacher. But if you don’t have that knowledge at your fingertips, instead be a student of other startups’ failures. Make sure that your pitch doesn’t reflect inexperience or naivetéâ€"not just because investors won’t touch your startup, but because your survival depends on it. Over my time as an entrepreneur, I’ve identified these as the four most lethal phrases to use when trying to raise money: “We have no competition.” Why it’s a pitch killer: It shows that you either don’t understand your customers or have done a terrible job analyzing the competitive landscapeâ€"and often it means both. With any business, you are either competing against ingrained behavior or against a rival company, and you need to know the balance of that situation better than anyone. Just because you think that you are a “first mover” doesn’t mean that you get a free pass in studying the competitive landscape. In fact, I would argue that you have even more work to do. As a general rule, assume that any idea you’ve heard of has been done before. If there isn’t already a market dominator, there’s probably a really good reason for that. So don’t discredit yourself by presenting your idea to investors assuming that you’re the first one to think of it and assuming that being a “first mover” will give you a huge advantage. Proceed with caution and skepticism about the uniqueness of your solution. Study, research and dig until you find prior failures and have a deep understanding of why they didn’t work. “No one can copy us.” Why it’s a pitch killer: It makes you look ignorant and it also shows arrogance about your development prowess, which is a red flag to investors. If you are a small startup, you are likely working the kind of product or technology that would take GE, Amazon, Microsoft or HP a long weekend to copy. Additionally, in the case of software companies, patents are often not useful because startups are rarely creating new technology as much as applying existing technology in new ways. Plus, enforcing and defending patents is expensive and a massive distraction. “We will be profitable in one year.” Why it’s a pitch killer: Investors don’t expect you to turn a profit quickly, and, in fact, will become highly suspicious of your financial predictions if you suggest a profitability roadmap that defies industry norms. Also, while financial projections never end up being perfectly accurate, they do speak to your ability to estimate labor costs and whether the business will scale efficiently. So don’t make the rookie mistake of giving wildly unrealistic financial predictions. “We are cheaper.” Why it’s a pitch killer: A lower price point is rarely enough to unseat an entrenched leader or differentiate yourself from the competitionâ€"which is why no one with a decent amount of entrepreneurial tread on their tires starts companies from that approach. Undercutting competitors with efficiency improvements and brilliant execution can be one of a few competitive advantages. However, the “we’re going to be cheaper” approach almost always fails because new entrepreneurs typically don’t have appropriate expectations for the actual cost of doing business, the costs of labor, or the length of the sales cycle. And think of it from an investor’s perspective: How sexy is it to be investing in a business that is trying to be cheaper instead of premium? So now you know the worst of what to avoid in your pitch. But the point isn’t just to eliminate these phrasesâ€"rather to also realize why they are a problem and what blind spots they reflect. My point isn’t that a few words will ruin your startup, but that a few bad decisions based out of ignorance will. Seth Talbott has founded numerous companies, including Promedev (which provides lab services for medical providers), AtomOrbit (which helps businesses create mobile workspaces with access to legacy data) and Preferling (which helps users find restaurants based on preferences). Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) is an invite-only organization comprised of the world’s most promising young entrepreneurs. YEC recently launched StartupCollective, a free virtual mentorship program.

Saturday, April 11, 2020

5 Tips For Getting A Job During The Holidays - Work It Daily

5 Tips For Getting A Job During The Holidays - Work It Daily Recently, an Excelle community member asked me how to gain holiday employment. (See full question here.) My Response: I’m thrilled to hear you want to target a seasonal job as a way to land full-time employment. There are 5 things that make getting a job during the holidays easier. #1 â€" Showcase the right skills on your resume. Make sure your resume highlights and draws attention to any experience you have in customer service, teamwork and other key attributes they’ll be looking for in seasonal help. An ability to deal with stress and sudden change are also important. The holidays are hectic, so share with the potential employer how you’ll be a positive addition to the team by leveraging your strengths. #2 â€" Dress the part. Don’t underestimate the power of a great first impression. Dress for the interview in professional attire. Even if the job indicates you’ll be wearing jeans and a sweatshirt, you need to show respect for the employer by visiting them in clothes that show you are committed to being seen as one who cares about their appearance and the impact it has on others. #3 â€" Show your connection to the company. Employers like to hire candidates who have a passion for what they do. Why? Because they know that excitement will translate into better performance. Demonstrate how and why you admire the company. Highlight what you love most about their products and services. Give examples of how you have personally used them in your own life with success. The more you can show them you understand and respect the business, the more likely you’ll be to get the job. #4 â€" Exceed expectations. Just because the hourly rate is low, doesn’t mean you should gage your effort to reflect the pay. Think of this as a ‘working audition’ for the job you really want. Anticipate the manager’s needs, go the extra mile, and most importantly, act like an owner! By that I mean do whatever it takes to make the company look good to customers while making a profit. (REMEMER: They can only keep you on the payroll if they can make enough money to cover your salary!) #5 â€" Articulate your intentions. And finally, don’t assume doing a great job is enough to get a full-time job offer. Let your manager know you’d like to work for the company someday full-time and that you are open to any feedback, guidance or suggestions that can help you achieve that goal. When you share your goals with management, they can help you reach them. Employers aren’t mind-readers, so spell out your desires and you’ll increase your chances of making them come true. Follow the above guidelines and you may not only land a new seasonal job, but just might turn that part-time gig into a full-time position! Click here » to read more articles on Excelle. Excelle is Monster's premier online community for female professionals in the United States. Photo credit: Shutterstock Have you joined our career growth club?Join Us Today!