Tag Archives: Pearl Interactive Network

Resume Tips

Posted on by

Content from Dawn Quesnel

We know the job market is tough right now, and that a faulty resumé can hinder your job search before you’re able to get your foot in the door. We reached out to Dawn Quesnel, CPCC, PCC, better known as Coach DQ, to share some of her top tips for building a dynamic resumé that will keep you in the running.

DO think Results.When writing your resume, think about results you’ve achieved for your employer. What are your quantifiable accomplishments? Think in terms of achievements like:

  • Increased sales
  • Reduced expenses
  • Secured valuable exposure
  • Helped expand into new markets
  • Created systems to improve efficiencies

Quantifiable accomplishments show the exact impact of your previous work.

DO specify. Saying “significantly decreased customer wait time” has less impact than “decreased customer wait time from 15 minutes to 30 seconds.”

DO use action-oriented words. Make yourself sound proactive with terms like accelerated, chaired, changed, channeled, charted, debugged, decentralized, decreased.

DO go with a summary or profile instead of an objective. The goal of this section is to develop a hard-hitting introductory declaration packed with your most sought-after skills, abilities, accomplishments and attributes.

DO write your resume after you have identified your ideal job. Start by searching jobs for your ideal position. Compare the ads and write a list of common job requirements and preferred qualifications. The more closely you can target your profile to the employer’s needs, the better your results will be.

DO have a hobbies or special interests section (but keep it short). Do you run marathons a few times a year? Are you into mountain climbing, building or restoring your own cars, or inventing gadgets and doodads? Certain activities are quite challenging — physically, psychologically and emotionally — and can show that you’re self-motivated, goal-oriented, persistent and unafraid of facing difficult circumstances. If your hobby or interest falls into this category, including it couldn’t hurt and could peak interest.

DO use spell check, but DON’T rely on it. Using “their” when you should use “they’re” is just as bad as an outright typo. Have at least one other person proofread your resume for mistakes.

DON’T use “I”. A resumé is a source of professional details and facts. Cut the pronouns, passive and unnecessary words and get straight to the point.

DON’T put the years in your summary. Some disagree with me on this, but I advise you to leave out phrases like “15 years experience” – if your resume is accurate it will speak for itself.

DON’T get stuck on your job titles or descriptions. You’ve likely had many more duties and the skills required to do them than indicated in industry-standard job titles and descriptions. Accept this and let the content, not the title do the talking.

DON’T exaggerate.

DON’T overlook non-work experiences. Your time organizing a charity fund-raiser, presiding over a cultural organization or participating in groups not only looks good on resumes, but also gives you legitimate professional experience with value.

DO keep your resume updated – you never know when you might need it.

Dawn Quesnel, CPCC, PCC, aka, Coach DQ is bold, innovative, passionate, fun, and stands out from the crowd! Her motto is: “Life is too short! Do what you love!” Her work has been recognized by industry leaders including being named by the International Coach Federation New England “Career Coach of the Year” in June 2011. Certified as both a career, and a life coach, her company Career Life Balance, specializes in working with top performers through job and career changes, help them to better negotiate raises, and promotions to accelerate their career so they can love their life with a little more balance.

To find out more about DQ’s Coaching Programs and Services, please visit us online at http://www.CoachDQ.com<http://www.coachdq.com/> or http://www.CareerLifeBalance.net<http://www.careerlifebalance.net/>

New technologies open job opportunities for injured veterans

Posted on by
By Leo Shane III
Published: October 18, 2012 in Stars and Stripes (http://www.stripes.com/)

WASHINGTON — When Pfizer was considering sending some administrative jobs overseas, Merry Korn convinced them to outsource them to wounded veterans instead.

Korn, owner of Pearl Interactive Network said she currently has four home bound, injured veterans working as administrative assistants for the pharmaceutical company, handling scheduling and office management for corporate officials from hundreds of miles away. The feedback so far has been so good the company has approached her about finding more veterans to work as remote employees.

Korn said technology has advanced so dramatically in recent years that jobs one thought closed off to severely disabled individuals can now be done off-site without aggravating the veterans’ limitations.

“The veterans we’re dealing with, if they can’t work from home then they can’t work,” she said. Some have injuries to limbs or to eyes that make travel difficult. Others have post-traumatic stress disorder or similar challenges that make working in an office unbearable.

PIN has about 40 disabled veterans working from home now, a small subset of the company’s contracted workforce. The work includes call center and human resources tasks, and flexible hours depending on the company.

“It’s still a business,” she said. “They expect to get people who will excel, people who are highly motivated and can deal with complicated interactions.

“But companies want to hire these veterans. They know there are skilled and talented disabled veterans out there.”

CEO of Pearl Interactive Network, Inc. completes Tuck-WBENC Executive Program

Posted on by

Merry Korn, CEO of Pearl Interactive Network, Inc. completed the 2012 Tuck-WBENC Executive Program, an intensive weeklong executive learning experience held at IBM’s Learning Center in Armonk, NY, along with 50 other women entrepreneurs earlier this month. The Tuck-WBENC Executive Program, which was established in 2003 and has been sponsored by IBM since then, stemmed from an idea to create a program tailored to the needs of women business owners. Today it offers step-by-step tactics designed to help women entrepreneurs grow their business with a focus on improving strategic planning, organization, resources, and systems and processes.

Tuck is the nation’s oldest graduate school of business and is renowned for its collaborative learning approach. The Tuck-WBENC program is designed to prepare the business owners to think differently about how they approach and operate their businesses. To enhance the relevance of the experience, the course used Pearl Interactive Network’s business plan as a case study in the curriculum. Pearl Interactive Network expects to reap immediate benefits from the marketing, financial and organizational strategies taught in the class.

Pearl Interactive Network, Inc. is a for-profit social enterprise that provides staffing for home based or client site administrative services and contact center positions. Their workforce is comprised of disabled veterans, veterans, military spouses, veteran caregivers and people with disabilities.

Pearl Interactive Network, Inc. has been WBENC certified since 2009, which is one of the pre-requisites for applying to the program. The Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC) is the leading authority on and advocate for women-owned businesses as suppliers to the nation’s premier corporations and government entities. WBENC certifies women-owned businesses with a world-class, rigorous process recognized by corporations and government agencies, and is authorized by the Small Business Administration to certify Women-Owned Small Businesses (WOSB). The WOSB Program provides government-owned procuring agencies a tool to help meet their WOSB contracting goal of 5% of prime contracting dollars being awarded to WOSBs.

“The Tuck-WBENC Executive program is an exceptional opportunity for women business owners to examine their business plan, strategize for growth and network with other prominent women in business” stated President and CEO of WBENC, Pamela Prince-Eason. “The caliber of the Tuck faculty

To learn more about Pearl Interactive Network visit us at www.Pearlinter.org.

Informational Interviews

Posted on by

Source: www.about.com

Chances are that when you respond to newspaper or online ads, your resume is one of hundreds that will be viewed.  We recommend “informational interviews”.

An informational interview is an interview conducted to collect information about a job, career field, industry or company. It could also be used as a source of contacts that could lead to jobs.

An informational interview is not a job interview. Rather, it’s an interview with an individual working in a career you would like to learn more about.

When you’re interviewing for information, you are seeking information about a specific type of job, about a career field, an industry, and/or a company. You’re attempting to discover what the person’s job is like, what they do, what responsibilities they have, and what it’s like to work in their job at their company.  This could also be an excellent way to get referrals to additional people who may want to hire you.

Why informational interviews work when nothing else does?  The people who can help us get hired could be parents of your children’s friends in Little League or could be active members of your church.  This technique can assist with using your contacts as a key and vital source of getting a job. Even if there is no one in your network, through research, you can identify people who work in fields that are of interest.

A sample outbound message to someone you want to meet with:

“Hi, my name is Merry.  I am calling with hopes of spending 20 minutes with you to learn more about becoming a clinical social worker.  I have always been intrigued by the type of work you do and was wondering if you could share your thoughts and insights with me. I can be reached at (phone number) or at (email address).”

The following are some questions that you may want to ask:

  • What are the duties performed during a typical day? Week? Month? Year? Does s/he have a set routine? (As the person describes the duties, ask what skills are needed). How much variety is there on a day-to-day basis?
    • What educational program is recommended as preparation?
    • What degree or certificate do employers look for?
    • What kind of work/internship experience would employers look for in a job applicant?
    • How can a person obtain this work experience?
    • What are opportunities for advancement? To what position? Is an advanced degree needed? (If so, in what discipline?)
    • Which skills are most important to acquire? (i.e. – which skills do employers look for?)
    • What are the main or most important personal characteristics for success in the field?
    • What current skills to you have that would give you access?
    • What are the employment prospects in the advisor’s geographic area?
    • Where are the best employment prospects? What are the employment prospects at the advisor’s company? Is mobility a necessary factor for success?

Always end the informational interview with asking for additional names of people who you could speak to. Follow with a thank you note and a resume.

Military Skills Translation

Posted on by

A big challenge for employers wanting to hire veterans is understanding how your military skills fit jobs in the civilian market place. The following are sites that assist you with transforming your military resume to a civilian work place.

  • VA for VETS Military Skills Translator
    https://mst.vaforvets.va.gov/mst/va/mos-translator
    The VA for Vets military skills translator allows you to translate your military skills, experience, and training to learn about VA career options that best use your capabilities.
  • O*NET Military Skills Translator:
    http://online.onetcenter.org/crosswalk/
    O*NET, the Occupational Information Network, is a comprehensive database of occupational skills, knowledge, and other occupational characteristics and helps you align military educational and job training curricula with current civilian workplace needs.
  • My Next Move for Veterans:
    http://www.mynextmove.org/vets/
    This interactive tool helps vets learn about their career options. The site has tasks, skills, salary information, job listings, and more for over 900 different careers.
  • H2H.jobs

    https://h2h.jobs/

    Enter your military occupational code and get a list of career paths that fit with your military training and experience.

Tips for Cover Letter

Posted on by

Include:

  • Educational background
  • Skills and work experience,
  • Respond to questions asked in the job ad. For example, salary requirements, availability and relocation.
  • Begin your cover letter by mentioning the job that you are applying for, and how you heard of the job.  Always a good idea to mention the date the job was posted.
  • State why you’re a good match for the position and information relevant to the position such as prior work experience, education and skills.
  • Conclude the letter by providing detailed contact information and times you are available.
  • If you have the contact information, your closing line should be, “I will follow with you shortly”.
  • Go on line to find sample templates, i.e., www.coverletternow.com
  • Make sure there are NO typos in the cover letter

Interview Tips

Posted on by
  • Visualize for the success you want. Athletes have used this technique throughout time
  • Dress for the part you want
  • Be prepared for questions such as:
    • Tell us about yourself?
    • Where would you like to be 5 years from now?
    • What would you say are your greatest strengths and weaknesses?
    • Do research on the company, the job and the person you are meeting with. The more you know about the company, job and person you are meeting with , the better
    • Always send a thank you note. Email is good.  Handwritten is personalized and makes a statement of how much you want the job
    • Always express how much you want the job. People like to hire people who really want the job.
    • Always make sure your home or cell voice mail is professional. If you are not home, train people in your home on how to answer the phone and take messages. Test them.
    • Make sure you have a professional email address. This is not a forum to be cute.
    • Eye contact is critical. People trust people who look them in the eye
    • If the interview is on the phone, minimize distractions and always have a paper and pencil.
    • Tailor the interview for the job. If the job requires customer service, focus on  your customer service experiences.
    • Be sure to answer questions succinctly.
    • Be attentive to your tone of voice and none verbal communication. Everything matters.
    • Ask questions such as:
      • What career paths are there in this company?
      • What is key to success in this position?
      • Can you share your thoughts on the corporate culture?

Resume Tips

Posted on by

Source: Justin Thompson, Career Builder Writer

Be concrete
Use numbers and proof of what you’ve done. For example: “Increased sales by 35 percent “. The more you can quantify your efforts with actual numbers or data, the better.

Cover letters are back
Tailor the cover letter to address why you want the  specific job at that specific company and why your skills would benefit the overall organization if hired.

Keywords are your friend
Pay attention to the keywords in the job posting. Be sure to use them in your resume and cover letter, because applicant tracking systems are based on keyword searches. Just as you use keywords to search for jobs, employers are using keywords to find your resume.

Social media is here to stay. Using Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn as a means to give updates on your career or connect with other professionals gives your resume legs and can make you more memorable as a candidate. Make sure your online profiles are either professional facing or locked for outside viewing.

Types of Resumes

Posted on by

Reprint from: www.VetSuccess.gov

The Chronological Resume

This resume gives a candidate’s chronological job history. Each time period or company listed includes some highlighted achievements. This resume works well for job seekers who want to demonstrate progress in a single profession and haven’t had employment gaps. This format may work best for people who have had an extensive employment history.

The Skills Resume

The skills resume places an emphasis on a candidate’s abilities and skills instead of work history. This resume gives a list of skills an employer is looking for, followed by a brief example of the candidate’s qualifications. This is an ideal format for someone without a lot of work experience, with  skills that can be referenced.

The Chrono-Skills Resume

The chrono-skills resume combines the strengths of chronological and skills format. It lists key skills acquired followed by an in-depth employment history similar to the chronological resume.