Hey guys! I'm Kamara, Job Search Strategist here to help make YOUR job search easier, because job searching shouldn't be this hard (that's what she said).
I'm a LinkedIn Top Voice (2020) and named in 2019 by JobScan as the #1 Job Search Expert to follow on LinkedIn. I've been featured in major media like Forbes, Business Insider, and Mashable, and contributed to the Amazon Best-Selling "YouMap: Find Yourself. Blaze Your Path. Show the World!"
But what I love the most is helping job seekers navigate the job search jungle!
Here, I'm doing that through video.
Many of my videos are in response to real-life questions, so hit me up with your Q's via social media, and I'll bring some A's.
Hello Kamara, tnx for this video. One question tho, I studied architecture but didnt finished, should I write the yrs I spent studying the course? thank you
It was drilled into Gen X that resumes should never be longer than one page. More than one page was taught to be a huge mistake and certain death in applying for jobs. With decades of experience this leads to a very cramped and incomplete picture in a résumé. After watching your videos, I'll add the Skills section and the Early Career section to my résumé to improve readability for the recruiter and to avoid ageism.
Acronym: FIFO. I worked in an advising office for business university students. During the walk-in advising week, students were to be funneled to their assigned advisor. However, if too many students started backing up then I was to alert the advisors that we’re changing the flow and they needed to start taking students that had been waiting the longest. So I messaged everyone “FIFO”. Only one advisor of 12 understood. None of them had been business majors or minors. First In- First Out. I thought is was very ironic that business advisors didn’t know a basic business term. Oh well.
Been doing this for some weeks now in Switzerland, for the moment no success because most recruiters do not accept the contact request, and the ones that do, won't reply to the followup message or any other message whatsoever. At least those are now in my contact list and maybe in the future might remember me or they might post interesting positions... On the other hand, maybe these tips are more related to USA market or my profile isn't interesting enough.
Ive only had one job in retail for 5 years and splitting accomplishments into categories sounds very useful. im thinking of categorizing them into increasingly more complex roles that i took on, but thinking of specific accomplishments sounds difficult for me. do you have any suggestions for this?
@@thatswhatshesaid things like stocking, cashiering, fulfilment, and learning all the different departments including food and bev. often times would do each of these things in a day. i was wondering if i could get away with just doing descriptions
@@torment6425 you can include one small (4 lines maximum) paragraph that describes the variety of work you've done, but you need to follow that up with accomplishment bullets. These bullets could include things like: - how you maybe improved a process - specific example of receiving positive feedback - example of receiving an employee award and why - example of how you outperformed a team or organization average (eg. if you were measured on how many orders you fulfilled in a day, and it was higher than the team average, you can mention that and indicate how much higher it was in comparison) ...there are many possible accomplishments.
Question, how do you add professional gaps? I moved to a new city and worked at a deli for a couple of years before jumping back into the corporate world for the last 8 years. Now I want to update my resume and look for another job.
When was your work gap? Are you considering your deli role as a gap? I wouldn't - you were working. Instead, I'd just write a single line like this: Career Note: Held role in hospitality. Date to Date
Hi, A job I applied for has been in "under consideration" status for close to a month. A week ago, I emailed Human Resources with no response. The job I applied for a Court Manager position, which shows the Judge's name I would be assisting if offered the job. I've connected with the Judge on LinkedIn, but have not yet messaged. Is it appropriate to message the person I'd be working directly with or just HR recruiters?
In this case, I would stick to reaching out to recruiters/HR. Given the sector you're working within, I anticipate they're going to want to keep the communication centralized with their HR/recruiting department. Given your sector, I'm also not surprised about how long your application has remained in "under consideration." It's just going to be a bit slower than private sector jobs.
*Honest Thoughts* I'm sorry but I think it's ridiculous that this isn't taught to many people in schools. The fact that the *ATS* system will lower your CV/Resume score because people tried to align it manually using space-bar or tab (Etc) - I just think it's so unfair. While I appreciate this video for existing. I still think this is something that is done on purpose to make people fail when searching for work. It's almost intentional, I swear...
Hi, I was just curious. In the message after connecting, you say you would "love to schedule a time to discuss the value I can bring to this role and I look forward to speaking with you!" What does is the "time to discuss the value" Does that refer to a job interview?
Thank you for this ! Also how do I put ged on my resume ? Just the word GED or should I spell it out general education development ? Should I also add certificate at the end ? Or should I just leave it as high school or equivalent?
I usually would not include high school diploma or GED and eliminate the education section entirely if high school diploma or GED is the highest level of education achieved. It's often assumed that you have your high school diploma or equivalent especially if it's a requirement for the job. If you've completed more education since your GED (eg. like a certificate), I'd include that education if it's relevant to the job to which you're applying.
Hi mam I'm from Bangladesh. I've completed my B. Sc, in Textile Engineering in 2012. I've got admitted in another university for M. Sc. in Textile Engineering in 2016 consisting 2 years programme. But I've completed first one year. Then I don't go there & don't keep communication with them forever. But I want to put this in my job resume like following: 2016-2017: Bangladesh University of Textiles. Completed 1st semester towards M. Sc. in Textile Engineering, (Major: Fabric Engineering). 2012: Primeasia University. Department of Textile Engineering, Acquired GPA 3.43 out of 4.0. Major: Fabric Manufacturing Technology. Is it correct?
Do you plan on returning to complete your MSc or transferring to another university to complete it? I don't see the value in including an unfinished MSc since you already have your BSc, so I probably wouldn't include it. I'd list your BSc as follows: Bachelor of Science (BSc.) in Textile Engineering (Major: Fabric Manufacturing Technology) Primeasia University | City, Province I would not include GPA unless that's required in your region.
Hi mam I'm from Bangladesh. I've completed my B. Sc, in Textile Engineering in 2012. I've got admitted in another university for M. Sc. in Textile Engineering in 2016 consisting 2 years programme. But I've completed first one year. Then I don't go there & don't keep communication with them forever. But I want to put this in my job resume like following: 2016-2017: Bangladesh University of Textiles. Completed 1st semester towards M. Sc. in Textile Engineering, (Major: Fabric Engineering). Is it correct?
Further to my reply to your other comment, I don't recommend including your unfinished MSc unless you plan on continuing your studies. If you don't plan on continuing, this would simply draw attention to having an unfinished degree.
Finding a job in 2024 can be overwhelming if you don't have a clear plan. My tutorials focus on helping educators navigate this tough market and secure roles beyond education.
I didn't put my age on a resume, I got the interview then the first question asked was when did I graduate which was 30 years ago, I didn't get the job. I am working with an HR manager at a major company, he insists year of graduation is required.
That's just an example of a company that you don't want to work for. If they insist on knowing your age, then this gives us insight into the company culture.
Job hunting in 2024 requires more than just effort-it demands strategy. These tutorials are designed to help educators transition into new fields and secure the jobs they deserve.
microsoft word is the industry standard for awful resumes and frustrating times making them. seriously, it's a word processor, which is a jack of all trades and master of none. use any layout software, that knows how to work with font text properly. microsoft word is for writing a letter.
I agree they can be frustrating at times (especially when trying to create "fancy" resumes) but it's not true that you can use any layout software, You expose yourself to a number of downstream application issues by choosing just any layout software.
Thanks so much for this video, it helped clarify a lot for me as someone who's currently on the job hunt. :) One question - I have a Canva-made CV since I'm in the visual media sector. I have my skills lined up to the left in a panel, but that's the only text in a panel. Is this okay, or do I still need to redo my CV into a Word Doc?
Glad it helped! To answer your question: I really don't like Canva resumes, especially the multi-panel ones since it creates an unnatural reading experience (you probably saw my video about resume templates). You may be in a situation where you're asked to send your resume in Word (eg. to a recruiter trying to present you for a role; sometimes they like to make adjustments to better position you for consideration), so I would recommend that you have a Word version. There are subtle ways you can add visual flare in a Word resume, but even being in visual media there isn't an expectation that your resume needs to be "designy" but there's always the expectation that it's easy to read.
@@thatswhatshesaid Thank you, that makes sense to me! Lastly - if I'm submitting an application through an online portal, it's safe to say it'll go through an ATS system. But if the job application is via email from me to the recruiter, is it likely that resume will still go through ATS?
Hi Kamara! I'm so happy I just found your channel. Like others I wish I had found it sooner. I just started to watch your videos and this particular video was just what I needed. I wanted to ask you, what does page 2 look like? Is that where you would place education and technical skills?
Thank you!!! Page 2 is a continuation of professional experience followed by an education section. You might also find a volunteering section on there as well.
I used to manage a Dollar General and my very best employee was the oldest one there. She was always on time and she never called in. She was loyal and principled. The youngest employees called in frequently.
Can someone red flag you on LinkedIn in, so that recruiters and contacts see a red flag on you? Is there such a thing? This because I applied to a few jobs. All the time I got interviews. But then. One recruiter that I didn't take the job for. Got mad and said I can set you as unwanted. And ever since then, i have not gotten recruiters offer interviews. Only profile views. Please tell me what is going on thanks.
They could annotate that on your file internally/in their own company records, but no, I'm not aware of any way that you can be "red flagged" by a recruiter which will result in blacklisting you for other recruiters on LinkedIn. I can imagine a whole heap of legal issues arising from such a thing (and it's just not useful for other recruiters anyway just like one Google review isn't useful). It's likely that your LinkedIn profile needs work and isn't telling your story in an effective or compelling way.
How would you approach conversation about unfurnished degree in an interview setting? I feel like the black and white print showing my lack of follow through could potentially reflect badly. Im writing to you just having failed to finish my dissertation on time, but planning on pursuing digital marketing. The degree was philosophy, so should i even bother adding it?
What degree level was your dissertation for? Was it graduate level? Do you already have a degree? What credential will you pursue in digital marketing?
Can you tell me what you mean "headings"? Do you mean sections of your resume? Many of my videos show the structure of a resume so you can see the sections/headings.
That's odd. I would question the validity of job applications asking for DOB and ID. Request for personal information shouldn't come up until background check time.
Thanks a lot. i couldnt finish MBA so what should i write? it is critical for director positions hence i wanted to know how to mention it. I have completed all the courses and electivces etc. but its only the gpa which restricted the degree