Sunday, April 19, 2020

Present Tense for Your Resume Writing

Present Tense for Your Resume WritingWhen it comes to writing resumes, it is important to know how to present the information in a manner that the employer can understand. There are three possible ways in which a person can present information for their future employer: present tense, past tense, and current tense. Present tense will tell the employer that you are telling the truth, in the present. In present tense, you can say exactly what you want to say, to the employer, and they can see the same thing happening right in front of them.As far as past tense is concerned, the past tense means 'I' as opposed to 'we.' So, your resume can be written like this: 'I, Luke Smith' - we write it 'I, Luke Smith'. In the past tense, you can say exactly what you want to say, at least in your mind. This can make it easier for the employer to understand you, especially if you use the past tense.However, when it comes to present tense, you will not have a choice about it. The employer will automati cally know whether you are lying, if you are stating the truth or just asking for an interview. For this reason, present tense is most suited to people who are relaying the truth about their past jobs. People with past jobs that they really did want to keep will choose to use present tense when they are relaying what they have done in the past.However, if you have more than one job, you will have to do the same thing as when it comes to presenting the truth. Because there is no way to know the truth about each of your past jobs, you have to present the truth as best as you can in present tense, and let the employer know whether you have had any experience with the job, or you still want to pursue it.At this point, if you have only recently gotten a new job, you may not even be familiar with the rules for presenting a future job. For example, you can't write your resume in present tense, because you don't have any past jobs yet. So, if you want to cover the basics in your resume, you can write a form letter, with past tense to tell the employer you are presenting the future job. If you want to add details to the letter, you can use present tense to show the employer how much you are excited about the job.Now, if you already have a past job and you are applying for a future job, you can simply state the facts about the past job, using present tense. However, if you do not have a past job and you are applying for a job, you will have to be more creative in order to convince the employer. To accomplish this, you can either use both present tense and past tense on your resume letter, to cover the information about your past jobs.There are a few other reasons why you will use present tense, besides the fact that you do not have a past job. First, this is how the company wants to present you as an employee, and second, it is what your prospective employer is accustomed to reading. Thus, he or she will trust that you will give them the exact information about the past job.

Tuesday, April 14, 2020

Working from Home Tips for Remote Workers to Avoid Burnout

Working from Home Tips for Remote Workers to Avoid Burnout Working from home can be very freeing in some ways: You’re free from the annoying commute, free to run errands when you need to â€" heck, you’re possibly free from wearing shoes, if that’s your thing. The flip side is that when the line is blurred between work and home, it can be incredibly difficult to ever truly go “off the clock.” Your colleagues in the office might not be able to work barefoot, but it’s probably easier for them to walk out the door and leave their tasks behind until the next day. Here are some expert tips for balancing both worlds, so that you don’t feel overworked and taken advantage of, while you’re still a productive, essential member of the office no matter where you work. Adopt physical boundaries. If your work is spilling over onto the kitchen table, you might be tempted to respond to email over dinner. For multiple reasons, it makes sense to physically separate your work and home lives. “Create a distraction-free zone,” says Tricia Sciortino, COO at professional services firm Belay. “A dedicated office, a quiet nook or even a co-working space, if necessary, are options.” Don’t forget about electronic boundaries. If the temptation to check and respond to work email when you’re not actually working is too strong, “Go a step further and turn off work email notifications on your phone,” Sciortino suggests. Lean on technology to stay in touch. A common reason remote workers feel compelled to respond to every late-night email is the worry that less face time makes them less relevant. The solution is to strategically use technology to bridge the gap. “Remote workers need to take advantage of available communication technology to form stronger relationships with their colleagues,” says Michelle Prince, senior vice president of talent management, North America at HR consulting firm Randstad. “Remote workers lose the opportunity to pop into someone’s office, so they need to be mindful to do so, virtually,” Sciortino says. “A virtual pop-in may mean more deliberate and responsive emails, sometimes supplemented by instant messaging or texting.” Your phone and your webcam are indispensable tools here. Be proactive in your communication. “As a remote worker, a lot of the onus is on you to communicate regularly and set the tone that just because you’re remote, doesn’t mean you’re not a vital part of the team,” advises Sara Sutton Fell, CEO and founder of FlexJobs and Remote.co. You should sometimes be the one initiating Slack chats or Skype conference calls rather than waiting for your boss or in-office colleagues to suggest them. Decide when it’s OK to work after hours. “It may be the case that remote workers are better positioned to respond to an urgent request than someone who is not set up to work remotely,” Randstad’s Prince says. Still, it’s wise to discuss expectations for when you’ll jump in, to ensure that everyone is on the same page and you’re not overburdened. You’ll want to set some parameters, so that every little request is not treated like an emergency. Treat work like work. “It’s also really important to focus on work during your work time, rather than letting ‘life’ things creep into your work hours too much,” Sutton Fell says. “If you’re productive and efficient throughout the day, then at the end of the day, it will be easier to walk away feeling accomplished, rather than like you should keep working into the night because you didn’t get a lot done during the day.” Learn to say “no.” “Managing this is definitely a balancing act,” Sciortino says. You want to be known as a team player who is game to help address urgent off-hours requests, yet everyone in the office should understand that personal priorities come first during non-work hours. “It’s important to draw that line in the sand, even if it’s a flexible one.” If “no” doesn’t come easily for you, experts suggest that some variation of “I’ll be happy to look at that tomorrow” signals your engagement and responsiveness without your having to drop everything and address the issue that very minute.