Author: Brian Bailie Jr.

Know Thy Resume

There is no new technology, no app, and no service to help you once you are sitting in front of a possible new employer in an interview. As long as interviews have been taking place, there is a reoccurring issue, people who don’t know their resume. Your resume is why you got the interview in the first place. If you don’t know your resume backwards and forwards, you are guaranteed to blow your interview.

Nearly all employers use a resume as the basis for questions they will ask in your interview. Your resume is how they will delve into your skills, knowledge and work experiences. When an interviewer uses your resume to ask questions, it helps the employer gauge your creditability. If you don’t know what’s on your resume, it will likely cause the interviewer to assume there are some fictional things on your resume. After all, your resume documents your education and experience, so you need to be able to speak about your resume in detail without having to stop and think about it. Hesitating and trying to remember what is on your resume makes you look like you are making things up.

It is wise to review your resume over and over until you have it memorized. You also need to be sure you can speak with a high degree of knowledge about everything you have listed on it. If you claim you accomplished something, be sure you can articulately show how you accomplished it. If you list a certain skill on your resume, make sure you can speak at length about the skill so the employer has no doubts you can perform it.

Knowing what’s in your resume thoroughly can also save you from those moments where you are asked a question, and your mind goes blank. It makes a much more positive impression on an employer when you are able to answer their questions quickly and with confidence.

Don’t Cost Yourself the Job

If you have written a resume filled with false claims, you will surely cost yourself a chance at the job. Hiring managers comb through hundreds of resumes every week and have interviewed countless candidates. It won’t take long for them to discover your claims are false. Hiring managers have enough experience to spot who is lying and who isn’t right away. Imaging you claim you speak Spanish, and then the interviewer asks you something in Spanish, and you can’t answer. Not only will it expose your lies, but it will cost you the job as well.

Making claims about how you personally increased sales by X% will lead to additional questions. How did you bring about the increase? What were the sales numbers before you arrived? What method did you use to bring about an increase in sales? If you hesitate at all when asked these questions, the hiring manager will see right through you. You get the idea.

Don’t make claims that aren’t true; if you manage through the interview and are hired, you will likely be called on at some point to utilize those fake skills. It will become clear to your employer you lied when you can’t do what your resume says you can do. It won’t be long until you are seeking another job.

In Conclusion

Be sure you know your resume inside-out, and you will have a greater chance of being hired. Don’t make false claims that you can’t back up to pad your resume; it won’t work out for you.

Brian Bailie Jr Writing Service Produces Well Written Resumes

If you need a resume that will get you in the door, we optimize resumes so that you have a greater chance of being interviewed. Call us today or fill out our contact form. Someone from our staff will be happy to discuss upgrading your resume. Don’t keep using that old, substandard resume; get a new one today!

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Why Your Resume Should Be Well Written

Post author By Brian Bailie Jr.
Post date March 16, 2021
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Unfortunately, we are living in a time when a lot of people are out of work. The pandemic has had a devastating effect on the job market, leaving many to wonder what is next. What is next? The answer is simple; make sure your resume is up to par. Without a solid resume, your chances of getting hired are slim. With that thought in mind, here are several reasons why your resume should be well written.

First Impressions

This point may be obvious, but in a rush to apply for as many jobs as possible, you may forget. Your resume is the first impression a potential employer gets. If you submit a resume filled with spelling and grammatical errors, your resume will be discarded without a second thought.
Your resume can fall on one side or the other of being boastful, which can also be an issue. You don’t want to claim you have skills that you can’t demonstrate. In an interview, you will be asked specific questions about the skills you list on your resume, and if you can’t answer questions about them, you will look like a liar and incompetent.

A worse scenario is that you get the job and then are asked to perform tasks based on the skills you listed on your resume and have no idea how to do them. On the other hand, you don’t want to be too modest with your resume. If you have a set of skills that is vital to a job, be sure to emphasize your expertise and experience with those skills.

Make sure that you keep the descriptions of your experience short. No hiring manager wants to read five or six pages about anyone. Reading a lengthy resume is time-consuming and is one of the biggest reasons resumes get passed over by a hiring manager. Keep your resume short, and you increase your chances of being hired.

It’s All About Algorithms

We live in an age dominated by digital devices and algorithms; then it should be no surprise your resume is likely to be scanned by a device called an applicant tracking system (ATS for short). An ATS works much in the same way that a search engine works.

ATS scan your resume for keywords that have been entered in a query field. Once an ATS has found resumes with the specified keywords, it then scans for relevancy to the open position. Next, the ATS assigns each resume a score and sends them to a hiring manager from highest score to lowest. Be sure that you know the skills and experience the employer is looking for and ensure they are listed on your resume (but only if you have the skills or experience).

Looks Aren’t Everything

When it comes to how a resume looks, you’ve probably heard old-school ideas about having designs on your resume or even your picture. Even before the advent of ATS, most hiring managers wanted uncluttered resumes that were easily scannable. With most companies now using ATS, there is a good chance that having borders, design, and photos will cause your resume to be rejected. You should only add your picture or use borders on a resume if you hand it directly to an employer. Even sending it through email could cause issues with formatting. Remember, a simple, clean design is your best bet when it comes to writing your resume.

Brian Bailie Jr Writing Service Produces Well Written Resumes

As you have read, having a well written, professional appearing resume is vital to your chances of getting hired. Call us or fill out our contact form, and we will be in touch about optimizing your resume so that you have a greater chance of getting the position you want.

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How to Boost Your SEO Efforts with Subject Based Content

Post author By Brian Bailie Jr.
Post date March 16, 2021
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In the recent past, Keywords were king when it came to SEO, but those days have come to an end. The rules of SEO are quickly shifting from a keyword-centred method to a topic relevancy, subject-driven approach. To thrive in this new world, you have to know how to boost your SEO efforts with content.

It’s a Whole New World of Content

Content marketing remains a component of inbound marketing, where the goal is to drive a potential customer to where you want them by giving them helpful and compelling content. It is important to remember that your content should be topic-based now and not packed with too many keywords. What does that mean? It means your content should be appealing and command a user’s attention right away. Compelling content is still a crucial factor for a website; bounce rate still matters. But don’t restrict yourself with obsolete ideas about how content should be crafted to improve your SEO.

There has been an ongoing change in the SEO world over the last few years. Search engines have slowly but steadily moved toward semantic-based searches. Keywords are still essential to SEO, but there are more reliable ways to promote your content marketing campaign, such as using a topic-driven approach.

There is little doubt choosing the correct keywords and topics are the most indispensable step in connecting with your target customers and giving them value, but the dynamic has changed. Let’s take a closer look at how topic-based content can improve your SEO.

Why Topic-Based Content?

Here is what happens when you concentrate on topics before keywords:

You will discover new opportunities to generate content that drives traffic to your site and is relevant to your field or industry.
You will have a higher ranking for new topic related keywords that you might not have discovered in your keyword planning by addressing relevant sub-topics.

Keywords always have and probably always will be required by search engines. When a user enters a query on a search engine and generates a results page, the users see highlighted keywords that match titles and meta descriptions, which serve as a guide to which link to click.

Next, let’s see what happens when we concentrate on topics first and keywords second.

Clustered Together

Here is a way to use keywords and topic selection tools to improve your most important web page’s results by employing a content marketing strategy.

Content Clusters

You may not be aware of content clusters yet, but they are more and more frequently used in web design. Content Clusters are a group of pages that orbit around a central topic. They are similar to Hub-and-Spoke models used by transportation, telecommunications, and freight industries. A central page must be designed to act as the “Hub” or “Pillar” for the content cluster and several hyperlinks or “Spoke” pages that relate back to the central hub or pillar page. Spoke pages are then interlinked to the hub or pillar page, and the hub or pillar pages link to all of the spoke pages. This hub-spoke interlinking system tells search engines that the hub page is an authority over a given topic.

Creating Content Clusters

Chose Your Core Topic
Chose your core topic using keyword research.
Check SERP Returns for Competitiveness.

Enter your core topic in Google and see which sites are returned for your topic. By checking SERP for your subject, you will discover who your competitors are. Benchmark your competitor’s site and find their content marketing approach around the topic.

Choose Topics Which Support Your Main Topic

The key to determining supporting topics to your chosen main topic is to use a keyword research tool. A quick look will show that there are a few supporting topics related to your main topic. This exercise is a swift and easy process.

After you have done the research, it is time to put it all together. Be sure to monitor your SERP returns so you can make modifications to your topic-based content as required.

Brian Bailie Jr Writing Service Can Create Your Content

Don’t get left behind when it comes to your SEO campaign; migrate your website’s content to subject-based. If you need help with your content, give us a call or use our contact form. We will be happy to discuss content writing with you

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Will Your Resume Get Past an Applicant Tracking System?

Post author By Brian Bailie Jr.
Post date January 25, 2021
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Are you thinking about applying for a job? Have you already applied for a job and received no responses? The question is will your resume get past an applicant tracking system? If your resume is over seven years old or has too many disqualifying words, the answer is no. Here is what you need to know about getting your application past an applicant tracking system.

What is an Applicant Tracking System?

An applicant tracking system is an algorithm that works in the same way a search engine like Google or Bing does. It scans resumes looking for certain keywords or phrases. According to ZipJob, 95% of large companies and 50% of mid-sized companies are using applicant tracking systems, and those numbers are expected to go up over the next few years.

Why Should I Worry About My Resume?

If your resume is not written and formatted in the right way, it won’t be seen by the person who is hiring for the job to which you applied. Using the earlier example of Google and Bing, the applicant tracking system does what it is told; in other words, it searches for skills that a hiring manager wants in an employee. If your resume does not have the right keywords or has too many vague disqualifying phrases, your resume will not be ranked high enough to be seen by a hiring manager.

Should I Add Things Like Pictures or Lines to My Resume to Make it Look Better?

If you want to know if you should punch-up your resume with things like pictures, borers, and watermarks, the answer is absolutely not. Remember, you are basically dealing with an AI when an applicant tracking system scans your resume. It will only be “confused” by things like pictures and watermarks. The cleaner your resume is, meaning uncluttered with extra formatting, then the better it will be received by an applicant tracking system.

The Odds are Against Your Resume

An average of 250 applications are sent for each opening; that number is greater in larger cities. Out of all the resumes that are sent for a job opening, 75% will be rejected by an applicant tracking system. Using the correct keywords relevant to the position to which you are applying will give you a greater chance of your resume being among the 25% accepted by applicant tracking systems.

Get the File Right

When you submit a resume for a position, be sure to use the .doc format instead of PDF. While many of the applicant tracking systems can scan PDFs, there are many more that can’t. In some cases, the employer may request a PDF, so keep both types of files handy.

Brian Bailie Jr Writing Service Can Optimize Your Resume

Let us rewrite your resume so that it will pass the applicant tracking system gatekeeper. We know what it takes to help you get interviews. Call us or fill out the contact form on this website. We will be in

touch to set up an appointment to discuss your qualifications and skills. Don’t wait a minute longer to start your journey to the ideal job; get started today!

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How Common are Applicant Tracking Systems?

Post author By Brian Bailie Jr.
Post date January 24, 2021
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Most people applying for jobs today don’t realize that applicant tracking systems are evaluating their resumes. An applicant tracking system is an algorithm that scans your resume for keywords, phrases, and relevancy. Based on those three factors, an applicant tracking system will rank your resume and decide if it should be sent to a hiring manager or not. How common are applicant tracking systems? They are becoming more prevalent by the day. Nearly all large corporations and over half of mid-sized companies use an applicant tracking system. To better understand why they are so common, let’s take a closer look.

Applicant Tracking Systems Save Time

Probably the most common reason that companies use applicant tracking systems is that it saves time. The larger the company, the more applications they have to sort through. An applicant tracking system does the resume sorting for the company and sends what it sees as qualified candidates to the hiring managers. If employees initially reviewed resumes, it could take weeks or months to fill a position instead of days with an applicant tracking system.

Applicant Tracking Systems Save Money

Applicant tracking systems also mean you don’t have to pay employees to review resumes. This aspect of an applicant tracking system is perhaps one of the biggest reasons they have been proliferated. Applicant tracking systems never take breaks, get sick, or go on vacation; they are there twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. Since they are always on the job, they instantly review a resume as they are received.

Applicant Tracking Systems Make Compliance Easy

An applicant tracking system sorts, classify, and store resumes in a massive database. This database is extremely helpful in government compliance. When a government agency wants to see applications that have been submitted for purposes of things like equal opportunity, the applicant system can give them every application for a given time period, which means the company is less likely to be fined for non-compliance.

The Downside of Applicant Tracking Systems

An applicant tracking system can’t recognize a candidate’s intangibles. The applicant tracking systems can overlook the best candidate for a position because of a lack of human insight. It can’t read between the lines on a resume and rejects too many qualified applicants. Hiring managers are aware of this flaw, and many of them are against using applicant tracking systems for that very reason. If your resume has the wrong language on it, you will be passed by for a job. It’s vital that your resume be formatted correctly and doesn’t use any disqualifying language that will get it rejected.

Brian Bailie Jr Writing Service Knows Applicant Tracking Systems

If you want to be sure that your resume makes it past an applicant tracking system, then we can show you the way. Call us today or fill out the easy contact form on this website. We will be in touch to set up an appointment to optimize your resume. Don’t let your resume wind up being rejected by an applicant tracking system; get in touch with us now. We can get you the interview you’ve been waiting on!

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What is an Applicant Tracking System?

Post author By Brian Bailie Jr.
Post date January 24, 2021
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Have you recently begun a search for a new job? Have you received any responses after submitting your resume? If not, it’s because of your resume being screened out by an applicant tracking system. What is an applicant tracking system? It is a resume screening algorithm that scans for relevant keywords and phrases inside your resume. Let’s take a closer look at how an applicant tracking system works.

It’s Like Google

When you type in a word or phrase into Google’s search field, you are setting certain parameters on which Google will search. It scans websites for the keyword or phrase that you entered and returns all the relevant search results on one page. Similarly, applicant tracking systems search resumes for keywords or phrases that a hiring manager sets. Once the resume is scanned, it will receive a score from the applicant tracking system and will be sent to a hiring manager or not based on the resume’s score.

Words Matter

The keywords and phrases that are contained in your resume are vital to the chances of your resume being sent to a hiring manager. There are two types of words that an applicant tracking system searches for qualifying and disqualifying. It takes skill and experience to understand what kinds of keywords and phrases will be accepted by an applicant tracking system. If disqualifying keywords are used, your resume will receive a low score and be flagged as irrelevant. Once your resume is marked as not relevant, it will be deleted rather than saved.

Qualifying keywords are relevant to your experience and the job for which you are applying. The more relevant keywords and phrases you have, the greater chance your resume will be forwarded to a hiring manager. Even if your resume isn’t immediately sent to a hiring manager, if the applicant tracking system ranks your resume high enough, it will be stored in a searchable database for other relevant positions at a company. You could apply for a job tomorrow and hear nothing from the company for weeks or months, but then you are contacted about your resume because the applicant tracking system recognized the relevancy of your resume for a similar position.

Will My Resume Make it Past an Applicant Tracking System?

Chances are that your resume will not make it past an applicant tracking system if it is over ten years old. Ideas from the past about how a resume should be formatted and what should be included on it just won’t work today. Things that were recommended in the 2000s, such as including your picture on a resume, will serve to confuse the applicant tracking system. If your resume is formatted in the wrong way, the applicant tracking system will immediately reject it, which means there is zero chance of a hiring manager seeing it.

Optimize Your Resume

If your resume has not been updated recently, then your best chance of getting past an applicant tracking system and to a hiring manager is to optimize your resume. Are you looking for a job in the medical field but are currently working in the shipping industry? An optimized resume will use your skill

sets and experience in the shipping industry and make them relevant to the medical field. An optimized resume does not exaggerate or lie about an applicant’s skills or experience but shows the applicant tracking system how they are relevant.

Brian Bailie Jr Writing Service Can Help

If you have not been getting interviews with your resume, call us today or fill out our contact form. We will be happy to discuss optimizing your resume and getting the job you want! Don’t wait another day for your ideal job; call now!