====================== Issue 03 ======== October 29, 2002 =========================


Hello, my name is Anna Tulchinsky. I am the editor of this newsletter as well as all other stuff that gets published on the PulseHR website. If you find this newsletter interesting and helpful, feel free to forward it to your friends and collegues.



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1. Health related goodies
2. Will employers reply to you and when?
3. Resume focus
4. The second knock-out point to include in your cover letter
5. Convention announcement (Toronto, November 18-20)


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Health related goodies
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New hope for Aids vaccine


A US biotechnology company has been giving details of a vaccine against Aids, which it hopes could be available by 2005, to delegates attending the International Aids Conference in Barcelona.


http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/2115217.stm

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"GET CHIPPED™" now or else!

PALM BEACH, FL– October 24, 2002 – Applied Digital Solutions, Inc., an advanced technology development company, today announced the launch of a national "Get Chipped" promotion for VeriChip, a subdermal personal verification microchip. The first 100,000 registrants and all qualified ADSX shareholders will be eligible for a special introductory savings of $50 at the time of "chipping."

The company is actively developing applications for VeriChip in a variety of security, defense, homeland security and secure-access applications. These opportunities include using VeriChip to control authorized access to government installations and private-sector buildings, nuclear power plants, national research laboratories, correctional facilities, and sensitive transportation resources. VeriChip is able to function as a stand-alone, tamper-proof personal verification technology or it can operate in conjunction with other security technologies such as standard ID badges and advanced biometric devices (e.g. retina scanners, thumbprint readers or face recognition devices). The concept of using VeriChip as a means for secure access could also be extended to include a range of consumer products such as PCs, laptops, cars, cell phones, and even homes and apartments.


http://www.adsx.com/news/2002/102402.html


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Is it a good idea to start a free-lance medical-illustration business? Also here: Is Forensic Nursing a good field for a new business?


"Yes" to both questions, according to a columnist with the Startup Wall Street Journal. Click the link to read more.


http://www.startupjournal.com/columnists/startupqa/20020909-qa.html



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Will employers reply to you and when?
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To answer this question quickly - yes, but only if...

If they think that your profile is a potential match for a position they need to fill. To verify if this is, indeed, the case, they will invite you for an interview. Now, how to make them think that?

The first and the most important thing that will help you attract employers' attention is the job itself. The thing to start with is to apply only for those positions for which you think you are a very good match. Give yourself a test, change perspectives. Forget that you are looking for a job. Put yourself in the shoes of your potential employers who need to get certain things done and are looking for a person to do them. Read the job description carefully and imagine yourself performing the duties described. If you think you can do most of them right now, with very little training, then this is a position for which you should apply. There might not be all that many positions for which you will be a great match [that's why there is still some business for recruiters!], unless you are in Nursing, of course, but with a good research effort and time investment you WILL find some of those positions.

The next step is to prepare your resume in such a way, so that employers receiving your resume will only have to spend 2 minutes reading it and yet see "evidence" to all requirements they've specified in the job description. In other words, tailor your resume and cover for each position you REALLY want to get. Include all information that you think will be important for a hiring person to know to assess you. For example, your location and your legal eligibility for work. Employers will not want to break the law and hire someone who does not have a valid work permit or licenses. If a match between you and an opened position is so perfect that employers will have little hope to find someone "local" who would have all the skills you do, they will arrange for a work permit for you or ask you to hurriedly change your status from 'no license' to 'eligible for'. In all other cases, they won't bother.

Include references and provide a description of what their relevance. If you applying for a position of a Physician's Assistant, for example, mention a physician for whom you worked (not necessarily in your last employment) and include a short sentence of a description. [You can say, worked 30 hours overtime under this person's supervision].

To put it short, approach writing your resume as you would approach an essay-writing competition winning which you could travel around the globe for the next six months free of charge. In other words, be shrewd and be creative. It is a lot of work, but it pays well, believe me.

If you allow the thought that there might be people who know more about resume writing than you do, consult books and references on how to write resumes. Choose one as a template (the most appropriate type for the majority of positions will be "functional" or skill-based resume), modify formatting according to your needs and then fill in the blanks with your "content". And while your are working on your resume, keep visualizing a serious-looking EMPLOYER, who needs to get the job done, need to get it done well (so that his/her boss will be happy], and who has no time to spend on unnecessary reading. Convince this employer to choose YOU!

[in the next issue: Do employers or recruiters really read resumes?]



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Resume focus
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Focus, focus, focus - what was that movie called..?

Following what I said in the previous section, I recommend that you keep your resume FOCUSED. When applying for a specific position, bring up only those facts from your experience and skills that are relevant and immediately related to the position in question. All other things list in the section "Other Experience" to compensate for possible time gaps. For example, you are applying for a position of a Social Worker for which you have immediate or very closely related experience (otherwise, do not bother applying, unless your future boss is your uncle, of course). Specify this experience first and bring convincing details/results/achievements for each point you make. At the end of your resume, include a line similar to this one: "Other experience includes contract positions in Teaching (1999-2000) and Marketing (2000)." This will satisfy your employer's possible questions about the gap or sequencing of experiences in your career. Remember, it is okay to do different things, it is okay to have little experience. It is not okay, however, to make employers "wonder and think". Your resume and cover letter should answer the most important questions that employers MIGHT ask to make a basic assessment.



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The second knock-out point to include in your cover letter
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Actually, I should not call it "second". It is equally as important as the "first" [which I discussed in the previous issue]. But since I don't know how else to entitle this section without making it too weird, I called it second.

So, the "second" most important point to include in your cover letter is your OBJECTIVE. State position TITLE you are applying for, even if there is no specific position in quesiton [the quesiton is should you be applying just in general, with no specific position in mind..?]. This helps your employer to "label" you. Otherwise you will either get "stored" or [God forbid!] even "deleted".



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Convention announcement (Toronto, November 18-20)
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Ontario Hospital Association will hold its Annual Convention and Exhibition on November 18-20 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. More than 300 Exhibitors will be present.

What does it mean to you as a job seekers? - Try to get in without paying. Bring your resume and mingle with companies. Never estimate the power of a personal charm. After you've talked with potential employers, send a follow-up email 1-2 days later and then another one a week later. Customize each email so that to help employers "remember you".


http://www.oha.com/

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- The End -
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To give me your feedback or ask a question, write to me at anna@pulsehr.com . I personally reply to all e-mails in the hope that my information and advice will be of help to all people seeking employment, i.e. means to advance in life while supporting themselves and their loved ones. If you send me an email and do not receive a reply within 2 business days, there might have been a communication error or our server may have rejected your email, in which case please re-send your message.


Anna Tulchinsky,
PulseHR Co-founder and Editor
anna@pulsehr.com
(613) 231-6308

 

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