So, it's been a month since the last check in. Few reasons for that...
1. I've been busy. And, not much time for daily blogging. Or, much desire...
2. I fell back off the wagon, but...
3. I came back on.
4. I'm trying something new.
That being said, I'm still only 2ish pounds from my October 31st goal of 10 pounds lost. After falling off the wagon, I found the Four Hour Body. I bought the book and find it very interesting. He does tons of tests and experiments in his own body along with test subjects. Really it's not that much different than South Beach. No carbs except for beans, veggies and legumes. The big kicker though - no cheese or dairy. None.
It sounds difficult, but there is the "binge day." Not a huge fan of the name, but big fan of the concept. Once a week, I can eat what I want. Whatever I want. It really helps get through the week. But, also, it works. For me anyway. I've learned my body doesn't tolerate sugar and carbs. It just doesn't. I know that's why I do so much better when I just cut it completely out. I don't crave it as much and I just live without. I do "cheat" every day with three dark chocolate Hershey kisses.
There are only a few downsides to the program. One, it's not easy (simple, but not easy, but what in life is both?). For the two weeks I've been doing this, on Monday, I hard boil 6-8 eggs, cook a package of bacon and cook four chicken breasts to eat during the week. Fast food is very hard and eating out is not much better. Plus, the food is not particularly pleasurable. I continue to remind myself that I should be eating to live not living to eat.
The second problem is that I've been struggling with headaches and mental stamina. I think the latter is due to the former. I have had a headache almost every day for 10 days. Not fun. I'm still not totally sure if it's getting over the sugar addiction/withdrawal or from low blood sugar. Which brings me to my next point...
I had blood work done today. A few years ago, I mentioned to my doctor that I was a bit of a hypochondriac - always worrying that something was terribly wrong. My biggest fear is that it won't be caught soon enough. I have visions of going to the doctor and him saying, "Oh, if we only knew this earlier." So, I have blood work done every year. This puts my mind at ease, whether justifiable or not, I feel better.
The first time this was done, it was determined my thyroid was underactive. So, I'm on a simple, low dose medicine to fix that. Today's blood draw though was more than I'm used to. Typically, I just get a CBC (blood count) and a TSH (thyroid) test. This time, he did a lipid panel and a CMP, or a metabolic panel. After a quick Google search, it looks like I'll be getting results as to a glucose level, electrolyte balance and more.
I joked with Tom yesterday that I was afraid the doctor would call and say something like this...
"Sara, something seems to be terribly wrong with your blood work. By the looks of these results, it would appear that you've been eating nothing but copious amounts of eggs, chicken breasts, and bacon with perhaps a bit of spinach thrown in for good measure."
He would be right.
But, in this case, results speak loudly. I am now within 2 pounds of a new 6-year weight low - with little/no exercise. I am within 1.5 pounds of where I was when doing the intense Insanity while seriously cutting calories. This is all within 10 days of just changing my diet. So, I am close. So close that if you see me with a carb in hand, yank it out of my hand and scold me. I beg you to do this. Well, unless it is Saturday. Then, back away from the girl with the Oreo. :)
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Random Thoughts on a Rainy Tuesday
This is a busy week for our family. Meetings, interviews at the office, house plans, parent/teacher conferences, hunting for Tom along with everything else we usually do. I'm getting a little stressed thinking about the pace of life, and with the fact that it is already October 18th! Where is fall going?
So, since life is speeding by, I wanted to take a second (and just a second - no time for more) and capture a few things.
- Josie knows all of her sight words, probably about 12 or so, and also has memorized not only how to read them but remembers them all when we're not doing flash cards. This morning, she was putting them into sentences in the car even though there's probably only one verb (see) and one noun (can - well, could be a noun anyway). She has her dad's photographic memory. I also learned that she knows all of the planets and possibly in order. She claims she saw it on a Space Bubble Guppies show. The kid is a sponge.
- The girls call Pizza Hut the Pizza Parfait, which just cracks me up. We call it the pizza buffet and I think they heard parfait. I don't correct them.
- Josie lets me pick out her outfit in the morning and has told Tom it's just easier. If anyone compliments her on her outfit, she says, "Tell my mom - she picked it out." Tessa is a totally different story.
- Jack is all over the place - climbing on the coffee table, up the bunk bed stairs and just generally getting into trouble. He's also really starting to talk more. His favorite is probably uh-oh and dog, but he also says ball, mama, dada, and a few other things. He gets more adorable every day and probably gets into more trouble everyday. He's also learned to take his pants off which scares me every time I go into get him up from a nap.
That's it for now. I've already spent too much time here. Running late...
So, since life is speeding by, I wanted to take a second (and just a second - no time for more) and capture a few things.
- Josie knows all of her sight words, probably about 12 or so, and also has memorized not only how to read them but remembers them all when we're not doing flash cards. This morning, she was putting them into sentences in the car even though there's probably only one verb (see) and one noun (can - well, could be a noun anyway). She has her dad's photographic memory. I also learned that she knows all of the planets and possibly in order. She claims she saw it on a Space Bubble Guppies show. The kid is a sponge.
- The girls call Pizza Hut the Pizza Parfait, which just cracks me up. We call it the pizza buffet and I think they heard parfait. I don't correct them.
- Josie lets me pick out her outfit in the morning and has told Tom it's just easier. If anyone compliments her on her outfit, she says, "Tell my mom - she picked it out." Tessa is a totally different story.
- Jack is all over the place - climbing on the coffee table, up the bunk bed stairs and just generally getting into trouble. He's also really starting to talk more. His favorite is probably uh-oh and dog, but he also says ball, mama, dada, and a few other things. He gets more adorable every day and probably gets into more trouble everyday. He's also learned to take his pants off which scares me every time I go into get him up from a nap.
That's it for now. I've already spent too much time here. Running late...
Friday, October 14, 2011
More Fun at Tuttle!
I'm sensing a yearly tradition here...
We've already been to Tuttle once as a family - more photos and info here.
Both girls had a scheduled fall field trip to the orchard as well. Tessa was last Friday and one parent per child was required. Josie was Tuesday and I signed up to be the chaperone. I was so glad I was able to attend! (The timing ended up being not so great because Jack was sick.)
Here are some photos from Tessa's trip. We got to go on a hayride to pick pumpkins then pick four apples each from the trees. Finally, we got to go into the play area.
Picking her pumpkin - they cut it right off the vine!
Posing with the sunflowers and cornflowers...
Apples!
Got it!
Playtime -
So cute...
Perfect!
Jumping pose! Caught in the act!
Josie's trip was a little more involved. First, it included a school bus ride, which was a first for Josie. Then, we not only got a hayride to pick pumpkins and picked out apples, but we got a nice tour of the factory where they prepare the cider and prep apples for the store. Then, they also received a nice lesson in bees and pollination.
She wore her I Love Apples shirt for the occasion...
Bins upon bins of apples...
This is Josie's friend Kiera. They're so cute together!
Peaceful...
Time to find some apples!
Got em!
I was surprised at how many apples grow in one area...
Back at school - an apple a day!
We've already been to Tuttle once as a family - more photos and info here.
Both girls had a scheduled fall field trip to the orchard as well. Tessa was last Friday and one parent per child was required. Josie was Tuesday and I signed up to be the chaperone. I was so glad I was able to attend! (The timing ended up being not so great because Jack was sick.)
Here are some photos from Tessa's trip. We got to go on a hayride to pick pumpkins then pick four apples each from the trees. Finally, we got to go into the play area.
Picking her pumpkin - they cut it right off the vine!
Posing with the sunflowers and cornflowers...
Apples!
Got it!
I think this is the standard pumpkin patch cutout - I've seen it on a few facebook friend pages...
Josie's trip was a little more involved. First, it included a school bus ride, which was a first for Josie. Then, we not only got a hayride to pick pumpkins and picked out apples, but we got a nice tour of the factory where they prepare the cider and prep apples for the store. Then, they also received a nice lesson in bees and pollination.
She wore her I Love Apples shirt for the occasion...
Bake Sale Goodies - Halloween Style!
So, on my way home from taking Josie to school today, I was trying to decide what to do while we're around the house. I knew I had to head into the office to take care of a little business while the girls were both at school. Plus, I promised the girls we could go to Walmart to pick out their Halloween costumes after school. Once I got home at 7:45, I received an email from Josie's principal about still needing baked goods for the "Sweet Shop" at the Fall Festival tomorrow. (How cute is that by the way?! So much better than "Bake Sale.")
Perfect. Day officially planned. I always get into baking in the Fall but I also always seem to be watching what I eat and since I have absolutely NO willpower, I can't have that stuff around the house. So, I got my act in gear and went on Pinterest for some inspiration. I found a few cute and relatively easy things to make that would be perfect for a Fall Festival Sweet Shop. I passed on some pretty awesome looking Maple Pumpkin Fudge because a few reviews talked about timing being perfect. My timing is never perfect so it was out.
After Walmart, the girls and I proceeded to prep for our baking extravaganza! We put Jack to bed only to learn that he didn't want to nap and instead wanted to strip down to bare behind and dance in his crib. (Side note: I figure I'm due for this one. Three kids and this is a first...Boys...) He played quite nicely the rest of the afternoon.
First, we baked the cupcakes inspired by this recipe. I'm not proud and just went with Betty's mix. I picked chocolate because I thought the dark bottoms would be more "Halloween-ish." The girls helped with the mix and getting the cupcake liners ready.
Once the cupcakes were in the oven, we moved onto the Pumpkin Rice Krispie Treats. This is about when the girls lost interest. I found myself literally glued to the mix. I admit that Rice Krispie Treats should be easy, but man, molding them into the pumpkin shape was a mess. Melted marshmellows are apparently super glue. I ended up plastering my hands in Pam in between each pumpkin, which worked really well. Despite my issues, they turned out super cute. (Just click on the links for each of these treats to find the recipe. I just followed them as closely as I could.) The girls enjoyed getting the left overs off the spatula. I, on the other hand, did NOT enjoy getting the leftovers out of the bowl - did I mention super glue?
Then, the girls got involved again when making the Halloween Candy Corn Cookie Bark. I had them break up the Oreo's and pretzels and then sprinkle the candy corn. Meanwhile, I melted the Almond Bark. I've never used this stuff before and it was AWESOME! It tastes really good and isn't chocolate. It's truly vanilla candy coating. This was really easy and I think I could probably come up with my own recipes based on this stuff. I'll definitely be using it this Christmas for some Peppermint Bark. Once that went in the fridge, the girls were really done with the helping. This stuff looks awesome. Didn't get to try it, but may be buying it tomorrow at the festival. :)
I used the rest of the Almond Bark for covering some Halloween Oreos and pretzels. I added some seasonally appropriate sprinkles for good measure. (No picture of these, but they turned out cute. See the picture of everything to catch a glimpse.)
Finally, it was time to decorate the cupcakes. The girls love this part because they get to lick the bowls of icing once I've mixed it up and put it in the piping bag. I've come to the conclusion that cupcakes (and probably cakes for that matter) look a lot better when the icing is BOLD! This is hard to achieve with regular food coloring. I use the Wilton colorings. They're more difficult to use but the results are much better. I also use the Wilton kit for cake decorating - it was probably $9.88 at Walmart. I do think I'll get a full set of dyes though. I have a spring collection and then one or two others. A few sprinkles and we're done!
Jack enjoyed hanging with us today and must have known we were up to something because he moved the cupcake carrier lid over to the table to try to get a closer look and probably swipe something.
What a full day, but a fun one. I found myself frustrated a few times with the kids, but then realized this is why I'm doing these things. I got the stuff out of the house as fast as I could. I took it down to the school tonight. I saved out a few Oreo's and candy covered pretzels for tomorrow. ("Binge Day" on the new diet - more later - tomorrow so I figure I can try one.) Happy to have a reason to do some work in the kitchen today! Here's the final product!
Perfect. Day officially planned. I always get into baking in the Fall but I also always seem to be watching what I eat and since I have absolutely NO willpower, I can't have that stuff around the house. So, I got my act in gear and went on Pinterest for some inspiration. I found a few cute and relatively easy things to make that would be perfect for a Fall Festival Sweet Shop. I passed on some pretty awesome looking Maple Pumpkin Fudge because a few reviews talked about timing being perfect. My timing is never perfect so it was out.
After Walmart, the girls and I proceeded to prep for our baking extravaganza! We put Jack to bed only to learn that he didn't want to nap and instead wanted to strip down to bare behind and dance in his crib. (Side note: I figure I'm due for this one. Three kids and this is a first...Boys...) He played quite nicely the rest of the afternoon.
First, we baked the cupcakes inspired by this recipe. I'm not proud and just went with Betty's mix. I picked chocolate because I thought the dark bottoms would be more "Halloween-ish." The girls helped with the mix and getting the cupcake liners ready.
Once the cupcakes were in the oven, we moved onto the Pumpkin Rice Krispie Treats. This is about when the girls lost interest. I found myself literally glued to the mix. I admit that Rice Krispie Treats should be easy, but man, molding them into the pumpkin shape was a mess. Melted marshmellows are apparently super glue. I ended up plastering my hands in Pam in between each pumpkin, which worked really well. Despite my issues, they turned out super cute. (Just click on the links for each of these treats to find the recipe. I just followed them as closely as I could.) The girls enjoyed getting the left overs off the spatula. I, on the other hand, did NOT enjoy getting the leftovers out of the bowl - did I mention super glue?
Finished product...
Then, the girls got involved again when making the Halloween Candy Corn Cookie Bark. I had them break up the Oreo's and pretzels and then sprinkle the candy corn. Meanwhile, I melted the Almond Bark. I've never used this stuff before and it was AWESOME! It tastes really good and isn't chocolate. It's truly vanilla candy coating. This was really easy and I think I could probably come up with my own recipes based on this stuff. I'll definitely be using it this Christmas for some Peppermint Bark. Once that went in the fridge, the girls were really done with the helping. This stuff looks awesome. Didn't get to try it, but may be buying it tomorrow at the festival. :)
I used the rest of the Almond Bark for covering some Halloween Oreos and pretzels. I added some seasonally appropriate sprinkles for good measure. (No picture of these, but they turned out cute. See the picture of everything to catch a glimpse.)
Finally, it was time to decorate the cupcakes. The girls love this part because they get to lick the bowls of icing once I've mixed it up and put it in the piping bag. I've come to the conclusion that cupcakes (and probably cakes for that matter) look a lot better when the icing is BOLD! This is hard to achieve with regular food coloring. I use the Wilton colorings. They're more difficult to use but the results are much better. I also use the Wilton kit for cake decorating - it was probably $9.88 at Walmart. I do think I'll get a full set of dyes though. I have a spring collection and then one or two others. A few sprinkles and we're done!
Jack enjoyed hanging with us today and must have known we were up to something because he moved the cupcake carrier lid over to the table to try to get a closer look and probably swipe something.
What a full day, but a fun one. I found myself frustrated a few times with the kids, but then realized this is why I'm doing these things. I got the stuff out of the house as fast as I could. I took it down to the school tonight. I saved out a few Oreo's and candy covered pretzels for tomorrow. ("Binge Day" on the new diet - more later - tomorrow so I figure I can try one.) Happy to have a reason to do some work in the kitchen today! Here's the final product!
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Dancing Kids are Happy Kids!
Tom captured some great video on his phone this weekend. The kids are in a great phase of dancing up a storm in the toy room. I can't even figure out where to focus my eyes on these videos because they're all going a million miles a minute. (Welcome to my everyday life.) I love Tessa's handstands, Josie's disco moves and Jack's head down bulldozer. Such happy kids!
Instead of just posting the separate videos, I decided to put it into iMovie and whip up a little something fun. Today, Steve Jobs of Apple passed away. He has inspired so many wonderful products and I am thankful for them. I am thankful I can use technology to capture my kids in the everyday (all of these videos are from the iPhone4) and put them together in a fun way (iMovie on my Mac). And, I know my family and friends will watch this video on their Macs, iPhones and iPads. Thank you for bringing design and technology to the masses Mr. Jobs. May you rest in peace...
Instead of just posting the separate videos, I decided to put it into iMovie and whip up a little something fun. Today, Steve Jobs of Apple passed away. He has inspired so many wonderful products and I am thankful for them. I am thankful I can use technology to capture my kids in the everyday (all of these videos are from the iPhone4) and put them together in a fun way (iMovie on my Mac). And, I know my family and friends will watch this video on their Macs, iPhones and iPads. Thank you for bringing design and technology to the masses Mr. Jobs. May you rest in peace...
Journal Time - What We've Been Up To
I think it's about time for some photos and an update. We've stayed busy even though we've been at home for the last three weekends. I think that's a record for a while! And, we're hanging around most of October too. We have an awesome getaway to Gatlinburg planned for Fall Break and are all getting excited about that!
We've established quite the routine around here. It's taken a while but we've settled into a daily routine for days that Josie goes to school, those days that Tessa goes to school and the sitter's days too. Then, Monday nights are home with homework, Tuesday nights are date night and fun with the babysitter for the kids, Wednesday is a new Bible Study (that is awesome by the way) and Thursday nights are gymnastics. Then, the weekend comes along and we've tried to make Saturday's a family fun day and Sundays are church and then couch and football time. We all feel better falling into a routine.
So, here is a photo journal of our September...
I signed Jack back up for story time at the library. He's still a bit crazy but loves seeing the other kids and checking out the room around him. And, he's very proud of his name tag.
We got to spend a little time with the Robb cousins too! Jack loved his baby cousins!
I got my picture taken with Blue 2 from Butler University at a Rotary Meeting. Big time celebrity!
The babysitter was off last week, so the girls, Jack and I browsed the Halloween section at Walmart one day. I bought them "feathers" for their hair.
The girls got new nightgowns. And, a new camera pose...
Jack got a new t-shirt...
And, this is our favorite winter outfit of Jack's. His hood has monster horns. :)
We've taken a few family bike path walks. Josie always wants to take her bike but doesn't want to ride it. Tessa wants to ride in the stroller and Jack wants to walk. Tom usually runs and I try to do something more than walk. So, if you see me on the Pennsy doing high knees, skipping, or pushing the stroller out in front of me and sprinting to catch up, you know why.
Here's Tessa on the bike and Josie well ahead with dad on a jog.
I ordered a new Sit N Stand stroller! It's really only for two kids, but positioned just right, we can fit three.
The girls are infatuated with this little "Fun Pad" we've had forever but they've somehow rediscovered. This is Josie's mouse with Tiger-itis, a goatee and pants.
Tessa drew underpants on this rabbit. After getting a hearty chuckle from the family, she proceeded to draw underpants on about ten more animals.
And, I've spent the last week reading a fictional novel!! Haven't done this since last November when we went to Colorado. Not quite done, but very close. I am again reminded though of why I do not do this more often. The only time I really have to read is at night. So, I've been a bit anti-social with Tom in front of the TV and staying up way too late. Been reading The Help and highly recommend it.
Big stuff coming this weekend. Tom gave me a weekend getaway for my birthday and we're taking his parents up on watching the kids! But first, we get to go out to dinner with them on Friday night. Then, we have the big Riley 5K this weekend. I've only run one 5K and I can't say it ended well. Let's just say I won't be eating Rice Krispie Treat Cereal before this race. Here's a shot of the treadmill after my last attempt. Now, I hop off way too much, but still hoping to hit sub-25 minutes...
Finally, we'll take off for Indy and week of looking at house stuff. Hitting Menard's and Home Depot to make decisions on everything from toilets to door hardware. So, big weekend around here!
We've established quite the routine around here. It's taken a while but we've settled into a daily routine for days that Josie goes to school, those days that Tessa goes to school and the sitter's days too. Then, Monday nights are home with homework, Tuesday nights are date night and fun with the babysitter for the kids, Wednesday is a new Bible Study (that is awesome by the way) and Thursday nights are gymnastics. Then, the weekend comes along and we've tried to make Saturday's a family fun day and Sundays are church and then couch and football time. We all feel better falling into a routine.
So, here is a photo journal of our September...
I signed Jack back up for story time at the library. He's still a bit crazy but loves seeing the other kids and checking out the room around him. And, he's very proud of his name tag.
We got to spend a little time with the Robb cousins too! Jack loved his baby cousins!
I got my picture taken with Blue 2 from Butler University at a Rotary Meeting. Big time celebrity!
The babysitter was off last week, so the girls, Jack and I browsed the Halloween section at Walmart one day. I bought them "feathers" for their hair.
The girls got new nightgowns. And, a new camera pose...
Jack got a new t-shirt...
And, this is our favorite winter outfit of Jack's. His hood has monster horns. :)
We've taken a few family bike path walks. Josie always wants to take her bike but doesn't want to ride it. Tessa wants to ride in the stroller and Jack wants to walk. Tom usually runs and I try to do something more than walk. So, if you see me on the Pennsy doing high knees, skipping, or pushing the stroller out in front of me and sprinting to catch up, you know why.
Here's Tessa on the bike and Josie well ahead with dad on a jog.
I ordered a new Sit N Stand stroller! It's really only for two kids, but positioned just right, we can fit three.
The girls are infatuated with this little "Fun Pad" we've had forever but they've somehow rediscovered. This is Josie's mouse with Tiger-itis, a goatee and pants.
Tessa drew underpants on this rabbit. After getting a hearty chuckle from the family, she proceeded to draw underpants on about ten more animals.
And, I've spent the last week reading a fictional novel!! Haven't done this since last November when we went to Colorado. Not quite done, but very close. I am again reminded though of why I do not do this more often. The only time I really have to read is at night. So, I've been a bit anti-social with Tom in front of the TV and staying up way too late. Been reading The Help and highly recommend it.
Big stuff coming this weekend. Tom gave me a weekend getaway for my birthday and we're taking his parents up on watching the kids! But first, we get to go out to dinner with them on Friday night. Then, we have the big Riley 5K this weekend. I've only run one 5K and I can't say it ended well. Let's just say I won't be eating Rice Krispie Treat Cereal before this race. Here's a shot of the treadmill after my last attempt. Now, I hop off way too much, but still hoping to hit sub-25 minutes...
Finally, we'll take off for Indy and week of looking at house stuff. Hitting Menard's and Home Depot to make decisions on everything from toilets to door hardware. So, big weekend around here!
Friday, September 30, 2011
How To Get Hired - Resume Advice from a Small Business Owner
As I would imagine most small business owners would attest, human resources is one of the most difficult aspects of owning your own business. We have had the good fortune of really putting together a great, cohesive team. Every few months, for one reason or another, we find ourselves again short staffed. (For those of you who know Andrea, this is not her position. We will always have a place for her in our company! How could you not!?) So, last week, we listed a job on Career Builder for a New Home Sales Consultant. Since posting, we have received 111 applications and we'll likely get another 150-200 before the posting expires.
Here is the link to the job posting...
I feel it is my duty to share with my friends some pearls of wisdom that I have observed this week (and over the last four years). I am by no means an expert, but have probably reviewed 1,000 resumes and I do know that there are quite a few things you can do that will truly put you miles ahead of your competition.
1. PROOFREAD!!!! I know this seems basic, but please, I implore you, do NOT have typos on your resume and cover letters. If you do nothing else after reading this post, please go do this with your resume. Read it over at least three times (OK - even once would have solved a lot of these problems) then give it to a friend or five to read. While being typo-free doesn't automatically shoot your resume to the top of the stack, it will avoid the immediate reject pile. Here are just a handful of typos I have seen...
Here is the link to the job posting...
I feel it is my duty to share with my friends some pearls of wisdom that I have observed this week (and over the last four years). I am by no means an expert, but have probably reviewed 1,000 resumes and I do know that there are quite a few things you can do that will truly put you miles ahead of your competition.
1. PROOFREAD!!!! I know this seems basic, but please, I implore you, do NOT have typos on your resume and cover letters. If you do nothing else after reading this post, please go do this with your resume. Read it over at least three times (OK - even once would have solved a lot of these problems) then give it to a friend or five to read. While being typo-free doesn't automatically shoot your resume to the top of the stack, it will avoid the immediate reject pile. Here are just a handful of typos I have seen...
- City of residence spelled wrong
- State abbreviation not capitalized along with a missing zip code
- My name spelled wrong - this is bad
- My company's name spelled wrong - this is really bad
- Various words spelled wrong - spell check is your friend
- Poor grammar
- Phone numbers with dashes incorrectly spaced
- Incomplete email addresses
- Incorrect Phone Numbers
2. Add a cover letter, but only if it's a good one and you take the time to customize it for the job. (Again, please proofread and make sure the customized fields are actually complete - i.e. name, phone, company, etc.) Don't go on and on about how good you are at XYZ accounting system if that's not one of the requirements of the listed position. I will say that probably less than 10% of applicants do actually send along a cover letter. Use this opportunity to emphasize why you would be a good fit, especially if your work experience isn't an exact match. A reasonably good and customized cover letter generally shoots you to the top of my list, regardless of the resume.
3. Customize your objective. Fit it to the specific job to which you are actually applying. Don't tell me your objective is to work for a Fortune 500 firm as a business analyst when you're applying to my company of four employees. And, don't write, "Seeking a career in the (administrative, dental, aeronautics, or anything else as equally unrelated) field" if it's not the field of the job description. Keep it simple and just slightly specific. Here would be a perfect objective for our particular job - "To obtain a challenging position in New Home Sales with a growing company in order to best utilize my sales skills and outgoing personality." Even if your experience (i.e. - elementary teacher) doesn't lend itself to the particular job (i.e. - New Home Sales), but you think you'd be a good fit, don't leave your normal objective in the resume.
4. At least pretend like you will actually stay at the job for more than six months. I literally groan out loud at some of the objectives I read. "To obtain a job at an optometrist's office in order to further my opportunities in the industry." My personal favorite - "To continue my education in order to pursue my career in (fill in the blank with some totally unrelated profession)." You might as well just say "To find a position at which I can milk a salary while I wait for something better to come along and, when that time comes, you will be lucky to get a two week notice."
5. What the recruiters tell you is true - I spend less than 30 seconds on each resume. Well, that is unless it is good. I can usually tell in the first few lines if I'm interested or not. See numbers 1, 2, 3 and 4. This is not cruel, it is just a necessity when reviewing so many applicants.
6. Respond appropriately. If the listing says, No Phone Calls Please, then don't call. It's just annoying. And, always send your resume electronically if possible. Faxes just don't cut it these days. And, if possible, PDF your resume and attach that instead of a Word document. The formatting just never seems to come through correctly and it will always look right in a PDF.
7. Obtain a professional email address. There is no excuse - they're free. Even if your nickname and personal email address is lovey_honey_bear@xyz.com, that doesn't mean your future employer needs to know about it.
All kidding aside, please don't get me wrong, I review a lot of good resumes. And, I'm sure some of the people making these errors would make great employees. But, I haven't yet determined a way to sort those out. My time is limited and I will probably only interview 5-10 of the probable 300 applicants over the phone. I will be lucky to conduct 3 face to face interviews from those people. Your resume needs to be perfect and great, not close and good.
I do not envy anyone in the job market these days. If I were back out there on the hunt, I would likely make a tremendous amount of changes to my resume as well. It is my hope that these few simple changes will really make a difference and send you to the top of the pile instead of just in the mediocre middle.
Stay tuned for more chapters in this series as we've only just begun down the path of hiring. I'm sure I'll come up with more advice as we enter the interviewing stage.
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