Re-Entering the Work Force: Writing a Resume

by Sandy // February 26, 2015 // 1 Comment

You need extra money. Maybe you’ve recently been widowed, divorced, or had investments that didn’t pay as well as expected. You may be restless and want something to do, or want to socialize more. Maybe you just want to make a little extra for travel. Whatever the reason to re-enter the workforce, you need a resume. You need a good one. You need one that will get you the job.

I’ve always recommended having a resume professionally done. It’s a great investment. The cost, however, can range from $200-$800 so you need to determine if it would benefit you for the jobs you’ll be applying for.

If you decide to create your own, these guidelines will help make your resume better. Although I’m not a professional resume writer, I have reviewed hundreds over the years, so I can give you some basic pointers.

Whenever we had a position open, we received 150-250 resumes. Over half went in the trash after a 3 second glance. Why? Because guidelines were not followed for at least one of the following:

FORMATTING
LANGUAGE
GRAMMAR AND SPELLING
REFERENCES

FORMATTING

Formatting is extremely important. If it’s easy to read, it stands a better chance of actually being looked at.

Look at this example. The font is difficult to read, far too small, there’s no white space and if, by some slight chance, Mary did get the job, there’s no information for contacting her. It hurts my eyes! It would immediately go in the trash!

Changing the format (font style, size and leaving white space) at least makes it easier on the eyes. I may read it.

These are basic formatting guidelines you should follow:

Type your resume using WORD (Software made by MicroSoft, that is available for PCs and MACs and totally worth the investment of $110). The majority of applications are submitted online nowadays, and WORD is widely used.
Limit the resume to 2 typed pages.
Use a font that is easily read. I recommend Arial and font size 12 or 11. (No one wants to use a magnifying glass to be able to read your resume.)
Keep white space. (Don’t use narrow margins or eliminate spacing. The white space makes it easier to read.)
Identify yourself immediately and provide good contact information. (Include your full name, address, contact phone number and email address.)

Need help with formatting in WORD? Get started with Updating WORD Basics.

LANGUAGE

The language you use can be a deal breaker.

BE PROFESSIONAL
IDENTIFY YOUR SKILLS
BE CONCISE
USE ACTION VERBS

BE PROFESSIONAL

Start with your email address. Would you hire someone with an email address of [email protected]? Or how about [email protected]? If necessary, create a new email account and make sure it reflects someone that will be welcome at the workplace.

On a side note, let’s talk briefly about Facebook, blogs and other websites. Believe it or not, hiring managers will google prospective employees. If you’re one of those people that get on the internet to express your “total freaking dissatisfaction with all the crap that’s going on” and love to be vocal about it, or love to post pictures of yourself drunk at parties, you want to stop now and remove everything that is currently out there.

IDENTIFY YOUR SKILLS

Blow your own horn but only list skills that apply to the job you’re applying for. If you were hiring a house painter, would you care that they were awesome bowlers?

Keep a master resume that lists all of your skills (which can be as many pages as you need), then create condensed resumes for specific jobs. Select only the skills that are required for the position you are applying for.

Never exaggerate or lie about your skills, but identify all of them. Did you throw a huge, successful fundraiser at church? Those are organizational and project management skills. Do you volunteer at the community center to coordinate activities? You have leadership skills. Do you write a blog or have an online shop (Ebay, Etsy, etc.)? Then you’re self-motivated and have examples of writing, computer and communication skills. Think about your experience in time management, teamwork, problem solving and interpersonal skills. Don’t neglect skills you have just because you didn’t hone them at school or on the job.

BE CONCISE

Don’t ramble and don’t write paragraphs. Sum it up! The hiring manager needs to be able to SCAN the resume and determine if it’s worth looking at deeper.

Scan this resume and see how quickly you can pick out the skills.

Separate the dates and the company/organization from the skills. Using bullet lists draws the eye to the skill, so use them. See if you can pick out the skills a little quicker when information is presented differently.

USE ACTION VERBS

Hiring managers don’t want to know what your duties or responsibilities were. They want to know what you accomplished and how well you accomplished it. A good rule of thumb is to always start your skill with an ‘action verb’ and whenever possible, include a result.

Look at these examples. If you were hiring someone to ship for you, which would you be more comfortable hiring?

GRAMMAR AND SPELLING

It should go without saying that resumes should be error free. There should be no spelling or grammar errors. If you’re not confident in your abilities, have a friend review it. Have 9 friends review it!

If you took my advice and used WORD, make certain you run the Spelling and Grammar tools on your resume.

REFERENCES

It’s more important then ever to actually include references on a resume. No matter how tempting, do not put “References available upon request”. Do not put your sister, best friend, or someone that was willing to say “I’d hire them in a second!”.

Find references that can validate your skills. If you organized that fundraiser for the church, ask the pastor; if you volunteer at the community center, ask the administrator. You want to list people that can say they have personal knowledge of skills you possess.

Did this article change the way you create resumes? We’d like to know! We love hearing from you so please share your comments.

For a limited time, we’ll provide help with creating outstanding resumes for our subscribers at very reasonable rates. Go to our Contact Us page and let us know that you’d like assistance with you resume. (Offer is limited to confirmed subscribers at sistersfolly.net)

Watts Up with the New Light Bulbs?

by Irene // February 23, 2015 // 2 Comments

Because of the Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA) of 2007, we must say goodbye to incandescent light bulbs. It’s been hard to fathom and I’ve been fuming ever since.

I realize these new bulbs are cost-effective in that they use less energy and last tens of thousands of hours, (so they’ll probably outlive me), but past experience made me hate them. The blue tint in the lamp above our table turned my meals an unappetizing, green-ish hue.

There was a delay between the on/off switch and the bulb fully lighting (causing frequent tripping and falling down stairs); they had an odd shape; they flickered; you couldn’t use them outside and applying makeup was a nightmare.

Another drawback was that they contained mercury. If you happen to break one, follow this 3-page, EPA document to clean it up safely. (You don’t want to grow additional thumbs, do you?)

The other day, my friend, Shelley, mentioned something that I hadn’t thought of. Her granddaughter’s Easy Bake Oven is now useless. It uses a 100W incandescent light bulb, which is harder to find than Kanye West at a Taylor Swift concert. The EASI of 2007 murdered the Easy Bake Oven! All of those carcasses will end up in landfills. How green is that?

And what about the “how many does it take to change a light bulb” jokes? They’re not going to be as funny.

Q: How many Psychiatrists does it take to change a light bulb?

A: Only one, but the bulb must really WANT to change.

Compared to:

Q: How many Zen masters does it take to change a CFL light bulb?

A: None – the universe spins the light bulb and the Zen master steps out of the way

You can still find the old-style bulbs, but inventory is dwindling. Bulb makers and retailers have largely moved on. So have most consumers. Much has improved over the original answer to energy saving lighting. These new light sources come in all shapes and sizes. They are now available in 3-Ways, decorative flames, track lighting and recessed lighting and significant amounts of electricity has been saved.

In an attempt to rid angst out of my life, I’ve decided to put my big-girl pants on and concede to these energy conserving light bulbs. Now that incandescent bulbs are no longer a viable option, we’re left with only three options, but the light-bulb aisle has never been more confusing. Here’s a little help.

Halogens are similar to traditional incandescent bulbs. They instantly produce light, accurately show the colors of objects, don’t contain mercury and are fully dimmable. They use about 25% less energy than the old incandescents, so they just meet the newly enacted energy-efficiency standards. A 43-Watt bulb is the equivalent of an old 60-Watt filament bulb.
CFL bulbs or Compact Fluorescent Light bulbs (no, not Curly Freakin’ Lights).
These were the first energy efficient lights to which we were introduced. There have been many improvements as you’ll find a variety of color options that are warmer and “Instant On” CFL’s are now available. Plus, the cost has gone way down to around $2 for the non-fancy CFL.
LEDs are, I think, the rock stars of new lights. They last far longer than even CFLs. Some manufacturers claim that they can last up to 46 years when used three hours a day! They are pricier though, (about 5 times the cost of incandescent bulbs) but it is said they will eventually pay for themselves with the energy saved and the cost of replacement.

What’s a lumen?
The science behind these new light sources is more complex than opening a childproof medicine bottle. All we really have to know is brightness is measured in lumens, not watts—the higher the number, the brighter the bulb. When shopping, use this chart as a guideline to achieve similar brightness produced by the old incandescent bulbs:


Get at least:	To achieve incandescent light of a:
450 lumens	40W bulb
800 lumens	60W bulb
1,100 lumens	75W bulb
1,600 lumens	100W bulb

Next, for the same “warmth” of an incandescent bulb, we must consider the Kelvin. Kelvin is a unit of measurement used to describe the hue of a specific light source. Look for 2700K through 3500K LED light bulb or the terms “warm white” and “soft white” and you won’t be disappointed.

Finally, LED bulbs also provide good color rendering, which is the ability of a bulb to show the true color of objects. This is measured on a scale of zero to 100, with 100 being the best. LEDs offer as much as 85 on this scale.

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Is Honesty the Best Policy?

by Sandy // February 18, 2015 // 4 Comments

mistaking rudeness for honesty is vulgar

I’ve heard it countless times. I’ve said it. As we get older, we care less and less about “what others think”. We are proud of being brutally honest. But is honesty always the best policy?

There is a difference between being honest and being downright rude. I’m starting to think a large percentage of the American population doesn’t realize this. Not only are they making rude comments, they’re proud of it. They re-tell a story to their friends, bragging about — even exaggerating — their rudeness. It’s mind-boggling.

I can think of two explanations:

They feel anonymous
They are confused

FEELING ANONYMOUS

It’s true that the internet has made the world smaller. It’s made information, products and people accessible. I’ve reconnected with old friends and get to keep up-to-date with distant family members. It’s a wonderful thing. In a matter of a few minutes, I know who is struggling and who is celebrating, who is angry, bored or in love. I enjoy being part of their lives, even indirectly.

Then … I see THAT post. The one that makes me cringe.

I’m not a prude. I have no problem with scrolling past a post I find offensive. I have no problem hiding or un-friending someone. I believe wholeheartedly that everyone has the right to post whatever they choose. What I am struggling with are some of the surprising “opinions” of some of my friends and family. My gut clenches and I think “That’s not the person I know!” Either they’re hiding their true selves when they’re with me, or they are being someone else online.

Here’s a helpful hint: If you wouldn’t be comfortable making a comment or voicing an opinion to me in person, don’t post it where I can read it. Create a list of people that aren’t privy to your general, daily posts and please, put me on it! I want to see your vacation pictures and read about your family. I don’t want to know that you’re racist, anti-gay, into S/M or a member of a Hate Group. I don’t want to experience your anger, vulgarity or rudeness. You may feel anonymous and say things you wouldn’t express face-to-face, but I know who you are! And it changes how I think of you.

CONFUSED

I think we need to start using the dictionary again. There seems to be a lot of confusion about the definitions of some very common words and phrases.

BE YOURSELF – Yes, I agree. We should all be ourselves; be proud of who we are. We should rejoice in our differences and embrace our quirks. However, “Being Yourself” is not a free pass to being a jerk.
BE STRONG – The opposite of being weak is not being rude. This is especially true for women nowadays. Women don’t want to appear “weak” so they go to the extreme. They think being a rude, vulgar, loud-mouth shows us how “strong” they are. It doesn’t. It shows us that they are rude, vulgar, loud-mouths with a lack of compassion.
BE HONEST – Again, being rude is NOT being honest. It’s being rude. We are not impressed and we’re not dying to be like you. You are making us uncomfortable and want to be around you less. If you approach me and blurt out “You’ve gained weight!” (“That dress looks horrible on you.”, “Your hair looks awful”, etc.), you are just being rude. If I ASK you how I look, and you tell me truthfully, then you’re being honest. Unsolicited opinions are inconsiderate, undesired and just plain rude.

I think everyone needs to ensure the words “Compassion”, “Consideration” and “Courtesy” are still in their dictionary. Irene reminded me of the episode on the Andy Griffith Show when Aunt Bee left town for a few days. She calls Andy and asks how everything is going.

Andy is standing in the kitchen, which is totally trashed. He doesn’t want Aunt Bee to feel anxious about leaving. His response? “Everything is fine.”

Is honesty the best policy? Not if it’s at the expense of others.

Are you experiencing the same thing? We’d like to hear from you!

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New Orleans (on the cheap)

by Sandy // February 13, 2015 // No Comments

Our finances are very limited, but we enjoy travel. When my friend, Jean, and I decided a trip to New Orleans was in order, we stayed within budget ($475 per person) but still got to do everything on our “New Orleans Bucket List”.

We found out the Amtrak train “City of New Orleans” (made famous in the 1972 Arlo Guthrie song) made a stop in Kentucky. We traveled the 3rd week of October. Weather was perfect, costs were low and nothing was over-crowded but crowded enough. Cost for the round trip: $175 per person. No gas cost and stress free (vs. a navigator and traffic and cramming 2 people and luggage in the back seat of a car).

We booked 2 rooms at The Creole Gardens Guesthouse, a mansion in the Garden District which was built in 1849. The guest rooms are in servant’s quarters.

It’s eclectic, bohemian…. just our style! Cost per person: $148.50 for 4 nights including breakfast.

We splurged and made dinner reservations at Emeril Lagasse’s Delmonico (just around the corner from the Creole Gardens), one of my “New Orleans Bucket List” to-do’s. Cost: $50 per person including awesome entrée, beverage, scrumptious dessert and tip.

We each got a different dessert, took a bite and rotated to the left so we could all taste each fabulous one.

Each morning, we would meet in the court before breakfast. Every time I stepped out of my room, I would smile. This place just made me smile!!! It is so colourful; so happy.

Barbara and Miss Barbara (her mother) prepared all of the breakfasts (which were included in the cost of the rooms). Barbara was always singing and dancing to Motown.The Barbaras cook hot, delicious breakfast …made to order.

We walked to St. Charles Avenue (around the corner) and caught the trolley (streetcar). Trolley cost $1.25 each trip or $3 for the day (until 4 am).

The St. Charles is the oldest continuously operating streetcar in the world (operational for over 150 years). Mahogany seats that have backs that slide from one end to the other (so you can sit facing the other direction when the trolley goes back), brass fittings and exposed, flickering ceiling light bulbs. Very loud, the trolley rumbles along….bong bong bong then a loud clank and sparks would fly out from underneath. Then everything would go dead silent and the lights would go out for a few minutes. I actually thought the thing stopped dead, but it didn’t.

We swayed along, going through a tunnel of Live Oaks, and past antebellum mansions. We got off at Canal, right at the entrance to Bourbon Street.

All of the doors were flung open so you would walk past and catch glimpses of the inside of the shops, hear the music and conversations, barkers calling, smell the smells. All of the senses were wildly active! Tin ceilings, arched windows, street names made of white ceramic tile with blue letters embedded in concrete on each street corner. Mardi Gras beads were everywhere.

We stopped at the Musical Legends Park and listened to the live music while admiring the statues of greats like Al Hirt and Fats Domino. Great ambiance. Cost: Free

Many of the storefronts and bars have courts at the back. Seating, music, smoking and drinking. We spent a few breaks in the courts…. I got a New Orleans Bloody Mary which is quite different from a Bloody Mary in Savannah. It’s brown in colour and has pickled green beans and jalapenos in it. Spicy. Good, very good. But it was too spicy for my stomach to handle ☹ I swapped Jean for her drink: Jameson and ginger ale. Can’t finish your cocktail quickly? No worries; take it with you. It’s legal to walk down Bourbon Street with a drink in hand. Cost: $8.

There are street performers aplenty… Cost: Free (unless you feel kind enough to make a donation).

A “must” on our list was a visit to Marie Laveau’s House of Voodoo (the most famous voodoo shop). We also stopped in at Reverend Zombie’s Voodoo Shop and a number of souvenir shops and bars.

We walked to the French Market district, stopping in the shops along Decatur and along French Market Place. We went to the Farmer’s Market and Flea Market and browsed through the stalls. We ate Crab Cakes and Apple Beignets at a lunch counter, Mother Nature’s Cupboard. Behind the counter was a wall of jars… strange things in the jars! The proprietor, Gene Murphy, was a delight and the food was fabulous. Cost: $5 (we shared)

Of course, we went to Café du Monde for coffee and beignets. OMG! They are wonderful! A street musician was playing the saxaphone, and there were tons of people. The energy is awesome.

We each enjoyed a cup of their famous coffee and 3 wonderful beignets. Cost: $3.50 per person.

We took a stroll along the Mississippi River. A paddle boat played music that sounded like calliope. We sat on a bench and just enjoyed the view, the freighters, tug boats and paddle boats. Cost: Free

Next stop, the Clover Grill for lunch. The food was good; the menu funny. (Under menu descriptions would be personal comments like “If you’re not served in 5 minutes, relax, it may be another 5. This is not New York City”. Cost: $6.30 each.

One street was blocked off. We soon found out that they were filming NCIS New Orleans. What an unexpected treat! We stood and watched for quite a while. There were 3 actors, navy dress blues, crossing the street over and over. They acted as if they were jumping a puddle. Later, they set off an explosion so I’m guessing they merged the 2 pieces of film together to look like the explosion made them leap away from it.

We took the trolley farther into the Garden District for a tour of Lafayette Cemetery No. 1, one of the oldest cemeteries in the city. It was built on an old sugar plantation. Pat, our tour guide from Save Our Cemeteries did an amazing job for only $15 per person. The money goes towards preserving the cemeteries so I always recommend them for tours.

Tombs are above ground (because the city is built on a swamp) and are shared by the family. The cemetery resembles a small village with all of it’s above ground monuments and tombs, so has the nickname “City of the Dead.”

The “Secret Garden” is a square of four tombs built by friends, “the Quarto,” who held secret meetings and wished to be buried together. It was the tomb of Lestat in the 1994 movie “Interview with a Vampire” (Brad Pitt, Tom Cruise) and all of the cemetery scenes in the movie were filmed here. Another movie that was filmed here was “Double Jeopardy” (1999) with Ashley Judd.

There are tours of the homes available, but since we opted to splurge on good eating, we did the tour ourselves. You can find all you need on the internet to create your own walking tour at sites like New Orleans Garden District.

We walked up Coliseum Street and passed Sandra Bullock’s, John Goodman’s and the “Benjamin Button” house. Nicholas Cage also lives here and at First and Chestnut, we saw Ann Rice’s house, the inspiration for Mayfair Manor, the home of the Mayfair Witches in her book “The Witching Hour”. Cost: Free

The boys went on to the Central Business District and the National WWII Museum while Jean and I went back to Bourbon Street. Admission to WWII Museum: $23 per person.

We had dinner at the Irish House which is just around the corner from the Creole Gardens. The chef at the Irish House is Chef Matt Murphy, who won his episode of Chopped in 2012 and has many other accomplishments in the culinary world. The food was so good, we understand why he won! Cost: $20.01 per person for entrées, dessert, beverages and tip.

Luckily, we were walking back to creole gardens so were able to walk off some of the food. The courts were lit by party lights. We sat in the courtyard, talking about the day.

Time to go home. It was a spectacular, satisfying trip. … LAISSEZ LES BONS TEMPS ROULER, CHER!

What did we miss? What do you have on your New Orleans Bucket List? We’d love to hear from you.

Don’t think you can afford to travel? Read how we do it in our post “Traveling on a Budget“.

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