Author: Mike Balof

A retired Air Force Master Sergeant, Mike used to lay in bed at night and worry about what would happen if his plant closed or found himself without a job. One day his plant closed. Rather than panic and hysteria (OK, maybe a little) Mike found himself carried away on the adventure of his life. Mike started with the best job he ever had working at Home Depot. He spent 8 years working with job seekers at a local workforce center, helping them to find employment. He then started his own company developing courses, writing books and urging others to follow their own paths into the future. Mike holds a Master of Arts in Adult Education and Training and a Bachelor of Business Management, earned through the University of Phoenix and an AAS degree in Electronics Systems Technology from the Community College of the Air Force. Mike is a member of the Delta Mu Delta Business Honor Society.

Use Clear and Concise Language When Filling Out the Application

When we often write or talk with others, we sometimes use words and phrases that are very common to us and, unfortunately, have little meaning to the person listening to us or reading the words. When you write your resume, it is important to be clear and understandable. To do so, you should try to stay with terms everyone knows and not stray from the common path.

When you go to make an impression make a good one. Give the impression that you can talk to others in clear and concise language that the majority of people in those positions will be able to understand. Just because the people on the street understand what BOLO is, does not mean that the HR people reading through your resume will understand it the moment they read it. Their minds could be in other places, or it might just be a surprise to see the acronym.

When you write your resume, using fancy acronyms and very specialized words makes you look smarter as much as it makes the other person reading it feel dumb if they don’t know what you’re talking about. Why would I want to hire somebody who makes me feel dumb?

Think about it.

Is your resume recent?

If you find a job you want, and you reach under your bed and pull out a old resume that’s two years old, dust it off, and send it in, you may be disappointed in the results. Employers aren’t interested in what you were doing two years ago as much as they are in what you were doing last week. You must keep your resume up to date.

When is the best time to rewrite your resume? The day you start your new job. And, of course, every time something significant happens, that will look good on your resume.

Every time you change your resume is a great time to go through it and make sure everything is correct, reads quickly, and holds you in the best light possible.

Always double-check that your resume is easy to read. I have seen people write extensive page-long paragraphs on what they’ve done for two and three pages of resumes with no proper line spacing and words pushed together as tight as possible. And I just knew no one was going to read them. And based on the results they gained, I believe I was right.

I consider it essential that when somebody gives you advice, you at least take a moment to check it out and see if it might be real. It’s not that employers are lazy. When they have a job to fill, they will take quick and easy paths to get the right person.

Who’s on your social media?

Have you ever gone to social media to look at what your kids are doing? I did that when mine were in their early 20s. Suddenly, accounts were cleaned up, pictures were changed, and things were considerably cleaned up after I had gone to their accounts and said hello.

I do not tell you this to embarrass my kids. The point I’m making is that if you are applying for a job at a company in this day and age, you’re going to find that companies like to come out and visit your social media. Social media is open to anybody who wants to come and visit. It’s perfectly legal.

I would like to advise you, though, that it might be to your benefit that when the company arrives at your site, they find something appealing to someone they would like to hire. Although this is just a thought, it might be one that would help you from losing a job prospect.

Enjoy and have fun with your social media. Just do it in a way that puts you in a good light.

Verify Your Accuracy

When filling out a job application or writing a resume, you need to be as accurate as possible. This is vitally important because the people who read this will likely run a background check to verify what you are telling them in your application and resume.

They will do this to ensure that you will be a good member of their team and be able to do the work they need. Anytime you make a document that others will read, it never hurts to double and sometimes triple-check the page to ensure you have everything correct.

Ensure you have the correct dates and are forthright with what you do and have done. Minor mistakes can be misinterpreted as you being sloppy with the facts. They will worry about what you will do with their data if you can’t get your facts straight.

How Important Are Applications and Resumes

A good resume is essential to successfully gaining your desired job. Your applications and resumes need to be the most precise, clear, and exact that they can be. I will spend the next several days going into this in detail because it is that important.

Until I sat down and talked with hiring managers, I didn’t understand that this is where most people lose their job bids. Many people don’t realize this when they’re applying for jobs.

Your job application and resume speak volumes about what an employer can expect from you. A well crafted resume and application are great. One with fuzzy activities or dates will lose you the job.

For today I want to let you know how employers know if your application and resume are correct. They run a background check on all candidates who look like a good fit.

A line worker could be handling thousands of dollars worth of inventory. A janitor or custodian could carry the keys to every sensitive building area. Employers will do this for all good candidates because everyone they hire has to be trusted, not just the top brass.

If your dates and other information align with the background check, you pass to the next round. If not, they stop your chances there. They probably won’t even tell you why.

We will get more into this tomorrow. I will show you ways to ensure what your application and resume is accurate.

Elevator Pitches

Ever notice that you can see signs for help wanted almost everywhere? That usually happens until you need a job. Then the signs seem to be gone. You stand there staring at a desert.

Elevator Pitches are one of the most robust tools you can have when looking for a job. There are many people out there other than your direct friends and relatives. Nobody knows where you are, who you are, or whether you are looking for employment. You solve the problem not by asking for a job but instead by asking if the person knows anyone who could use someone with your skills.


The Pitch

Hi, My Name is ___(your Name)___________.

I work in _________((what you Do) _____________, and I was wondering if you knew anyone who is looking to hire someone with those skills.

(Let them respond. They most likely will not know anyone.) then say:

Thank you, here is my card if you happen to run across someone who could use someone with my skill sets.

Most people will not know anyone who needs your skills when you first talk to them. Often they will run across someone in casual conversation within a week or two who could use you. A long shot? Maybe. Yet it does happen.

First, gather your knowledge

If you are going to change jobs or careers, there is a lot of research you’ll have to do. You want to know what is available, what is doable, and what is suitable for you. To do this, you will have to sit down and understand many things about yourself.

It sounds easy when you know exactly what you want and where the jobs are. Yet, many people do not know what they want from their work life or even what is possible. And yes, many things are out there, but you cannot show up and say I’ll take any job. Employers purposely don’t have a job or need to call any job. Mainly because they know anybody who took an any-job would soon leave. Employers have specific tasks that need to be done, and people who best fit into those same tasks, do them, and be happy about it. That is why you need to study what you want and which companies need those positions. Doing so will help you, and the people who hire you will be happier.

Suppose you’re unsure what you really want to do. In that case, there is a free test you can take online that is written by the Department of Education for the Department of Labor. It is 65 questions long and only takes about 15 minutes to do. It is called my next move(www.mynextmove.org). If you take this free assessment, it will show you opportunities that match up with what you have indicated you like to do.

The My Next Move assessment is on www.onetonline.org. And the site holds information on every job category, right down to the pay for people in your area.

If you have any problems or need some coaching after or before taking the assessment, you can go to your local Workforce center, and they can help you. Your local workforce center can also help you find who is hiring for the job you want. Once again, the services are free.

Do You Need A New Job Or A New Career?

There are many reasons that you may want to have a new career. Your old career may go by the wayside because of more recent computer programs. You may be looking for a better work-life balance. And it may be that you have changed your circumstances, such as a recent move.

AI tells us many different reasons for seeking a new career. Yet, the number one reason for wanting this is a lack of fulfillment. It turns out that people are just not enjoying what they’re doing at their current job. I understand. I have left jobs for the same reason and moved on to jobs that gave me more fulfillment.

I must caution that there is a lot of planning and forethought to go into a successful move from one job to another. That is what we’re going to be studying. Use your head; do not jump into something without weighing all the pros and cons first.

Changing jobs or careers could be the best thing that ever happened to Us. Yet changing jobs or careers without the correct preparation or forethought could be one of the worst. Where is thought many people have told me before, “look before you leap.”

Tomorrow we will look at some of the things you need to consider when changing employment.

You Need a Job or Want a New Career?

I usually jump into the middle of things without much explanation. I’m trying to get better in my older age, so please allow me to explain. I’m working with a great teacher, Sarah Cordiner. We are currently on a challenge to produce 30 live videos in 30 days.

I know not everybody gets to watch the videos come, and I see many people read my blogs. Therefore, I am also making a blog that will work with each of the videos so those who can’t see one or the other can still get the content I’m giving out. If you can see both, you can watch and read. Some people like to.

I’m going to make these exciting and fast and give you actionable items you can do that will help you along the way to your new job or career. I aim to do this in less than 4 minutes daily and not waste your time. I just saved you two minutes if I can do them in two.

This explanation is from day one. Tomorrow we get down to the nitty-gritty of exactly what you can do to find that new job.

Have a great day. I’ll see you tomorrow.

Look Forward

I cannot believe we are facing another threat of recession again. It seems like this has been the story of our year.

When the great recession hit us. I had spent 14 years working in technical Contract Manufacturing. The 2 largest manufacturing plants in our town closed in the same month.

The trick is not to panic and remember that something is better than nothing. I worked in a workforce center during the great recession of 2009, doing what I could to help others find employment. I believed that even though the jobs we were used to were gone, some jobs would at least help us get by.

I found out that I liked working for and with others. I am a life coach now and build my own books and courses. I am having a ball with it; it is the best work I have ever done. And I spend more time with my wife and enjoy life.

The idea is not to get so hung up on something you always did that you cannot leave it when it has moved on. We need to not look at the past as much as we should look at the future to see what’s next.

Nothing is forever, and something new is always coming along.