How to format your resume

Having a well-formatted resume is almost as important as having a well written resume. Most employers receive a stack of resumes of qualified candidates and scan them quickly before they decide whether or not hey want to read further. In addition to key words, what stands out the most about your resume is its format. It is essentially the first thing people will notice, whether on paper or in electronic form.

There are a number of rules you should keep in mind when formatting your resume. First, start with a blank page. Avoid using templates that are already available in Microsoft Word. These templates are outdated, and they will make your resume appear generic and uninviting. Additionally, these templates, while well formatted in Microsoft Word, will not translate well when emailed or uploaded to job search engine web sites. You can find samples of resumes on the Internet; search for resumes by your industry to find the templates that make most sense for the job you are seeking. Than work on a blank page to replicate the look and feel of the resume you like.

Ideally, your resume should fit on one page; if you have extensive experience, limit the length of the resume to two pages, but only list experiences and skills relevant to your career objective. Even if you are applying for a job in a creative field, do not insert images or pictures into your resume. If you are looking to show off your creativity, you can do so in a separate portfolio of your work.

The page should have one inch margins, top and bottom, right and left. Use left justification only ?as a rule, do not center the content of your resume. The font and font size should be consistent. Your name, and any headlines in your resume should be displayed in the same manner. Typically, the headlines will be in all caps, and in bold. Try not to underline any of the information in your resume. In the world of Internet driven job applications, underlining in a document implies a web link. Thus, using underlining for emphasis is not appropriate. The font size for headlines should not exceed 14 points; the remainder of the text in the resume should not exceed 12 points.

When trying to align your resume, be ware of spacing and tabbing. Stay consistent in the way that you are spacing out the information on the page. Use tabs, rather than spaces. You always have to anticipate that the person you are sending your resume to may have a different version of the software than you and thus may not see the exactly the same resume you are sending ?it is possible that the margins will reset, paragraphs will shift, bullet points will change shape, etc. This is why you must keep the spacing consistent, as well as try to keep the font and the bullet points as basic as possible.

As a last formatting check point, ask your friends or your family for help in reviewing your resume. Send the resume file via email to a few of your friends ?ask them to review the resume and make sure nothing seems out of place. Print out the resume on paper and review to make sure that margins are accurately set, and that the content doesn抰 appear crowded on the page. Keep in mind ?when it comes to your resume, sleek simple appearance, and great writing, will get you the job you are looking for.

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What is a resume and why is it so important?

A resume is a one- to two-page document summarizing your career objectives, professional experiences and achievements, and educational background. The heading of the resume should contain your name, address and contact information. The body of the resume should be broken into the following sections: career objective, profile/summary, professional experience, achievements, scholastics, and references.  Your career objective should be brief, up to two sentences; it should give your potential employers an idea of how you wish to move forward in your professional life. A concise profile or a summary should discuss who you are and how your skills and experience best apply to the job you are interested in. The summary, as well as other parts of your resume, should not contain personal information that discloses ethnicity, sexual orientation, marital status, age, living situations, or any other personal information that is not directly related to your career. Personal profile/summary should only contain a few well-written sentences that convey what you can bring to the table in terms of the specific job. Use this section to attract the employer's attention, but don't go overboard in trying to be creative ? stay professional.  Your experience listing should include information on one to five jobs you're held, starting with your current or last job, and listing previous positions in chronological order.

The listing should include the date range of your employment, name of the companies or person(s) you have worked for, and the city and state where the place of employment is located (full address of employment is not necessary). List your title and your main responsibilities, with emphasis on duties that are applicable to the type of work you are seeking.  Your education should include college, graduate and post-graduate work, as well as any courses or professional certifications that are relevant to your career development. Achievements, volunteer positions, publications and interests should only be listed if they apply to your professional work experience References should be listed if requested; best practices suggest not to list generic statements about references being available upon request as this is understood.

In the competitive, internet-driven world of job searches, your resume represents you to potential employers. It serves as your tool to attract attention, get the interview and/or get a job. A great resume will make you stand out from other candidates by showcasing your aptitudes. Think of your resume as your sales pitch ?you need to sell yourself in the best possible way. Invest some time and research into developing your resume. You will want to make sure that your resume is error free ?double check your grammar and spelling, make sure that all company and school names and cities are spelled properly. A resume containing errors, no matter how minimal, will give your potential employer an impression that you do not have attention to detail, that you don't take time to double check your work, and that you are a poor communicator. Additionally, make sure that your resume is formatted well. Stick to basic fonts, like Arial and Times New Roman.  Keep the font size and color standard; don't use large fonts or multi-colors in your resume. Don't go overboard with bold, italicized, or large-cap text. Keep your format consistent and make sure that the resume looks great when viewed online as well as when printed out. Keep your resume to one or two pages ? any additional pages give an impression that you either don't know how to concisely summarize your education and experience, or that you are listing unnecessary information for the sake of taking up space. If you're never written a resume before, reference books, Internet resources or seek assistance from a professional resume writing service.  A well-written resume can make a difference between being stuck at your current job and getting an interview to land the job of your dreams.

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How to pick a good Hosting Provider

How do you choose a hosting provider when there are thousands of hosting companies available online? It's like going through the yellow pages trying to find burger restaurants. There are lots of them. Hopefully these tips will steer you in the right direction.Important factors in selecting a web hosting company include the percentage of server uptime. 98 to 99% uptime is the dream standard for server uptime, 65% is unacceptable. The higher the downtime of a server, the lower the potential for traffic at your web site. Another consideration is how much space is provided for the files that will make up your web site. How much bandwidth is in your package? Monthly bandwidth is the amount of data transfer allowed for visitors to view and use your web site.

With today changing trends in web hosting services, it is important to get as much server space and bandwidth as you can. This will allow for necessary updates and increased traffic to your site as it becomes more popular.


It is equally important when purchasing business web hosting that CGI access is provided; along with features such as MySQL, Real Audio, Real Video, and Cold Fusion (which some companies sell as an add on component). A crucial feature necessary for doing ecommerce is SSL, or Secure Socket Layer. This encrypts all order and credit card information until it reaches you. An SSL certificate can be purchased from most web hosting providers. Displaying it on your ecommerce web site verifies that your site transactions are safe and secure.

We're talked about this before in other articles. You will need a domain name that reflects the nature of your business. For instance, a sports business might have a URL that is www.coloradosports.com . To get your own unique domain name, you must first check the availability of the name with a domain name search, offered by domain registrars such as Network Solutions.

There are many service providers to choose from. If you do your homework, you will find some good deals that will fit your budget.



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Study and play - Incorporating Education into Your Summer Vacation

If you are a parent, you likely know how important education is to your child.  When school lets out for the summer, education is often the farthest thing from your child's mind.  While a break from school is needed, children are still encouraged to continue their education during the summer.  If you want to keep the learning experience alive during the summer, you should consider incorporating education into your summer vacation. 

Many parents wonder if it is really possible to incorporate education into a vacation.  It is possible and many vacations are not only filled with learning, but fun and excitement.  If you are interested in scheduling an educational summer vacation for your and your family, you will have to decide on a summer vacation destination. When it comes to educational activities, you have a number of different options to choose form.  

When it comes to educational tourist attractions, many parents automatically think of a museum.  Science museums, history museums, and art museums are located all around the world.  If you are interested in scheduling a museum visit, the visit may not fill up your whole summer vacation.  Many parents have had success scheduling museum tours.  

Museum tours involve selecting a number of museums to visit. These museums are often viewed while on a family road trip.  In addition to developing your own tour, it is possible that you and your family can sign up for a group tour. These tours may involve meeting a group of individuals at a specific museum or traveling with them by train or bus.  If you want to select multiple museums as your summer vacation destination, you are encouraged to select different museum styles.  

If you are interested in scheduling a summer vacation that offers fun, excitement, and thrills all at once, you may want to examine visiting a theme park. Theme parks are amusement parks that focus on a particular theme.  Sea World is one of the most well-known, educational theme parks in the world.  In addition to fun and exciting rides, you can watch aquatic shows and visit underwater aquariums.  

In addition to Sea World, Bush Gardens is another theme park that focuses somewhat on education.  Bush Gardens tends to have an animal safari theme.  In addition to a number of thrill rides, Bush Gardens is known for their educational animal adventures.  These adventures may include onsite zoos or animal safari museums.  

Guided tours are another popular vacation choice for parents who are vacationing with their children.  Guided tours are available at a wide variety of different vacation destinations. Guided tours are often found in state parks, animal sanctuaries, and at historical landmarks. In the Untied States, educational guided tours can be found at the Grand Canyon, Yosemite National Park, and in the Adirondacks Region of New York.

As more families opt for fun filled vacations, rather than educational ones, the popularity of educational tourist attractions is on the decline. This slight decline may give you privacy and the opportunity to find great deals and discounts.  In addition to cheap admission fees, you can often find online coupons for guided tours at many popular summer vacation destinations, museums, and theme parks.  

Educational activities do not have to limit your summer vacation destination options. Many popular vacation destinations are within a short distance to a number of facilities that host educational activities and events.  With the ability to learn, have fun, and save money, all at the same time, why would you not want to make your summer vacation educational?

Natural Remedy Snoring

Apart from dreaming and frequent movements during the night, snoring is one of the activities that human body creates even when in deep sleep. It is a dysfunction in the body that is caused by certain mechanisms that seem to collide when the body is at its most relaxed state. 

The muscles in the throat may partially close the air passage when they have become too relaxed. This obstruction coupled with the drive of wind that runs through this passage will result to vibrations we commonly know as snores.

Natural remedies for snoring are effective means of finding solutions. However, it must be considered that not all remedies can be very effective for all sorts of snoring causes. Thus, careful evaluation must be done before any assumption is made.

Weight loss and exercise issues

The general population is advised to maintain an ideal weight and body size. This is not simply to restrict us from enjoying the habits that we got so used to. But because this measure can greatly improve our health. One of the many benefits of maintaining an ideal weight is that it makes you less susceptible to risks involved in snoring.

Heavier individuals have heavier body mass. Thus, they have bulkier necks that contain excess muscles often causing obstructions during breathing. The throat can no longer accommodate extra tissues that may cause the blockages for the facilitation of normal breathing. 

Improve your general lifestyle

Smokers and frequent drinkers are often more vulnerable to producing snores since the substances that they take encourage various body reactions that are well-suited for snoring.

Cigarettes can possibly modify the tissues of the respiratory tract in a way that the system is stripped off its protection from the harm of the chemicals found in cigars, tobaccos and cigarettes. Some studies say that the esophagus is lined with a specific type of cell that changes into another form once smoke from cigarettes pass through it. This will then induce the abnormal production of mucus that can add up to the obstructions. 

Alcohol, on the other hand, can bring about relaxation on the muscles that further aggravate the condition. The muscles of the throat during sleep relax due to lack of control. This then creates the possibility that the muscles will interfere with the normal flow of air in and out of the lungs. Thus, the vibration that results to snores.

Change of sleep posture

The earliest method of reducing snores is by stitching a tennis ball on the pajama tops. This encourages the snorer to sleep on his side even when unconscious since the tennis ball is enough to remind him that sleeping on his back wont do any good. Realigning your body will help decrease the possibility of snoring since the tongue and the jaw will be kept from dropping back that cause blockages on the narrow air passage. 

Most people advise of sleeping in a sideward posture to prevent the relaxed muscles to collapse. For snorers who can tolerate sleeping on their stomachs are much less susceptible to the likelihood of snoring since this posture is ideal for reducing the pressure on the airways. 

Also, it is often advised that the your bed is elevated to 30 degrees since this height is known to lessen collapse of the tissues in the throat.

Most effective way to state your responsibilities in job descriptions

If you have never written a resume, the blank page you are facing can be very intimidating. While you can describe your job responsibilities to your friends, listing them out in a resume and showcasing how your experience to date meets your career objectives is a very difficult task. 

To get started, you must first consider what type of a job you are seeking. Much like your career objective or summery should reflect your professional goals, your current and past experiences must showcase that you are the best candidate for the job you are applying for. In listing your current and past professional experiences, try to focus on those responsibilities that indicate you are qualified to take the next step in your career. Due to the fact that more and more companies as well as job search sites use scanning software to pick out candidates, it is very important that you use key words, including active verbs, to describe your skills. Instead of beginning your job descriptions with responsible for try to use active verbs such as:

- managed

- developed

- created

- communicated

- interfaced

- achieved, etc. 

These key words get straight to the point of describing your responsibilities, which is exactly what the employers are looking for. Chose these words carefully ?don't say that you managed a project? implying you were responsible for the whole task from start to finish if you were only responsibly for communicating the project to other associates. Instead state that you developed and executed the communication strategy for associates,?describing your role more accurately and emphasizing your strengths. 

Typically, the first job listed on your resume is the one you currently hold. In this case, make sure that your responsibilities are stated in present tense, as you are still responsible for them. For example, say manage accounting activities?instead of managed accounting activities.?This will indicate to your potential employer what your day-to-day activities are like and how they compliment responsibilities of the job you are submitting your resume for. All previous jobs should be listed using past tense, and should start with active verbs such as managed, developed, accomplished, etc. 

Additionally, make sure that responsibilities you are listing are relevant for to your career objective. List only those responsibilities which help you put your best foot forward. For example, if you are looking for a job that requires managing a team of people, focus on your development and participation in group projects instead of focusing on solitary activities such as office organization.  

In terms of formatting, make sure that your responsibilities are listed in bullet points. This formatting is preferred to paragraphs on a resume because it is easier to review quickly. Employers simply scan the resumes and look for key words ?if the resume looks overwhelming, with a lot of copy and poor formatting, they will likely discard it. Thus, it is very important that your resume is formatted with enough white space and doesn't contain any errors. 

Top Anti Snoring Devices

Top Anti Snoring Devices You Can have! - I know it because I had to do the research otherwise my wife won't sleep with me! :)

Hearing a person who snores can be amusing, it can even be funny. But if you are living with someone who snores, a relative or a family member perhaps, then the sound might become very disturbing. If you cannot get a good night sleep and always wake up several times in the middle of the night by a sound that can be as loud as a lawnmower or a jet engine in action, then you should be thinking of anti snoring devices as a solution to the problem. 

Here are popular anti snoring devices you can buy for your family member and stop him from disturbing your sleep:

-Anti snoring pillow

One of the reasons why people snore is because they have an improper sleeping position. This causes the air passage to stretch and tighten making it more difficult for air to come in and out. To solve this, there are anti snoring pillows that relax your airways and maintain the right sleeping position to prevent a person from snoring throughout the night. 

-Throat spray

One natural remedy to stop snoring is the snoring spray. Formulated with natural ingredients, snoring spray contains essential oils that when sprayed on the throat, provide a lubrication that reduces that amount of vibration, hence effectively reduce snoring. However, it is ironic that when throat spray is used frequently, it can lead to more snoring. 

Before using throat spray, the doctor's evaluation on the patient is necessary to avoid any other complication.

-Nasal dilators

Usually made of stainless steel coil or plastic, nasal dilators help keep the air passage open which cut down the throat's vibration which leads to snoring. Nasal dilators are used by inserting it into the nostrils. 

-Nasal strips

Like nasal dilators, nasal strips are used to open the airways on the nose and keep the right amount of airflow during sleep. Nasal strips are often made of plastic. This is one of the more popular anti snoring devices since it is cheap, safe, and effective. In fact, nasal strips are used by athletes for better airflow and respiratory efficiency while playing. 

-Sleep Position Monitor

This device emits a beeping noise to alert the snorer when he shifts to a position where snoring usually occur (sleeping on their back). However, if you are a relative of a snorer and would want his snoring to stop, then this device may become a whole new problem. But, the aim of this device is not to replace the snorer from keeping you a wake in the middle of the night. Instead, it is there to create a brand new sleeping habit. 

Once the snorer starts to sleep on his side, the sleep position monitor can be removed. 

-Snore ball

Snore ball is placed at the back of the snorer (inside his pajama). When he changes his sleeping position from side to back, the snore ball emits discomfort, a.k.a. pain. In other words, it prevents the snorer from sleeping on his back. It might not be the device a person wants to feel in the middle of the night but some really need it in order to change his sleeping position for good. Some people use golf balls, baseballs or tennis balls as snore balls. 

All these anti snoring devices can prevent a person from snoring, however, snoring can be caused by other medical condition that may need medical attention. To be safe, have your relative or family member be checked by a doctor to know exactly what treatment does he need.  

Are you a procrastinator? I am back!

Yes I am back! and I know it's already April!..but better than not be back. Glad to find myself writing once again and I thought of a good subject to write on. Procrastination! Talk about fitting the bill! Here are some of my thoughts.

Ask yourself, “In what ways do I procrastinate?” Sit down with pen and paper. Writing them will help you focus and identify them more clearly. Here are some ways where people procrastinate:

• paying bills
• not discussing the complaints you’ve received about a member of your team for fear of hurting his/her feelings
• repeatedly postponing a dental appointment because you’ve got better things to do
• not returning the call of your son’s teacher because you know what the problem is and you’re fed up
• not discussing your resentment about your husband spending too much time at work or with his buddies
• not getting that hair cut, that dress dry-cleaned, that donation mailed
• not visiting a sick relative in the hospital
• not telling your significant other you no longer love her/him
• not calling your doctor about that persistent numbness in your right arm or not fixing a colonoscopy exam

  date
• not having the car’s squeaking brakes checked
• not going to confession because you never know what the priest’s schedule is
• not sending that overdue thank you note or making that overdue call to your mother-in-law


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