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"Resume Action" Newsletter
A newsletter brought to you by Aussie Résumés http://www.aussieresumes.com
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April 2005: Issue 32
Editor: Tara West
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In This Issue
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> Welcome
> News: We're Hiring!
> Article: How you can double, triple or quadruple your reading speed!
> Quote
> Article: Treating the job-hunt like a job
> Subscribe / Unsubscribe Information
> Contact Information
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Welcome
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Welcome!
If you’re like me, you are usually swamped with pages and pages of
information to digest; and not enough hours to fit it all in. This month’s
article is very interesting… I put it to the test and haven’t looked back
since. It really does work. Give it a try!
I’ve also included an article which I hope will challenge you to think
outside of the square when it comes to your job hunting efforts. I firmly
believe that the job hunting process should be approached as the most important
job in your life (at that point in time). To that end, time and effort
needs to be put in to make it work and achieve results.
The Usual Stuff:
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Please email your feedback to: admin@aussieresumes.com
If you are interested in past
issues of Résumé Action, you can view these online. To access the
archive visit: www.aussieresumes.com/careercentre-newsletter.htm
Until next time, keep smiling.
Tara West
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NEWS:
We’re Hiring!
==============================
Keep an eye on our website
over the coming weeks - www.aussieresumes.com/employment.htm.
We are seeking a talented,
creative and passionate new team member to join Aussie Résumés; located at our
head office in Mount Gambier, South Australia.
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ARTICLE:
How
You Can Double, Triple, or Even Quadruple Your Reading Speed!
by: Royane Real
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Are you drowning in a sea of
unread papers? Do you feel frustrated because you cannot keep up with your
reading assignments? You may have wondered if you should take a speed-reading
course. Or can you learn to improve your reading ability by yourself?
The good news is that if you
are committed and actually do the work, you can develop your own speed-reading
program at home. You can greatly increase your reading speed without sacrificing
comprehension.
How do you start to improve
your reading speed? The first step is to determine what your current reading
speed is.
Find some reading material to
practice with, such as an article in a magazine, or use a chapter of a book. Set
a timer for a short period, such as five or ten minutes. Start reading at your
regular speed, and see how far you can get in the time allotted. Do not try to
read faster or slower than normal; the object here is to find out what your
regular reading speed is. When the time is finished, mark the page so you know
exactly how far you read. You will need to count how many words you read in this
amount of time.
Now, using the same article
set the timer again, for the same number of minutes. Start at the point in your
article where you left off the last time. Do not re-read exactly the same
material that you have just finished.
This time, concentrate on
reading much faster than you did the first time. Go as fast as you can while
still taking in every word and maintaining your comprehension. Calculate your
reading speed and compare it to your first effort. Did your score improve? Try
again, striving to read even faster without sacrificing comprehension.
If your performance has
measurably speeded up, notice whether you feel relaxed or tense. Are you telling
yourself that reading fast is hard? Many of the roadblocks you face in going
faster are mental, in your mind, and can be changed.
Many people have developed bad
reading habits that slow them down. See if you make any of the following errors.
When you read, do you read
word for word? Or do you sweep your eyes across phrases and sentences? Trying to
take in every single word will slow you down and even interfere with your
comprehension. Why? Because in the English language, the meaning of sentences is
built up from groups of words, from the way phrases and clauses are put
together. Halting at every single word can keep you from absorbing the meaning
of the entire sentence.
You can actually take in the
meaning of a sentence better by using your eyes to sweep across phrases and
clauses, rather than slowing down to take in each word separately.
A very common bad reading
habit is called “sub-vocalization”. You have probably noticed that many
young children who are just learning to read will sound out syllables and words
to themselves. Many people continue to do this even as adults. The habit of
sub-vocalization is a drag on your potential reading speed because your brain
can take in and process information much faster than you can sub-vocalize.
You can actually look at
printed information and have it enter directly into the mind without moving your
lips or sounding out the words in your head. If you have been sounding out the
words in your mind while you read, you will not be reading at your optimal
level. From now on, consciously make the effort to take in meaning from the
printed page without hearing the words spoken in your mind.
Another bad habit that slows
down reading speed is going back and re-reading a line or phrase every time you
think you may have missed a word. In many cases, going back to read the line
again does not really improve comprehension. Simply eliminating this one
negative habit could double your reading speed!
Consciously practice making
the effort to keep on reading, refusing to back track, until it becomes second
nature for you.
Most people when reading will
sweep their eyes across each line of print from left to right. When they get to
the end of the line at the right, their eyes jump to the beginning of the next
line at the left. This is not always necessary, and it will slow you down. If
you are reading columns that are not very wide, you may not need to sweep your
eyes across every line from left to right. Practice looking at the center of the
lines, and move your eyes down the column of print. See if you can still take in
the meaning of the entire line this way.
How can you tell if you still
understand the material when you increase your reading speed? How do you know if
you are missing something important? Getting through an article faster is of
little benefit if you don’t understand most of it, or if you miss some vital
points.
Every time you finish an
exercise to improve your reading speed, ask yourself, “What was the article
about? What were the main points? What were the supporting arguments
presented?”
Write down what you understood
and can remember. Then go back and read the original more slowly and carefully.
Check it against what you have remembered. Were you correct in your
understanding of what the article was about? Did you understand most of the main
points? Did you miss anything important?
Keep track of how your reading
scores change over time. With practice you should be able to greatly improve
your reading speed while maintaining a good level of comprehension.
Retraining
your eyes and brain may require a committed effort on your part, but the results
will be worth it in terms of reading speed gained. Stay relaxed and confident
while you practice.
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About The Author
Royane Real is a
science educator and the author of several self improvement books and reports.
This article is an excerpt from her new downloadable book titled "How to Be
Smarter" available at www.royanereal.com
: info@royanereal.com
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QUOTE
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“Work with urgency. Why do we usually complete the task even if we
have a shortage of time? Primarily because when we push ourselves, we think a
lot faster and act a lot faster.”
~ Siimon Reynolds, quoted from ‘When They Zig You Zag’ ~
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ARTICLE:
Treating The Job-Hunt Like A Job
By: Tara West of Aussie Résumés
"The major difference between successful and unsuccessful job hunters is
not some factor out there such as a tight job market, but the way they go about
it.” R. Bolles, What Color Is Your Parachute
If you’re serious about securing a job, you’ll certainly treat it like a
job and stack everything in your favour. This can mean:
1)
Asking your family to be your personal cheering squad – seriously; you’ll
need it! There’s nothing better than someone who’ll pat you on the
back when you’re down and suffered a few rejections. They’re the ones
who should be giving you pep talks and carrying you through the hard times.
2) Creating a
schedule; a plan of attack. If you’re unemployed, this should mean you
put in at least 7 hours a day in finding a job – treat it like your full time
job. If you’re employed, spare at least 20 hours a week – that is,
treat it like a part time job.
3) Developing a strong relationship with
your local job network provider or recruitment firm. Bug them (within
reason!).
4) Networking with your friends and
acquaintances. Get in their face and tell the world you’re available!
5)
Forming a mentoring / coaching relationship with someone you admire and believe
in. This isn’t to say they offer you mentoring in job hunting – on the
contrary. It should be in another area that you need challenging in and
which keeps you on track with your ultimate goal – i.e. your dream job!
6)
Conducting exhaustive research about various companies, your industry, and your
occupation. Keep your knowledge current and up-to-date.
Getting back to point two above. I can well imagine the gasp of horror
when you read it. Spend 7 hours a day on job hunting?! But how?
If you’re currently spending half an hour each day in looking at job ads on
the Internet and buzzing off the same old application each time, please stop!
Challenge yourself, your thinking, and you could halve the time it takes to find
a job!
Halve, hey? It is possible. It all comes down to your approach.
Think about it – there are thousands of businesses out there… do they all
advertise? No. Jobs are secured by other methods.
I have previously raved on about the ‘marketing’ aspect of your résumé;
and your job hunt is no different. Just as you should always look at the
aspect of ‘why’ a hiring manager should employ you (eg: looking at it from
the employer’s perspective), you should take an employer’s approach in
seeking a job.
So how do businesses try and gain your custom? Predominantly,
advertising. You can do the same thing. Listed here are some
fantastic methods to help you – something which could halve your job hunt!
1)
Telemarketing: do you know which employer impresses you? Who would you
like to work for? Undertake some telemarketing! Personally phone the
businesses you would like to work for and advise of your availability and what
you have to offer.
2) Direct Mail: plan an effective public
relations campaign. Again, targeting the employers you personally admire
and would like to work for, put together a killer cover letter and / or résumé
and post to the business. Ensure you phone the organisation to gain the
hiring manager’s name – personalise your mail! An alternative to a
cover letter and résumé is your very own marketing / promotional flier. Be
creative. Dare to be different.
3) Personal Marketing: again, targeting
the employers you would like to work for, personally call into these
organisations and offer your services to the hiring manager. Don’t be
frightened to take this approach. Sure, half the time you may not get past
the receptionist – but take the ‘glass half full’ (not empty) approach.
It’s the other half which counts. Make sure you have a cover letter
ready which thanks them for their time; summarising your strengths and abilities
as discussed with that person. This is similar to a letter you would send
out after an interview. If you can’t get past the receptionist leave
your own personalised ‘calling card’ – similar to a business card.
4)
Personal Advertising: we’ve expanded on ‘being an individual’ in our Résumé
Guide and the different methods you can employ to get noticed. This
includes placing an A5 flier on community noticeboards (including the pizza
joint – hiring managers do go out and read things like that; they too kill
time whilst waiting!), or inserting a short advertisement in your local
newspaper.
5) Opportunity Development: join some
clubs to network. Ensure you have your ‘calling card’ ready – on the front
you should have a headline which screams your area of expertise, along with your
contact details; on the back concisely list your key attributes, skills and
achievements.
Then of course, you have the more traditional methods, namely applying for
advertised vacancies and / or posting your particulars somewhere on the
Internet.
Attitude counts for a lot these days – the five marketing points above will
certainly demonstrate your initiative and attitude to a hiring manager.
If you were a hiring manager who was just that day thinking about putting
someone on in the next couple of weeks, and you were suddenly presented with a
super-duper résumé which demonstrated all the qualities, skills and
qualifications you were looking for – don’t you think you would give that
person a call? You bet.
Good luck *smile*
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Contact Information
Editor: Tara West
Résumé Action published by Aussie Résumés
Email: admin@aussieresumes.com
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