​Read the entire article here: https://qz.com/525496/done-what-a-recruiter-sees-on-your-resume-at-first-glance/

I work with a lot of dental practices, and often tell them the same information you'll find in this excellent article from Jackson Hadley at My Social Practice. Potential patients read your About page before they read anything else on your website. Make sure yours is well-written, up-to-date, and shares information your patients want to know. If you need help, contact me and we'll do it together. ​

Think nobody’s looking at your practice website’s “About Us” page? Think again! The About page is typically one of the most-visited parts of a dental website. Take advantage of this valuable opportunity to build trust and share your practice’s story.Coming up with the perfect way to introduce yourself is tough. Whether you’re talking with someone new, writing an email, or giving a speech it’s often the first few sentences you’ll spend the most time preparing.

For potential patients visiting your website for the first time, your About page serves as a formal introduction to your dental practice. Does it succinctly and powerfully present why they should build a lifelong healthcare relationship with you?

​Read the full article from the folks at My Social Practice here.

By Anne Tergesen, for The Wall Street Journal

The conventional wisdom says it’s impossible. The facts say otherwise.

There’s a stereotypical view of job opportunities for older workers, and it’s not pretty.It goes something like this. If you’re past 50 and thinking of a career switch, forget it. The opportunities for older workers in the new economy are pretty much nonexistent. And you’re in even worse shape if you’re in your 50s or 60s and retired but want to get back into the workforce in a job that is both challenging and financially rewarding. The only spots available are low-skilled and low-paying—whether that’s burger flipper, Wal-Mart greeter or Uber driver.

Boy, have a lot of people have been misinformed.

The numbers make it clear that the nightmare scenario simply isn’t true. The 55-and-older crowd is now the only age group with a rising labor-force participation rate, even as age discrimination remains a problem for many older job seekers. Workers age 50 or older now comprise 33.4% of the U.S. labor force, up from 25% in 2002. And more than 60% of workers age 65 or older now hold full-time positions, up from 44% in 1995.

Read the entire article here.

I recently came across an interesting article, "Here's Why Every Job Seeker Needs a Personal Website, and What it Should Include," written by Jacquelyn Smith for the Business Insider Careers page.

The article calls a personal website a 'secret weapon'. "It's one of the best ways to take a personal brand to the next level, beyond the standard résumé or LinkedIn profile," says Nick Macario, CEO of branded.me, a personal branding platform.

In addition to an introduction, work experience or resume, projects samples, references and your blog (if you have one), Smith recommends including your bio, whether text or video.

Use this section to tell your story and give the reader a look into your personality as well. "It's common to also include personal interest and hobbies," Macario adds. 

(Note: I see conflicting advice on a regular basis about including hobbies and personal interests in bios and resumes. Some say yes, it helps 'frame' you as a person; and some say no, it's a waste of space. My advice is to decide on a case-by-case basis. If it feels appropriate, include it. If not, leave it out - they can always ask later if they want to know.)

If you are a job-seeker and you need to write or update your bio, I hope you'll consider my e-book, How to Write a Great Bio, or let me write it for you.

Either way, best of luck,

Jill

Over and over again in my work with dental practices I see an "About the Dentist" page that:

• is outdated.
• includes poor-quality photos.
• is poorly written with grammatical or spelling errors.
• is hard to read due to poor formatting.

Considering the About the Dentist page, and the dentist's bio, is the first page potential new patients look at, I'm always interested to read articles that expand on this topic, such as the one recently published in Dentist's Money Digest entitled "5 Things Every Dentist Website Should Have." Number 2, in particular, caught my attention.

"A proper introduction. Most patients take it for granted that you’ve been through dental school and have all the proper certifications and training to perform the services your site says you can do. When they search your site, they’re looking to see if there’s someone behind the tooth sign in the lawn that they can trust. Consider an introductory video starring you and your staff, perhaps with a glance at the crisp, clean, professional dentist’s office you are undoubtedly running.

The video doesn’t have to be Citizen Kane or Star Wars, with the names of the film’s director and stars swooshing in on impressive graphics. Keep it simple, and keep it personal. Talk briefly about what you like about being a dentist, and what you hope to provide to your patients."

Read the entire article here.

It's an excellent article and I highly recommend reading it, especially if you are a dentist with an outdated bio. If you need help with writing a bio for your dental website, please contact me. The process is easy and fast, and the impact on credibility and new patient acquisition is significant.

Business Insider gave a career advice expert some real résumés and let her go to work with the red pen. It didn't go so well. Amanda Augustine from TopResume points out some big mistakes.

I see many similar errors when reviewing bios, especially that in resume #7. This is good information to keep in mind when writing any kind of professional document.

People often ask me why they should include hobbies when I write their bio. My answer is always that people like to read about people, and that our hobbies 'humanize' us. This article answers the question from an interviewer's point of view, and makes excellent reading.

By Jacquelyn Smith, for Business Insider

When you're in the hot seat interviewing for a job, you're answering questions such as "What's your greatest weakness?" and "Why should we hire you?" — so a query like "What are your hobbies?" will probably seem like a piece of cake.

But before you start babbling about your lifelong obsession with horses or your newfound passion for baking, consider this: The hiring manager wants to get a better sense of who you are, so it's important to think about which hobbies best showcase your strengths, passions, and skills — and then only discuss those in the interview.

Read the entire article here.

Often when people come to me to write their bio or resume, they fret over the fact they don't have the 'right' education, or the 'right' experience. My advice is always the same: don't apologize for what you think you don't have, emphasize what you do. This video of a TED Talk is a perfect example, and well worth watching. In it, Regina Hartley talks about why she often hires "The Scrapper" over the perfect resume.

Why the best hire may not have the perfect resume.

This article attracted my attention on two fronts. One, I'm always interested to read about what makes a bio or resume stand out. Two, one of the most common errors I see when reviewing resumes or bios is over-formatting, making them difficult to read not only on a mobile device, but difficult to read in general.

So I was hooked when I saw the headline on this video, produced by Matt Johnson and published in the December 29th edition of Business Insider: "What a hiring manager scans for when reviewing resumes."

Bottom line, Matt says: "Hiring managers spend six seconds on your résumé before they decide on you. This is what they look at."

This video is well worth viewing if you're in the process of writing or updating your resume or bio. Remember, you have only seconds to capture a hiring manager's attention. Makes those seconds count.

One of the most common concerns I hear when helping someone write their bio is this: "I don't have much experience/education."

My reply is always the same: it doesn't matter. We'll focus on what you can do and have done. Therefore I was interested to run across this recent article about Allure Magazine's Linda Wells on why she doesn't care about your experience.

Read Linda's story as told to author Rachel Gillett.

A Magazine Executive Who's Been Hiring for 25 Years Explains Why She Doesn't Care About Your Experience

"The first thing most hiring managers consider when evaluating a job candidate is their experience — Elon Musk, for one, prefers to surround himself with a team chock full of problem-solving experience.

But Linda Wells, the founding editor-in-chief of beauty magazine Allure, takes an alternative approach to finding the best people.

"Experience is always good, but I don't think it's the be all and end all," she tells Business Insider."

Read the entire article here.

So next time you worry about whether or not you have the write education or experience for your bio or resume, remember what Linda has to say. Hard work and a willingness to learn matter much more!