With the end of Summer looming, it is now time for many of us to consider our back to work or back to school plans.
But this doesn’t have to be a difficult or overwhelming time. With a few quick preparations, you can return to your regular routine feeling refreshed, energized, and ready for new challenges!
Below, we explore five simple but highly effective ways to prepare for your return to a normal routine — whether that means at work, at school, or something else.
- Get Cleaning!
Whether at home, at work, or in education, a clean physical space can also mean a clear headspace. Studies have shown that dirty or cluttered environments are more likely to be distracting and stressful — as well as unhygienic — whereas the reverse is true for clean spaces.
A clean, tidy, and well-organised space helps you to think clearly and not become overwhelmed. It can also save time, as you can easily find what you need and return it when you are done.
In advance of going back to school or work, make sure that the key spaces you need — such as in the office, the study, your car and so on — are as neat and tidy as you can make them.
The start of a new season can also be a great time to use professional cleaners, as regular cleaning helps to remove some of the common nasties that can be found around the home. These are not only unhygienic but can also aggravate existing health conditions such as asthma, psoriasis, and eczema.
Get your key spaces clean, clear, and well organised and you will instantly feel more in control!
- Upgrade Your Equipment
You may have key pieces of equipment or tools that you use to make your work, home, or school life easier. Now is the time to check them, repair any issues, or replace them altogether.
This may include your phone or laptop, stationery, or even your car. There are many recycled or ‘pre-owned’ items that are budget-friendly, and it can also be an option to take items to be repaired or maintained. Choose an option that suits your budget, and invest in the most helpful things that you can afford.
Having equipment and tools that you can rely on will make the day run smoother and with fewer interruptions, helping you be more productive and efficient as a result.
- Write 10-20 skill statements that prove you can do the job you are targeting in your objective (or at least prove that you can learn how to do the job quickly). Regardless of which resume format you are using; you will attract employers by describing the skills you have that will produce the results they need. Ultimately, the only thing that interests the employer is the results that you can produce. The following bulleted items are illustrations of skill statements that demonstrate quantified and specific results.
• -Launched quarterly evangelistic endeavors using activities such as “Neighbor Night,” which ministered to over 500 neighbors.
• -Restructured lesson plans and developed a parent participation strategy that resulted in a 79% success rate in a reading program for disadvantaged children.
• -Successfully spearheaded a Capitol Funds Campaign to retire mortgages totaling $400k on two buildings within a two-year period.
As you can see, each skill statement starts with a transferable skill name: launched, restructured, and restructured. These words connote action. The skill statement then describes how the transferable skill was used and, most importantly, what result was achieved. Please note that while it is not always possible to quantify results, strive to give at least a subjective description of the results you produced.
To analyze the skills that are going to be most important to focus on, use Indeed.com to research three to five jobs for the job title you are targeting. Identify the skills that are consistent within the job postings. These skills are the ones that you will need to emphasize in your resume. Besides the transferable skills (as noted above), also look for the knowledges a candidate needs and the personal skills (sometimes called “soft skills” such as diligent, hardworking, organized, outgoing, etc.) that the employer wants in the candidate who is hired.
Writing skill statements may take you two or more hours to complete. But keep in mind that the work that you do in writing your skill statements will help you not only to write a good resume, but will also be valuable in interviewing, where it is important that you are able to prove you have the skills that are important to the employer.
- Write a draft of your resume. Once you have written your skill statements, you are ready to begin a resume draft by placing those skills in the chosen format. For a chronological format, your skill statements will go into a section entitled “Work Experience” or “Professional Experience.” For a functional resume, you can also use the title “Professional Experience” or “Relevant Experience. Use past tense for previous activities, experiences or acquired skills. Use present tense to refer to ongoing or current activities.
If you are using a functional format you will also want to have a “Work History” section to provide the names of the companies for which you have worked, where they were located, the job titles you held, and the dates you worked at each company.
- Develop a “Highlights of Qualifications” or “Summary of Qualifications” section to begin your resume. The purpose of this section is to gain the employer’s attention by highlighting some of your key qualifications for the position. This section can include such things as: total number of years of relevant experience; key accomplishments; content skills that you have (for example computer knowledge); and personal skills (such as hardworking, honest, flexible, loyal, etc.). Here are three examples:
OBJECTIVE: Senior Pastor
HIGHLIGHTS OF QUALIFICATIONS
• -15 years’ experience founding and leading churches that are focused on bringing people to Christ, growing members as disciples and showing the love of Jesus to the community and world at large.
• -Excellent written and oral communication skills. Demonstrated ability to prepare and deliver compelling sermons and lessons that help individuals apply God’s Word in practical ways to their lives.
• -Proven organizational, leadership, and interpersonal skills; able to motivate and train staff members to excel in the use of their gifts as servant leaders. leadership, and
• -Strong ability to create compelling visions and goals for church growth and outreach.
• -Faithful, loyal, passionate, empathetic, warm, friendly and sold out to Jesus Christ.
JOB OBJECTIVE: Church Administrative Assistant
HIGHLIGHTS OF QUALIFICATIONS
• -Strong organization and planning skills.
• -Excellent record of dependability and reliability.
• -Effective telephone communication skills.
• -Experienced in the use of computer programs including Microsoft Office and Adobe Photoshop.
OBJECTIVE: Office Manager or Program Manager
SUMMARY OF QUALIFICATIONS
• -Ten years of administrative and management experience. Responsibilities have included human resource functions such as training, hiring/firing, and employee supervision/evaluation; facilities management; scheduling, time cards, payroll; accounts receivable and accounts payable; purchasing and inventory control.
• -Fast learner, detail-oriented, able to prioritize effectively with little or no supervision. Enjoy working in busy environment with multiple task demands.
• -Creative and flexible in organizing and planning. Excellent monitoring and follow-up skills.
• -Strong people skills; highly effective in promoting a positive, productive work environment. Reputation for work excellence and high-quality service to customers/clients.
• -Computer skills include Microsoft Office; Quattro Pro; ACT; Staff Trak.