Literary Activism Writopia Lab

Literary Activism Writopia Lab Book Riot is featuring ways to be a literary activist this week. See all the posts here. Weve been highlighting some literary activism here at Book Riot. Last month, for instance, Rioter Sophia Khan wrote about  #Read4Refugees.  In this piece, Im going to tell you a bit about Writopia Lab, a not-for-profit that gives workshops and creative writing classes to kids and teens. I spoke to the founder, Rebecca Wallace-Segall, about why its such a fantastic den of literary activism, and why its especially important now. Kids Feel Powerless Writopia Gives Them Power In the current political climate, kids feel as unstable as many of us adults do. Writopia Lab provides a whole spectrum of writing workshops and classes, including creative writing, essay writing, and political writing. Wallace-Segall told me that Writopia Lab provides a space where they can process the world and define their own arguments, their own perspectives. Pay What You Can Afford The kids and teens who attend Writopia Lab are getting instruction from professional writers, whether theyre grad students or working writers. Moreover, while all the kids receive the same professional attention in classes, they dont all pay the same amount. There is a sliding scale at Writopia, with four different price points. Plus, 20% of the kids who come to Writopia qualify for full scholarships. How do the kids feel about the difference in price? Theyre oblivious to this, Wallace-Segall said. The kids who have qualified for scholarships dont usually even know that the others are paying and vice versa. The classes provide a nice cross-section of socioeconomic status without the kids being aware of or being made to think of their own situations. The egalitarian approach within the classroom makes sure of this. We provide Chromebooks for each writer, she told me, so that no one will bring in a fancy computer or find themselves without. Freedom to Discuss Diversity All the workshops are diverse, with children and teens coming from various backgrounds and home lives. Writopia Lab encourages the writers to talk about their characters and why theyre presenting them as they do. Wallace-Segall  explained that workshop leaders are trained to discuss issues of racism, homophobia, or other biases that come up in the kids writing. Without judgment, the workshop leaders try to get to the bottom of the issue. They discuss the characters and their choices, backgrounds, and beliefs. Were truly a safe space, Wallace-Segall said. Every child is a product of their environment. And so, because they dont censor the children and teens, Writopia Lab encourages these young writers to process the issues, talk about them, and work through them. Want to Know More? Check out this amazing video created by Writopia Lab:

Shogatsu - Japanese New Year

Although Shogatsu means January, it is celebrated for the first 3 days or the first week of January. These days are considered the most important holidays for the Japanese. One could equate it with the celebration of Christmas in the west. During this time, businesses and schools close for one to two weeks. It is also a time for people to return to their families, which leads to the inevitable backlog of travelers. The Japanese decorate their houses, but before the decorations start to be put up, a general house cleaning is done. The most common New Years decorations are pine and bamboo, sacred straw festoons, and oval-shaped rice cakes. On New Years eve, bells (joya no kane) are rung at the local temples to speed out the old year. The New Year is welcomed in by the eating of year-crossing noodles (toshikoshi-soba). Casual western style clothing is replaced with kimono on New Years day as people go for their first temple or shrine visit of the New Year (hatsumoude). At the temples, they pray for health and happiness in the coming year. The reading New Years cards (nengajou) and the giving of gifts (otoshidama) to young children are also a part of the New Year celebrations. Food, of course, is also a big part of Japanese New Years celebrations. Osechi-ryori are special dishes eaten on the first three days of the New Year. Grilled and vinegary dishes are served in multi-layered lacquered boxes (juubako). The dishes are designed to be pleasant to look at and keep for days so that the mother is free from having to cook for three days. There are some regional differences but the osechi dishes are basically the same nationwide. Each of the food types in the boxes represents a wish for the future. Sea Bream (tai) is auspicious (medetai). Herring roe (kazunoko) is the prosperity of ones descendants. Sea tangle roll (kobumaki) is Happiness (yorokobu). Related How to Say Happy New Year in Japanese

Gay, Gay And Lesbian - 860 Words

For the past 50 years or so, gay and lesbian organizations have tried to forge a politically active gay and lesbian minority group. The gay and lesbian community have also tried to claim the liberal rights of privacy and formal equality on their behalf. The gay community wanted to align lesbian and gay rights with those of racial, ethnic, religious minority and women in the quest for full economic, political, and cultural participation in the United States. When successfully this move helps open up avenues of political and legal recourse forged by the Civil Rights and feminist movements to lesbian and gay action. Just as the Civil Rights movement had a Martin Luther King Jr, the gay and lesbian community will need a spokesman of its own. Due to the overlapping of the distinguished positions of militant nationalism and radical constructionism challenges have appeared. The structure of this country was built based on masculinity, and these organizations were testing that structure. Gay s and lesbians wanted to end the secrecy of homosexuality, to challenge the notion that gay life is somehow shameful, and to show the world that numerous of highly respected men and women are gay. The gay and lesbian organizations wanted to have the same equality that the Civil Rights and feminist movements had gained in the years past. â€Å"Outing† is a political tactic now used by the New York City’s gay weekly newspaper, was a practice to get gays and lesbians to come out of the closet,Show MoreRelatedGay, Gay And Lesbian1816 Words   |  8 Pagesassociation with gay and lesbian culture since its establishment in the nineteenth century. Queer by definition means strange or odd from a conventional viewpoint; unusually different. But then again as a slang word in the LGBT community it means homosexual or noting or relating to a person who does not conform to a normative sexual orientation or gender identity. The concept of gay photography is enigmatic. While a pers on can be described as homosexuals by sexual preference or gay consciousness,Read MoreGay Rights, Gay, Lesbian, And Society1202 Words   |  5 PagesOver the past decades, being gay was something no one talked about. It was a subject that was very taboo and society didn’t accept. People saw it as a stage one goes through and something unnatural. Thanks to the media, more and more celebrities have come out of the closet over the years. Soon people became accepting of the gay community and their life style. Being openly gay, lesbian, transgender, or bisexual in the workforce can lead to discrimination. Gay mirages are also frowned upon by societyRead MoreLesbian, Bisexual And Gay1131 Words   |  5 PagesXiaolu Fan Sara N. Sylvester ENG 21011 10-29-2015 Lesbian, Bisexual and Gay (LGB) People in Society Introduction Most nations in the modern world are conscious about morals and values of their culture on lesbian, bisexual, and gay populations. Activities and ideas on sexual relationships that have emerged recently are deemed controversial to what most cultures value. Sexual orientation has been and remains a taboo topic even in the modern society. In the past, all people were taught to adhere toRead MoreGay and Lesbian Rights1617 Words   |  7 PagesToday’s Rights for Gays Lesbians Today’s Rights for Gays Lesbians The  state and federal laws for Gays and Lesbian are unfair and discriminatory. In today’s ever so changing world it’s hard to keep up with laws. Most of the laws are printed on a fine line, but the rights for homosexuals are blurred. With the topic being hot in the media it is hard to get the correct story. Two of the most important rights that get blurred are marriage and same sex adoption. Same sex marriageRead MoreThe Rights Of Gay And Lesbian Couples1451 Words   |  6 Pagesof an American. However, not all citizens are afforded equal rights. Gay and lesbians are consistently denied rights that are typically taken for granted by the average American. Specifically, gay and lesbians couples are denied the right to marry even if they are upstanding citizens. They are held at an unfair disadvantage solely because of their sexual orientation. This discrimination must stop because gay and lesbian couples are law-abiding citizens too, who should be afforded the s ame rightsRead MoreThe Pros And Cons Of Gay And Lesbians1447 Words   |  6 Pagesof an American. However, not all citizens are afforded equal rights. Gay and lesbians are consistently denied rights that are typically taken for granted by the average American. Specifically, gay and lesbians couples are denied the right to marry even if they are upstanding citizens. They are held at an unfair disadvantage solely because of their sexual orientation. This discrimination must stop because gay and lesbian couples are law-abiding citizens too, who should be afforded the same rightsRead MoreLesbian, Gay, Bisexual And Transgender993 Words   |  4 PagesIndividuals who identify as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) are extremely marginalized in the basic aspects of life, despite recent changes in the law legalizing same-sex marriage. The following articles, Lesbian, Gay Bisexual and Transgender families in Journal of Marriage and Family, and End-of-Life Care for gay, lesbi an, bisexual and transgender people; provides an in-depth look of on-going struggles and discrimination they face. Biblarz and Savci (2010) analyzed families thatRead MoreGay And Lesbian Household Does Not Make A Child Gay1885 Words   |  8 PagesTatyana sanchez English 102:Rhetoric and Compositions Dr.Tom Bragg April 12, 2016 Being raised in a gay/lesbian household does not make a child gay: †Ignorance is bliss† Gay, straight, lesbian bisexual, etc. These are all terms used to describe a person’s seuxual orientation. In today’s world people are harassed and assaulted because of which of these words they identify with. From 2012 up to 2012 there was a drastic change in reported hate crimes against members of the LGBT community.Read MoreLesbian, Gay, Bisexual, And Transgender1675 Words   |  7 Pagespaper will be focusing on is The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) community because they face multiple levels of victimization, and it is hard for this group to adjust to society once they have identified themselves as being gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender. In 2013, law enforcement agencies had reported 5,928 hate crime incidents, 20.8 percent were motivated by sexual orientation, and 60.6 percent were identified as gay male-targeted bias. Gay males is one of the main targetsRead More The Gay/Lesbian Market Essay2605 Words   |  11 PagesThe Gay/Lesbian Market With the waving of the rainbow flag, the emergence of a vibrant gay and lesbian niche market is being heralded across the United States. A wide range of commodities and services aimed at gay and lesbian consumers are now advertised in an equally wide range of media and venues. Reproductions of Robert Mapplethorpe photographs in the New Yorker, Miller Beer ads in the Advocate, catalogues distributed nationally by gay-owned businesses, and websites display just a fraction

The Old, Bald, Toothless Angel Free Essays

The supposed angel in the story A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings by Gabriel Garcia Marquez differs from the usual conception of angels with the following characteristics: its physical appearance, its effect upon the community, and the paranormal occurrences of its presence. The usual conception on the images of angels are romanticized – images of blonde children with small, white wings and rosy cheeks. However, the ‘angel’ in Marquez’s story is described as an old man, dirty, smelly, and possesses rotting wings. We will write a custom essay sample on The Old, Bald, Toothless Angel or any similar topic only for you Order Now â€Å"He was dressed like a ragpicker. There were only a few faded hairs left on his bald skull and very few teeth in his mouth, and his pitiful condition of a drenched great-grandfather had taken away any sense of grandeur he might have had. His huge buzzard wings, dirty and half-plucked, were forever tangled in mud† (Marquez, 387). In addition, the use of the word ‘enormous’ used to described the old man’s wings are strewn with mud and rotting, full of small insects and parasites. The characters in the story immediately perceive the old man to be a fallen angel, because of the state of his wings. Also, the enormity of the wings give emphasis on Marquez use of the magic realism genre in the story. The shape and size of the wings may be exaggerated in a realistic point of view but the use of enormous gives the reader a more realistic approach to the old man. It also presents an ordinary experience on part of the characters – since Pelayo and Elisenda did not express shock of the old man’s appearance but of his condition – lying in the mud and in a downcast state. As the story revolves on the theme of magical realism, the characters in the story do not express shock over the old man’s appearance. They exhibit behaviour as though they see kinds of magical creatures often in their lives. Indeed, the first reaction of the couple is more a contradiction toward the whole theme of the story – a realistic perspective. They deduced that the old man may be a castaway from a ship across the sea that was wrecked by some storm. They based their judgement when they tried to ask the old man and responded in a strong sailor’s voice with a foreign dialect. However, the couple was not convinced and decided to ask a woman who had experience with such matters. The old woman needed only a glance and immediately concluded that the old man was an angel sent to take the couple’s ailing child (Marquez, 388). Thus, the themes of magic and realism come together from different point of views. The old man’s effect on the community, upon hearing the suggestion of the old woman, also became magical in one point. As exhibited by the behaviour of the townspeople in the story, they immediately associate the angel with various miracles and scenarios – that the angel was sent to be the leader of the world, to be a five star general in order to end wars, and such. The angel is also viewed by the community not as a supernatural creature but rather as a circus animal. After all the commotion the old man brought to the community, the couple decided to charge a fee for everybody who wanted to see the angel. Its popularity declined when a circus act visited the town with a spider-lady as its main attraction. The people favored the spider-woman over the angel as the spider had a personal story on why she turned to such while the angel did nothing but sit on the chicken coop. Marquez presents an alternative conception of the angel – that the spider, with all its grotesquery and exhibiting usual emotions like pain and emotional suffering, greatly amused the people rather than an old, mute angel rotting in its place. People favored amusement, even if the object is supernatural in nature. Apart from this, Marquez presents the angel to be a mere object of interest for only a limited time until the townspeople shifted their attention toward the spider. Angels are often regarded to be holy beings, that are capable of miracles, and provides ‘good’ in people’s lives. But the angel in the story remains isolated from the community and only act as though he had no care of his condition. His characteristics were also a downfall toward the perception of the community – he was old, toothless, with rotting wings and a pronounced stench. Even though the old man was first conceived as an angel, people did not pay the same amount of attention compared to the spider-woman, who exhibited an emotional plight that greatly amused the people. The paranormal presence of the angel did not stir bewilderment on the characters of the story – instead they presented keen interest and ill-disguised curiosity. Also, their immediate association of the old man as a universal solution to all their worldly-problems became the definitive character of the angel. Yet, they did not bother to place the angel in greater prominence, as they ignored him until one day, he grew new wings and began to fly toward the ocean horizon. The disappearance of the angel also coincided with the growth of Pelayo and Elisenda’s child, and deduced that the angel took away the child’s sickness. And because of the fee they charged to see the angel, the couple became rich from their profits. Marquez persuades the reader into a personal interpretation of the old man – just like the people in the story. He presents the old man with its characteristics and it is up to the reader to decide whether it is an angel or not. However, Marquez also utilizes several peculiar situations and characteristics that coincide with the angel’s presence in the story. His enormous wings is the main point. It appears as though it was nothing out of the extraordinary; that the characters in the story were accustomed to seeing wings deeply implanted in a person’s structure. Also, as the angel grew another set of wings, it could have been assumed that it would resemble the pearly-white color of a real angel but the old man’s wings were that of a scarecrow (Marquez, 392). Marquez leaves room for interpretation on the part of the reader as to what the old man really is. He presents a wholly different perspective of an angel, as presented by the examples of the people in which the old revolved upon. It may be an angel or just an old, toothless man with enormous wings. How to cite The Old, Bald, Toothless Angel, Papers

Masks Of Hamlet Essays - Characters In Hamlet, Prince Hamlet, Hamlet

Masks Of Hamlet Masks of Hamlet In Shakespeares tragedy, Hamlet, there is a prevalent and almost overwhelming theme. All throughout the play, all of the characters appear as one thing, with one standpoint, and one outlook. However on the inside, all of these characters are completely different. This mask theme, the way that all of the characters portray themselves as one person on the outside and one different one on the inside, is not in the least disguised by Shakespeare. Claudius, the murdering king, appears to be a somewhat kind, caring, and friendly person. But inside he is different. He is cold, calculating, and self-serving. But this might also be a mask. The women in the play, Ophelia and Gertrude, both use a type of mask to cover what is obvious in their lives, masking it so that they can continue living as if their existence was without cruelty. And finally Hamlet hides behind his madness, be it real or pretend, a person who is indecisive and spiteful. Masks in this play are not just a theme; they are the whole basis of it. The mask theme develops throughout the play as various characters try to cover their secret intentions with a veneer of a whole other person. One of the most obvious, of course is Claudius. Claudius murdered his brother, the former king Hamlet, in order to become king himself. This murder, which was done in secret, with no one but Claudius knowing that the act was committed by him. Not only is he the King of Denmark, but he is also married to Queen Gertrude, his brothers former wife. These hideous and awful crimes have not been punished, and no one knows that Claudius has done this. When Claudius confronts anyone, he must become someone totally different. Claudius puts on a mask of his own. He is no longer the self-serving, cold, calculating man that he really is, out he becomes a kind, caring man who does his very best to ensure that Gertrude stays with him, and also so that he can do his best to keep Hamlet from trying to take the kingdom and destroy what Claudius has worked for so long to gain.To this end Claudius wears his mask. But is Claudius really the mask or what he is underneath? This is called into question when Claudius tries to seek redemption for his sins. This scene shows that his character, like Hamlets is not quite as clear cut as most men. Claudius wrestles with his guilt by asking himself, ^Where to serves mercy/ But to confront the visage of offense?/ And that^s in prayer but his twofold force,/ to be forestalled are we come to fall,/ Or pardoned being down?^ He then answers his own question by saying, ^But, O, what form of prayer/ can serve my turn? ^Forgive me my foul murder?^/ That cannot be, since I am still possessed/ of those efforts for which I did the murder!/ My crown, mine own ambition, and my queen.^ So Claudius comes to the understanding that, even though he wears redemption like his outside self, his real self cannot give up the trappings of this position. Claudius, in his questioning, has separated the mask from the person and has found that the mask is the fake Claudius. Not every character is so confused as to their nature, however. The females roles in Hamlet are confused in a much different way. Both Ophelia and Gertrude mask themselves to the harsh realities of their life. Ophelia^s mask is far more fragile than any other. Despite Hamlets almost incessant cruelty to Ophelia drives her, eventually insane. She puts up a defense at first, trying to protect herself from Hamlet^s cruelty, but it fails. Ophelia believes for awhile , that Hamlet loves her deeply, and that he would never harm her directly. But soon, through his words and his actions, such as killing her father, shatters her mask that served to protect her from Hamlets assaults. When the truth and reality bit her, she breaks under its pressure and commits suicide. Gertrude, the other woman in the play, has a much stranger mask. She refuses to see or believe the truth that Hamlet shows her,

Star Fruit - Averrhoa Carambola essays

Star Fruit - Averrhoa Carambola essays The plant I have chosen is commonly called star fruit and its scientific name Averrhoa carambola L. The star fruit is in the oxalidaceae family, and it originated in Southeast Asia. Although star fruit is now grown throughout many tropical and warm subtropical areas of the world. In the United States, they are grown commercially in southern Florida and Hawaii (Crane). Of all the many locations that star fruit are grown Taiwan claims to grow the very best star fruit. The carambola or star fruit is a slow-growing, short trunk evergreen tree with its many branches forming a bushy canopy that is rounded. Mature trees seldom exceed 25 to 30 feet in height and 20 to 25 feet in width. The leaves are soft, medium green, and smooth on the top and faintly hairy on the bottom. They are sensitive to light and will fold together at night or when the tree is shocked (Fruit Gardner). The flowers are small pink to lavender colored and have five petals and sepals. The actual fruit is a fleshy berry w ith a wary surface. They are two to six inches long with five prominent longitudinal ribs. Slices cut in cross-sections are star shaped. The skin is thin, yellow, and smooth with a waxy cuticle. The flesh is yellow, translucent, crisp and very juicy. Star fruit is sweet and even sweeter when allowed to ripen on the tree. They are low in calories and a good source of potassium and vitamin C (Crane). The seeds are edible, but usually, a fruit contains less than twelve. They are long, thin, light brown, and enclosed by a gelatinous aril. Star fruit grows best in tropical climates although they also do well in warm subtropical climates that may experience occasional freezing. They are not too particular about soil types, but they will grow faster and bear more fruit in rich loam. Star fruit need moisture for best production; this means regular watering or irrigation. Young carambola trees should receive light applications of fertilizers every 60 to 90 days ...

44 Resume Writing Tips

44 Resume Writing Tips 44 Resume Writing Tips 44 Resume Writing Tips By Daniel Scocco Having a solid and effective resume can greatly improve your chances of landing that dream job. That is beyond discussion. How does one make sure that his resume is top notch and bullet proof, however? There are several websites with tips around the web, but most bring just a handful of them. We wanted to put them all together in a single place, and that is what you will find below: 44 resume writing tips. 1. Know the purpose of your resume Some people write a resume as if the purpose of the document was to land a job. As a result they end up with a really long and boring piece that makes them look like desperate job hunters. The objective of your resume is to land an interview, and the interview will land you the job (hopefully!). 2. Back up your qualities and strengths Instead of creating a long (and boring) list with all your qualities (e.g., disciplined, creative, problem solver) try to connect them with real life and work experiences. In other words, you need to back these qualities and strengths up, else it will appear that you are just trying to inflate things. 3. Make sure to use the right keywords Most companies (even smaller ones) are already using digital databases to search for candidates. This means that the HR department will run search queries based on specific keywords. Guess what, if your resume doesnt have the keywords related to the job you are applying for, you will be out even before the game starts. These keywords will usually be nouns. Check the job description and related job ads for a clue on what the employer might be looking for. You can read more about resume keywords on the article Tapping the Power of Keywords to Enhance Your Resumes Effectiveness. 4. Use effective titles Like it or not, employers will usually make a judgment about your resume in 5 seconds. Under this time frame the most important aspect will be the titles that you listed on the resume, so make sure they grab the attention. Try to be as descriptive as possible, giving the employer a good idea about the nature of your past work experiences. For example: Bad title: Accounting Good title: Management of A/R and A/P and Recordkeeping 5. Proofread it twice It would be difficult to emphasize the importance of proofreading your resume. One small typo and your chances of getting hired could slip. Proofreading it once is not enough, so do it twice, three times or as many as necessary. If you dont know how to proofread effectively, here are 8 tips that you can use, or use a grammar checker. 6. Use bullet points No employer will have the time (or patience) to read long paragraphs of text. Make sure, therefore, to use bullet points and short sentences to describe your experiences, educational background and professional objectives. 7. Where are you going? Including professional goals can help you by giving employers an idea of where you are going, and how you want to arrive there. You dont need to have a special section devoted to your professional objectives, but overall the resume must communicate it. The question of whether or not to highlight your career objectives on the resume is a polemic one among HR managers, so go with your feeling. If you decide to list them, make sure they are not generic. 8. Put the most important information first This point is valid both to the overall order of your resume, as well as to the individual sections. Most of the times your previous work experience will be the most important part of the resume, so put it at the top. When describing your experiences or skills, list the most important ones first. 9. Attention to the typography First of all make sure that your fonts are big enough. The smaller you should go is 11 points, but 12 is probably safer. Do not use capital letters all over the place, remember that your goal is to communicate a message as fast and as clearly as possible. Arial and Times are good choices. 10. Do not include no kidding information There are many people that like to include statements like Available for interview or References available upon request. If you are sending a resume to a company, it should be a given that you are available for an interview and that you will provide references if requested. Just avoid items that will make the employer think no kidding! 11. Explain the benefits of your skills Merely stating that you can do something will not catch the attention of the employer. If you manage to explain how it will benefit his company, and to connect it to tangible results, then you will greatly improve your chances. 12. Avoid negativity Do not include information that might sound negative in the eyes of the employer. This is valid both to your resume and to interviews. You dont need to include, for instance, things that you hated about your last company. 13. Achievements instead of responsibilities Resumes that include a long list of responsibilities included are plain boring, and not efficient in selling yourself. Instead of listing responsibilities, therefore, describe your professional achievements. 14. No pictures Sure, we know that you are good looking, but unless you are applying for a job where the physical traits are very important (e.g., modeling, acting and so on), and unless the employer specifically requested it, you should avoid attaching your picture to the resume. 15. Use numbers This tip is a complement to the 13th one. If you are going to describe your past professional achievements, it would be a good idea to make them as solid as possible. Numbers are your friends here. Dont merely mention that you increased the annual revenues of your division, say that you increased them by $100,000, by 78%, and so on. 16. One resume for each employer One of the most common mistakes that people make is to create a standard resume and send it to all the job openings that they can find. Sure it will save you time, but it will also greatly decrease the chances of landing an interview (so in reality it could even represent a waste of time). Tailor your resume for each employer. The same point applies to your cover letters. 17. Identify the problems of the employer A good starting point to tailor your resume for a specific employer is to identify what possible problems he might have at hand. Try to understand the market of the company you are applying for a job, and identify what kind of difficulties they might be going through. After that illustrate on your resume how you and your skills would help to solve those problems. 18. Avoid age discrimination It is illegal to discriminate people because of their age, but some employers do these considerations nonetheless. Why risk the trouble? Unless specifically requested, do not include your age on your resume. 19. You dont need to list all your work experiences If you have job experiences that you are not proud of, or that are not relevant to the current opportunity, you should just omit them. Mentioning that you used to sell hamburgers when you were 17 is probably not going to help you land that executive position. 20. Go with what you got If you never had any real working experience, just include your summer jobs or volunteer work. If you dont have a degree yet, mention the title and the estimated date for completion. As long as those points are relevant to the job in question, it does not matter if they are official or not. 21. Sell your fish Remember that you are trying to sell yourself. As long as you dont go over the edge, all the marketing efforts that you can put in your resume (in its content, design, delivery method and so on) will give you an advantage over the other candidates. 22. Dont include irrelevant information Irrelevant information such as political affiliation, religion and sexual preference will not help you. In fact it might even hurt your chances of landing an interview. Just skip it. 23. Use Mr. and Ms. if appropriate If you have a gender neutral name like Alex or Ryan make sure to include the Mr. or Ms. prefix, so that employers will not get confused about your gender. 24. No lies, please Seems like a no brainer, but you would be amused to discover the amount of people that lie in their resumes. Even small lies should be avoided. Apart from being wrong, most HR departments do background checks these days, and if you are buster it might ruin your credibility for good. 25. Keep the salary in mind The image you will create with your resume must match the salary and responsibility level that you are aiming for. 26. Analyze job ads You will find plenty of useful information on job ads. Analyze no only the ad that you will be applying for, but also those from companies on the same segment or offering related positions. You should be able to identify what profile they are looking for and how the information should be presented. 27. Get someone else to review your resume Even if you think you resume is looking kinky, it would be a good idea to get a second and third opinion about it. We usually become blind to our own mistakes or way of reasoning, so another people will be in a good position to evaluate the overall quality of your resume and make appropriate suggestions. 28. One or two pages The ideal length for a resume is a polemic subject. Most employers and recruiting specialists, however, say that it should contain one or two pages at maximum. Just keep in mind that, provided all the necessary information is there, the shorter your resume, the better. 29. Use action verbs A very common advice to job seekers is to use action verbs. But what are they? Action verbs are basically verbs that will get noticed more easily, and that will clearly communicate what your experience or achievement were. Examples include managed, coached, enforced and planned. Here you can find a complete list of action verbs divided by skill category. 30. Use a good printer If you are going to use a paper version of your resume, make sure to use a decent printer. Laser printers usually get the job done. Plain white paper is the preferred one as well. 31. No hobbies Unless you are 100% sure that some of your hobbies will support you candidacy, avoid mentioning them. I know you are proud of your swimming team, but share it with your friends and not with potential employers. 32. Update your resume regularly It is a good idea to update your resume on a regular basis. Add all the new information that you think is relevant, as well as courses, training programs and other academic qualifications that you might receive along the way. This is the best way to keep track of everything and to make sure that you will not end up sending an obsolete document to the employer. 33. Mention who you worked with If you have reported or worked with someone that is well known in your industry, it could be a good idea to mention it on the resume. The same thing applies to presidents and CEOs. If you reported to or worked directly with highly ranked executives, add it to the resume. 34. No scattered information Your resume must have a clear focus. If would cause a negative impression if you mentioned that one year you were studying drama, and the next you were working as an accountant. Make sure that all the information you will include will work towards a unified image. Employers like decided people. 35. Make the design flow with white space Do not jam your resume with text. Sure we said that you should make your resume as short and concise as possible, but that refers to the overall amount of information and not to how much text you can pack in a single sheet of paper. White space between the words, lines and paragraphs can improve the legibility of your resume. 36. Lists all your positions If you have worked a long time for the same company (over 10 years) it could be a good idea to list all the different positions and roles that you had during this time separately. You probably had different responsibilities and developed different skills on each role, so the employer will like to know it. 37. No jargon or slang It should be common sense, but believe me, it is not. Slang should never be present in a resume. As for technical jargon, do not assume that the employer will know what you are talking about. Even if you are sending your resume to a company in the same segment, the person who will read it for the first time might not have any technical expertise. 38. Careful with sample resume templates There are many websites that offer free resume templates. While they can help you to get an idea of what you are looking for, do not just copy and paste one of the most used ones. You certainly dont want to look just like any other candidate, do you? 39. Create an email proof formatting It is very likely that you will end up sending your resume via email to most companies. Apart from having a Word document ready to go as an attachment, you should also have a text version of your resume that does not look disfigured in the body of the email or in online forms. Attachments might get blocked by spam filters, and many people just prefer having the resume on the body of the email itself. 40. Remove your older work experiences If you have been working for 20 years or more, there is no need to have 2 pages of your resume listing all your work experiences, starting with the job at the local coffee shop at the age of 17! Most experts agree that the last 15 years of your career are enough. 41. No fancy design details Do not use a colored background, fancy fonts or images on your resume. Sure, you might think that the little flowers will cheer up the document, but other people might just throw it away at the sight. 42. No pronouns You resume should not contain the pronouns I or me. That is how we normally structure sentences, but since your resume is a document about your person, using these pronouns is actually redundant. 43. Dont forget the basics The first thing on your resume should be your name. It should be bold and with a larger font than the rest of the text. Make sure that your contact details are clearly listed. Secondly, both the name and contact details should be included on all the pages of the resume (if you have more than one). 44. Consider getting professional help If you are having a hard time to create your resume, or if you are receiving no response whatsoever from companies, you could consider hiring a professional resume writing service. There are both local and online options are available, and usually the investment will be worth the money. 45. Leverage online tools to write your resume You can find several tools online that will remove part of the burden and complexity of writing the perfect resume. Some of them will give you a starting template, others will help with the formatting and so on. You can find suggestions for 10 tools and resources on this post. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! 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