Book Review: Guide to Rethinking Resumes by Richard Bolles

If you need help writing a resume that gets noticed in this digital age, check out Guide to
Rethinking Resumes by Richard N. Bolles. Here is our book review.

From the 1950s until the 2000s, resumes followed a standard format with printed paragraphs of experience and ordered lists of employment dates. The Web changed all that with rich multimedia resumes, infographic resumes, and computer scanning software. These changes left many people unsure of the best way to present their resumes.

Write a Resume a Computer Can Read

Sometime around 2008, hiring departments got busy and employers had less time to look over the stacks of resumes they received for every job posting. So, they turned the job over to digital scanners.

How does a job seeker make a good first impression when dealing with a computer? That is where Richard Bolles' book, What Color Is Your Parachute? Guide to Rethinking Resumes comes in with some valuable advice.

This book will not give you a quick fix for your resume. This is not a book to casually read, gain a few tips, and find ready-made resume templates. What you will find are worksheets, questions, and a guide that will help you rethink your resume and help you get noticed in the job market.

Find an Easy Way to List Your Skills

This is a workbook to keep close at hand while you construct resumes that are customized for your job search. Inside the pages of this book, you will find a wealth of valuable information that will help get your resume to the top of the pile. Learn how to:

• Format your resume to make it easily scanned by a person and easily read by computer scanning software.
• Find key words that promote you as being the best candidate for the job.
• Clean up your presence in Google's search results and delete those embarrassing moments.
• Show potential employers that you will add value and profitability to their business.
• Maximize your job search efforts and increase your chances of landing a job by targeting jobs and employers.
• Avoid words that make hiring managers cringe and get resumes tossed in the trash.

The Starter Kit of 45+ Questions will have you answering questions about every aspect of your personal and professional life. This is a terrific way to search your soul, bring out your best, and find ideas to spark your resume creativity. Here is a sampling:

• Volunteer, community, and unpaid work has value. Tell prospective employers about your experience with special needs children, feeding the homeless, or making baby blankets for low income families.
• School achievements are important. Good grades, scholarships, and awards can win points if you are new to the job market.
• If you've been in sales, get out your sales figures. Come in under budget? Talk about it. Beat any sales records? Show the numbers.
• Computers are everywhere. List your experience whether it is in programming, social media, or word processing.
• Are you a mechanic or an engineer? Talk about your projects and the machinery you operate. Tell prospective employers of your promotions to lead and supervisory positions.

Get the Guide to Rethinking Resumes

This is a small book with 100 pages packed full of useful tips and helpful hints. There is no fluff inside, just solid advice on how to find a job in a digital world. This is the resume workbook for the 21st century and an answer to the job seekers prayer.

Get your copy from Amazon.com.
Available in paperback or Kindle format.

We received this book from BloggingForBooks.org in exchange for this review. Our opinions are our own.

Posted by Coletta Teske

About This Contributor

Coletta Teske writes reviews on books, business management, writing, crafting, cooking, and gardening. She is also an avid recycler and shares her tips on recycling. She delights in upcycling an old object, recycling or transforming discarded items into a new treasure.

Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN), Esty (Awin), and/or Zazzle Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”

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Book Review of Stealing the Preacher by Karen Witemeyer

The Journey to the End of Stealing the Preacher Is as Rewarding as Seeing the Ending

I read Stealing the Preacher because it was a free promotional download from Amazon for my Kindle. I didn't know what to expect, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. I saw characters who were human and believable, even if the plot was unrealistic. The book is a light historical Christian romance, but I didn’t find it as predictable as most of them are. Yes, you know almost from the beginning how it will end, but the fun in the book is getting to the end, not knowing what the end will be.

The Kidnapping

The main character, Crockett Archer, is hoping to land his first job as a real preacher  in Brenham, Texas. We meet him on the train as he travels for his interview with the church elders. He and one other preacher are competing for the job he wants, but he’s sure he’ll get it. He has been an apprentice preacher in his own small town in Texas for three years.

The train suddenly lurches, and he discovers that it is being attacked by bandits. The big surprise for him, though, is that all the bandits want to steal is him. They don’t hurt anyone or take anything else. He is kidnapped and taken to a ranch about ten miles from Deanville, where he discovers he is to be a birthday gift for the rancher’s daughter, Joanna Robbins. She had told her widowed daddy, Silas, that she wanted a preacher for her birthday. He took her quite literally.

Crockett and Joanna

It turns out that Silas is not the least bit interested in church or preaching, but is simply humoring his daughter, who did not approve of his method of obtaining her present. Crockett explains his situation and Joanna frees him to try to keep his appointment. It turns out she had wanted a preacher because the small church for the ranch no longer had a pastor and the church had fallen into disrepair. The pastor had moved to a larger church in Deanville and it was too far for the ranch community to travel every Sunday.

Joanna wanted a preacher in the church because she  was still praying for her daddy’s salvation. She had promised her mother before her death, that she would continue the daily prayers for her father after her mother passed away. Johanna thought having a preacher in the church again would give her the support she needed. Daddy and his ranch hands had formerly been a gang of bandits, but when he married, his wife had made him give it up and they had all been honest men for over sixteen years. They had never hurt or killed anyone.

Crockett Becomes Ranch Hand and Pastor

As it turns out, quite predictably, Crockett doesn’t get the job he was after because he didn’t make his appointment on the right day at the right time.  As you might expect, he takes the job of pastoring the small church for Johanna. She talks her father into hiring him as a hand so he can support himself. He was well-qualified since he was raised on and helped run his fathers ranch with his brothers after his father died young.

That’s all I’m going to tell you. There’s plenty of action between the time Archer arrives at the ranch and the end of the book.  The action reveals much about character of the people who are interacting.  One situation which I expected led to another one which I did not anticipate, and it left me on the edge of my chair holding my breath.  If you like Christian historical fiction, I recommend this book for an entertaining and relaxing read. I will definitely read more by this author if I get the chance. Amazon carries it in every possible format. Just click the picture to purchase and see other reviews. Unfortunately, it is no longer free, since I got my book during a special promotional offer, and it has ended.

 Stealing the Preacher (The Archer Brothers Book #2)

Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN), Esty (Awin), and/or Zazzle Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”

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Movie Review - Still Alice

Still Alice

The movie, Still Alice is based on the book written by Lisa Genova. The book is a New York Times Bestseller and the movie has won more awards than I care to list. Despite these accolades, I'd never heard of the movie. I am so glad that I purchased a copy and enjoyed it so much that I have already viewed it twice this past weekend.  If you have not seen Still Alice, you may want to. 

Still Alice

Alice is a professional, highly educated, and highly respected woman who has successfully raised three children and maintained a marriage. She is healthy, active, and appears to have everything the American dream consists of.  Until she begins to lose the part of her that she feels most defines her - her cognitive functioning.

According to Mayo Clinic, dementia ...

..."describes a group of symptoms affecting memory, thinking and social abilities severely enough to interfere with daily functioning."

Alice (played by Julianne Moore) begins to change, and declines fairly rapidly with her diagnosis of rare early onset Alzheimer's. While the movie is limited by time, we get a snapshot of how the world of a confident woman is turned upside, her family core shaken, and how family roles change. Incidents of seemingly normal forgetfulness turns to forgetting how to do mundane tasks, not recognizing places, forgetting family members.  As she struggles, her husband and children struggle and roles change. 

As in any real situation in which a family member becomes chronically or terminally ill, there are people who fade away and there are people who step up and take care of the ailing person. We watch these dynamics unfold in this love story. 

This movie brought me to tears. During some of the hard-to-watch scenes as Alice deteriorates as well as during some of the scenes that we witness how she is loved during this very difficult time. We learn very few of the facts of Early Onset Dementia. Instead, this is a very intimate look at one woman, one family, and the many feelings that dementia brings.  I wish I could describe my thoughts about the movie in-depth but I don't want to risk a spoiler. Instead, I want the seasons of her life to unfold in front of you as they did in front of me.

Just don't forget to bring the tissues when you sit down to watch Still Alice.


For more personal stories of living with a loved one who has Alzheimer's:

Chicken Soup for the Soul

Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN), Esty (Awin), and/or Zazzle Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”

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How to Create Collections on Zazzle and Add Them to Your Sites

Creating a Collection on Zazzle is really easy!   Plus, adding your curated Zazzle collection is even easier, but you may wonder why you would want to feature the collection link instead of featuring the items themselves in a post.  There are actually several reasons why the collection would be a better option than individual links, but first let's cover how to create the Zazzle collection.

 

How to Create a Zazzle Collection

1. Select Your Subject ~ Example:  Postcards from Rome
2. Hover you mouse over the item you will be adding to the board.  You will see the "add to collection" button in the upper right hand corner.
3. Click the down arrow to see the list of your collections.  
4. Since we are adding a new collection, type the title of your new collection in the bottom square and click create.  
5. Add a description of your new collection by editing the board.
6. Add 5 tags
7. Check the "visible in stores" square if you wish the collection to show on your store's home page.   It must also be marked "public" do show to anyone other than you.

How to Edit, Title, Add Tags and Add a Description to Your Zazzle Collection

Alternate Way to Create a Collection on Zazzle

You can also start a new collection by simply clicking the "+ New Collection" on your Collections page and continue with steps 4-7 above.

How to Create a Collection on Zazzle

 

How to Find Your Collections on Zazzle

In order to edit, change the cover photo, or rearrange the items in the collection, you can simply go to your collections page and select the collection you wish to edit.  You will find that option in the drop down tabs under your profile image at the top.

How to Find Your Collections on Zazzle

 

How to Add a Photo to the Top of Your Zazzle Collection Page

At the top of each collection page, you have the option to add a photo or banner image.  This gives the collection page a really nice overall finished look, while also giving an instant example of what can be found in that collection.

Add a photo to the top of your Zazzle collection by simply clicking the "camera" in the big, blue square and selecting the image from your own uploaded photos or images. 

How to Add a Top Photo to a Zazzle Collection

How to Reorganize Your Items in a Zazzle Collection

Reorganizing the items in your collection is very easy.  Simply click the "organize" button at the top of the collection, then drag and drop your items where you wish.

How to Reorganize Your Items in a Zazzle Collection

How to Add a Zazzle Collection to Your Wordpress or Blogger Site

Adding a Zazzle collection to Wordpress or Blogger is very easy.

1. Simply click the "share" button at the top of the collection page on Zazzle. 
2. Select the "link" option
3. Select Your Display Preference
4. Copy the html code
5. Paste the html code in your article under the html (blogger) or text (wordpress) option ~  not under compose or visual

 

 

 

How the Collection Appears

Postcards from Rome
by Sylvestermouse

Note:  To get a larger display on your site like I have above, go to the "html" of your article and change the 325.jpg standard size to 525.jpg.  That size should not distort your image and will give you a larger display of your collection photo.

Why Use a Zazzle Collection in Your Website Article 

There are actually a couple of very important reasons to us the Collection link provided by Zazzle in your site article.

1. It is only one affiliate link on your article.  
2. Links to the entire Collection page which could easily feature dozens of additional related items.
3. From your Collection page, the reader may well be tempted to explore more of your Zazzle store items.
4. The Collection image makes a great sidebar ad or a fast addition to a related article for an easy update of the article.

What do you think?  Can you add to that list of why we should use a Zazzle collection in our website articles?

Please leave your thoughts, suggestions and comments below.

Zazzle Collections Can Include Items from Other Zazzle Stores

You are not limited to featuring only your store items in one of your collections.  You can add items for other Zazzle stores to your collections.  This is especially helpful if you don't have enough of a particular item to make a nice size collection presentation.  You will earn 15% in affiliate income when a buyer clicks through your created collection link in your published article!

However, if they access your collection via Zazzle instead of your published article, your referral code is not included in each individual link in the collection.  Therefore, I would not recommend checking the "visible in stores" option when creating collections that include a lot of items from other stores, unless you don't mind not receiving the commission for items sold.   Hopefully, that will be corrected in the future.

Throw Blankets
by Sylvestermouse

Note: I changed the size of these collection displays from 425.jpg to 625.jpg. I also added the words "Collection Curated" to the blanket collection since all of the throw blankets featured in this collection are not items in my store.

See the Collection Images in Action on a Wordpress Article

Here is an example of an article I recently published that uses the collection image links instead of individual product links.  I have featured 3 different Zazzle Collections in this article.

Mugs by Sylvestermouse

I would love to add your articles here too.  If you have used a Zazzle Collection in one of your published articles, please leave the link in the comments section below.

From Our Readers

This Mug Collection was created by Jasmine who, within an hour of reading this article, had used the instructions here to create her first collection and I wanted to share it with everyone. Review This is, and always has been, dedicated to promoting others as well as our own work. Thank you for being one of our loyal followers Jasmine!

Our own Contributor, Bev, also created a collection by using the instructions in this article. Likewise, we are featuring her new Zazzle collection.

Flower Mugs by Annie (Raintree Designs)

Throw Blankets Curated Collection by Sylvestermouse

Clematis Mugs by GramsBe

If you use these instructions to create your first Zazzle collection, simply leave me a note in the comments section below. I would love to feature your collection too. (The throws would be happy to move out of the way for your collection to be included here.)

Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN), Esty (Awin), and/or Zazzle Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”

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Reviewing The Dark Towers Series by Stephen King

A Review Of Stephen King's Dark Tower Series

Having just spent the last 4 1/2 months (or so) reading the most incredible series of books by the author Stephen King, I can't seem to stop thinking about the story that spans over 8 books. So, I thought that avid readers like myself might enjoy a review of the books as a recommendation for a reading adventure that will most assuredly be worth the investment of time.

Back in April, I told about my first encounter with Stephen King in my Review of 11/22/63. During our Christmas dinner last year, I was talking to my daughter's boyfriend about him reading that book and made the comment that I wished that Mr. King wrote more books that were not in the horror genre because I really enjoyed his writing style. Daved asked me if I had ever read The Dark Tower series by King and I admitted that I had not. He said that he thought that I would really enjoy it. That is where my reading journey began...with that conversation at the dinner table.

First A Little History Of The Series:

The Gunslinger 1st edition cover

I think that I should explain that this is not a new series. In fact, it really didn't start out to be a series at all. King had started working on this story when he was 19 years old long before his first book was ever published. It sat tucked away for several years (8 years, I think) before he submitted parts of it to the magazine The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction. Five short stories were published in the magazine from 1978 through 1981. In 1982, it was published by Donald M. Grant Publishers Inc as a limited edition book and the first novel of the series was born: The Gunslinger.

King had already made a name for himself in the horror genre by this time with 8 books to his credit. It began with Carrie in 1974 and by the time The Gunslinger was published the first time, he had finished Cujo. I have to wonder if the publishers were leery of putting a fantasy book out there even though King was already pretty popular with the horror books. In my opinion, someone from the Donald M Grant team knew a great book when he read it and was willing to take the chance. Along with millions of others in the world, I'm so glad they did!
That first edition is no longer in print, although I'm sure that if someone really wanted a copy they could find a seller of old books to try to obtain a copy.

My review of the series:

The books that I read over the course of almost 5 months are the revised ones along with the newer ones that were written after the revisions of the first 3 books. Technically, there are 7 books in the Dark Tower series, however, King wrote an 8th book that he recommends reading between book 4 and book 5. One does not have to read that 8th book but I can tell you that you will enjoy it and be a little more enlightened to the overall story.

So, I naturally started with The Gunslinger: (The Dark Tower #1). I do recommend that you start with book one because the story builds from the previous books.

The series follows the main protagonist, Roland Deschain and his long journey to the Dark Tower. Roland hails from the Barony of Gilead that is no longer. In his where and when he was a gunslinger and when our story begins, he is the last of his kind. Before the world had moved on, Roland was taught the ways of the gunslingers as many boys were. These men might have been called knights in the lore and stories of others but in Roland's world they didn't wear armor or fight with swords. They seemed to look more like the men of the American old west and did their good deeds with guns. Roland of Gilead came from a long line of gunslingers and can trace his lineage all the way back to the first gunslinger Arthur of Eld (King Arthur?).

Just as knights were known to protect people from the evils of the world, the gunslingers of Roland's time did the same. They were revered by the common folk. As we journey through the books we come to realize that no matter what time or world Roland enters into, that reverence remains. All recognize him as a gunslinger and ask for his assistance. You see, as he follows his quest to the Dark Tower there are doors that enter different times and different worlds.

Roland encounters both good and evil in his journey with strange creatures, machines of the ancient ones and humans from different eras of history. He does form a group to join him in his journey: Jake, Eddie, and Susannah all of which come from different modern times and have their own special insights and talents. There is also a mutant type animal that becomes a member of the group (ka-tet) after a while and you can't help but love that little creature!

I don't want to give out any spoilers to the books. I hate when people do that! I just want to share with you that this series is one of, if not the best, series of books that I have ever read. Stephen King has a way with words that make you feel like you are right there in the story as it unfolds. I've read some pretty good authors over the decades that I have been reading and then I have read some remarkable ones. The remarkable number but just a few, Stephen King is one of those for me.

I can tell you that if you enjoy fantasy fiction, time travel, imaginary worlds and adventure; this series of books will delight you! There are some parts of the books that get a little gorey from the battles and the habits of some of the creatures but nothing that will give you nightmares. You just kind of think..."Ewwww!" and then move on in the story.

Books In The Series:

• The Dark Tower 1: The Gunslinger
• The Dark Tower 2: The Drawing of the Three
• The Dark Tower 3: The Waste Lands
• The Dark Tower 4: Wizard and Glass
• The Dark Tower 4.5: The Wind Through The Keyhole (can be omitted but I recommend that you don't)
• The Dark Tower 5: Wolves of the Calla
• The Dark Tower 6: Song of Susannah
• The Dark Tower 7: The Dark Tower

Each book in the series can be downloaded to your digital reader or purchased in paperback versions. 

If you enjoy reading a series of books, like I do then I am confident that you will love this series. The only drawback is that I became so enamored with the characters and their journey that I hated for the books to end. There are surprises in the last few books that make it even more enjoyable and the ending was not what I expected but actually better than I could have imagined. I'm going to let a year or two pass and then I will probably go back and re-read this series again. Yep, it was that good! I can't say that over the 5 1/2 decades that I have been reading there have been many books that I wanted to read again...the Dark Tower series is a set that I could read a second time.

Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN), Esty (Awin), and/or Zazzle Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”

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