Month: January 2010

Tips to improve your resume

No matter how great your credentials, your resume is going to be discarded if it has typos. BNET posted “5 Smart Ways to Eliminate Typos on Your Resume” with a synopsis of a longer article, by The Washington Post.

Here’s the short version:

  • Review your edit later. You can’t confidently correct a resume while you’re writing it, because you see what you intended to write, not what’s really on the screen. Wait several hours or, even better, a day or two.
  • Get someone else to edit it for you. Not a replacement for reviewing it yourself, but a second set of eyes is essential for seeing your words fresh and impartially.
  • Print it out. It’s easier to see many kinds of errors on the printed page that you’d miss on a computer screen.
  • Read it aloud. Just like printing a resume makes it look different than when it’s on the screen, reading it lets you hear the words, and it’s only then you can realize some things just don’t make sense.
  • Read it from the bottom up. Reading it out of sequence can disrupt the logical flow that helps your brain make sense of things that are grammatically incorrect or have other language problems. Also, you’ll see the end with fresh eyes, whereas ordinarily you’ll be burnt out by the time you reach the end and more likely to miss errors.

Good tips to remember.

Daily log, January 21 — I am sick

I woke up with difficulty breathing, so I called my walking buddy to tell her I couldn’t go walk. Can’t breathe. Coughing. My throat feels like I swallowed cut glass. My nose is dripping.

I am sick. Today is not going to be fun.

10 AM — I just realized that I didn’t eat breakfast. And I’m not hungry. I’m existing on tea right now. Somebody please please please tell me that I’m going to feel better soon.

1 PM — this must be my week for Pei Wei. Lunch was hot and sour soup. Today’s decision was on purpose. I wanted the heat and spicy to mix and make me feel better. And it did the trick, for a little while.

8 PM — I had a quesadilla for dinner. Quick and easy. I don’t think I even tasted it.

{{Written on my iPhone}}

Daily log, January 20 — I miss my comfort foods

Morning started with my usual walk in Memorial Park. For some reason, the walk today was hard. Harder than it’s been recently.

I thought the walking was supposed to get easier the more you did it. Isn’t that true?

9 AM — breakfast was a scrambled egg with some parmesan in olive oil added in for flavoring, served over a whole wheat tortilla. This was accompanied by the oolong tea I’ve been drinking lately. I don’t enjoy the oolong as much as my Awake, but I’m going to use it up.

2 PM — lunch was un guisado at Taquería Arandas. I wanted comfort food and that’s the closest that I could find that wouldn’t completely obliterate my diet.

Comfort food for me is battered, deep fried or covered in gravy or cheese sauce. Preferably all of them at the same time.

8 PM — dinner was a chicken/cheese burrito on the now familiar whole wheat tortilla. Nothing too outstanding.

{{Written on my iPhone}}

Daily log, January 19 — falling off the wagon for a croissant

Day started with a 5:30 am walk in Memorial Park. My friend and I have realized that the earlier walk lets us get ready for work without having to rush.

I like the idea of getting something accomplished first thing in the morning. It sets the tone for the rest of the day. If nothing else goes right that day, at least I’ve done one thing on my personal goal list. And it has the benefit of being part of my long-term goals. Good stuff, all around.

9:30 AM — breakfast was a sausage/spinach taco in a whole wheat tortilla. As you can guess, the tortillas are being used up until I finish them. I should have bought a smaller pack or something.

1 PM — I had lunch at my desk. I picked up Pei Wei Hot and Sour Soup. I had the bowl. I think it took me 10 minutes to consume.

3 PM — I was destroyed by a croissant. I had a midafternoon meeting at La Madeleine and, instead of ordering a coffee like a good girl, I ended up with a coffee and croissant. I should not have done that. And the worst part is that I enjoyed it way too much.

9 PM — ironically, I ended up at Pei Wei for dinner too — met a friend for dinner and that was her pick. I had a chopped chicken salad.

My calorie count was over by the amount of the croissant, no surprise. I wish there was some excuse I could give myself, an out I could take that would reduce my disappointment in my lack of discipline. There isn’t. This week has been all about my bad choices.

Monday was indulgence. Today was stress. I had an item pop up that’s going to consume my week, set the tone for next week — and none of it is good.

But stress, I know, is not a good enough excuse.

{{Written on my iPhone}}

Daily log, January 18 — chocolate cake is worth it

I made these diet logs on the days dated, but I didn’t have time to fill in the details. I am just getting to do that now, days later, and finding that I don’t enjoy it as much. It’s why you’re getting a bunch of logs posted all at once. I’m hoping to get back into my new habit of posting nearly daily.

Monday was a holiday, so I had a nice lazy day. That means I didn’t walk or do anything productive. It was a very good day.

10:30 AM — breakfast was a peanut butter and banana sandwich. Simple, fast, and tasty.

2:30 PM — for lunch I met up with a few friends at Cyclone Anaya’s. It was supposed to be El Patio in Midtown, but we found that the restaurant was closed for renovation or something when we got there. So we improvised and ended up at Cyclone Anaya’s in Midtown. I had a grilled chicken covered in onions and mushrooms, with cheese. I ate all of it, including the rice and beans.

7 PM — After lunch I met up with a friend to watch a movie. And, somehow, we ended up at the Chocolate Bar. Yes, I had cake. Yes, I had chocolate cake. Yes, I understand that that put me behind at least a week.

And, you know what? Completely worth it.

9 PM — I made a homemade hamburger for dinner. Probably not the way I needed to end the day, but that’s what I did.

It ended up being a very relaxing day. I didn’t do a single productive thing all day, and that was very good.

{{Written on my iPhone}}