Cooler Weather is Good for You; Get Your Family Outside

Parents and guardians may be tempted to dial back outdoor activities when cold temperatures arrive, but getting outside is good for children and their families, even in the wintertime. The

TurfMutt environmental education and stewardship program

encourages families to appreciate and use the outdoors and offers the following tips:

Do outdoor activities that are fun.

Weather that adults consider to be “messy” can be a huge canvas for children and their imaginations. Fall leaf piles, snowball fights, and snow forts offer a wealth of opportunities for parents to play with their children and to explore and experiment in our living landscapes.

Encourage exploration.

Ask your child to look at how the landscape changes with the seasons. Talk about what happens after leaves fall, when snow arrives, when it’s windy, and more, linking these seasonable changes with basic science about clouds, rainfall, temperature changes and the earth.

Try something new

. Try your hands at cross-country skiing, igloo-building, fall or winter hiking, ice fishing, ice skating, snow sculpting, snowshoeing, or something else that your children want to try to give them an appreciation of the outdoors in all seasons.

Do yardwork as a family.

Involve everyone in seasonal yard chores to make the work go faster. Children can help put outdoor toys into storage and help tidy the yard. Just remember that if using outdoor power equipment like a lawn mower or leaf blower for your cleanup, children should be indoors and supervised, and they should not be near equipment when it’s operating.

Mention how getting outside helps our happiness.

Even winter sunshine can make kids happy—literally. Sunlight boosts Vitamin D, which helps regulate emotional and mental moods by increasing serotonin in the brain. Even exposure to weaker sunlight in the winter can cause this joy boost.

Tolerate some mess

. It’s a given that kids going outside in all sorts of weather will often return wet, muddy and messy. Be prepared for wet and cold kids and get them warmed up when they return from playing outside.

Process what they did. Ask kids to share about what they did outdoors or ask them to write or draw out their activities and observations. Did they see something new? Did something surprise them? What was fun?

Learn more about the TurfMutt program at

www.TurfMutt.com

and more about our living landscapes in all seasons at

www.SaveLivingLandscapes.com

Face of Defense: To the Moon … And Beyond!

FACE OF DEFENSE

AMERICAN HERO

Marine Corps Maj. Jasmin Moghbeli Job Title: NASA Astronaut Hometown: Baldwin, New York Unit: NASA Astronaut Group 22, \’\’The Turtles\’\’ Stationed: Johnson Space Center, Houston

JAN. 16, 2020 |

KATIE LANGE

, DOD NEWS

What was the process of getting into the astronaut candidate program?

I just submitted a resume on USAJobs.gov. It sounds almost underwhelming, right? Then, I came back here [to Johnson Space Center] for two rounds of interviews and got accepted to the program.

Tell me about the training you went through.

The training was really exciting and diverse. You have to be able to do a little bit of everything as an astronaut because, up in space, you\’re the doctor; you\’re the maintainer; you\’re the scientist and the spacewalker; and, so, the variety of things we\’ve learned over these two years has been incredible. Some of the major courses we learned were robotics, learning to speak Russian, learning about the International Space Station and its systems, and learning how to do spacewalks. Then, there\’s flying the T-38 jets!

What did you struggle with most?

The hardest part, for me, was the training in the neutral buoyancy lab. That’s where we trained for spacewalks. I’ve watched astronauts do spacewalks before, and you think, \’Wow, they make it look so easy and so smooth,\’ and that the suit is just an extension of their body. But then I got in there for the first time, and it’s just completely different than you\’d imagined. You now have to walk with your hands, and anytime you squeeze your hands to do anything, you’re fighting the pressure in the suit. It was just really tricky learning how to move within that suit. It\’s your own personal spacecraft at that point, and [you\’re] learning how to work with it by fighting against it.

What did you do best during training?

Something that I thought would be a challenge that I did well at was learning Russian. I\’ve really enjoyed learning another language, learning about their culture. We have one-on-one instruction, and my instructor is absolutely incredible. That was something I knew would be a real challenge, but I feel like I really progressed in it.

How did you feel when they announced that you were officially an astronaut?

I felt honored to be joining the company of so many amazing women and men.

Was this a dream of yours growing up?

I was actually born in Germany, but I grew up in Baldwin, New York, on Long Island. I went through kindergarten and high school there, and I dreamed of being exactly where I am today, which is really exciting for me. I wanted to be an astronaut since I was a kid, and when you say in sixth grade, \’I want to become an astronaut\’ nobody thinks you\’re actually going to become an astronaut. While it wasn\’t always the main focus of what I was doing at each point in my life, it\’s always been there in the background, driving the general path of where I\’ve been going.

Was the Marine Corps an asset to your success?

Being in the Marine Corps was a huge asset. It’s a testament to all those people and the mentorship. The Marine Corps played a very important part in shaping me and giving me a lot of the skills I needed – not just the hard skills but a lot of the soft skills, like how to communicate and how to take my entire team into consideration and not just my personal needs. It\’s hard to teach those things, but we do it very well in the Marine Corps. And my test piloting background — the operational experience and the engineering side of that — both tie in perfectly here.

As an official astronaut, what\’s next on your agenda?

It\’s a super exciting time to be in human space exploration. We\’ve been on the International Space Station for almost 20 years continuously now, and we\’ve got several new vehicles on the horizon. There\’s Boeing and Space X, both with their commercial crew vehicles. NASA is developing Orion and the Space Launch System to go onto the moon, and there\’s Mars with the [Lunar] Gateway program. So, there are a lot of exciting things. Right now, in my day to day, I\’m focused on the human lander system and getting us to the moon.

Do you think you could be the first female astronaut to get to the moon?

There is a chance, but at this point I’m just excited that I’ll know the first woman to be on the moon!

In 2015, Marine Corps Lt. Col. Nicole Mann became the first female Marine to graduate from the astronaut program and she mentored you. What would you say to her for that?

You\’ve been an inspiration to me. She was my mentor right from the beginning — called me before I ever showed up here and made sure I had what I needed. Watching you and knowing you\’re going to be the first person on the launch of a new spacecraft is such an inspiration.

What drives you to do better?

I think the same thing that pushes people in the military every day — your sisters and brothers to your left and right. We\’re in a similar job here where your failures … there are life or death situations here. What we do inherently is risky because we\’re constantly pushing the boundaries and just thinking, \’I need to focus because my buddy could be on that vehicle I was working on.\’ And I think that motivates me a lot.

What advice would you give to future generations of Marines?

Whatever you\’re interested in, have that vision of what you want to do, but also don\’t forget to focus on what you\’re doing in the moment. I wasn’t always assigned to the job I wanted to be assigned to, but I put my effort into that to the best of my ability and tried to do the best I could at that job. So, whether you\’re sweeping floors or doing something really cool, just do the best you can do.

Also, I think something that gets lost sometimes is being kind to others. When you\’re in the position to mentor someone, think back to when you were in their position and first learning something. Just remember we\’re all on the same team.

FACE OF DEFENSE

AMERICAN HERO

South Florida Federal Case Reveals Illegal Immigrants Buy, Rent Kids for Easier U.S. Entry

SOUTH FLORIDA–A federal case out of south Florida illustrates the perils of a U.S. policy that facilitates the entry of illegal immigrants with children over those traveling alone. The matter involves a Guatemalan national who obtained false documents in his impoverished Central American country to claim a 12-year-old boy as his son. The 35-year-old illegal alien, Walfre Eliseo Camposeco-Montejo, and his fake son were released by federal authorities as a family unit and remained free until the boy escaped. Camposeco-Montejo eventually pled guilty to providing and obtaining forced labor, alien smuggling and unlawfully transporting aliens. This month he was sentenced to

eight years in prison

for labor trafficking a minor.

Camposeco-Montego and the minor illegally entered the U.S. by crossing the Rio Grande in November 2016, according to the feds. Not coincidentally, there was a huge spike in family units entering the country via the southern border that year. In fact, Judicial Watch

reported

it after obtaining Department of Homeland Security (DHS) figures showing that, in the first 11 months of fiscal year 2016, the number of family units apprehended by the U.S. Border Patrol nearly doubled from the previous year. The majority of the illegal border crossers remained in the country under former President Barack Obama’s special refugee and family reunification programs. The Rio Grande Border Patrol sector used by Camposeco-Montego saw an astounding 91% increase in family units the year he crossed it with the boy, according to the government figures.

“Upon their arrest by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, when crossing the border, Camposeco-Montejo lied about being the boy’s father,” according to a Department of Justice (DOJ)

statement

issued this month. “Based upon Camposeco-Montejo’s false representations, he and the boy were released as a family unit and subsequently made their way to Florida.” The Guatemalan illegal alien obtained false identification documents for the boy and forced him to work in south Florida farms for months to repay a debt from the human smuggling operation, according to federal prosecutors. The scheme was exposed because the boy was eventually able to escape and report his smuggler. Authorities say the smuggler promised the boy’s mother he would provide him with an education upon arriving in the U.S.

In the last few years federal agents along the Mexican border have uncovered thousands of similar cases in which illegal immigrants use children to practically assure entry into the U.S. Family units also avoid long-term federal custody. They are known as “fake families.” During

congressional testimony

over the summer, the acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) explained the situation: “By requiring the release of family units before the conclusion of immigration proceedings, seemingly well-intentioned court rulings and legislation are being exploited by transnational criminal organizations and human smugglers,” Matthew Albence told lawmakers during the July hearing. “These despicable smugglers have created an entire illicit industry with untold millions of dollars being made through the sale, rental, and recycling of children—utilized by unscrupulous adults to pose as family units.”

The word that kids are a ticket into the U.S. has spread like wildfire throughout Central America. The nation’s largest Spanish-language news network, also viewed throughout Latin America, even aired a segment titled

“Children as Passport”

that points out “arriving at the U.S. border with a child in hand has become the best passport for tens of thousands of Central American migrants.” Another major Spanish news conglomerate recently reported that immigrants

buy children for $130

to create fake families that facilitate crossing the border. One Spanish news story reveals that a Guatemalan man

rented

an 8-year-old boy to cross the Lukeville port of entry in Arizona. Throughout Central America and Mexico, a multitude of news reports and social media postings reiterate similar stories.

As a result, there has been a huge—and unprecedented—rise in family units at the southern border. In 2019 there were 473,682 apprehensions of family units, an increase of more than quadruple from the previous year, according to a

report

issued by the Pew Research Center. The nonpartisan think tank describes it as a “big shift from the recent past” in which individual adults far outnumbered family units or unaccompanied children. Family units also represented more than half of all apprehensions in 2019. “The changing profile of those being apprehended has strained the Border Patrol, which follows different legal protocols for detaining family members and single adults,” the Pew report states.

SOURCE

https://www.judicialwatch.org/

How to Prepare a Car for Sale

Gloucestercitynews.net (February 4, 2020)–Every driver has at least once experienced the necessity to sell his/her means of transport. When this happens, the price at which it will be sold is crucially important. There is the possibility to refer to an agency and let an experienced vendor sell it. However, in this case, the amount of money one will get is considerably lower than in the event of selling on one’s own.

Hence, if you are looking for ways to sell your automobile and get as much money as possible, it makes sense to fulfill this by oneself. There are several hints that may help you out with this process.

The first step one should make is to carry out his/her Toyota or

Lexus VIN check

so that to make sure that the info available on VIN lookup services is true. In general, a car report contains valuable information on servicing, maintenance, repairs, accidents, etc. However, it may happen that something is missing, like important maintenance that has been carried out on time. In such a case, it is necessary to find corresponding documentation that may confirm this.

Tips for Getting Ready to Sell

Let your automobile look attractive. In other words, let it shine like a new coin – wash it inside and outside and clean seats, ceiling, and floors. If necessary, you can also polish it. Besides, it is necessary to check if there are any corroded parts. It is better to get rid of this and repaint these parts. The cost of this work is lower than the discount you will have to make when a potential purchaser finds this corroded element.

Take good pictures to post them with the announcement on the sale. Check the web and see which pictures are uploaded on such platforms. To increase the chances that a potential buyer will want to acquire your vehicle, it is recommended to upload as many pics as possible. In such a way, people will be able to decide if they like an automobile or not before seeing it. You will at least save time instead of meeting those who won’t purchase it.

Remember about a reasonable margin. Undoubtedly, a purchaser will bargain. Make sure that you can provide a discount. However, it is essential to remember that the price cannot be overestimated so that not to frighten potential buyers.

Be honest and answer all the questions. People who acquire pre-owned vehicles understand that the condition cannot be perfect. If there is a defect or trouble, it is better to honestly reply to this question. The truth will be revealed, and this deal will not happen.

It is not so easy to sell an automobile unless you are a professional vendor. However, selling own vehicle provides a great advantage as buyers are more prone to trust owners than vendors. Having this benefit, it is crucial to present your machine in the best possible way so that to increase the chances to sell it at the desired rate.

Police Departments in Pennsylvania Getting New Radio System

By Kim Jarrett |

The Center Square

Capt. Sean Georgia, acting director of Radio and Information Services Division of the Pennsylvania State Police, speaks January 30, 2020, alongside Auditor General Eugene DePasquale inside the Capitol Media Center in Harrisburg.

Photo courtesy of Commonwealth Media Services

HARRISBURG, PA (January 2020)-Pennsylvania’s former public safety radio system was not only costly, but a hindrance for troopers who often turned to their own cellphones to communicate, Auditor General Eugene DePasquale said in announcing audit results on the purchasing process for a new radio system.

State officials decided to move to the P-25 public safety radio system after cost and performance problems with the former system, Open Sky. During a news conference Thursday, DePasquale said an audit of the purchase of the new system shows it is on budget.

Open Sky was estimated to cost about $179 million, but the actual costs were about $850 million over the last 20 years, according to the audit.

“The largest of the contracts for that system was awarded to Amp, Inc. and was later taken over by Harris,” DePasquale said. “The Office of Inspector General is currently looking deeper into the original contract for the system, and it is my understanding and the understanding of our department that the investigation is ongoing.”

Despite the high costs, the system was unreliable for public safety personnel.

“Its technical failures hampered numerous investigations, including the manhunt for convicted killer Eric Frein,” DePasquale said. Frein was convicted of the 2014 attack on the Pennsylvania State Police barracks in Blooming Grove that killed one trooper and wounded another.

The new system is already being used by troopers in 45 counties. Twenty-two state police departments, the Legislature, federal, county, and municipal government agencies as well as public transit and utility companies will have access to the system by the summer of 2021.

A few issues have been encountered during the implementation of the radio system but so far all of them all have been fixed, said Capt. Sean Georgia, acting director of the radio and information services division for the Pennsylvania State Police.

“My team found that the State Police and Office of Administration followed all applicable procedures in the latest radio system upgrade, which had a price tag of $44.5 million,” DePasquale said. “Importantly, the new system will use some of the existing infrastructure such as towers and microwave relays, so taxpayers did not have to buy those items all over again.”

Ten recommendations were made in the 74-page audit report. The State Police and the Office of Administration agreed to the recommendations. One recommended better documentation of the final operational tests for the new system, according to a statement from DePasquale.

“Given the history of problems involving the old system, I believe State Police should go above and beyond to document that the new system is working as designed,” DePasquale added. “Our emergency responders and the residents they protect deserve nothing less.”

published Gloucestercitynews.net with permission

JEROME BY DAVE WOLFE

ARTIST Dave Wolfe

Vol. 6 No. 31 (February 2, 2020)

Editor\’s Note: Each Sunday morning we post a weekly comic strip provided by cartoonist Dave Wolfe. (click image to enlarge)

Gloucester Catholic Principal Ed Beckett Selected as Grand Marshal For St. Patrick\’s Day Parade!

Gloucester Catholic Principal Ed Beckett has been selected as the Grand Marshal for the Fifth Annual St. Mary\’s Parish and Gloucester City St. Patrick\’s Day

Parade. The parade will be held on Sunday, March 1 starting at 1:00 pm.

Mr. Beckett will receive his Grand Marshal sash from Bishop Sullivan at the 9:30 am Irish Mass at St. Mary\’s Church..

Mr. Beckett has served as Gloucester Catholic\’s Principal since August 2013 and is highly regarded for his work with youth and his devotion to the Catholic Community. Mr. Beckett also served the school as Assistant Principal for Spiritual Formation for 8 years. An alumnus of the Gloucester Catholic Class of 1978, he previously taught at St. Joseph\’s Preparatory School and served as an administrator at Boston College High School.

The Parade begins at Martin\’s Lake (Baynes Ave and Johnson Blvd) and continues down Monmouth Street, and will feature String Bands, Bagpipes, Irish Dancers, Irish Music. Memorabilia, and Community Organizations.

Gloucester Catholic alumni are encouraged to attend the parade, and are invited to march with the school\’s contingent as we salute

Mr. Beckett as well as celebrate Irish Pride and the great city of Gloucester!

Local parade officials also announced that Mr. Beckett will receive the First Community Impact Award on Friday, March 6, at Elizabeth Ballroom in Gloucester City. Doors will open for the event beginning at 6:30 pm. Tickets are $25 and may be purchased by calling the Rectory at (856) 456-0052.

Link to St. Patrick\’s Day Parade Festivities

For further information please contact St. Mary Rectory at (856) 456-0052. You may also click on the link below for general information and a sponsorship registration form!

General Information on St. Patrick\’s Day Parade and Activities

Thank You from St. Mary\’s Parish and Gloucester Catholic

Making Birthday Celebrations Even Better

(NAPSI)—Birthdays: we all have them, and we all have a chance to make them memorable for the people we care about. From unique ideas for celebrating to top birthday gifts at any age, here are some ways to put the happy in these special occasions, turning every birthday into a “birthYAY!”

A World of Birthday Wishes

No matter how you express it, the love you feel when wishing someone a happy birthday is universal. So the next time a friend or family member’s big day comes around, surprise them by saying it in a different language. Strut your international style by reciting your best Bosnian, “Sretan ro?endan”, or Bulgarian, “Chestit Rozhden den.” Or show off those superior language skills in Swahili, “Siku ya kuzaliwa ya furaha,” or Swedish, “Grattis på födelsedagen.” Get the whole list online and get ready to send your best birthday wishes!

Making the Most of Milestones

We all know that one person who loves to stretch their day of celebrating into a whole week…or even a month! And while any age is worth recognizing, milestone birthdays are the perfect opportunity to get a little carried away. How about welcoming each new decade with a unique way to celebrate? Turning 30? Think of 30 fun things to do, however big or small. Feeling adventurous? Go skydiving, bungee jumping or rock climbing with a few of your closest friends. Like to keep it low key? A new hairstyle, massage or treating yourself to a gift of flowers or chocolates is a great way to go. Check out more awesome ideas and start planning.

Now Trending: Buzz-Worthy Birthday Surprises

Speaking of birthday gifts, nobody knows more about finding the right one than the team at 1-800-Flowers. Which gifts rise to the occasion? Truly original is the way to go, and their very own decorative birthday flower cakes take the cake. New to the collection is a vibrant floral cake creation, designed to brighten their celebration at any age.

Fall is a popular birthday season, the perfect time for sending their new Harvest Glow Bouquet, a farmhouse-style design full of rustic charm. And because you can never go wrong with a classic, their exclusive Magnificent Roses—in radiant red or passionate purple—leave a lasting impression.

Plants are having their moment, and 1-800-Flowers is now offering more green and blooming beauties than ever. Try a unique, new glass succulent terrarium, or their best-selling Happy Birthday Succulents by Lula’s Garden. And because birthdays were made for indulging, 1-800-Flowers is serving up some exclusive hand-dipped strawberries from the newest addition to their family of brands, Shari’s Berries.

So there you have it! The scoop on making birthdays special, straight from the experts. For more on sending smiles for birthdays, or any day, call 1-800-FLOWERS, visit

www.1800flowers.com

, or visit a retail store. To find one nearby, visit

florist.1800flowers.com

DNREC Fish & Wildlife Police Blotter: Jan. 20-26

Reminder for the week: Deer, duck, and dove hunting seasons ending

DOVER (Jan. 31, 2020) – DNREC’s Fish & Wildlife Natural Resources Police conserve Delaware’s fish and wildlife resources, promote boating safety, and protect the public through outreach, education, and law enforcement. To help achieve public compliance with laws and regulations, officers from Jan. 20-26 made 1,177 public contacts and responded to 67 complaints regarding possible violations of laws and regulations or requests to assist the public.

Fish & Wildlife Natural Resources Police Actions

Officers issued a total of 54 citations for the following listed violations related to:

Wildlife Conservation:

Unlawful to provide a guided hunt on division lands, unlicensed hunting, hunting license forgery, hunting migratory waterfowl without required HIP number, hunting migratory waterfowl without required federal waterfowl stamp, hunting migratory waterfowl without required state waterfowl stamp, possession of unlawfully taken waterfowl, failure to check antlered deer within 24 hours, failure to purchase a hunter choice tag prior to killing an antlered deer, failure to tag antlered deer, possess/transport an unlawfully taken antlered deer, failure to tag antlerless deer, failure to check antlerless deer within 24 hours, unlawful to purchase, sell, attempt to sell antlerless deer or antlerless deer parts, hunting deer with a firearm during archery season, unlawful use of dog training area*, and trespass to hunt.

Boating & Boating Safety:

No boating safety certificate and no throwable preserver aboard as required for vessels 16 feet long or longer.

Public Safety:

Failure to display required hunter orange during a firearms deer season, possession, purchase, ownership, or control of a deadly weapon by a person prohibited, possession of heroin, and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Other:

Impede a lawful hunt, trespassing after hours on a state wildlife area, operating an unregistered motor vehicle on a state wildlife area, fictitious motor vehicle tags, driving with a suspended or revoked license, loitering, and criminal impersonation.

Includes citation(s) issued at the C&D Canal Conservation Area.

DNREC’s Division of Fish & Wildlife recognizes and thanks the majority of anglers, hunters, and boaters who comply with Delaware’s fishing, hunting, and boating laws and regulations. The public can report fish, wildlife, and boating violations to the Delaware Fish & Wildlife Natural Resources Police by calling 302-739-4580 or using the free smartphone DENRP Tip app downloaded from the Google Play Store or iTunes App Store. Wildlife violations can be reported anonymously to Operation Game Theft by calling 800-292-3030, going online to

http://de.gov/ogt

, or using the DENRP Tip app; Verizon customers can connect to Operation Game Theft directly by dialing #OGT.

Are you AWARE?

Fish & Wildlife Natural Resources Police remind hunters that deer, duck, and dove hunting seasons are coming to an end:

Duck season ends Friday, Jan. 31

Dove season ends Friday, Jan. 31

Deer Archery and Crossbow seasons end Sunday, Feb.2

Deer Muzzleloader season ends Sunday, Feb. 2 (archery equipment and crossbows can be used during muzzleloader season)

Although many hunting seasons are ending, Fish & Wildlife Natural Resources Police encourage the public to report game law violations as soon as possible. Some illegal activities that should be reported include:

The use of an artificial light to illuminate wildlife, also known as spotlighting, in any manner, including from a motor vehicle, for the purpose of hunting or observing

Target shooting on state wildlife areas (target shooting on private property is allowed seven days a week, within the parameters of local, county, and state ordinances)

Shots fired from or across a public road or right-of-way, or within 15 yards of a public roadway

Carrying a loaded weapon in a vehicle or vessel in association with hunting

For more information on hunting – including hunter education, licensing, hunting and trapping seasons, limits, regulations, wildlife area information, and more, with sections devoted to deer, small game, turkey, and migratory birds – click on

2019-2020 Delaware Hunting & Trapping Guide

. Wildlife area maps with area-specific regulations are available online at

Wildlife Area Maps

5 Resume Tips to Wow Recruiters in 2020

Gloucestercitynews.net (February 1, 2020)–Let’s say you found a job posting where you believe your skills will fit like a glove. You applied to it by sending a resume and not only did you not get the job, but you also didn’t even get called in for an interview.

What do you think might have gone wrong?

image unsplash.com

It is safe to assume at this point that the fault lies within your resume.

Without a perfect resume, a recruiter will never even know what they missed. Being the first point of contact, your resume needs to be flawless. It is through this piece of document that you are going to dazzle the recruiter and score a place in the shortlist.

These are the 5 resume tips that will wow any recruiter in 2020:

Structure your resume in neat sections

Structuring your resume not only makes it look appealing, but it also breaks down the information in brief relevant sections. This helps the recruiter take in one piece of information at a time and thus makes it easy to read and comprehend.

The presentation of information on a resume is more important than the information itself. Wrongly presented, it will have no impact on the recruiter and thus has no relevance. So, be incredibly careful about what you put in your resume and how you display it.

The first thing you need to do is decide what sections will go on your resume.

Compose the following sections in the order given below to cover every information a recruiter needs to know about you:

Header

Personal Information

Profile Title

Summary

Key Skills

Professional Experience

Education

You can also add additional sections like ‘Certifications’ or ‘Additional information’ if you have data that can be filed under these. Add these sections only if they are relevant to the role you are applying for and you are positive that adding this information will favor your chances at a shortlist.

2. Make your resume easy to read

Most resumes that get tossed are due to their length or bulkiness.

These

statistics

by CareerBuilder show that 66% of employers said a resume should be one page long for new college graduates and 77% agreed that it should be at least two pages long for seasoned workers.

So, do yourself a favor and optimize the length of your resume. Discard all the fluff and only keep the essential information that a recruiter needs to know on your resume.

This eye-tracking

study

suggests that recruiters spend an average of 7 seconds on a single resume, that is not enough time for them to go through everything in detail. This means recruiters are only focusing on a few key points before making their decision about a candidate.

A cluttered resume might turn their interest off immediately as they won’t have any idea where to start looking for the required information.

To ensure that your resume gets read at least once, use one-liner bullet points instead of paragraphs to describe your past roles & responsibilities in the ‘Professional Experience’ section.

Further, categorize points under relevant subheadings and highlight the important information to draw the attention of recruiters towards it.

3.Write effective professional experience statements

However high your qualifications may be, they won’t score you a job if you haven’t presented them effectively on your resume.

Following are a few actions that you can take to make your resume more effective:

Bring the STAR method into action as it brings a cause-effect relationship in your statements. STAR stands for:

S stands for the ‘situation’ that demanded your contributions.

T stands for the ‘task’ you performed.

A stands for the ‘actions’ you took to perform the assigned task.

R stands for the ‘result’ in the form of an achievement figure.

An example of using this method can be seen in this one-liner point: “Delivered

10+ articles

weekly which increased the web site’s

traffic by 20%

”

Include as many achievement figures as you can while keeping them relevant: These numbers will help you back up your claims and make you look like a competent and useful asset. Performance figures prove that your contributions were helpful for the company.

For instance in the example, “Delivered

10+ articles

weekly which increased the web site’s

traffic by 20%

” the number of articles and the web site’s traffic is achievement figures.

Use

action verbs

to begin each one-liner point as it gives a tone of assertiveness to your resume. Words like ‘Managed’, ‘Spearheaded’ can give your resume a wow factor.

4.Keep your resume relevant to the job you are applying for

An irrelevant resume is not going to help you get any interviews. For instance, it makes no sense to mention your first job as a busboy or the many internships you did if you have been in the workforce for over 10 years.

Volunteering experience, internships, and similar information are required by inexperienced professionals or students, not someone who has already made their mark in the professional world.

These tips will help you keep your resume relevant:

If you have changed industries and your old job doesn’t fit anywhere near the new profile you are targeting, leave it off your resume.

People with more than 3 years of experience do not need to mention internships or volunteering experiences.

Use keywords as it helps you get past the Applicant Tracking System (ATS). Recruiters set the ATS to explicitly look for keywords in resumes before shortlisting them. You can find these keywords in the job description of your target job. Select the keywords that apply to you and customize your resume accordingly.4

Never forget to mention your contact details

4.Keep your resume relevant to the job you are applying for

Even if your resume got shortlisted, a recruiter will never be able to contact you to further your prospects if they do not have any means of contacting you.

So before you submit your resume, make sure that you have correctly input all the necessary contact details in your resume which include:

Contact Number

Email Address

Current Location

Conclusion

Looking back, these are the 5 resume tips to wow recruiters in 2020:

Structure your resume by filing information under relevant sections.

Enhance the readability of your resume by cutting out any clutter and highlighting important information.

Make your resume effective by using the STAR format, using action verbs, and including performance figures.

Increase the relevancy of your resume by only including relevant information and using keywords.

Provide the correct contact details to enable a prospective employer to easily touch base with you.

Author’s Bio: