Change is hard, as with our switch to new e-edition
A couple of weeks ago, I wrote in this space about the new Dispatch e-edition, which is a replica of the printed edition.
The entire Gannett network of newsrooms moved to one vendor for delivery of the e-edition, and it has been a little like buying a new TV: They all show the same programs but the buttons are in different places and some of the commands or processes to get from one program to another are different.
With the Dispatch e-edition, the content is the same but navigating to some of it requires clicking in new or different ways. To help with that, I asked those who know the new e-edition best to provide more information about it.
An email was to have been sent to subscribers last week explaining the change and inviting readers to see the new e-edition at Dispatch.com/eedition and to click on a link (https://bit.ly/3kmujkv) to see detailed instructions about how to navigate it.
There are several ways to get to the eedition, including the direct route Dispatch.com/eedition
from any browser, by going to Dispatch.com and clicking on the “e-edition” link in the menu bar at the top of the home page, or by downloading and using the Dispatch app.
Those who use the Kindle to read The Dispatch will need to access the e-edition via the Amazon Silk browser or other browser on your device. Open the browser, type in www.dispatch.com, go to the menu and click on the e-edition link.
Our apologies to those who have used the app on the Kindle. The existing Kindle app was connected to the previous eedition vendor and is no longer being updated by the previous e-edition vendor. Our request to Amazon for approval of the new app has taken much longer than we would have liked, and we hope that Amazon will approve it soon and make it available in its app store.
In the meantime, Kindle users can still read the Dispatch e-edition via a browser. You will need to type in your subscriber user name and password for access.
Delivery challenges during bad weather
Carriers who deliver The Dispatch faced some of the harshest weather of the year during the past several weeks – snow, freezing rain, rain, bitter cold. We salute the dedicated carriers who start their work while most of us are sleeping to get the paper to our homes. And we appreciate the patience of subscribers when snow or other weather challenges slow the carriers.
Tell us more about the Everyday Heroes in your life
We are looking for people who perform extraordinary selfless acts that help improve, heal and unite our community. They are our Everyday Heroes, and it's time to honor more of them in the annual Dispatch Everyday Heroes program.
Nominations will be accepted from March 1 through April 9 at Dispatch.com/ Everydayheroes.
A panel of judges will select five finalists and 20 semifinalists who will be recognized in the Everyday Heroes magazine distributed in The Dispatch in September. Recipients also will be honored via special programming, which will be dependent on COVID-19 guidelines at the time.
One finalist will receive a $10,000 donation from the Columbus Foundation for a charity of his or her choice and the other semifinalists will evenly split $30,000 worth of in-kind advertising from The Dispatch, Thisweek Community
News and Dispatch Magazines for their chosen cause. Many thanks to program sponsors: The Columbus Foundation, United Way of Central Ohio, CME Federal Credit Union, AEP, NBC4 and COSI.
Dispatch Home & Garden Show starts Saturday at the fairgrounds
The Dispatch Home & Garden Show was one of the last in-person events in Columbus last year before the coronavirus shut down most in-person events, and it will be among the first in-person events of this year.
The 65th annual show, presented by Ohio Mulch, will be March 6-14 at the Bricker Building on the Ohio State Fairgrounds. Show organizers are taking all necessary COVID-19 precautions, and they will be strictly enforced. Among the requirements for visitors are wearing masks and registering ahead of time for a specific time to visit. Walk-in visitors without appointments won't be allowed so that social distancing can be maintained. Go to www.dispatchshows.com for more information.
Alan D. Miller is editor of The Dispatch. amiller@dispatch.com @dispatcheditor
Dear Sam: I have read several of your columns and was intrigued by your ability to improve a resume. After 12 years with my current company, I was recently informed that my position is going to be eliminated. Having not updated a resume or being interviewed during that time, your thoughts on modernizing a resume are of great interest. I saw you had mentioned several times that the resumes you receive are often outdated in format. Could you share what a current resume format looks like? I want to try to get this correct the first time and get back in the workforce. – Paul
Dear Paul: Thank you for your readership; I would be happy to share more about the structure of a best practices-based resume, and I am sorry to hear of your impending layoff.
First, determine what direction you will take your career as this plays a vital role in building your brand. If you have not figured this out, it is time to do so, as, without that key target, you will not know where to aim your resume and its content.
Next, start writing down the basics.
Remember that hiring managers will want to know about the last 10-15 years or so of your career, so focus on your most recent roles. Think about your jobs not only in terms of what you did every day, but most importantly, what you did that added value to the company. If you
Dear Sam have access to past job descriptions, performance reviews, letters of recommendation, or anything else that will help jog your memory, now is the time to use those resources, preferably before you leave. Start talking to current and past co-workers, not only to build your job search network, but also to reach out to those that may have valuable information on what you did that added value to your employer.
Once you have the basics drafted, carefully craft your resume’s content and design, being sure to not fall victim to often-committed branding mistakes. Your resume should be structured as follows…
Heading: Include your name, phone number, and personal email address. We omit physical addresses these days and list the city and state of residence. Home phone numbers are increasingly rare, so if you have a mobile number, only list that as a preferred method of contact. Be sure your email address does not contain numbers that look like birth years nor uses what could be seen as an “older” carrier (sorry, AOL and Hotmail).
Qualifications Summary: Up-to-date resumes open with qualifications summaries, serving as an executive summary of the information contained throughout the remainder of the resume. As an experienced professional, you should have a two-page resume, making the qualifications summary critical to the four-to-seven-second screening process. Take the time to make this summary market you well, conveying why a hiring manager cannot afford not to bring you in for an interview. cell
Professional Experience: When reviewing your career, remember that hiring managers are much more interested in what you have done recently, and of course, what most relates to their needs.
Be sure to focus on the last 10-15 years of your career, particularly if you apply for a position that does not necessitate more experience. Structure your content with more focus on accomplishments versus responsibilities, realizing that many of your competitors may be coming from
Personal Branding Solutions
similar roles with identical job descriptions. Your achievements or key contributions are what are unique about your candidacy.
Education: Present your college degree (if you have one) and never include your high school diploma unless you are pursuing a blue-collar job. It is assumed you possess a diploma, so if you do not have a degree, including a high school diploma only highlights the lack of a college education.
Value-added Information: End your resume with any other value-added details such as affiliations, certifications, training, volunteer work, and anything else that brings credence to your professional candidacy.
Samantha Nolan is an Advanced Personal