A Few Words on Making Your Resume Pop Without Blowing It

I recently read an article in the March 2017 issue of MONEY magazine, on “How to Get a Better Job in 2017.” Part of the story covered tips on putting together a professional resume. Overall, it has some good tips on promoting your own brand and providing key metrics.

I have personally seen the evolution of resumes over the past ten years. Gone is  the objective, replaced by a  summary. Today, it’s important to consider personal websites and video resumes to help support your chances alongside your resume.

TIP: I encourage anyone in the job hunt spend part of their day reading up on current tips and skills needed. It can really help in updating your resume and getting it in front of the right people.

Over the years, in a hiring role, I have seen resumes on colored paper, resumes with photos, 1/2 page resumes, 3 page resumes, job experience with huge gaps in employment (without explanation), resumes with typos, some on heavy card stock, it goes on and on. It is important to get noticed in that big pile of paper, but, nowadays, you FIRST have to get the electronic hiring program to notice you.

TIP: Many companies utilize a specialized online program to “sniff” out potential candidates, looking for keys words reflected in the original job posting.

PERSONALIZE TO FIT THE ROLE

So, it is vital that you personalize your resume to the job description. Gone are the days of “one size fits all” with your resume. Reflect those job description key words in your resume, adjust where necessary, all the while keeping it accurate. There is nothing worse than misrepresenting yourself of stretching the truth on a resume. If you have the qualifications, great, apply! If you don’t have the necessary experience, keep looking!

MONEY SUGGESTS…

The MONEY article talked about how your resume layout should have your name in a huge font at the top (maybe with a bit of color) followed up with key examples promoting yourself. The rest should include the traditional professional experience, skills, highlights and education.

In my opinion, that’s all fine and dandy, if you are presenting this resume at a job fair or physically delivering it to a prospective employer.

As I described above, and in my own experience, many job programs will now populate from an uploaded resume, saving you time filling out all those text boxes. You want to make sure that the program will be able to load the pertinent data from your updated resume, that is usually found on a more traditional resume (name, address, phone, e- all in one section of your more traditional resume.) I will do some more research to see how the newly suggested layout will work with an online content populating program.

It is true that all of us need to stay current when it comes to our resumes, cover letters, job searching and more. Experiment a bit on your resume layout and get noticed!

 

Out of the Mouths of Grads: Words of job search wisdom

College graduates have their work cut out for them, when it comes to employment opportunities in 2015. Susan Tompor, (Twitter: @tompor)  personal finance writer for the Detroit Free Press, recently ran a column aimed at college grads and their initial job search. Millennials certainly have struggled as of late in landing a job, but some stats shared in the column showed some promise, as more baby boomers head towards the retirement finish line.

Susan shared three tips for college grads, that, once I read them, can be applied to anyone looking for a new job. Let’s review:

1. Get a job coach. We all recall how tough it was out there in looking to get that first job.

To this day, I still have my initial rejection letters from at least 10 Detroit-area advertising firms, to remind me that, while I was certainly rejected, part of getting that job was making the effort to apply in the first place.

Search out a peer or former colleague to bounce ideas, review your resume and build contacts. A mentor is great (and usually free, beyond maybe buying lunch), but there certainly are job coaches you can hire.

Some of the job coach tips shared include grads not sending out a generic resume. The same can be said for any0ne looking for work. You must make an effort to tailor your resume to the job posting. Watch for keywords, specific duties. Sell yourself for the job. As FOX 2 Business Editor Murray Feldman (Twitter: @MFeldmanFOX2) recently said, the idea is to get noticed with your resume, land that first interview and get your foot in the HR office door. Use that interview to land the job!

2. Get out of the house. As I can attest to when I was unemployed for a year, it is essential that you make networking a priority! Volunteer, ask peers to meet for lunch, tell your friends you are looking for work.  One of the college grads in the article said “I wouldn’t waste your time going through all those websites.”

I pretty much agree with that statement, but certainly would encourage anyone to build and maintain a LinkedIn page. This will allow you to see what is going on in your own industry and build some business contacts.

3. Get motivated. Again, this ties back to networking and getting moving. Rarely, does a job prospect or job come to you. It’s up to you to go out there and get noticed. Set stretch goals, make a call, set a lunch.

So, whether you are working on getting that first job, or looking to bounce back after a layoff, finding a mentor and getting out there are some good steps to help you land that job!

Now, let’s go out there and do something good together!

Rock that Resume – Six seconds to launch!

I recently came across a new article, related to the attention span of the hiring department. Read the article here. A few numbers to consider:

250 – On average, the number of resumes received for each corporate job opening.

200 – The number of seconds that pass before the first resume is submitted for an online job posting.

427,000 – The number of resumes posted on Monster alone every week.

6 – The number of seconds a resume is scanned during the review process.

Now, if you have hung around this little part of WordPress, you know that I stress the importance of networking.

I liken job websites as more of barometer, related to how many jobs are available in your field and hometown at a given time.

But this article really stresses the importance of being very clear with your submitted resume. Six seconds is just enough time to see where you worked, your title, a few keywords and your education.

Here’s one more stat:

61 – The percent of recruiters that will dismiss your resume instantly due to tipos…typoes…typos!

So, take your time, and here’s a tip: Read your resume back to front to see every word. When you read a sentence you mite miss a typo. But read typo…a…miss…mite…you…sentence….a…read…you…When, the typo can stand out!

Pass that resume around. Have someone read over carefully. And try your own six second scan. Does it work?

Now, let’s go out there and do something good together!

Throw away the catalog during your job search and interview…

A recent article in the Wall Street Journal discusses how General Motors is trying to get back on track after its government bailout. It tells of struggles internally about ways to reorganize the group and resistance from some of their managers.

A passage in the full-page article stood out to me. Joel Ewanick, GM marketing chief, recalled how when he assumed his new position at GM, he was handed a furniture catalog and a budget of $55,000 to furnish his new office.

Ewanick, unhappy with the selection and prices in the catalog, instead opted to buy his furniture locally from Target, Costco and IKEA. Total cost? Less than $5,000.

Wow! He spent less than 10 percent of his budget! What a concept! Breaking the corporate mold and figuring ways to save money! But GM bureaucrats said that the furniture wouldn’t last and gave the thumbs-down on the purchase, even after saving 90 percent of his approved budget.

Ewanick bought the furniture anyways.

So, is he a rebel? A troublemaker? Simply because he questions authority, that even though they did it one way for years and years, he comes in with another idea? I say he is a visionary, a forward thinker!

So, how do you tie this example into your job search and interview? Well, as I’ve discussed on this blog time and time again, you have to stand out from the competition. You have to go beyond a stellar cover letter and resume. I really dislike this phrase but you have to “think outside the box.”

In order to do that, here’s a few bullets of advice:

Point out an opportunity for improvement – In your cover letter, discuss an aspect of their website. Example: “I’ve been on your website and I notice that there isn’t a prominent way to search for stores in my community.”

Offer a suggestion – “A simple Mapquest link could help customers find you even better and drive traffic and sales to your walk-in locations.”

Make the close –  “This free application, which is easy to load online, is something I would be happy to discuss with you.”

Shine at the interview – Prepare a simple handout, expanding on the example from your cover letter.

Just like GM’s Joel Ewanick, there is no harm in offering a suggestion to do something better.

Now, I’m certainly not telling you to nitpick and tear apart the company’s website or corporate image (see past blog, here.) And, yes, you may give away something to them that they might just do themselves.

But by showing that you took the time to do a little bit of homework, can help your image and set you apart from the competition.

Now, let’s go out there and do something good!

Don’t pull a “Rudy” – keep your information and resume real!

I really enjoy the movie “Rudy”, a story of a scappy, young kid who would do anything to play for the fabled Notre Dame football team. Based on the true story of Daniel Ruettiger, its inspiring message, of stopping at nothing to realize your dream, is a great motivator for me. It speaks volumes of how hard work and dedication can help you go far!

“Rudy” Ruettiger did work hard and earned a walk-on role at Notre Dame. He achieved his dream. However, fast forward a few decades and things have gotten difficult for Rudy.

The Wall Street Journal reported today (12/17/11) that Ruettiger, who sold a sports drink called (what else?) “Rudy” was charged in a pump-and-dump stock scheme that generated more than $11million in allegedly illicit profits for the company “Rudy Nutrition.”

Part of the article states that “a letter to potential investors falsely claimed that in ‘a major southwest test, Rudy outsold Gatorade 2 to 1.’” A representative from the Securities and Exchange Commission called the above statement “tall tales” that ultimately caused the company stock from trading 720 shares a day to more than 3 million shares! In the end, Rudy and investors have to pay a large sum of money to settle the SEC charges.

Okay, here’s the tie-in to your job search. I can’t stress enough that you should never embellish your resume, be it volunteer work, work history, statistics, accomplishments or other key information. It will only come back to haunt you, if the human resources department or headhunter takes a deep dive into your information.

You should be proud of your work history and, if there are gaps, due to layoffs and/or firings, you should be ready to explain them. In the meantime, if you are looking at long gaps, it is time to volunteer in your community. Church, school, government office, non-profit, as the economy starts to warm up, companies will need helpers.

So, don’t pull a “Rudy” – don’t embellish on your accomplishments. It can end up costing you in the end!

Now, let’s go out there and do something good together!

Will blogging help you get a job? Check the list!

MSNBC’s Your Career columnist Eve Tahmincioglu recently discussed the pros and cons of blogging to help land a job. In part, she says,

If you’re looking to land a job out of college, enhance your career or find a new one, maybe you’re thinking about jumping on the blogging bandwagon.

But do you really need blogger on your résumé?

“No one has to have a blog,” said Allen Johnston, a social media professor at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, School of Business.

“It can be purposeful if it’s professional, well thought out and intelligent,” he said. “But it’s a different thing if you just ramble without a strategic plan. You’re opening yourself up to disaster.”

Blogs, or Web logs used to share opinions and ideas with the world via the Internet, have taken off in the past decade. There were 126 million blogs on the Internet as of January, according to BlogPulse, a division of ratings firm Nielsen that tracks blogs.

For those who are decent writers, have something to share that’s related to their profession or passion, and have time to commit to posting frequent entries, blogging can be a great tool. For the rest, it may be best to sit on the blogosphere bench. The entire article is found here.

I couldn’t agree more w/ Eve’s article. You certainly need a plan on how and why you want to blog. If it’s to help your career (my plan!) then you need to take the next step and blog about something that interests you. If your career aspirations are leaning towards say HR, communications, marketing or the like, then a blog would be most beneficial.

When I was laid off in Oct. 2008, I had no Twitter account, no blog, no LinkedIn account. I was too busy at my last job to make time for such newfangled communication tools. But, in hindsight, I should have had such tools at my fingertips, as I AM IN COMMUNICATIONS!

It took being laid-off and seeing the writing on the social media wall that I had to jump headfirst into these tools. Let me help you from my learned lessons.

1. Determine if blogging is for you (career wise and other).

2. If you plan to blog, have a plan and stick to it.

3. Look around at other blogs and programs available (WordPress has been great!)

4. Blog about something you find interesting (hobby, politics, your cat).

5.  Keep up with it!

6. Use other social media tools to promote your blog (Twitter, LinkedIn.)

Bottom line, it certainly wouldn’t hurt to give blogging a try. The worse thing that could happen is that you learn a new skill to put on a resume, meet some fellow bloggers online and have a great time!

Survey: Almost 1/2 haven’t updated resume in the past year

Here’s an alarming survey reported by the Associated Press in early January.

The report says with the nation’s jobless rate hitting above 10 percent, many workers may find themselves ex­pecting the unexpected when it comes to their careers.

Picking up the story…

But only 1 in 5 has updated his or her re­sume in the last three months, while almost half haven’t made changes in the past year, accord­ing to a recent survey.

The telephone poll of 493 adult office workers, conducted by staffing company Robert Half International Inc., found that 82 percent think they’re ready to start a search if they lost their jobs tomorrow. Meanwhile, 44 percent said it’s been more than a year since they’ve revised their resumes. Twelve percent have made updates in the past month.

When asked how prepared they are to conduct a job search, 39 percent of workers said they were very prepared, while 43 an­swered that they were somewhat ready to hunt for a new position. “Workers who are prepared in the event of a sudden job loss also are ready when new em­ployment opportunities arise, including those within their own companies,” said Reesa Staten, senior vice president and direc­tor of workplace research for Half.

“A current resume is an essen­tial career tool: The longer it re­mains untouched, the harder it is to update, since specific achievements are not always easy to recall.”

Staten suggests that you cre­ate a “personal personnel file” to keep track of your successes and kudos on the job.

Good advice! I’ve always made an “attaboy” subfolder on my work email account where I dropped in emails from my bosses when I was given praise. It’s important that you do that so when the time comes for your annual review OR when you are looking for a raise or promotion, you have ammo all ready to prove why you are worthy.

As you continue your job search in 2010, you need to adjust your resume periodically to reflect the job for which you are applying. Key words need to be included reflecting the job description, so you have the best chance of landing on the hiring manager’s desk.

Whatever side of the fence you are on (employed or unemployed) you need to make sure you are head and shoulders above the competition. Keep your resume updated and ready in case that opportunity comes along without notice.

If you are employed: Review your current resume and update with new responsibilities, new milestones reached, any year-end data that may have been gathered for your company’s annual report that you had a hand in doing. Refer to your “attaboy” email folder with kudos from your supervisors, which can help you in updating your resume.

If you are looking for work: Review your current resume, update any volunteer opportunities you are involved in and adapt to job descriptions you are applying for.

Your resume is the very window to your job history. Do you want someone looking through it and it’s muddied up with old information, or do you want them to have crystal-clear view, with new, fresh clear objectives?

Michigan is still limping along with more than 14 percent unemployment in 2010. A few minutes of work on that resume can make the difference! Remember, it is up to you to make yourself stand out from the competition!

Great interview: Just 3 rules matter in business – apply them to your job search!

As I continue discussing employment, unemployment and social media in helping you find a job, I recently read a New York Times interview with William D. Green, chairman and C.E.O. of Accenture. He discussed, in part, hearing 68 rules during a managers training meeting over three days at Accenture. Baffled by the myriad of rules that bombarded new hires, he realized only three rules really matter in business.

According to Green:

The first rule is competence — just being good at what you do, whatever it is, and focusing on the job you have, not on the job you think you want to have.

The second rule is confidence. People want to know what you think. So you have to have enough desirable self-confidence to articulate a point of view.

The third rule is caring. Nothing today is about one individual. This is all about the team, and in the end, this is about giving a damn about your customers, your company, the people around you, and recognizing that the people around you are the ones who make you look good.

You can apply these rules to your employment search. In developing your resume and during interviews, you need to make sure your competence, confidence and caring come through.

So let’s take a look at the three…

Competence. When you apply to a job and prior to an interview, learn about the company. Look up their annual report on the web, check out recent news releases to see what the company is accomplishing. Set yourself apart from the competition by showing competence about the company.

Confidence. Show in your cover letter and interview that you are a confident individual. Highlight accomplishments, look the interviewer in the eye.

Caring. While it is hard to be choosy in getting interviews in this economy, show how you would be a caring individual to your prospective boss, team, superiors and more.

The article gives great insight. I hope you’ll take the time to read the article.  Now, let’s get out there and do something good together!