Does your resume need an executive summary?
There’s much debate by hiring managers and resume writers over whether it’s worthwhile to include an executive summary on your resume.
I’m in the camp that it helps customize your resume for a given job.
Here’s a great little article from the Harvard Business Review “Yes, Your Resume Needs a Summary” – give it a read!
Your Resume and Robots
One of the most frustrating parts of a job search is when you receive email responses that were most obviously generated by an automated responder.
“Thank you for your application. We will be in contact with you if we are interested in setting up an interview. Please do not reply to this email, as it is not monitored.”
“Thank you for your application. At this time, we have decided to pursue other candidates whose qualifications more closely align with the position.”
It’s almost as if no one is even reading your resume…
Well, that’s probably because in many cases, no one is. Instead, more and more companies are using software systems to search resumes for keywords and qualifications before any person ever sets eyes on them. This means you can be rejected because your resume does not have the appropriate formatting, or the keywords that the software is searching.
For more information on these resume robots, check out this article Your Resume vs. Oblivion from the Wall Street Journal.
Interviewing the Interviewer
One the worst mistakes I’ve seen otherwise perfect candidates make during their interviews is to not have any questions for the interviewer. It’s important to strike the right balance with your questions. Obviously, you don’t want to come in, get a chance to ask questions and then shrug your shoulders. You also don’t want to ask dumb questions about the company that you should know from doing basic research before the interview. Another “don’t” that comes to mind is to avoid asking inappropriate questions about salary too early on in the interviewing process.
Now that some of the “don’ts” are out of the way, I’d like to recommend this article that a friend sent to me, with a list of great questions that you can ask the interviewer in your next interview: http://www.cenedella.com/job-search/its-not-about-me-its-about-you-the-20-questions-you-need-to-ask-in-a-job-interview/
The next time you’re headed into an interview, after you’d researched the position, the company, and, if possible, the interviewer, take a look at his list and see if you can jot down a couple that could be pertinent to your situation.
Why you need a good LinkedIn Profile Picture
Did you know that profiles with pictures on LinkedIn are 7 times more likely to be viewed than those without pictures?
Learn more about what it takes to make the most out of your LinkedIn profile picture and those on other social media sites to improve your job prospects here: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203388804576613561719372694.html
The follow-up phone call
Here’s a great little article that includes scripts to follow when you’re calling to follow up on a resume submission or after an interview.
Check it out!
Why You Should Try an Informational Interview
From time to time, I wax poetically on the power of the informational interview. In fact, I probably went on about 30 before I found my first job after college. But the truth of the matter is two-fold. First, there were more companies without openings that would meet with me than there were places hiring that wanted to meet me. Second, those informational interviews opened the door to more interviews – both to other informational interviews and to interviews for real job opportunities.
Check out this article from Getting Rich Slowly on how going on informational interviews helped inspire writer April Dykman as she considered starting a side business teaching yoga: http://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/2010/07/13/use-an-informational-interview-to-overcome-mental-barriers/
Choosing personal references
Just got a question from someone about how to choose a personal reference. On a job application, they were told not to include relatives or former employers.
With that in mind, there are a lot of people you could ask to be a reference.
- School – a professor, a student that you did a project with
- Church – pastor or other leader, parishioner
- Volunteer – volunteer supervisor, fellow volunteer
- Sports – former coach or teammate
- Friends – your best friend, a friend in the same industry, a family friend
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Community – a neighbor or civic leader
Above all, choose someone that knows you well and can speak to the skills and traits you want to portray to a potential employer. Someone that has a professional demeanor and can articulate your qualifications will always be your best choice. And make sure to ask the person to be a reference before you put down their information.
Stats on the job market
A little depressing, but important to know.
This article from Dime Crunch states that the average job search is lasting 211 days and that there are 11.5 million receiving unemployment benefits right now, with more than 1.5 million expecting their benefits to run out in March.
Knowing that, ramp up your job search!
Revise your resume, get networking and improve your interviewing skills.
Need help? Let me know!
Why Don’t They Call Back
After talking to some friends dealing with frustration over going on job interviews and not hearing back from potential employers, I thought it might be helpful to share this article from Talent Zoo offering Nine Reasons Recruiters Never Call and some advice on how to overcome these obstacles. It’s a good read.
Send Thank You Notes
I don’t know how many times I’ve said it, but I’ll say it again.
Send a handwritten thank you note within 24 hours of your interview.
Over and over again, people tell me they never got a call back from an interview. When I ask if they send a thank you note and they shrug their shoulders, I know at least one reason they didn’t get a call back.
Don’t believe me?
Read these two articles that say what I’ve been saying all along: SEND THANK YOU NOTES! TO EVERYONE WITH WHICH YOU INTERVIEW!
http://www.freemoneyfinance.com/2009/12/great-thoughts-on-thank-you-notes.html
http://www.personalbrandingblog.com/a-little-thank-you-goes-a-long-way/
Resume Rehab by Colleen 