Posts filed under ‘advice’
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.
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!
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
-
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/
Tips for a Successful Phone Interview
It’s getting harder than ever to get your foot in the door. Often times, employers and recruiters use phone interviews as their first line of defense to weed out unqualified candidates.
I recommend reading this article from Talent Zoo, which includes lots of helpful tips on how to improve your chances getting past the gatekeeper so you can score an in-person interview.
Some of my favorites are:
- Do your research about the company AND THE INTERVIEWER ahead of time
- Write out your answers to common interview questions, as well as your top selling points you want to make sure you get across to the interviewer no matter want
- Draft up a list of questions and make sure you ask at least a few during the call if given the opportunity
Benefits Beyond Salary
A recurring theme amongst the people I talk to that are fielding job offers (in this awful economy) is trying to understand what a good offer is.
Most people consider the salary offer as the job offer. But it is more than that. You need to consider the entire benefits package: insurance, retirement, commission and bonuses, potential for growth, and “intangible” benefits like the working environment, job location, etc.
I suggest reading this article from Talent Zoo about 5 Financial Secrets to Know When You Look for A Job by Ted Jenkin. He discusses many of these additional benefits and poses some questions for you to consider when you get the long awaited offer.
Identifying, qualifying and quantifying your achievements
The first thing I ask people to do when they want to update their resume, is to give me a description of their work history and achievements.
For most everyone, it’s pretty easy for them to tell me the dates and places where they have worked, past job titles and companies. But it’s that achievements part that is hard for them to come up with.
Use this list to figure out what you’ve accomplished. Once you have the list, try to weave accomplishments in with your job responsibilities and duties.
Actions: Did you…
- open new accounts?
- create an infrastructure for any function(s)?
- design and/or implement standard operating procedures?
- develop the professional capabilities of people who were then promoted to positions of greater accountability and/or who outperformed peers?
- add new products?
- develop or strengthen vendor partnerships?
- launch a new brand?
- develop a training program?
- initiate and/or manage a major project?
- renegotiate contracts?
- reengineer business processes?
- restructure organizations?
- write or redesign job descriptions?
- reach new audiences?
- grow subscribers or membership base?
- improve the accuracy of sales forecasts?
- start a new division?
- grow your referral base?
- begin sourcing or production in a new region or country?
- start outsourcing tasks?
- expand your presence to a new geographic territory?
- establish quality standards?
- start evaluating vendor performance?
- write an employee or vendor manual?
- design forms or templates?
- introduce and/or direct programs that resulted in achievement of certain industry standards?
- expand or consolidate your vendor base?
- accelerate product development?
- implement new technology-based solutions or lead technology integrations?
- win support from internal or external groups?
- create a reference library or archives of key information?
- improve inventory accuracy?
- decrease order-to-delivery lead times or speed-to-market times?
- design and/or institute order tracking or call tracking systems?
- start a safety program?
- automate a process previously performed manually?
- eliminate unnecessary or redundant processes?
- design a business continuity plan?
- get rid of unprofitable product lines or customer accounts?
- align services with customer requirements?
Results: As a result of these actions, did you…
- increase sales/profits?
- reduce costs?
- grow market share?
- increase service levels?
- achieve better quality or consistency?
- improve safety and/or reduce risk?
- boost productivity?
- lower employee turnover?
- improve company’s reputation?
- position the company for future growth?
This list is adapted from a WiseBread blog post.
Resume Rehab by Colleen 