Career Hub

Does Your Résumé Suck? 22 Things to Consider

A recent conversation with a business executive started with “Basically, I am here today because a recruiter told me my résumé sucks and they don’t want to work with me until I get it in better shape. I am hoping you can help me.”  His words reminded me of a blog post I had written a while ago titled Your Résumé Sucks If…

• a recruiter, hiring manager or HR manager can’t get the gist of you and your story in less than 10 seconds --and five seconds, even better!
• you can’t stand to look at your own résumé because you dislike it so much.
• it is loaded with buzz words and meaningless filler you copied from the Internet.
• it looks like a template.
• it is longer than two pages.
• it doesn’t sound authentic – like you’re a real person who solves real problems.
• it contains lies of any variety – big or little.
• it contains exaggerated job titles.
• it doesn’t showcase your key successes, achievements and accomplishments.
• it doesn’t integrate a present-future focus along with your past employment record.
• it looks like 250 other résumés in the pile.
• it doesn’t sound like you.
• it lacks a flow and good organization.
• it reads like a job description.
• it isn’t inviting to view, either online or offline.
• it is a boring account of your work history.
• it doesn’t provide direct evidence (proof) as to why your qualifications warrant an interview.
• it contains errors of any variety.
• it doesn’t represent you with excellence in your absence.
• it gives the reader one single reason to not speak with you.
• it doesn’t exemplify the very best of you and your amazing brand.
• it doesn’t generate any action for you.

Does your résumé suck?

How Do You Get Courage?

Last week, one of my clients asked me this question:

How do you get courage?

How do you get courage, anyway? Are you born with it? Is it in your DNA? Does a teacher teach it? Do you acquire it with time and experience? Is it something you pick up along the way?

As a job seeker, how do you get courage? As an employee, how do you get courage? As a small business owner, how do you get courage? As the leader of a global organization, how do you get courage? Some thoughts for job seekers:

Compile a list of your top three to five fears. Beside each fear, write a strategy on how you can move from fear to finding a coping mechanism that works for you, not against you, in managing your fear(s). Then, put the strategy into action, modifying as needed to support your goal of getting courage.

Observe individuals who you believe to have courage. What are they doing that you aren’t? Schedule a time to meet with them, if it is possible, and ask them this simple question:  How do you get courage? Listen to what they say and if it seems applicable to you and your brand, go for it!

Understand that moving from a lack of courage to gaining some courage, let alone an abundance of it, is a process that takes time, effort and commitment.

Reward yourself on a consistent basis. Think of a small reward that won’t break the bank, yet signals to self that you are worthy of the prize based on your performance.

Ask your circle of influence for ideas on how to find courage. Out of all the ideas, make a list and display it in a prominent place to serve as a constant reminder of how to get courage.

Give back and get involved. When the focus is other-driven and outwardly directed, you may find yourself so immersed in serving someone that you forget that you don’t have courage. That act alone of helping someone, especially in a time of need, takes courage.

Enroll in a Toastmasters International program. In my opinion, it is the single best courage-builder I have yet to encounter in my professional life. Graduate school was awesome. Continuing education is important. For me though, Toastmasters was a life-changer and a game-changer in courage.

How do you find courage?

 "There are three essentials to leadership: humility, clarity and courage."
Chan Master Fuchan Yuan

Kuh-hoh-neys and Your Job Search

I love listening to my clients – they always keep me thinking.

And what I have been thinking about of recent is this word:  kahonies – a word a client used to describe her former boss. She said that her boss had “no kahonies” which, in part, is why she no longer has a job, or so she thinks.

Kahonies – I looked for a meaning of the word and came up with two things:

1. That my spelling of kahonies is incorrect and that the correct spelling is: cojones and
2. A definition: In English, as a loanword, it means courage, brazenness, "nerve", "guts", etc.

If you are looking to change jobs – or find a new job if you happen to be in career transition – do you have some cojones? You know, cojones that will help you:

~ Focus when you are so stressed you can’t think because you’ve been rejected so many times.

~ Stay with the job search process even though you feel like giving up.

~ Shrug off negative comments about you and your candidacy.

~ Withstand criticism when it comes your way about how you are not doing a good job of looking for new employment.

~ Deal with people who do or do not like you and your brand. Think: brand attraction/brand repulsion.

~ Confront controversial issues that need resolution. 

~ Approach people you would like to meet but do not have the courage.

~ Network with strangers even though it is dreadfully uncomfortable for you.

~ Reach out to others when you would rather curl up on the couch. 

~ Enlist help when it’s the last thing you want to do.

~ Call your former boss and ask him for his for support with important work recommendations.

~ Ask someone for forgiveness instead of avoiding them.

~ Let the world know of your assets / credentials when you are told “there are no jobs.”

~ Stand up for yourself, your brand, and your value.

Cojones.  Got some?

5 Ways NOT to Let Your Network Know about Your Job Search

Avoid these easy but unhelpful ways to let folks know you are in job search mode:

1. Send out a mass email.

2. Only put an update on LinkedIn

3. Tell them you are looking for a job and ask can they help

4. Use a plain vanilla message

5. Close your email without offering to help them in their networking

So, what IS the best way to tell your network you are in the job market? Ask a Manager blogs about this subject and has some useful things to say.

I would like to add to the suggestions there and advise job seekers to contact each person in your network personally by email or phone with a message that is interesting and that they can act on.

1. Tell them as specifically as possible what you are looking for: your preferred job title, mission, industry, and geographical location. For example, “I am looking for a position as a sales executive selling SaaS (software as a service) for a small to medium-sized software company in the Boston area.”

2. Give them a reason why their network should be interested in helping you or hiring you: “What I do best is close high-dollar sales of complex, cutting edge software solutions and exceed aggressive quotas, like the $8M I sold on a $7.5M goal in 2011.” BTW, this is a key part of your personal / career brand!

3. Tell them exactly how they can best help you in your search: “I would be very appreciative if you could give me the names of two people you may know who work in software companies in the Boston area.” And then, when you talk to those people, ask them in turn for two more names, conveying the same message about the value – your ROI – that you bring to the table. 

Once you’ve got your message and your method right, develop a good way to keep track of your contacts, the contacts they refer you to, next steps, to-do items, etc. Jason Alba’s Jibber Jobber is a great tool for that.

Then be meticulous about following up with a thank-you email or note letting your contact know you appreciated their interest and help. Then tell them you’ll keep them updated on your progress. That gives you a chance to stay top-of-mind with them when you check in again in a month or two. And, of course, when you accept a job offer, be sure to celebrate your success by thanking your network personally.

Jean Cummings:  http://www.aResumeForToday.com

This post was first published on http://www.GetHired.com

 

Tags: job search, executive resumes, networking

Icebreaker for Job Search

In a recent conversation with a good friend, we were discussing rehearsal dinner game possibilities since both of us have a son getting married this summer. I was sharing with her the Who Does What shoe game I’d watched in Virginia last fall which led to yet another idea. At my friend’s workplace last week, the team meeting started with a Fortunately / Unfortunately Icebreaker. For example, the team leader opened with:

Fortunately, it is a beautiful day today. And the next person piped up: Unfortunately, we are all stuck inside here.

And on and on until each team member had a turn. As I listened to my friend describe the icebreaker, I thought what a clever application for career transition and job seekers:

Fortunately, I love my job.

Unfortunately, I am losing it.

Fortunately, I am getting a severance package.

Unfortunately, I am not receiving career transition services.

Fortunately, I have some money in savings.

Unfortunately, my daughter’s tuition is due.

Fortunately, I have a college degree.

Unfortunately, my student loan debt is astronomical.

Fortunately, I have an optimistic outlook.

Unfortunately, the competition is intense.

Fortunately, I have a strong network.

Unfortunately, my network is industry-specific.

Fortunately, my spouse has good health benefits.

Unfortunately, our health care insurance costs more than our mortgage payment.

Fortunately, I was referred to a career management pro for help.

Unfortunately, he isn’t taking new clients until June.

Fortunately, I like to talk.

Unfortunately, I don’t have a clue about personal branding.

Fortunately, I meet people easily.

Unfortunately, I dislike asking for help.

Fortunately, I am focused and goal-driven.

Unfortunately, I have no idea what’s next.

Fortunately…

cross-posted billiesucherblog

Résumé Writing: I Thought You’d Sex It Up More

Having helped hundreds and hundreds of clients for two-plus decades, I have listened to hours and hours of client conversation, so not too much surprises or shocks me. Last month was a different matter when certain words were spoken by “John Q”, a business referral interested in professional résumé writing services. When he called about his revised résumé, his frazzled sounding voice blurted:

“I just thought you’d sex it up more.”

Me:  "Sex it up more?"

John Q: “Yeah, you know -- sex it up more – that’s what I said.”

My mind immediately turned to a friend who is a sex therapist. Wonder what she would say to this?

Me:  “So, what do you have in mind?”

John Q: “Well, you tell me – you’re the expert.”

Me:  “Actually, I have not heard such descriptive words used in the résumé writing realm.

You mean you want more sizzle? More substance? More fluff? More bells and whistles? More graphics? More???? Help me understand your thinking."

While John Q was unable to provide any specifics of what he wanted, more than anything else, he wanted to talk and to vent and to ramble without interruption and to be heard unconditionally. What we finally discerned is that his frustration had nothing to do with his professional résumé.  Instead, it had everything to do with his angst and fear over his pending in-limbo status.  What was consuming him is the reality that he is losing his job in the next few weeks. What was scaring him is that he is a Baby Boomer who is “tired of the rat-race”, but can’t quit working (or retire) because he is the “bread winner with kids in college.”  What was overwhelming him is the uncertainty and unknown of what’s next for him in a volatile, competitive job market.

Times are tough. The challenges are great for so many, many millions of job seekers.  John Q’s call was a reminder – a valuable reminder that I need to be an uber-attentive, mindful listener, now more than ever before as a career management professional. And pay very close attention to what is and isn’t being said. And when someone tells me one thing, are they really saying quite another?

cross-posted billiesucherblog

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Monday, Monday

“Success is the good fortune that comes from aspiration, desperation, perspiration and inspiration." Evan Esar

Make something versus nothing happen this day. What one thing might that be? Tip: Write down the one thing you would like to do today, then beside it, write a specific time that you will do this task. After you have carried out the task at the designated time, evaluate your performance. Continue carrying out tasks commensurate with your career transition project on a consistent basis until you find your way to a new start.

Opportunity to do this week what you did not do last week. As you review last week’s commitment to your job search, what are some activities you thought about doing and did not? Tip: Monday is a good day to organize your work week. There is no better time than now to design a work schedule of job-search related activities you plan to do this week. Instead of staring at the list (as my clients have told me they sometimes do), pick one task to complete. Then another, then another. By week’s end, you will be surprised at what you have accomplished. In sales terms, plan your work, work your plan.

No Nagging Negativity. Let’s suppose for a moment that when you hopped out of bed this morning at 5:00 A.M., you started another day by dreading it as you told yourself you have no place to go, nothing to do, and no idea on how to get started with your job search. Tip: Do something different. After you hop out of bed, why not hop on the Internet and get some career help, either for free or for a fee.  If you have tried the career help route and had a less than stellar experience, why not ask around and find someone who is a better fit for you and your particular career needs?

Decide that today is the day you are going to make a commitment to yourself and your search. Whatever it takes – time, energy, effort – you will do. Tip: Make a promise to yourself that you will not give up and/or quit on yourself until to have found a new beginning.

Attitude and action. You are in charge of both. If your attitude is awesome, you get the credit. If your action steps are amazing, you get the credit. So also will you receive full credit for a poor attitude and a lack of action. Employers notice. Recruiters notice. Your network notices. Your family and friends notice. Tip: Show ‘em the best – someone will be watching and waiting for you to reveal to them the substance of which you are made.  Do not disappoint them, or yourself.

You are it. You can do this. You can start over. You can start anew. No one said looking for employment would be easy. No one said looking for work would be fun. This is nothing more – and nothing less – than another project to be completed. Tip: Trust yourself and treat yourself well in the process. You are worth it!

When Things Don't Go According to Plan

 “Life is difficult. This is a great truth, one of the greatest truths. It is a great truth because once we truly see this truth, we transcend it. Once we truly know that life is difficult-once we truly understand and accept it-then life is no longer difficult. Because once it is accepted, the fact that life is difficult no longer matters.” ― M. Scott Peck

Things changed overnight and we had to shut our doors.

We borrowed too much money, got in over our heads, and the bottom line, went bankrupt.

After all these years of hard work and sacrifice, now I am told my services are no longer needed.

This isn’t what I had planned – I am not supposed to be here getting career help.

In my wildest dreams, I never thought they would get rid of me.

Regardless of how it is said, time and again, I hear assorted versions of the above job loss stories. Stories about how life didn’t go according to plan. Stories about how life is tougher than expected. Stories about how things didn’t work out the way you thought, dreamed or expected they would.

So, what do you do when things don’t go according to plan?

For sure, I don’t have the answers. And while I may not have answers, I do have some ideas – ideas for you to consider if you find yourself in a state of career transition:

Grieve. Grieve your loss. And in that grieving process, make a list of what you are losing and make another list of what you get to keep. Then, out of what you get to keep, make another list of what is worth keeping and what needs to go.

Losing your business or losing your job is tough. Keep telling yourself that you are tougher. Spend more time focusing on what can be rather than what was.

Evaluate your present mental, physical and spiritual health and well-being. What could use some work? What is already working well?

Figure out with precision your financial status. Whatever it is (or isn’t), know what you’re dealing with.

Talk with someone you trust and let them know how you are really doing. Maybe that trusted person is your lifelong friend, spouse/partner, or maybe it is a trained professional. Talk it over; talk it out.

Decide.

Decide that you can.

Decide that you will.

Start again.

What we call the beginning is often the end.
And to make an end is to make a beginning.
The end is where we start from.
- T. S. Eliot

 

 

Instagram and Facebook: It’s The Message, Not The Platform

“It’s never the platform. It’s always the message”

- Gary Vaynerchuck

 

This morning Facebook announced the wopping $1 billion acquisition of Instagram - the popular mobile photo-sharing app. Instagram make zero profits but Facebook are clearly paying for the so called “eyeballs” (..Instagram have 30 million members)

Meanwhile LinkedIn keeps growing membership and is by far the biggest professional networking site in the world with 150 million members

And last week we heard that the relatively new platform, Pinterest now has more members than LinkedIn in the US. In fact, Pinterest drives more revenue per click than Twitter or Facebook.

But what does this all mean to you and me?

Do you get confused and overwhelmed by all these platforms and wander what you should or shouldn’t be using when it comes to managing your career and professional life?

Well here are some questions to ask yourself and a suggested way to approach all these platforms:

1. What’s your current objective?

- Are you actively looking for new career opportunities?

- Are you passively looking for new roles? (ie open to new opportunities without actively searching)

- Are you trying to figure out what you want to do in next?

- Are you looking to find new clients or freelance work?

- Or do you simply want to protect and enhance your online Personal Brand?

2. Who is your target audience?

- Given your objective – who are the target audience, customers or employers to need to engage with?

- Where do they hang out? (Both online and offline)

- Online, what type of platforms would they most likely be using?

3. What’s the message you want to convey to your target audience

- What value do you bring to the market, to clients and employers?

- How are these people and businesses better off having worked with you or your business?

- What makes you different from others who are targeting the same types of clients and employers?

4. Choose the best media platform(s) for you

Based on all of the above, select the best platform for you and your target audience:

• If you’re a professional looking to stay on peoples radar and attract opportunities passively – ensure you’ve an updated LinkedIn profile that’s keyword rich. Also ensure you’re connected to at least 100+ contacts (ideally in the sectors you’re interested in) so that you come up on searches on LinkedIn.

• If you’re a back-to-work-mum trying to figure out what career path to go down, you may choose a combination of LinkedIn and Facebook as the two main tools to reconnect with old contacts and friends (…which is usually where most ideas and opportunities come for mums returning to work).

• If you’re keen to become a thought leader in your field, you may to start writing a blog and then use LinkedIn and Twitter to share links to your content whilst also engaging with bloggers and experts in your industry via those platforms. Or if you’re feeling brave, you may start a YouTube video blog to share your views and opionions

• If you run a business or community where a large proportion of your clients/followers are woman, then you may choose to engage frequently on Pinterest. (82% of active user on Pinterest are woman).

• If you’re artistic and looking to show-off your talents as a “side-gig” away from work – you can use Instagram, YouTube or indeed a Facebook Page to showcase your talents and connect with other like-minded people.

5. Do something that’s effortless for you

Any activity which feels like a struggle is not something you’ll stick to – and so you’re unlikely to yield the true benefits (just think of all those “keep fit” regimes that have fallen by the way side after good intentions).

So no matter what the ‘experts’ tell you (or what I’ve just said above), ensure you find and use media platforms which you enjoy using and find effortless to use. That way, you’re most likely to use them consistently and get the results you want. (Just like the keep-kit programmes we actually stick to).

Anything that feels awkward or that “just not me” – most likely isn’t. So don’t do it.

So the next time you hear a big social media story– ignore the hype and make choices based around your needs and your personal style so that you get your message across in the most authentic and impactful way.

And just remember Gary Vaynurchuck’s advice at the top of this page – “It’s never the platform. It’s always the message.”

By Sital Ruparelia

 

Privacy violation - asking for Facebook passwords

It is challenging enough to change jobs, transition careers, and move up the corporate ladder. Recently, it has come to the attention of the public that companies and government agencies have started asking for passwords to a job seeker’s social media accounts before or during an interview to get access to  personal information contained therein.  What companies are finding is that they are blocked from private information on social media sites and, as a result, are demanding access.  

Before social media was so prevalent, companies would obtain information on potential candidates by using private investigators or completing a background search of varying degrees. These services could be expensive when multiple applicants were involved. Today’s social media searches are virtually cost-free, a real savings in the hiring process for organizations. So you can understand their incentive here.

With the rise of social networking, career strategists have been coaching their clients for several years how to eliminate and/or hide digital dirt, and set up restrictions on their social media to keep certain information private. Facebook stands out the most  above the other social networks because of their options in privacy settings.

Companies are already experiencing the resistance from job seekers in turning over that information, so they are seeking other ways to penetrate your social media profiles.  Other strategies being taken:

1. Asking applicants to friend the HR manager, recruiter, or interviewer
2. Logging in to a company computer during the interview
3. Using a third-party programs like BeKnown that can sometimes access personal profile information

Another way around passwords is having applicants apply on the company job site using their Facebook login which then allows a third-party application to get information from the applicant profile, including friend lists.

Public agencies who hire 911 dispatchers and law enforcement positions like police officers are particularly concerned about what is being shared on social media. Their reasoning for asking for passwords is to find out if the applicant is involved in gang activity which would affect their hire.

The biggest concern here is that pressure is placed on job seekers to give up their privacy rights where social networking is involved. Whether this information is given voluntarily or under duress, your privacy is comprised if you want to be considered for the job in most instances.

Social network terms of service is violated when giving out Facebook login information, however, these violations do not carry much legal weight. And the Department of Justice considers it a federal crime to enter a social networking site in violation of the terms of service, but again, violations are not prosecuted.

Some organizations have put new policies in place that require an employee to sign a non-disparagement agreement banning them from talking negatively about an employer on social media. Of course, the savvy executive would never engage in this type of behavior, right?

So, just when you think you have the job search strategies figured out, it changes. Be proactive instead of reactive when it comes to your job search strategies and keep your social networking channels professional in content.