How to Prevent Your Resume from Looking Like Your Obituary

May 15, 2013 | Author: Arleen Bradley

You have read obituaries.  They list every job the deceased held.  Sometimes you see a single career path, other times you see a career path that winds all over the place.  Resumes are the same.  You can see a theme of success or a laundry list of everything done in every job held.

trash can with paper

Creating a resume that is relevant for the position will prevent keep your resume in the running. And not here.

If your career path covers everything from scooping ice cream in high school to selling the cure for the common cold and everything in between, including all of it in your résumé does more harm than good.  Today your résumé needs to highlight your skills and experience that make you the ideal candidate.

I have looked at candidate resumes that are impressive.  But they don’t answer the question, “WHY ARE YOU THE BEST CANDIDATE?”  Buried in the content is information that related to the position.  Sometimes, I find it at the end of the résumé.  This hidden gem won’t get read if the reader doesn’t find a reason to continue reading after the first half of the résumé.

Listing irrelevant skills and experience won’t get you the interview.   However, if you are looking for a sales job and you show you sold more ice cream than your co-workers for several years running, or you consistently surpassed your quota for selling the cure for the common cold, you are now a person of interest. 

Eliminate the non-essential.  Show in dollars and percentages how you made money, saved money, or saved time.  Show them how you are the best at what you do by listing the awards and honors you have received.

Tell them that you were the office guru when it came to knowing how to do a specific task.  You were selected for a project because of something you did to impress your supervisors. 

Check your past performance reviews for the information you can use.  Talk to your former co-workers to see what they have to say about your skills. 

Your next employer doesn’t want to know everything you’ve done;  they just want to know will do the best in the position.  Give them what they are looking for.  Less is more in this case.  More useless information could mean the demise of your consideration for that position.

Posted in Resume | 12 Comments

One Really Good Tip to End Your Job Search: Have a Plan and Work Your Plan

May 13, 2013 | Author: Arleen Bradley

weekly calendar

Today is Monday, the start of a new week.  Do you have your job search goals clearly defined?  If not, now would be a perfect time to set your goals for the week.

Many job searchers go about their job search in a take it as it comes.  They spend hours on the job board sites looking for jobs neglecting all the other strategies.  Diving deeper into the World Wide Web is limiting your chances to get a job.

Take a weekly calendar that is divided by days and times of the day.  Then block out times for online job search, updating and connecting with people on LinkedIn.  Find out if there are any networking events taking place that you can attend—put those events on your calendar.  Set aside time the days after the networking events to follow-up on everyone you met. Schedule time to follow-up on resumes you have sent and interviews you have been on.   Include  some time to set up your plan for the next week. 

It is also necessary to set time aside for rest.  Allow for time spent with friends and other fun.  And finally, schedule time for exercise.  You are just as valuable as your job search.  Many job searchers forget to include taking care of themselves in their job search plan.  You want to be at your best if you are meeting with people in interviews or meeting with people in your network. 

An important thing to know about your weekly schedule is that you should follow it as you planned it, but there are somethings that will come up that you don’t know about when you make it.  Such as an interview,  phone screen, or a meeting with a contact. 

Having a plan and working your plan results in accomplishing more than if you take each day as it comes.  At the end of the week, you will be able to see what you have done and not just have to wonder what you have done during  the past week.  And that will make you feel better to know that you have been busy at your search.   

Posted in big job boards, calendar, eat healthy, exercise, Job Search, networking, phone interview | Leave a Comment

One Really Good Tip to End Your Job Search: Stay Current with Technology.

May 9, 2013 | Author: Arleen Bradley

A member of my networking group found her dream job. It had all the skills she was looking to use, the company is strong and growing, and she could see herself in that role. She carefully crafted the perfect resume that succeedflip phoneded in getting her a coveted interview.

The interview was going well. She was even willing to work the early shift to be able to communicate with her European colleagues. That would mean she would avoid the morning and evening commute. Then they asked her if she preferred an Android phone or an iPhone. She told them she didn’t know how to use either one.

She left the interview feeling hopeful. Her skills matched the position, they seemed to like her, and she liked them. However, she has not heard from them. The interview was over a month ago. Looking back on the interview, the only thing she can point to is her lack of knowing current smart phone technology.

Her flip phone with texting has worked perfectly for her all these years. Unemployed, she hasn’t had the funds to upgrade. But this may have been what cost her a job. A job she truly wanted and was qualified for. Understandably, this may have not the reason. But at the age of 50+, not knowing about current cell phone technology, could have led the company to think she wasn’t up to date on other things.

How old is your cell phone? Will it matter in a job interview? If you haven’t updated your cell phone to a smart phone, don’t worry. Simply go to mobile phone store and ask for a demonstration on all the current phones. I suggest going in on a weekday morning, you don’t want to take sales away from anyone. Ask questions such as what’s the difference between the two, which is better, what are apps, which ones are reputable, and how reliable are the phones. As you go along, you will find more questions to ask.

You don’t have to buy one, but having some information about them can mean the difference between getting a job and not hearing from the company ever again. Be ready to learn about other technologies that have come into the market place, so you don’t miss out on your dream job.

How is my friend? She realized she needed to keep up with technology. She now owns an iPad and has been on Google Hangouts. What are Hangouts? Maybe you should do some checking into technology people are using.

Posted in 50+ job search, google, Interviews, Job Search, Resume, smartphone, stay current | 2 Comments

How desperate are you for a job? Desperate enough to sit in a store front window?

May 8, 2013 | Author: Arleen Bradley

 o-UNEMPLOYED-IN-WINDOWS-570

That’s what’s going on in Copenhagen, Denmark.  Frustrated job searchers are sitting in a storefront window with a brief summary of their qualifications.  And maybe a lucky charm or two for luck.

 

It’s an idea that has caught on with over 260 people who applied to be one of the selected to sit in a window proclaiming to the passersby in the busy section of the city that they are available for work.  The women in the red light district of the city also sit in store front windows advertising their availability.  However, the job searchers are lawyers and other professionals in this scheme.

 

You can enter the store to talk with the window sitters, look them up on LinkedIn or scan a QR code on a smart phone and be sent to a Facebook page with more information about the current sitter.  To pass the time the window sitters do their regular job search activities. 

 

The idea seems to be taking off as the organizers have had to add more weeks to the program to accommodate the demand from job searchers.  One woman received 359 hits on her Facebook page and a job.  So far 3 have obtained jobs using this method in less than 2 days. 

 

Would this work in the USA?  Would you sit in a window for a few hours in the hopes that you will get a job?  Please share your thoughts on this with others in the comment section below.

 

Clicking on the photo will take you to the article in the May 8, 2013 Wall Street Journal.

 

 

Posted in desparate for a job, Facebook page, Job Search, job search in Denmark, QR code, smartphone | Leave a Comment

What you need to know about bad references.

May 8, 2013 | Author: Arleen Bradley

Recently, I have hearing my clients talking about their reference checks.  They feel that they are not getting jobs because of the references former employers referenceare giving about them.  So I decided to do a little checking and found some fascinating information.

 

 

 

Fact or fiction?  When asked by your prospective employer, your former employer can only give out your job title, dates of employment and income.    The correct answer may surprise you.  Depending on the state you live, the information provided by a former employer can range from any factual statements relating to work to job performance.  

 

 

 

Additionally, some states allow the employer to include information such as performance evaluations, eligibility as to rehire, violations of federal, state laws or industry regulations, drug screen results, reasons for termination and/or disciplinary actions.  On the good side, a few states allow the company to report on promotions, awards and effort.

 

 

 

In some states, employers must get a written request from the employee to disclose information to a prospective employer.    Other states note that employees must be given a copy of the reference.  There are no states that will allow the dissemination of information that can be used to discriminate a candidate, such as, age, race, sex, etc.  Also, an employer can’t knowingly give information that is known to be untrue.  They can’t falsify information to prevent you from obtaining employment.  And they must give out the same type of information about everyone.

 

 

 

Corporations receive requests for references on former employees.  The information they give out depends on corporate policy.  And yes, the information that they provide is only the dates of employment, job title, and income.  The reason they do is because some of the information can be opinion and a matter of he said/she said and no way to prove anything.  Trying to fight the claim is time-consuming and expensive with no guarantee of winning.

 

 

 

So does that mean you can relax?  No, not really, fighting an unfavorable reference on you is just as hard.  Yes, you may win, but at an expense.  The typical attorney and court cost are something to consider, but the real cost is in your time.  Instead of spending time getting a job, you are using valuable time fighting something that is challenging at best.  If you were to win, some states will require you to continue to look for a job, and when you get one, you will lose some of your settlement. 

 

 

 

What can you do about it?  You have a couple of options.  One, you can hire a reference checking company to contact your references to see what they are saying about you.  Or have a friend do a reference check for you.  If you find out that a company or someone is giving out false and/or negative information about you, you have a few options.

 

1)      Instead of giving the name of your immediate supervisor, give the contact information for the human resources department.

 

2)      Give the name of a colleague in the company who will be able to give a good reference.

 

3)      Talk to your former boss and see if you can persuade him/her to give you a fair/factual reference because you need to work and their recommendation is preventing that.  It’s a long shot but    worth a try.

 

4)      Explain to your prospective employer about the situation and tell them an unfavorable review might be given.  Offer them your past performance reviews or such that will show them the value of your work.

An unfavorable reference shouldn’t be the end of your career.  It will make finding work difficult and longer, but you can do it.  If you know what you’re in for, you will know how to work around it.

Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments