6 suggestions for paying someone to write your résumé; and my thoughts on installing a screen door

3 Replies

Last spring I made an attempt, albeit a weak one, to install a screen door on my house. As my wife stood watching hopeful that our house wouldn’t look like something from a ghetto, I kept thinking, “No way is this going to happen.” So it didn’t.

It should have gone this way: first, install the top, hinge, and latch trim; second, attach the 40 lb. door to the hinge trim; third, install the hardware that would make all this work, such as the handle, and the thingy that makes the door close slowly….

This is how it went: I called a contractor who said he would do the job for $35 an hour. I happily agreed.

Putting the screen door on my house got me to thinking about how writing a résumé for some people seems out of the realm of possibility; much like getting that damn screen door on my house to satisfy my wife. I started to empathize for people who feel paralyzed when they have to write their résumé.

Look, I come across people who haven’t written a résumé in years, maybe never. They haven’t used a word-processing application, don’t have a relative who has the time or inclination to write their résumé, and the thought of writing a résumé scares the hell out of them.

Here’s what I suggest for paying someone to write your résumé. Get the help you need immediately if you’re one of these folks who is paralyzed by writing the most important document in your life. Find a reputable agency that will take the time to write your résumé right the first time, and thereafter will update it for a very reasonable fee. Make sure of the following:

Said agency has a stock of samples to show you and one that fits your needs in terms of a résumé and cost. A work history time-line and a list of keywords does not constitute a résumé. Believe me, I’ve seen these so called résumés.
The person writing your résumé should guarantee you at least an hour or more to interview you to understand exactly what you do. Not someone who will note your occupation, go to his/her computer, create a cookie-cutter résumé, and take your $700.00.
Those who require an executive résumé and can afford more than what is charged by an agency, should seek the help of a high-level writer who will focus more on accomplishments than simple duties. These expert résumé writers will charge significantly more, but their services will return your payment tenfold.
My colleague, Bill Florin, makes a valid point. “An objective third party (pro writer) will see things in your history that are marketable, often things that you would discount or downplay entirely, Many people don’t like talking about and selling themselves.” Professional résumé writers make you talk about yourself.
If you only require a basic résumé—truth be told, some people have minimal experience or have only done an adequate job—don’t be satisfied with a statement like, “Drove a truck from here to there.” You and your writer must get creative with your basic résumé. “Hauled an average of 20 tons of retail product, traversing the U.S.A. Driving record is spotless and time of delivery consistently met employers’ expectations.” Remember, you still have to separate you from the rest of the pack.
Lastly, make sure a “soft copy” of your résumé is provided . Some writers will choke you for updating your résumé every time you need it sent out–this is after you’ve already coughed up $700.00.

Oh, if you’re a contractor who can install screen doors and perform other household tasks for less than $35.00 an hour, contact me. My house requires stucco repair and a bunch of other upgrades, as well.

Don’t kill yourself revising your résumé; 5 rules on how to put it to use (thingscareerrelated.com)

The best way to answer an interview question; Prove It.

Still talking about “we” during an interview?

1 Reply

Well, knock it off.

Some job candidates don’t think it’s a big deal to say “we” during an interview, when what the interviewers want to know is what the candidates have accomplished. Hiring authorities are sensitive to the constant use of “we.” If you’ve been saying “we” instead of “I,” you need to knock it off.

Employers want to know what you’ve accomplished, what value you’ll bring to the organization, what roles you played in your teams’ efforts. They could care less about what your past teammates accomplished. You are in consideration for the job, not your former teammates.

I tell my workshop attendees that now is the time to talk about themselves. Some of them struggle with this concept; they’re so proud of what they and their team members managed to accomplish because of the Herculean efforts to complete the projects or assignment. I couldn’t do it without them, they’d say. To that I say, “Where are your teammates now?”

Not to rain on your parade, but where are your teammates now? Who’s on your team in the job search?

As a former manager or a team leader, the use of “we” is more understandable, as you were the one who oversaw the team; your name is on the projects and assignments. But you should still insert “I” whenever you can; for example,

“Some of my sales people needed some guidance on installing our software at user sights, so I went with them and led them through the process. This cut down installs by at least half the time it would take. In addition, I liked interacting with the customers.”

Job candidates should answer questions by using a story format whenever possible. Given the following question: “Tell us about a time when your manager opposed one of you ideas, but you were able to persuade him/her t to adopt it.” In this case use the C.A.R formula.

Challenge: I approached the vice president of marketing to suggest we implement social media marketing, as there was none at the credit union at that time. He was reluctant to start a social media marketing campaign, especially since this was a small credit union.

Actions: Instead of arguing with him about my idea, I decided to persuade him by showing him the benefits. I took a number of actions.

The first of which was to find as many credit unions and banks as possible on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. I was somewhat amazed by the number credit unions represented on each platform.
Once I had a sampling of ten institutions, I next began studying how many connections, followers, and friends each one had.
I determined that 8 of the 10 credit unions had a good presence on all three platforms, so I developed a spreadsheet that would show the analytic data of each company.
I felt the best way to really figure out how prominent a role social media played for each company would be to enlist help from my assistant. I asked him to call the companies to ask them if they new the ROI from their social media campaigns.
With a great deal of hard work, he was able to determine that six credit unions benefited greatly from all three platforms and came up with some great figures. With his information, I was ready to approach the VP of marketing and make my case.
At first my VP seemed agitated that I continued to press him on this matter, but I stood my ground. I showed him the research on a detailed PowerPoint presentation my assistant and I created, letting him look at it for half the day.

Result: By the time I approached him to finish the conversation, he asked me how I would have the time to head up this new social media marketing campaign. If you’d like to hear about how I instituted a very successful social media marketing campaign, I’d be happy to tell you the story.

In my Interview Boot Camp workshops, and when I conduct mock interviews, I occasionally hear the absence of “I” in my participants’ answers, and I call them on it. What’s more, so do the other participants who are there to critique each others’ answers. When they hear “we” instead of “I,” they realize how important it is to take credit for their work. You have permission to take credit for your work.

You’ll receive many opinions of your résumé; rely on 10 sure things

6 tips for getting out of the house during your job search

2 Replies

Silly as it sounds, I can’t think of a better piece of advice than this one. It’s so simple, yet it can be a game changer….

One bit of advice I give my career center orientation attendees is to get out of the house every day. I know that some of them are sitting behind their computers until their eyes ache and the computer is humming at them. I also know it’s not healthy to be alone with one’s despondency. Been there.

When I tell them, “Get out of the house,” some laugh and nod with approval, others look at me with interest, and others with amusement. This advice, I give them, is perhaps the most important message they’ll leave with.

Having been out of work for 10 months more than 14 years ago, I understand how it is important to leave the house to escape the computer, the kids, the television, the cleaning. All of it. You know the saying, “If I knew then what I know now…” So let me offer you some suggestions for getting out of the house.

1. Go where people are. If this means going to your local career center, a library, Panera Bread, Starbucks, a park; then do it. Being around people has a therapeutic effect. Hearing the voice of others provides you with the distractions you need in order to avoid the deep well of despondency. It can reduce the loneliness you may feel from being cooped up at home.

Talk to people, even if you don’t know them. But understand if they’re not amenable to a discussion. Keep it short if you sense they’re busy or focused on something else. When they keep their eyes on the computer screen, this is a hint that they’re not open to a dialog.

2. Go to the gym or take long walks. How you prefer to exercise and let off steam is up to you. I find walking to be a great way to clear my mind, as well as strategize about what I need to do. While I was out of work, I increased my walking regiment from 45 minutes a day to 90 minutes. I walked and walked and walked. Bonus: it’s free.

Keep your routine. You’re no longer waking to go to your former place of employment, but you will continue to rise at the same time to exercise. I always suggest to my career center customers that they increase their exercise or start exercising if they’re not already doing it. Develop a plan that is doable for you, whether it’s everyday, or every other day.

3. Coordinate a small networking meeting, better known as a meetup. This might include gathering with other professionals, such as project managers who have an interest or knowledge in Lean Six Sigma. Although the meetup is for educational purposes, it’s a great place to connect and share employment possibilities. Here is the link for Meet Up.com.

An alternative to a professional meetup could be gathering for various interests. Perhaps one of your interests is reading, and a group of locals meet to pontificate on science fiction or nonfiction. Use this opportunity to unwind and put the job search behind you for those two hours. You need a break from your search.

4. Attend networking events. For some people networking is a bit intimidating because they feel forced to talk to people they don’t know. Attend a few networking events to get the hang of it. If you need to stay back and listen at first, that’s fine. However, eventually you’ll get the hang of it and feel more comfortable.

Determine some goals before you go to the networking events. You may decide you only want to talk with a few people at each event. Perhaps you plan to meet someone you know or, better yet, you travel together to an event. Some groups specialize in particular industries, such as IT, medical, finance, legal, etc., so you may want to focus on one where you’ll be with people of the same interests.

5. Volunteer at an organization that needs your talents. You’ve probably heard a great deal about how volunteering is great for your job search. And you probably think, why should I offer my services for free? I get your concern. Who wants to work without getting paid?

Think about it logically. By volunteering you’ll enhance the skills you possess, as well as possibly learning new skills. You’ll not only increase your skill set; you’ll also put yourself in a place to gather labor market information and network. Keep in mind that some say one’s chance of landing a job increases by 27% by volunteering.

6. Ask for networking meetings. I don’t call these informational interviews for a reason. When you ask someone for an informational interview, their reaction won’t be as positive as if you were to ask them for some advice. Tell them you’re interested in gathering some information about a career in their type of company.

You’re the one asking the questions, so make them intelligent questions. The goal is to impress the person with whom you’re speaking so if there’s a position developing at the company, they might suggest your name to the hiring manager. At the very least, try to leave the meeting with other people with whom you can speak.

As simple as it sounds, getting out of your house can greatly help your job search. It helps your fragile state of mind to get away from your computer or, worse yet, the television; and increases your networking opportunities. My strong suggestion is to dress business casual when you’re out and about, as well as present a positive attitude. You never know when you’ll meet a potential employer.

Also keep in mind that your job search is important and that others’ needs will have to take a backseat to your activities. In other words, be selfish. You can’t watch the kids or grandchildren when you have a workshop or networking event to attend. You have to meet with a networking colleague for coffee, no questions asked. In other words, BE SELFISH.

Photo: Flickr, David

Procrastination: the curse of the Perceiver

4 Replies

I’m supposed to be writing a résumé for a customer but instead am sitting at Panera Bread at 8:30 pm checking my e-mail. After I check my e-mail, I’ll go to LinkedIn to see what my connections are up to. Most of my connections are connecting with others, some are posting articles, and others are joining groups.

So I check if any of the articles are interesting. Cool, one of my connections posted an article on…procrastination. Gotta check this out for sure. I read it and it’s a great article on how procrastination is not a desirable trait but not the end of the world.

One take-away for me is that one must avoid perfectionism, something I truly detest. I mean, if you can complete a task in one hour rather than three, all the better, even if the quality isn’t the best it possibly can be.

Another statement the author makes is that one’s way of not doing the important thing is to do something else. Like reading instead of completing their expense report before it’s due. In my case it’s perusing my e-mails instead of tending to this darn résumé I’m supposed to be writing.

My daughter recently took the MBTI for a psychology class she’ll be taking. She came out as an ENFP. When she told me, I told her she’s screwed. Why, Perceivers often tend to procrastinate even though they end up getting their work done. My wife and I are still waiting for her to complete a project she could have crossed off the list at the beginning of the summer. She’s a procrastinator for sure.

I often tell my MBTI workshop attendees that two very important dichotomies are Judging and Procrastinating…I mean Perceiving. Although we try to avoid harping on the stereotypes of each dichotomy, it is important to note that those who prefer Perceiving can have the tendency to procrastinate.

What this means in the job search is that Perceivers tend to produce and deliver their résumé, cover letter, and application later than those who prefer Judging. Those Judgers would never be turning to Twitter when they’re supposed to be writing a résumé. In some cases a Perceiver might fail to send in the necessary information and, thus, lose out on a potential interview.

I know for sure that the more demanding and more undesirable the work I have to do, the more I’ll tend to put it off till the 11^th hour. I’m not racked with anxiety but, as you can tell, I am a bit uncomfortable having this assignment hanging over my head. So why don’t I just finish writing the résumé now, instead of waiting till the last moment? (Read this article about how difficult it is to “flex” between Perceiving and Judging.”

I’m much better at giving advice than following it. So I tell jobseekers who are having difficulty getting their résumé written to perfection to send in their best work when a deadline is looming. It doesn’t have to be perfect (because perfection doesn’t exist); it’s more important to get it in than miss the deadline.

The Judging types don’t understand this conundrum, as they’re prone to making lists and schedules and following their plans to a T. They wouldn’t be sitting at Panera Bread reading their e-mails and tweets, thinking of ways to avoid writing a darn résumé, wondering if a bagel is in order. No, they would be concerned about getting that résumé done and then ordering a bagel, which they’d eat in good conscience.

For all that’s great about preferring Perceiving, such as spontaneity, adaptability, a laid-back demeanor; it sometimes sucks procrastinating and putting undue anxiety on yourself. Take it from me.

5 ways (each) to brand yourself with your résumé and LinkedIn profile

7 Replies

Now what? You have a personal brand that is great; it clearly shows your value to employers, so now you have to show it to the world. You’ve heard it over and over that you’re a product to be sold to employers, the buyers.

However, if your brand isn’t consistent, you’re not an established product. Consider how you’ll brand yourself with your résumé and LinkedIn profile.

Résumé

Your résumé is most likely the first document the employers will see, so your personal brand must have an immediate impact. If not, your chances of getting an interview are very slim.

Purpose of your résumé. You will send a tailored résumé in response to a specific job. Your résumé employs push technology, as you are reacting to an advertised job. The following components of your résumé will contribute to your personal brand:

A branding headline tells potential employers exactly who you are, as well as what you’re capable of doing. It should consist of approximately 10 words that describe what you do, perhaps the industry/ies in which you work, and some strong areas of expertise.
Performance Profile is a section on a résumé that sometimes gets overlooked in a reviewer’s rush to get to the Work History. However, if you throw in phrases that immediately expresses your value, such as a bolded accomplishment statement, your Performance Profile will not be overlooked. Example: Operations manager who increases companies’ revenue in excess of 60% annually through shrewd business acumen.
Key skills for the positions you’re pursuing are listed in your Core Competency section. These are skills that are specific to the position for which you’re applying. Don’t highlight skills that are irrelevant for a particular position, e.g., strong written communication skills when verbal communication skills are essential.
Job-specific accomplishments will effectively send a consistent branding message. While a show of your former/current responsibilities might seem impressive, accomplishments speak volumes. Provide quantified results in the form of numbers, dollars, and percentages.
Keywords and phrases common to each position are not only necessary to be located by Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS); they’ll rouse attention from employers in a Core Competency section.

LinkedIn profile

Purpose of you LinkedIn profile. Your profile is NOT focused on a specific job; it is static and more general. It uses push technology, as recruiters and hiring managers will find you by entering your title and areas of expertise.

Your consistent message demonstrated through your résumé carries over to your LinkedIn profile. While your profile and résumé are different, they are similar in how you deliver your branding message.

Like on your résumé, a branding headline will tell potential employers exactly who you are, as well as what you’re capable of doing. However, it is general and includes more areas of expertise. Your branding headline and photo are what visitors to your profile will see first. Together they must make a great first impression.
Your profile Summary will be different from your résumé’s Performance Profile; it is written in first- or third-person, but it must brand you as someone who demonstrates direction and potential greatness. You may use content from your commercial in your Summary. To some this is considered the most important section of your profile. You’re allowed 2,000 characters.
List your outstanding technical and transferable skill in the Skills section. This section on your profile is similar to the Core Competency section on your résumé. The skills you list must show your proficiency, as opposed to your familiarity. You will be endorsed for your skills, which arguably demonstrate your expertise.
Your Employment section will be briefer than your résumé’s, highlighting just the outstanding accomplishments from each job. Accomplishments that are quantified with numbers, dollars, and percentages speak louder than simple duty statements and are the most effective way to brand yourself.
Keywords are just as important to have on your profile as they are on your résumé. Employers will only find you if your profile contains the keywords they enter into Advanced People Search. LinkedIn has a new Skill feature that analyzes your technical and transferable skills, indicating their projections and offering more suggestions, among other cool features.

Some additional components of your LinkedIn profile which will cement your consistent branding are ones not found on your résumé. The most obvious is a highly professional or business casual photo. Another useful area of your profile is Media which allows you to share PowerPoint or Prezi presentations, copies of your résumés, videos, and various other files.

Combining both documents, your brand with be more powerful than if you use a résumé alone. The résumé to respond to job ads and your LinkedIn profile to pull employers to you will be the powerful punch you need in your job search.

Photo: Flickr, Ploymint HQ

Don’t kill yourself revising your résumé; 5 rules on how to put it to use (thingscareerrelated.com)

My nomination for 2014 Person of the Year Runner-Up.

3 Replies

On December 10, 2014, Time announced its Person of the Year, The Ebola Fighter. I can think of no better Person of the Year. How can we argue against the brave people who fought against the most deadly disease I’ve witnessed in my lifetime–official death count is higher than 6,300 people.

The disease that continues to ravage Africa invaded the rest of the world, requiring people worldwide to combat it. The Ebola Fighters were courageous as they risked death to help those in need. That said, I will not argue with Time’s choice. The Ebola Fighters truly deserve the nod. But as traditions go, I want to honor The Jobseeker as Person of the Year Runner-Up.

The Jobseeker. Although the Jobseeker is not the Ebola Fighter–he or she demonstrated dignity and professionalism, networked and paid it forward, wrote compelling marketing material resulting in interviews, and finally (after more than a year, in some cases), did their best to land. There were many Jobseekers who demonstrated true heroism throughout the entire year, simply by the way they handled themselves. They:

Woke up every morning to put in a full day of hunting for work, leaving no stones upturned and considering every possibility.
Maintained that screw-the-economy-I-will-get-a-job attitude.
Knew that every day was a day when they might have run into a person who could hire them, or someone who knew a person who could hire them.
Took a break every once and awhile to recharge their batteries, but not too long of a break. A day or two at the most. They even networked during the holidays.
Followed their career plan of revising their résumé, creating a list of companies they research and contacted, building a LinkedIn profile that meets today’s standards, and other best practices.
Attended workshops and took advantage of job-search pundits’ advice, learning that things have changed in the past ten years, but, nonetheless, trudge on.
Accepted and embraced the Hidden Job Market, making penetrating it a priority in their job-search plan.
Attended interview after interview until they hit a home run with an employer smart enough to hire them. The Jobseeker will never give up, despite the challenges they encounter.
Never forgot the important things in life, like family and friends, and taking care of their health. They didn’t let the job search consume them.
They stayed positive and upbeat in all their interactions, knowing that people can sense a positive attitude.
Faced despondency or depression with courage and perseverance.

These are just a few of the reasons why The Jobseeker is my Person of the Year Runner-Up. If you think of other reasons, let me know by commenting on this article. I think I should send my reasons to Time and demand a recount.

Dear college students, 7 signs that you’re probably an introvert

7 interesting facts about LinkedIn Groups you should know

3 Replies

Which LinkedIn feature is your favorite for the job search? Is it Companies which allows you to locate and connect with people who can open doors for you? How about Jobs which, according to some, has become the second most effective job board, two notches above Monster.com. Or Who’s Viewed Your Profile, Find Alumni, Pulse?

There’s one I’ve not mentioned yet. It’s a feature that provides you with an arena to express your views, ask questions, share articles, connect or communicate with people who are outside your first degree connections, and more. Groups is high on the list of my favorite features, quite possibly my number one.

That said, I’m going to give you a rundown of Groups functions, some of which are very useful, others not very, and others a waste of time.

Your Groups’ Feed

1. Your Groups at a glance. When you first choose Groups in the Interests drop-down (silly that one of LinkedIn’s best features doesn’t have its own link), you’ll see a page that allows you to take immediate action. Rather than having to open a group, you can do the following:

Keep up with discussions. This is an easy way to see what’s going on in each of your groups (providing there are discussions happening) and contributing to said discussions. Depending on how much time you have on your hands, you can scroll and scroll down your screen to see if there is anything of interests.

Start a conversation (New). How easy can LinkedIn make starting a discussion in a particular group. Begin your discussion by selecting a title (LinkedIn provides some suggestions) and adding details, choosing a group (only one group. Sorry), and post it.

Manage your groups’ settings. This function allows you to rearrange your groups in the order you want them to appear. You can also adjust Member Settings, e.g., Visibility, Contact Settings, Update Settings, and Leave the Group. In terms of visibility, I tell my jobseekers to not show their Job Search groups on their profile. Rather the groups that are related to their occupation.

Open One of Your Groups and Go to Town

2. Discussions. Probably the best feature Groups has to offer, as it allows you to show your expertise through intelligent questions, thoughtful answers, relevant shares. One of my valued connections, Hank Boyer, constantly shows up on my Groups feed posting articles that are relevant to his connections.

3. Promotions. No man’s land. Promotions are ignored in most groups because any type of information posted and deemed as self-promotional end up here. One of my valued connections informed me that when he posts anything in a group I started, it is automatically placed in Promotions. I removed this page from my group.

4. Jobs. This is feature that is sometimes ignored by group members and, therefore, they don’t learn about jobs posted by their fellow members. I’ve sent messages to the members of my group informing them to look in Jobs, but this isn’t something that I can do on a constant basis.

5. Members. A valuable feature if you’re looking for someone whose occupation is closely related to yours. Type in “Project Manager” in the search field and you will be able to access the full profiles of group members who have “Project Manager” on their profile. Better yet, you can:

Follow
See activity
Send message
Connect

with any member in your group, even if he/she is a 3rd degree. I tell my workshop attendees that if they want to communicate directly with someone who’s not in their direct network, they can join a group of which the person is a member. The same goes for connecting with 2nd and 3rd degree connections.

6. Search. This is where you can search for discussions from the group’s members. When I want to search for a discussion started by one of my fellow group members, or when he’s been mentioned in a discussion; I type in his name in the field and am granted this information. There are other items you can search:

Latest Activity
All Discussions
Manager’s Choice
Discussions You’ve Started
Discussions You’re Following
Pending Submissions

7. Number of groups to join. I tell my LinkedIn workshop attendees that LinkedIn allows them to join up to 50 groups, but I advise them to join groups only if they will be active participants. This leads me to conclude that a good rate of participation should be at least once a week—whether you ask an illuminating question or answer one.

This further leads me to confess that I was once banished from a group because of lack of activity–yes, it’s possible. Thus, I made it my mission to participate in more groups or quit them. Should I get my hand slapped again, I will gladly apologize to the owner or manager who banishes me from that group.

My advice to you is shed the groups you’re ignoring. Treat it like spring cleaning; purge your proverbial LinkedIn house of those groups you’ve stopped visiting. Trust me, it will feel great.

If you know of other functionality of Groups not mentioned here, let us know.

As always, if this post helped you, please share it with others.

Things Career Related

A Practical Look at the Job Search, LinkedIn, and Introverts

6 suggestions for paying someone to write your résumé; and my thoughts on installing a screen door

The best way to answer an interview question; Prove It.

Still talking about “we” during an interview?

Well, knock it off.

You’ll receive many opinions of your résumé; rely on 10 sure things

6 tips for getting out of the house during your job search

Procrastination: the curse of the Perceiver