Tuesday, August 30th, 2011
A recent episode of USA’s “Suits” explored what happens when someone lies on a resume and is caught years later.
The individual in question claimed to have graduated from college and attained his CPA (Certified Public Accountant) designation. The truth was, he hadn’t graduated and he wasn’t a CPA. That didn’t mean his work was lacking. In fact, it was stellar.
Didn’t matter. By lying about such critical data, he exposed the firms whose accounts he audited to possible lawsuits.
That episode clearly showed what happens when you play with the truth on your resume. The individual lost his job and it didn’t look like he’d been working anywhere else as an accountant anytime soon.
So, is it worth it to fudge even a little on your resume?
No, it’s not. Even if you’re not caught immediately, the lies told will always hang over you like a cloud. Worse, they could expose you to legal action if your position involves critical or sensitive information.
Today, most employers do background checks to determine if a degree was earned or a certification attained. Once they catch you in a lie, you can forget about ever working for them. If it’s a small, tight-knit industry, you won’t be welcome at any of the other businesses either.
A resume isn’t a lie-detector test. You don’t have to put every bad incident from your past on it to prove veracity. However, you shouldn’t embellish or rely on falsehoods to get the interview or the job.
If you do, someday you may regret it.
Tuesday, August 23rd, 2011
We all know it’s a poor economy for jobseekers. We also know that sending out hundreds of resumes in response to every opportunity doesn’t generally produce great results.
So what’s the secret to landing your next position or getting back in the work force?
Although there’s no one certain way for a candidate to gain that all-important interview, being visible to prospective employers and colleagues in your industry is always a plus.
Sites such as LinkedIn and BranchOut have added a new dimension to networking and the job search. On these sites and others, you’ll see individual profiles that look a lot like resumes. They have a qualifications summary, skills section, work experience and academic data.
And there are scores of individuals visiting these sites daily. Some may be seeking to connect with individuals they once worked with. Perhaps they attended the same school. Others, such as recruiters, might very well be looking for the ideal candidate for an open position that isn’t being advertised.
Think of the connections you can make on sites such as these, in addition to sending your resume out to published ads.
Knowing the importance of networking at all career levels, ResumeEdge is now offering a Social Media Profile Development that can be used on social networking sites such as BranchOut, LinkedIn and others.
Our professional team of certified editors knows the ins-and-outs of social media and how to capture a reader’s attention whether that individual is a recruiter, hiring manager or former colleague.
Today’s job search is complex. Why not use social media to your advantage and get your ‘brand’ out to those who can help you reach your dream job.
Tuesday, August 16th, 2011
How many times have you searched online job boards, finding a position that seemed ideal until you came to the requirements?
Some of them might be:
1. You need a degree
2. You require a certain level of experience, usually expressed in years
3. You need experience with certain software or procedures
These are just some of the obstacles you may face when applying for a new position. However, requirements aren’t necessarily a rigid checklist. More often, they’re an employer’s wish list.
Let’s take a college degree as an example. If you can show that you have the required knowledge and skills, learned on the job at other companies, the employer may very well waive the educational requirement. Hiring managers want employees who can do the job well. A college degree confers some level of accomplishment, but it won’t replace knowledge learned in the real world. Submit to those jobs, stressing your ‘life’ experience.
As far as years on the job or in the industry are concerned – again, this is flexible for most hiring managers. If they want five years and you have three to four, you shouldn’t let the opportunity pass you by. Structure your resume to show how much you know about the required responsibilities, not how many years you’ve been doing them.
When it comes to software or procedures, you do need to be up to speed before you’ll be considered. Before applying for jobs that have these requirements, consider taking an online course to learn what you need to know. Unless the posting requires expert experience, a hiring manager may consider your other talents more important than software or procedure expertise.
The idea here is to be flexible and to understand that employer specifications are generally flexible, as long as your background meets most of the other requirements.
Tuesday, August 9th, 2011
Recently, I spoke to an individual who wanted to use her resume for a position as an office manager, legal assistant, customer service rep and retail associate.
She had all the skills and experience required for each of the above positions, so that wasn’t the problem. However, to submit the same resume to hiring managers in different industries is inviting failure.
Why?
First – an applicant who is applying for everything looks scattered – the proverbial ‘Jack of all trades, master of none’. Secondly, a hiring manager will wonder about an individual who’s had so many career changes. Does the applicant get bored easily and move on with little notice? Is the candidate incapable of holding a job for very long?
Whenever you’re applying for a position, it’s best to stay on point with that industry’s requirements and leave all the other data for other industries. It’s never wise to use a ‘one size resume fits all industries’. Resumes need to be tailored and targeted for each field – preferably for each job opening.
If you’re going after a legal assistant’s job, why would the firm’s hiring manager care if you’re great in the retail trade? Although your people skills there and in a customer service position might serve you well in the legal arena, it still dilutes your impact if you’re talking about another industry.
Even worse is if your resume makes you look desperate. Trying to write a resume to fit more than one, perhaps multiple industries is simply stating: “I’ll take anything. Anything – please.”
That’s not the image you want to portray. Your resume needs to show that you are the single best candidate for the position in a field overloaded with other equally, qualified applicants. It needs to show your commitment to the position, the field, the employer and the industry. You can’t do that if you’re targeting several in the same document.
It needs to convey to the employer that you are interested in their opening and that you will do well at it.
Only a targeted and well-tailored resume will be able to do that.
