Tuesday, November 15th, 2011
Seeking employment at any age and in a poor economy will be daunting to most. Add in the worry about being too seasoned and you may wonder if you have a chance.
You do. What employers want is quite simple:
1. An employee that requires little to no training
2. Someone who works well with others and fits easily into the company structure
3. An achiever rather than an individual who just puts in his/her time
Experienced professionals can easily meet the above ‘wish list’. However, to wow an employer it’s important to structure your resume in a certain manner to showcase what you can offer.
Begin with an opening summary that proves you are the ideal candidate for the position. Dovetail all that you know to what the employer needs. Add one, preferably two, recent/relevant/quantified accomplishments.
Follow that section with even more accomplishments. Most candidates won’t do that. So you’re already well ahead of the pack. Make certain that you add dollar figures of cost savings or earnings, time periods in which the achievement took place and how you managed to excel. Tell a story.
Your professional experience comes next. Don’t make the mistake of listing every job from college on. Go back no further than 15 years (10 for someone in IT). You’ll avoid age discrimination that way. Again, focus on the results of what you did rather than tasks. There are many individuals who can do the same job. There aren’t as many who can make the company money or save it money.
End with your education. If you’re 50 or older it’s best to leave off dates of graduation. Again, you don’t want to invite age discrimination. You want to compel the hiring manager to offer you an interview.
It isn’t always age that keeps a candidate from succeeding. It’s not knowing what to showcase in a resume or how to organize the document.
Keep the above tips in mind and you’ll stand out from the rest.
Tuesday, November 8th, 2011
If you have to think about the answer too long, or if you’re satisfied with a flip response such as: “A great employee” without providing any supporting data to your statement, then you’re in trouble.
More and more companies are demanding that their employees prove their worth. It’s not enough to simply come in on time, engage in the tasks in your job description, then go home, especially if you’re in a contracting industry or your company is downsizing.
To be retained in this poor economy, you need to show your employer that you are invaluable. And if the worst happens and you’re laid off or your employer goes out of business, then you must market yourself to another company as being their only choice in a new hire.
How do you do this?
At your current job, keep updating your resume with all of your accomplishments (those activities in which you have either made your company money or saved it money). An up-to-date, polished resume will be invaluable should a promotion come available or if staff is going to be cut and your job is on the line.
If you’re looking for new employment, updating your resume is even more essential. Hiring managers and recruiters don’t know who you are and they won’t believe blanket statements like “I’m great at what I do”, “I’ll be an asset at your firm”. They want proof.
The only way to provide that proof is to again showcase what you’ve done at previous jobs. Make your resume accomplishment-focused rather than task-focused. There may be hundreds of other individuals who can do what you do on the job. But there’s only a few that will excel, proving they will grow a company, adding to its success.
From the first day of any job, you should be looking five years down the road to what you want next and how you intend to succeed. During that time, you should do all that you can to make certain your employer sees you as an asset rather than a liability.
Keep a running record of what you’ve achieved. That running record is a resume. Make certain it’s always updated, always ready for the new job search.
The kind of employee you should be is one that everyone wants. All you have to do is prove it.
Tuesday, November 1st, 2011
You’ve decided to take the plunge and get your resume written or revised by a professional company. Naturally, the cost of such a service is your most important consideration, along with the company’s reputation and client success.
Once you get past those initial concerns, your next thought may be:
1. The format you like best. Reverse chronological, functional, a combination of the two.
2. Presentation or template choice. Resume writing companies often have several from which to choose in a variety of fonts.
3. Page length. One, two or more?
While you’re pondering these choices or considering what the resume writer suggests, it’s important to remember one thing: What you like or don’t like is not as important as what the hiring manager expects to see.
That’s right, your opinion as to style, page length and template choice isn’t important. After all, you’re not the target audience for the resume. The hiring manager or recruiter is. Therefore, it’s best to keep their preferences in mind. And to trust your resume writer.
Professional resume writers know from experience what will fly with a hiring manager or a recruiter. They know not to list every single thing you’ve done in your professional or academic career even if the data is dear to your heart. They know personal information isn’t wise to include either. Yes, you’re very proud that you once won a music award. However, if you’re no longer in the performing arts, the hiring manager couldn’t care less about that part of your background.
Other pitfalls to avoid include:
1. Going back too far in your work history. That invites age discrimination.
2. Keeping your resume task oriented (daily duties) rather than showcasing accomplishments (results of what you’ve done).
3. Failing to quantify achievements.
4. Writing a ‘general, one-size-fits-all’ resume that is so generic none of your skills stand out.
Even if you’re tempted to tell the resume writer what you prefer, it’s best to listen to the advice she or he has to offer. If you’re told a two page resume is best, given the resume writer’s past experience, then believe what’s said. Your resume writer wants you to succeed and to get an interview.
Trust the experts. Listen to what they propose. Benefit from their years of expertise. And put the hiring manager or recruiter’s preferences first rather than your own.
Tuesday, October 25th, 2011
If you’ve ever researched resumes online or have written one yourself, you know that the basic resume format is an opening summary (or an objective) followed by professional experience and ending with education.
For many of us, that format works just fine.
But what if your circumstances are different and you don’t have a consistent work history? What if you have gaps? Spotty employment? You’ve job hopped a lot? What then?
You need to consider other resume formats to minimize those deficiencies as much as possible.
The most popular resume format is the reverse chronological. You present your most recent job first, followed by the next most recent and on and on. Employers prefer this type of resume as it clearly shows job progression, length of employment and gaps.
Since gaps are a negative, many candidates want to hide them. The format they might choose is called functional. In a functional resume, a skills section follows the opening summary (or objective), stating the individual’s strengths. For a salesperson that might be cold calling, closing, upselling, etc. This section, rich with detail, is then followed by an employment area with no detail whatsoever. The idea here is to show what you know rather than where you learned and used it.
While that might seem like a good idea, know this – hiring managers don’t like functional formats because they do hide gaps.
Keeping that in mind, another format has become popular and it’s called a combination resume. In this type of document, a skills section follows the opening summary…showing the candidate’s knowledge and abilities in a particular industry or position. Following that is the professional experience section in a reverse chronological order. Details are provided. Dates given. Yes, the gaps are still there for all to see; however, the hope is that the previous skills section is so strong that a hiring manager will still be impressed enough to consider the individual for an interview.
If you have a less than perfect background – and most of us have something we’re worried about – then it’s wise to organize your data to showcase your strengths and minimize any negatives. The correct resume format can go a long way toward doing that.
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