Tuesday, September 20th, 2011
There are a few lucky people out there who have perfect job histories. No gaps in employment. No job hopping. No downsizing at their firms. No career transitions.
Most of us, however, have something in our past that we fear will hurt our future chances. So, what do you do to turn a negative into a positive?
First of all, look at yourself as a product you want to sell to the company with your resume and cover letter as the advertisements. With that in mind, try to minimize the negatives. For example, when you see a soft drink commercial, there’s no mention about sugar adding empty calories, harming teeth and contributing to ill health. The entire focus is on taste and sharing a soda with friends.
Keeping that in mind, never begin your cover letter with a statement like – “I know I don’t have any experience in this field, however…” No one will get past the no experience part. Or “I was laid off and haven’t had a job for two years, but…” Again, few will get past the ‘laid off’ and ‘no job’ for several years.
Instead, dovetail what you do know or what you’ve learned through recent retraining to open your cover letter and your resume. The first paragraph of your cover letter might read something like this:
“With comprehensive experience in accounting, including serving as the liaison with the IRS at XYZ firm, I can minimize company tax burdens. While at XYZ firm, I saved the company $1.5 million in tax liabilities.”
Nowhere in that paragraph does it say that the candidate is currently unemployed, nor should it. Instead, it begins with a positive – how s/he can save the company money through tax negotiations.
On the resume, the same concept is used in the opening summary. Start strong with one, preferably two recent/relevant/quantified accomplishments that will translate well to the job you’re seeking. In an endless sea of resumes and applicants, hiring managers notice this kind of data.
As to not having experience. If you’ve never worked in an industry and have no training in it, then don’t apply. Simple as that, because you’re wasting your time. However, if you’ve been trained in the field, play that up, not the fact that you have no experience. In the first paragraph of your cover letter, you might write something like this:
“In response to your posting for a dental assistant, I have worked with (then name the tools you used at school, the techniques, everything you trained in.) Be detailed. Don’t apologize for not having experience, present your skills and what expertise you do have.
Getting an interview isn’t easy, especially in our current economy. Even so, many individuals with less-than-perfect backgrounds do it every day. Their secret is simply presenting themselves in the best possible light in their cover letters and resumes.
Tuesday, September 13th, 2011
We’ve all seen job postings that state: applicants must include salary expectations to be given serious consideration.
In this tight job market, it’s enough to make even the best candidate panic. You know what you’re worth. You know what your current job pays or what you received at your last position, and you certainly don’t want to dip too far below that. However, you’re also concerned that if you set your expectations too high, you won’t be called in to interview.
What do you do?
There are three possibilities, depending upon your unique situation:
1. Your industry is healthy and is hiring. You know your worth and demand the same or better as you received at your current or previous job. In this scenario, you would clearly state what your salary expectations are. Something like: ‘I’m seeking $100,000 annually.’
2. Your industry is still hiring, but its health is shaky. You’re concerned you may price yourself out of the market. Therefore, you want to take a less aggressive approach than #1 and write something like: ‘Seeking compensation between $55,000-70,000 annually.’ That way, you’re giving the company wiggle room.
3. You’re desperate for a position – any position. You’ve been unemployed for too long or you can see the end coming at your current job. For those of you who fit these criteria, you’d write: ‘Salary open.’ If you’re afraid that won’t fly and the hiring manager will demand a stated number, research compensation for your industry/position in your geographic area and either choose the middle figure or the lowest one.
Salary expectation is simply one hurdle that you’ll have to move past in your quest for an interview. Understanding how important the job is to you and the reality of your economic situation, will allow you to choose the correct approach.
Tuesday, September 6th, 2011
But you’re afraid to start looking for a new one given the poor hiring pace?
The thing to do if you’re getting burned out at your current position is to start making moves, no matter how small, toward a new one. And that means being prepared.
First, you need to look at the opportunities in your industry or those that you can transition to if your type of job is being outsourced or downsized. With that information, you need to take a hard look at your resume. How long has it been since you’ve updated it? A year? Two? Three? More?
Even if it’s been no more than six months, you need to add the ‘wow’ factor to your resume so that new employers take notice.
What is the ‘wow’ factor?
1. A qualifications summary that tells the hiring manager instantly how you’re the perfect candidate for that particular position. No generic, one-size-fits all data will do here. You need to dovetail whatever it is you do to precisely what the employer wants.
2. A strong career accomplishments section with quantified data. It’s not enough to boast that you’re a hard worker and you’ve never missed a day on the job. That’s what your boss expects. You need to go beyond that to how you either made your company money or saved it money. Include dollar figures or percentages and time periods. If you made a million dollars for your company over a 10-year period, it doesn’t have as much weight or ‘wow’ as if you did the same thing within eight months of hire.
3. A professional experience section that includes only that information pertinent to the job you’re seeking. Perhaps you’ve seesawed between accounting and retail management. If you’re going back to accounting, don’t showcase the retail management experience. Remember, the employer is looking for someone who’s a perfect fit.
It’s never too soon for you to look for your next opportunity. Polish your resume, give it the ‘wow’ factor and make certain it showcases you as the ideal candidate.
That way if you’re unhappy at your current position, you’ll be able to send your resume out to new companies immediately.
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.
