The whole idea behind seeking professional assistance to create a powerful resume and portfolio of career documents is to get ahead of the competition. You do this by crafting a document that truly represents your strengths and achievements while never losing sight of the expectations of those likely to be reading it.
I was talking with a client who had previously sent off her resume to a multi-national corporation that promised to deliver a resume and cover letter for $50 based on answers to a questionnaire she had to fill out online. If you needed it real quick -for an extra $10 you could get it within 4 hours!
When my client received her freshly minted document, she was surprised to find that the resume she put together herself looked better than the resume that had just popped into her inbox!
Companies that claim they can produce a resume document without speaking to you are going to regurgitate the content of your old resume and toss it into a cookie cutter template. What else can they do?
If you've read my previous blog entry "Content is King", you'll already know why this mass produced, cheap, cookie-cutter approach will pretty much guarantee a stuttering continuation of your job search. If you think it saves money in the short term - consider the long term impact a poorly crafted document can have on your ability to secure an interview for a job that you really want!
If you have decided that you need assistance in crafting your documents, consider partnering with a consultant who will take the time to understand your career, aims and professional accomplishments. If a job's worth doing, it's worth doing well!
Friday, November 20, 2009
Not All Resumes Are Created Equal!
I was contacted recently by a client looking to update their resume. The client wanted us to add in his most recent position but did not want us to re-write the resume as it had been "professionally done" by another resume writing firm.
After reviewing his documents, I was dumbfounded.
The format of the "professionally written" cover letter was unlike anything I had seen in a decade of reviewing resumes! The letter itself started more than half way down the page, with the entire top half dedicated to the inappropriate structuring of personal contact information and a sequence of bizarre spacing that made me wonder if a high school student had attempted to format it. The content of the letter repeated the detail found in the "Summary" section of the resume - never a good idea for reasons that will be explained in a future blog.
The resume itself looked like any other resume I've seen where job seekers have attempted to 'give it a go' themselves by using online templates and such like and the client had actually paid money for someone to produce this for him!
The content was bland, uninspiring and merely listed basic duties and alluded to "bringing value" and a "terrific ability to connect with people", without ever expanding upon these statements with facts, results, achievements or any other tangible benefit resulting from his corporate contributions or personal attributes.
The professional experience section gave as much weighting to his post-graduate entry level position 12 years prior as it did to his most recent advanced professional experience. They were afforded 4 bullet points each. WHY?
Tenses fluctuated from past to present within the space of a few words, full stops were missing in action, there was even a section on there where they had used a smaller text size to squeeze it all onto 2 pages. It looked terrible and I felt very sorry for him.
Here was a very nice guy trying to make his way and advance his career and who had invested in a service he thought would serve him well in front of hiring managers. Instead he was given a resume document that looks like he had thrown it together himself and a cover letter a high school student would receive a 'D' for (or a clip round the ear if it was 1960).
As much as I wanted to help him, I couldn't consent to working on the project as I could not associate my business with that resume unless I was tasked with completely re-working it. This was something which the client was unwilling to do as he had already paid for it to be "professionally done". I understood his predicament.
Choose your resume writing partner carefully. If a resume writer does not have an extensive prior professional background in recruiting, then they cannot possibly know how a diverse range of employers across a variety of industries hire, who they hire and why they hire them.
My background affords me the luxury of knowing what works and what most certainly does not work when it comes to grabbing the attention of a hiring manager.
Watch out for a future blog entry detailing 'what you should look for in a resume writer' and how 'telling isn't selling'!
After reviewing his documents, I was dumbfounded.
The format of the "professionally written" cover letter was unlike anything I had seen in a decade of reviewing resumes! The letter itself started more than half way down the page, with the entire top half dedicated to the inappropriate structuring of personal contact information and a sequence of bizarre spacing that made me wonder if a high school student had attempted to format it. The content of the letter repeated the detail found in the "Summary" section of the resume - never a good idea for reasons that will be explained in a future blog.
The resume itself looked like any other resume I've seen where job seekers have attempted to 'give it a go' themselves by using online templates and such like and the client had actually paid money for someone to produce this for him!
The content was bland, uninspiring and merely listed basic duties and alluded to "bringing value" and a "terrific ability to connect with people", without ever expanding upon these statements with facts, results, achievements or any other tangible benefit resulting from his corporate contributions or personal attributes.
The professional experience section gave as much weighting to his post-graduate entry level position 12 years prior as it did to his most recent advanced professional experience. They were afforded 4 bullet points each. WHY?
Tenses fluctuated from past to present within the space of a few words, full stops were missing in action, there was even a section on there where they had used a smaller text size to squeeze it all onto 2 pages. It looked terrible and I felt very sorry for him.
Here was a very nice guy trying to make his way and advance his career and who had invested in a service he thought would serve him well in front of hiring managers. Instead he was given a resume document that looks like he had thrown it together himself and a cover letter a high school student would receive a 'D' for (or a clip round the ear if it was 1960).
As much as I wanted to help him, I couldn't consent to working on the project as I could not associate my business with that resume unless I was tasked with completely re-working it. This was something which the client was unwilling to do as he had already paid for it to be "professionally done". I understood his predicament.
Choose your resume writing partner carefully. If a resume writer does not have an extensive prior professional background in recruiting, then they cannot possibly know how a diverse range of employers across a variety of industries hire, who they hire and why they hire them.
My background affords me the luxury of knowing what works and what most certainly does not work when it comes to grabbing the attention of a hiring manager.
Watch out for a future blog entry detailing 'what you should look for in a resume writer' and how 'telling isn't selling'!
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
300:1
It wasn't so long ago that the buoyant job market and apparent shortage of qualified candidates spun a tale that brought the phrases "Gen X" and "Gen Y" into the mainstream lexicon.
Employee wages and benefits were on the rise as forward thinking companies embraced the realities of the market and took concrete steps to offer innovative incentives or sweeteners to make sure they snared the best candidates for themselves. Many business and HR publications ran headlines that screamed about "skill shortages" and space fillers such as "top tips for employee retention" flooded the media. Then came the financial collapse..
Now, it's a different story. These days I'm hearing the same thing time and again - "competition is fierce"! Case in point, I was talking with a resume client last week about this issue. She works for one of the larger finance firms in town and her company had been actively recruiting for a low level 'teller' position. More than 300 applications rolled through the door and the posting still had a week to run!
How do you stand out among the crowd? If you're application was one of 300+ - what would separate you from your peers? What would catch the eye of a hiring manager as they spend their 30 seconds skimming your profile and resume?
Having your resume professionally crafted will certainly give you an edge on your competition! The aim is to get you an interview, make the final cut, then let your masterful interview technique and solid interview preparation dazzle the awaiting panel of judges. If your resume isn't as competent as it should be then you will certainly be marginalized by applicants who may be no more qualified than you but who have invested in creating a professional portfolio that is presented in an easy to read, eye catching format.
As I say in my marketing material - "Partnering with us could be the best career decision you ever make!". I wasn't exaggerating!
Employee wages and benefits were on the rise as forward thinking companies embraced the realities of the market and took concrete steps to offer innovative incentives or sweeteners to make sure they snared the best candidates for themselves. Many business and HR publications ran headlines that screamed about "skill shortages" and space fillers such as "top tips for employee retention" flooded the media. Then came the financial collapse..
Now, it's a different story. These days I'm hearing the same thing time and again - "competition is fierce"! Case in point, I was talking with a resume client last week about this issue. She works for one of the larger finance firms in town and her company had been actively recruiting for a low level 'teller' position. More than 300 applications rolled through the door and the posting still had a week to run!
How do you stand out among the crowd? If you're application was one of 300+ - what would separate you from your peers? What would catch the eye of a hiring manager as they spend their 30 seconds skimming your profile and resume?
Having your resume professionally crafted will certainly give you an edge on your competition! The aim is to get you an interview, make the final cut, then let your masterful interview technique and solid interview preparation dazzle the awaiting panel of judges. If your resume isn't as competent as it should be then you will certainly be marginalized by applicants who may be no more qualified than you but who have invested in creating a professional portfolio that is presented in an easy to read, eye catching format.
As I say in my marketing material - "Partnering with us could be the best career decision you ever make!". I wasn't exaggerating!
Friday, November 13, 2009
Content is King!
During a recent association event I got talking to an old acquaintance who happens to be the CFO of a local junior resource company. We discussed career issues, hiring practices and resume writing, specifically, writing your own resume.
Having worked closely with this professional in my previous life as an executive recruiter, I had been responsible for re-writing his resume, providing interview coaching and actually placing him in a position he still holds.
During our discussion he gave me insight into the way some people in his network go about preparing themselves for career advancement and how some of them didn't see the value in working with a professional to help them with this process.
He wasn't complaining, as although his peers shared similar professional and experiential characteristics, he knew that he stood head and shoulders above his executive level competition on account of his superior personal branding strategy and portfolio of professionally crafted documents.
Apparently, some of his peers had scoured the internet for "templates" and inserted choice words and phrases into the slots in a bid to produce a document that at least looked like it had been formatted appropriately!
Further, how often have you been asked to tell someone what you do day to day and can only muster 3 or 4 sentences? Try it now. What do you do on a day to day basis? Do the sentences you have just articulated do you justice? Would you rely upon them to accurately convey the extent of your current level of responsibility? Are you confident they will set you apart from your peers and every other job competitor?
Such folly fails to appreciate that a significant part of the job of a resume writer is to extract minute detail and construct a narrative that incorporates the needs and wants of the hiring manager or executive designated to make a determination as to who gets selected for interview...and who does not. Templates are for the masses. Let everyone else use them!
By working with a consultant who has an extensive background in recruiting, placement, resume writing and interview techniques, we can uncover the detail you need to do you justice in front of the hardest task master of all - the hiring manager!
It's not just the way the resume looks - it's the content that counts. As the saying goes...Content is King!
Having worked closely with this professional in my previous life as an executive recruiter, I had been responsible for re-writing his resume, providing interview coaching and actually placing him in a position he still holds.
During our discussion he gave me insight into the way some people in his network go about preparing themselves for career advancement and how some of them didn't see the value in working with a professional to help them with this process.
He wasn't complaining, as although his peers shared similar professional and experiential characteristics, he knew that he stood head and shoulders above his executive level competition on account of his superior personal branding strategy and portfolio of professionally crafted documents.
Apparently, some of his peers had scoured the internet for "templates" and inserted choice words and phrases into the slots in a bid to produce a document that at least looked like it had been formatted appropriately!
Further, how often have you been asked to tell someone what you do day to day and can only muster 3 or 4 sentences? Try it now. What do you do on a day to day basis? Do the sentences you have just articulated do you justice? Would you rely upon them to accurately convey the extent of your current level of responsibility? Are you confident they will set you apart from your peers and every other job competitor?
Such folly fails to appreciate that a significant part of the job of a resume writer is to extract minute detail and construct a narrative that incorporates the needs and wants of the hiring manager or executive designated to make a determination as to who gets selected for interview...and who does not. Templates are for the masses. Let everyone else use them!
By working with a consultant who has an extensive background in recruiting, placement, resume writing and interview techniques, we can uncover the detail you need to do you justice in front of the hardest task master of all - the hiring manager!
It's not just the way the resume looks - it's the content that counts. As the saying goes...Content is King!
www.DON'TDOTHIS.com
With the advent of the internet and myriad of related technologies, it is easier than ever to connect with people online and promote your particular skills, experience and personal attributes in the hope of expanding your network or pitching for an open position.
However, things can go awry.
Consider this. A recent graduate engaged us to work solely on his cover letter as he was quite pleased with his resume and "online presence". He was convinced that his inability to construct a professional cover letter was hindering his ability to connect with an employer, specifically, some of Vancouver's larger corporations.
On reviewing his resume, I couldn't help but notice the web address that adorned each page, enticing the reader to view www.HISNAME.com.
Naturally, I followed the link into his "online presence" and was greeted by a picture of what appeared to be a magician with magic dust circling his head and skulls and crossbones in each corner of the screen. The site had several public access areas but the content did not get any better. In among this strange blend of artistry, detailed personal preferences and inappropriate symbology lay his online resume profile!
The candidate had been sending out his resume for lower level roles in large corporations and was not receiving any encouragement whatsoever from the employers he was contacting. I wonder why!
Sometimes I think it goes without saying that this approach should not be aspired to, but perhaps i'm being presumptuous. There are many people out there keen to leverage any perceived advantage in order to steal a march on the competition. Ironically, in such cases, you're guaranteed to have your resume make acquaintance with the corporate shredder in short order.
I don't recommend www.YOURNAME.com type profiles. There's no need for them. Further, there is always the tendency to "expand" upon irrelevancies, upload a mugshot, customize the template to include favourite colours and designs or include information that is entirely inappropriate for review by a CORPORATE hiring manager.
As an experienced Recruiter, I often came across online resume links. It gave me another opportunity to vet the applicant and assess his/her suitability for the role. Read that line again. It's all you need to know!
However, things can go awry.
Consider this. A recent graduate engaged us to work solely on his cover letter as he was quite pleased with his resume and "online presence". He was convinced that his inability to construct a professional cover letter was hindering his ability to connect with an employer, specifically, some of Vancouver's larger corporations.
On reviewing his resume, I couldn't help but notice the web address that adorned each page, enticing the reader to view www.HISNAME.com.
Naturally, I followed the link into his "online presence" and was greeted by a picture of what appeared to be a magician with magic dust circling his head and skulls and crossbones in each corner of the screen. The site had several public access areas but the content did not get any better. In among this strange blend of artistry, detailed personal preferences and inappropriate symbology lay his online resume profile!
The candidate had been sending out his resume for lower level roles in large corporations and was not receiving any encouragement whatsoever from the employers he was contacting. I wonder why!
Sometimes I think it goes without saying that this approach should not be aspired to, but perhaps i'm being presumptuous. There are many people out there keen to leverage any perceived advantage in order to steal a march on the competition. Ironically, in such cases, you're guaranteed to have your resume make acquaintance with the corporate shredder in short order.
I don't recommend www.YOURNAME.com type profiles. There's no need for them. Further, there is always the tendency to "expand" upon irrelevancies, upload a mugshot, customize the template to include favourite colours and designs or include information that is entirely inappropriate for review by a CORPORATE hiring manager.
As an experienced Recruiter, I often came across online resume links. It gave me another opportunity to vet the applicant and assess his/her suitability for the role. Read that line again. It's all you need to know!
Monday, November 9, 2009
The Eyes Have It!
When you have finished drafting your resume and cover letter - make sure you get someone else to read it over for you! A pair of fresh eyes could be all it takes to uncover the hidden errors lurking in your documents that quite often survive the spellcheck!
The original resume of a recent client had stated rather impressively that they were a "gifted oral and written communicator". Further down the same page they wanted to convey an example to back up an earlier statement - it read something like this "hosted a series of customer events such as such as wine and cheese evenings".
The double "such as" entry will survive a spell check and because you've just laboured over your document, when you read it over, your brain reads what you wanted to say, not necessarily what you did say!
If you've set yourself up in the eyes of the hiring manager as a "gifted written communicator", such errors will cast a shadow of doubt over any other claim you make about yourself.
Get a friend or family member to look it over for you or send it to an expert resume writer for a review and commentary. Either way, make sure you put your best foot forward!
The original resume of a recent client had stated rather impressively that they were a "gifted oral and written communicator". Further down the same page they wanted to convey an example to back up an earlier statement - it read something like this "hosted a series of customer events such as such as wine and cheese evenings".
The double "such as" entry will survive a spell check and because you've just laboured over your document, when you read it over, your brain reads what you wanted to say, not necessarily what you did say!
If you've set yourself up in the eyes of the hiring manager as a "gifted written communicator", such errors will cast a shadow of doubt over any other claim you make about yourself.
Get a friend or family member to look it over for you or send it to an expert resume writer for a review and commentary. Either way, make sure you put your best foot forward!
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