10/17 Preparation Pays Off!!

I recently had the opportunity to work with a 2007 college graduate from Elon College.  His parents felt that a proper graduation gift should include services related to helping him find a job.  They pulled out all of the stops and purchased a professional package which included résumé, cover letter, and interview preparation.  In addition to writing the résumé, cover letter, and a separate introductory letter for job prospecting purposes, we met on four separate occasions to review interview and job search strategy.

My client prepared a targeted list of companies that he was interested in working at, researched companies for contact information, and contacted the alumni office at Elon to see if there were any Elon graduates working at companies on his “A” list.  His preparation and professionalism paid off as he did land interviews at some of his company prospects utilizing his alumni networking strategy. 

Ultimately as a result of my client’s hard work and diligent preparation he landed himself a job at the company of his choice, and was actually offered a higher level sales position that is ordinarily offered only to company “insiders” with 2-3 years of experience.  He also accepted a salary that was $6,000 more than the initial figures discussed at the beginning of the application process.

So the long and short of my point, job search is a full-time job and requires diligent preparation, networking, and interview preparation.  You should utilize a number of online resources and books to study the latest styles of interviews and which kind you will most likely face in your industry.  Review popular interview questions and prepare answers ahead of time.  Preparation pays off at all levels of the market, recent college graduates to senior executives, and truly, depending upon where you are in your career, the pressure is no less or greater.

My client’s words are below.

“I think the resume and reviewing helped as the position I got is not entry level and they do not normally hire outside for this position, plus I get about 6k more than the original position I applied for.  Thanks so much for all the help you gave me!  I believe it was a large help to me getting a higher level position.”

Will B. Recent College Graduate, Maryland 

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06/05 Secrets of Working with Recruiters

With a new season, comes new strategies in job search techniques.  For seven years now, I’ve worked WITH job seekers in preparing resumes, reviewing job announcements, and providing interview tips.  I enjoy this aspect very much in terms of helping others build confidence in themselves and help them improve their ability to speak about themselves. 

Recently, I’ve started to take a little bit of a role in recruiting and it’s truly helping me understand what goes wrong with well-intended job seekers.  I’m including several observations I’ve made recently in hopes of helping others understand the “placement” side to job search.

1.  Recruiters are not specifically interested in career changers - Recruiters are hired by a company to search for and find the “ideal candidate”.  They’re not interested in making a square peg fit into a round hole.  More likely, they’re much more apt in locating a perfect 360 degree candidate fit into a perfect 360 degree hole. 

2. Recruiters are paid very well to be exclusive rather than inclusive.  Referring to the “round hole” concept, recruiters are not interested in forwarding “maybes” onto their client.  They are only interested in referring “perfect candidates” that their client will be ready to intervew and hopefully have a few choices in who they can make an offer to.

3. Job seekers submit resumes for positions in HOPE that recruiters or hiring managers will overlook the fact that the candidate is lacking required skills.  Here’s a thought, if a recipe requires beef broth as a major ingredient and you pour in chicken broth instead, is the recipe going to turn out the way you expect?  NO!? Why not? Because the recipe required beef broth and you didn’t use it.  The same prinicple applies to required skills.  If the company requires that a candidate have a Master’s degree, CPA license, and six sigma experience, then they’re not going to select someone with a Bachelor’s degree, no CPA, and no six sigma experience. 

Honestly, I’ve given advice to people to “apply anyway” you never know.  Now, having been on the “other side” I have better advice.  IF you apply, don’t get your hopes up, because you lack specific requirements for the job.  There’s a 100% chance that the resume will be tossed aside for more qualified candidates.

4. Recruiters may be networked, meaning they may work in a shared network where they can review job postings of other recruiters, send over candidates, and share the placement fee.  So, when working with recruiters, ask if there’s any way that they can “shop you around” if you’re not the candidate that they are looking for.

5. The more online job boards your resume is posted on, the less likely it is that you may get a call.  What?!  “How are people supposed to find me?” you ask.  Recruiters may see if your resume is posted on the major job boards out there to see how long you’ve been looking.  There are a couple of reasons for this:

         a. If you’ve been looking for a long time, they may reason that you’re desparate and not a good candidate.

         b. If you’re resume is posted on the job boards, the actual company they are recruiting for could have seen your resume and kept moving by now.

         c. If you’re resume is posted on the job boards, you may have already applied for a specific job with the company that they are recruiting for.  And if you’ve already applied and haven’t received a call, then the company obviously isn’t interested in you.

So how do you combat this? Post your resume anonymously on the job boards.  This is a good idea too of protecting you against identity fraud and preventing unethical recruiters from submitting your resume to companies without your knowledge.  Most recruiters are upright people who live by their reputation, but as with any industry, there are some people who live by lower standards and choose “not to play nicely with others.”  Another reason for posting anonymously is to prevent your current employer from discovering that you are looking.  Yes, some companies will do regular searches looking for new candidates, and if your resume appears on the screen, your secret is out.

 So, there you have it, Five Secrets to Working with recruiters.  I hope you find it helpful.

 

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05/05 Video Resumes - Wave of the Future or Flood of Lawsuites?

Beth Colley, CPRW, CFJST, Chesapeake Résumé Writing Service

Job Seekers, certified professional résumé writers, and hiring managers will soon be facing a new challenge in the employment market – What to do with new and upcoming trend of video résumés.  It’s true, video résumés are not flooding the job market scene yet, but what will happen in the next five years? And how will job seekers, hiring managers, and professional résumé writers handle these challenges? 

Career Builder announced at the Career Master’s Institute Convention in Louisville, KY April 25-28, 2007, that they will be implementing a way for job seekers to upload video résumés into their résumé portfolio by the year’s end. While attending a recent Anne Arundel Society of Human Resource Management meeting, I asked a group of hiring managers and an employment law attorney, what they would do if they received a video résumé.

One HR professional noted that she would immediately open it and view it, for curiosity if nothing more.  She likes job candidates who have original ideas and who are “cutting edge”.  Another professional noted she would never open a video résumé because of the potential for law suites citing EEOC violations and discriminatory practices.  A third hiring manager said that she would most likely pick up the phone to call the candidate without viewing the video and ask that he submit a traditional paper résumé.  Someone else noted that the use of video résumés could be used as an opportunity to gain further insight to a candidate’s capabilities after they were in serious hiring negotiations and they felt that it would be ok, once they had seen all potential candidates through an in-person interview.

The “unofficial” legal advice that came from the table was for hiring managers to have a standard policy on video résumés just as they would for any hiring practice.  If video résumés are going to be used as an evaluation measure, then they need to be required of all candidates in addition to a traditional résumé. 

So there you have it.  I think it’s safe to say that video résumés can be of some value to a candidate, but only as an addendum to the traditional résumé.  Over the next few years, job seekers will probably need to consider a multi-media portfolio which consists of a paper formatted résumé, an e-résumé, a PowerPoint demonstration, and a video résumé. 

I see both pro’s and con’s with this kind of strategy.  For one, serious job seekers who have some money to invest in their job search could afford to pay people like professional résumé writers and multi-media specialists to provide the guidance, resources, and expertise to give them the professional edge that they need to succeed.  But for the amateur who thinks he can just put together a two minute video résumé using a web cam could prove disastrous especially IF hiring managers begin using video résumés as a standard hiring practice.  It could be like diving into a 3 foot pool of water head first.

So to sum it up, here’s my advice before submitting a video résumé or any kind of résumé for that matter.  Do your homework – research the company, target your résumé accordingly, network within the organization first to see if you have the skills, background, and talent, that they are seeking, and then submit it to the proper hiring authority.

♦♦♦

Beth Colley is a Certified Professional Résumé Writer and Certified Federal Job Search Trainer.  She founded Chesapeake Résumé Writing Service in Crownsville, MD in 2004. She can be contacted through email at resume@chesres.com, or telephone 410-533-2457. Her web site is www.chesres.com 

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04/23 Five Quick Tips in Writing Resumes

Chesapeake Résumé Writing Service: Helping people chart a new course to success
 

Job search is a full-time 40 hour per week job without benefits  no fun. However, a well-written résumé chock full of accomplishments and an appealing format can help you land more interviews faster.  Here are a few tips toward creating a stronger résumé.

 

1.      Choose the correct type of résumé:  There are essentially three kinds of résumés, chronological, combined, and functional.  While a chronological résumé adequately serves most people’s needs, there are times when this format (listing jobs from most recent to least recent) may not be appropriate.  When changing careers, returning to the workforce after an extensive absence, or entering the workforce for the first time, a résumé which highlights skills (combined style or functional style) over chronological experience may serve you better. 

 

2.      Use a Career Summary instead of an objective: Job objectives listing a desired position add no value to the résumé. Instead create a career-specific job summary which includes number of years of experience in your field, key strengths and skills, and any awards that will make you stand out.

 

3.      Include accomplishments: Accomplishments set you apart from the competition. Include specific information such as what kinds of steps you took to resolve problems, increase company revenue, streamline operations, turn around an underperforming department, awards earned, etc.  Use numbers or percentages where appropriate.

 

4.      Be careful in your use of dates: Don’t show your age, especially if you’re over 45.  Don’t include work history beyond 20 years. Don’t include college graduation dates unless it’s been within the past five years.

 

5.      Minimize or exclude personal information: Personal information such as hobbies, family accomplishments, and religious or political affiliations, in general, should be left out. This kind of information can actually inadvertently reveal information about you that could prove discriminatory.

 

Have fun with the résumé and approach it from a creative perspective rather than a task. This is an opportunity for you to tell the world about your greatest achievements.  Allow the résumé to be as long or as short as necessary.  There is no rule as to the length of a résumé, however, typically 1-2 pages is preferred.

 

 Beth Colley is a Certified Professional Résumé Writer and is the founder of Chesapeake Résumé Writing Service.  Her services include résumé writing, professional biographies, individual résumé coaching, and federal job search coaching.  She can be contacted by email at resume@chesres.com, or by calling 410-533-2457.  Her web site is www.chesres.com
 

 

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01/12 Salary Negotiations

Ok, so you’ve made it through the first round or two of interviews and it’s time to talk salary.  How do you handle that sensitive issue.  Remember, he who states a number first is the loser.  If the company is really interested in you and is ready to talk dollars, you actually have the upper hand in the bargaining game.  A couple of tips I suggest:

1. Speak in salary ranges.  An employer may ask what you’re looking for.  Give them a range of $5-10 thousand dollars. If you want $89K, say something between $87 and $95K depending upon benefits.  Then negotiate from there.

2. When they make you an offer, don’t immediately accept it.  Ask them how much room there is for negotiation and tell them you’d like a little time to consider all of the options. Ask for a 24-48 hour window and then call back.

3. If the job offer involves a move, find out how much the relocation package is worth and if there will be any expenses on your part.  If there are going to be some expenses on your part, ask for a signing bonus, additional compensation, or a way to minimize your out-of-pocket expenses.  Remember, if your house doesn’t sell right away, it’s possible that you could be carrying 2 mortgages for some time.

4. Consider the culture of the company.  Salary and benefits aren’t everything. Don’t get me wrong, you need to earn what it takes for you to live at a certain standard, but your happiness in a job and the culture of the company is more important than any pay check that you’ll ever receive. If the company is the right fit and has what you’re looking for, then you should consider all personal and professional benefits related to working in a positive work environment.  You don’t want to be looking for a new job in two years and the company certainly doesn’t want to be conducting another recruitment in two years.

5. No matter what decision you make or what happens as part of the negotiation, be enthusiastic, appear gracious, and remain professional.  The company has done you a favor and has already possibly spent thousands of dollars recruiting you.

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11/30 Holidys Can be Fruitful for Job Seekers

Job seekers usually do not think of the Holidays as the best time of the year to be conducting a job search.  While it’s true that hiring is slower during the Holiday time, most companies that have openings are looking to hire someone before the end of the year, or at least have the candidate pool narrowed down to the top two or three. Most job seekers will wait until the start of the new year to start sending out resumes which means the applicant pool, and consequently your competition is greater.  By having your resume into the circulation and at least one interview under your belt, you could have an edge over someone who waits.

It may seem better to wait and “enjoy the holidays” without having significant work responsibilities, but the pay off immediately following the holiday season can be more fruitful for those job seekers doing due diligence between Thanksgiving and New Year’s.

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11/13 Chesapeake Resume Writing Service featured in new resume book

Beth Colley from Chesapeake Resume

Writing Service Featured in New Book for

Baby Boomers

Crownsville, Maryland, Nov. 12, 2006 - Beth Colley, owner of Chesapeake Résumé Writing Service, has been selected from among hundreds of professional résumé writers across the nation to contribute samples of her work to Expert Resumes for Baby Boomers, a new book by professional resume writers Wendy Enelow and Louise Kursmark.
“The authors invited hundreds of career professionals to submit samples of their best work for consideration. They chose Ms. Colley’s work to include because of the quality of the writing and formatting, and how well their work demonstrates the best strategies for people in mid- or late-career transition,” said Lori Cates Hand, Trade Product Manager for JIST Publishing.
Expert Resumes for Baby Boomers is the first book of its kind. Written for people born between 1946 and 1964, it gives top-notch résumé samples for people who want to advance, change, or downshift their careers, as well as those who want to keep working beyond retirement.
For additional information on Ms. Colley, contact Beth Colley at 410-533-2457 or visit www.chesres.com. Expert Resumes for Baby Boomers is available in bookstores nationwide and directly from the publisher at www.jist.com.
ABOUT
Chesapeake Résumé Writing Service provides customized and personalized résumé writing services for professionals ranging from entry-level to senior executives.  Ms. Colley has earned two professional credentials in the field: Certified Professional Résumé Writer (CPRW) and Certified Federal Job Search Trainer (CFJST).  Services provided by Chesapeake Résumé Writing Service include professional résumés, cover letters, professional bio’s, federal résumés, KSA’s, interview coaching/preparation, and résumé critiques.

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