Archive for January, 2010
Is your resume lagging behind your career?
Posted by Laura Smith-Proulx, Executive Resume Writer in executive resume samples, executive resume writing on January 26, 2010
If you’ve been ascending the career ladder, your executive resume has probably seen many changes throughout the years.
During this time, the real story of your brand and qualifications can get lost throughout job changes and new responsibilities.
This isn’t a problem, of course, until you‘re looking for a new job. That’s when employers won’t be able to see the meaning behind your achievements or figure out what you’re really offering.
If your resume doesn’t capture your current status, you’ll need to give it a fresh look and personality that reflects today’s trends, using these 3 steps as a start:
1 – Clarify your achievements and brand—past the point of keywords.
Skills and buzzwords are great for those in the early and mid-stages of their careers. You can quickly add these to your resume and get others to grasp the breadth of your experience.
However, this isn’t so easy once you’ve arrived (at a management or executive level, that is).
This is the point at which your overall brand message needs to bubble up through the individual accomplishments that you’re using on the resume.
Sifting through your successes and what they mean to your next employer is an important step, and one that I’ve covered here in more detail.
2 – Take a look at your resume presentation style.
Chances are good that, if you’ve just piled on your last few jobs, the format is outdated and won’t represent you at the correct level.
I frequently advise executive job hunters to surf for professional resume samples, not as a copying exercise, but to get a feel for what your competition is offering.
Of course, since your goal is to stand out, you’ll want to avoid just plopping your content into that minimalist Microsoft Word resume template (which isn’t made for executives).
Avoid taking the easy way out—like 90% of all job hunters—especially if your field demands innovation and energy. Instead, build an executive message by formatting your resume to reflect the stature that you’re earned.
3 – Keep up with the trends.
Resume formats, practices, and principles change constantly, whether you’re aware of it or not. What worked well for you a few years back (or what your college career center told you) is passé today.
Even what your friends tell you is outdated, unless they have a finger on the pulse of the hiring industry—and they rarely do.
Take the functional resume, for example (please). A few years back, these were all the rage. Now try it, and you’ll quickly find out that HR is on to you and will reject your application.
You’re better off writing your executive resume to show transferable skills AND job titles now, plus networking to make an impression before the resume is seen.
One of the best ways to see what’s new in executive resume writing is to view global competition award entries and winners. Here, you’ll see some striking differences in layout, font, color, and treatment of special situations.
Want better results? Run your job search like a PR campaign
Posted by Laura Smith-Proulx, Executive Resume Writer in executive job search on January 20, 2010
It’s not exactly a news flash, but the strategies for a successful job hunt have changed considerably over the past several years—and possibly forever.
Like it or not, getting in front of the right audience for your search has become the equivalent of running a PR campaign, complete with brand development, market research, and message delivery.
If you’ve been striking out while trying to get noticed, it’s possible that your expertise is still a secret in the business world.
You’ll get better results by boosting your promotional efforts with these methods:
1- Be noticed online.
For every job hunter that’s decided to really leverage LinkedIn, there must be at least a dozen others who don’t get the reasons behind forming new connections or keyword-loading their profiles.
Building an online presence is one of the most valuable (and cheapest!) ways to put yourself in front of others seeking your expertise—and LinkedIn is one of the simplest, most effective ways to create online credibility.
Make it easy for employers to learn about you by filling your LinkedIn profile with every skill, job title, and competency possible. Take care to ensure that this data is consistent with the knowledge expected in the job you’re pursuing, and remove irrelevant skills that can confuse companies viewing your profile.
Add a professional photo, get (and give) recommendations, and take the time to provide expertise in the LinkedIn Answers forum in your subject area. Accept all connections—even those that seem foreign to you—as this can put you several degrees closer to your desired employers.
Not only will these groups look great on your resume and LinkedIn profiles/groups, they will also offer the opportunity to network with others in your field. Many members will also be actively employed in your target companies, and therefore a great source of connections to boot.
Find new groups that share your passion by googling your industry with the word “association” behind it. Then, contact these organizations to ask if they’ll allow you to attend a trial meeting or enroll for a short, free membership.
Should your resume writer be social media-savvy?
Posted by Laura Smith-Proulx, Executive Resume Writer in executive job search, linkedin, social media, twitter on January 13, 2010
Much has been written about the impact of social media in the careers industry, with plenty of accolades for the role of Twitter and LinkedIn in the job hunt.
Of course, there’s still many holdouts in the job-seeking community. But what about career professionals themselves?
Should your resume writer or career coach know how to use social media—and what are the implications of working with a service provider who is lacking this expertise?
Here are some ways (and reasons) to find a resume or career expert that can help you get faster results and higher-level interviews—all by supplying insider knowledge on leveraging social media:
First, find your expert using social media tools themselves.
Chances are, if you’re frequenting LinkedIn or Twitter, you’ll find a multitude of resume writers and other career professionals. Here is where you can perform some quick research on their social media savvy.
For LinkedIn, most professionals who are using the service to its fullest have grown their networks to include at least 100 contacts. Significantly less connections—say, 54—mean that you’ve encountered a newbie who recently dumped their address book into the site.
On Twitter, many people look for users that have a minimum of 1,000 followers as proof of their knowledge. While this number is arbitrary, you can at least get a feel for a provider’s expertise by reading a sampling of their Tweets and looking at how often their broadcasts are re-tweeted, which shows that they offer something of value to their network.
Take a look at the provider’s self-marketing efforts.
Can you quickly discern what a resume writer or career coach offers by reading THEIR LinkedIn profile?
Better yet, if you use a common search term in LinkedIn’s People Search (such as “resume writer” or “career coach”) does your provider show first- or second-page results? If you add their city of operation, do they come even close?
What this test tells you is whether your provider can create a keyword-specific LinkedIn profile that caters to online search functions.
While many resume writers spend time crafting social media profiles, these are only partially useful tools that serve as a backdrop when you’re Googled. You’ll also want to be found when employer don’t know your name, but they know what skills they seek.
In other words, a generically written profile (where your resume is simply dumped into the profile section) won’t help recruiters locate you based on your career goals, unless it is tuned for Search Engine Optimization (SEO).
Be sure to ask specific questions.
When you approach a resume writer or career coach purporting to help you navigate the complexities of job search in 2010, don’t be afraid to query a bit to find out how they propose to market you.
That’s right: I said market you. The most beautifully written resume or social media profile will not advance your job search unless it is actually seen. Would an ad for McDonald’s, however effective it may be, impress you if you never heard it on the radio?
Your career provider should offer information on how to increase your visibility, both online and off, with an assessment of how social media will play into your efforts. These methods can include instructions on how to build an attractive Twitter pitch, maximize your LinkedIn account settings, or address damaging online personal information.
Remember, the job search has changed for good! Recruiter contacts, resume distribution, and job boards are NOT considered prime sources for new jobs; therefore, the more your “PR campaign” uses the free online tools offered through social media avenues, the better.
In summary, social media—like it or hate it—has become an integral part of the routine for millions of business professionals. If you sense that your career coach or resume writer is not among them, then it may be time to find another resource.
Leveraging your letters of recommendation in a job search
Posted by Laura Smith-Proulx, Executive Resume Writer in executive job search, executive resume writing on January 10, 2010
Letters of recommendation and other types of testimonials such as performance reviews are a great strategy for reinforcing your value proposition and of course, your personal brand.
Why does this help? Well, a resume is written to tell your own story, presumably from YOUR point of view. While you can tell others about what you offer (along with quantifiable results), using accolades allows you to add proof of these results from other sources.
This tactic is most effective when your sources point to specific achievements and indicate the value of your work in the context of the challenges you faced.
Some job hunters approach their networks for reference letters, which can be a great strategy if done correctly. You see, some reference letter writers quickly nail your value proposition in just a sentence or two, but others sometimes write a full letter that doesn’t provide much value.
So, to get the best return on your efforts, provide your network with specific information on your job search goals and the precise message you’re trying to convey with your resume.
Then, let them describe the reasons they’d want to work with you again, in addition to the qualities that have made you successful at this juncture in your career. You’ll end up with a valuable message that underscores what you want prospective employers to know.
How to use professional resume samples for your own benefit
Posted by Laura Smith-Proulx, Executive Resume Writer in executive resume samples, executive resume writing on January 4, 2010
So, you’ve realized that your own resume isn’t up to par, and you’re intent on making improvements or finding some help. Whether you’re polishing your own resume or finding a resume writing service to assist you, using examples of successful resumes can play a large part in the responses you receive.
Here are 3 ways that you can use resume samples to increase your odds of winning an interview:
1 – Get an insider’s edge in your industry.
While copying is prohibited (and can cost you the job if you’re found out!), finding examples of resumes in your field should be your first step. This will give you the inside scoop on keywords and strategy ideas.
Given that resume quality (and results) will vary among samples, it’s best to locate several examples representative of your skill level and career goals.
For example, if you’re tailoring your resume for a sales job, you’ll find that a search on sales resume sample should produce documents showing an array of skills such as as closing, negotiations, prospecting, cold calling, revenue growth, relationship management, and other related keywords. If these apply to your background, by all means add them to your own resume.
Conversely, a search on CTO sample resume will show many terms for technical leadership careers, including infrastructure planning, offshore development, and project management.
Searching for resume samples in your area of expertise can also give you an idea of the number of pages that are commonly expected in your field.
Consider this: resume samples in your field can show you what your competition is offering (a major point in my post on 2010 resume trends), and how well your credentials stack up in a particular industry. You may even be reminded of projects, skills, or achievements that you’ve neglected to add to your own resume.
Be sure to adjust your own resume to reflect any relevant data that you might have missed during the writing process.
2 – Get pointers on format, design, and content.
Recruiters can’t say it enough – your resume must be clearly laid out, giving the reader a good chance to quickly skim your details and assess your professional goals.
This is where professional resume samples often have an edge. Many writers make a candidate’s credentials stand out (and quickly!) by creating innovative designs with graphics, borders, and bolded text specifically intended to draw the eye to critical areas of the document.
A crucial point: resume design should vary based on the industry, career level, and personal brand of each job hunter. A resume for a marketing specialist, for example, may have added flair and design elements that are important for professionals in a creative field.
These types of graphics, however, would be totally out of place for the resume of a bank Vice President. In fact, many recruiters in financial services fields are drawn to more subdued fonts and layouts.
Most hiring managers welcome a bit of creativity—even the use of color here and there—as long as it doesn’t overwhelm the document and impede your brand message.
The key to incorporating design elements is to start small, selecting just one or two changes to use your own resume.
Depending upon your field and career path, simple graphical changes may be all that’s needed to generate more interest from employers.
3 – Gain a clear idea of the difference among resume writing services.
When searching for a resume service, you’ll find that formats, design practices, and writing styles will vary considerably. Most professional resume writers therefore post examples of their best, interview-winning work.
While some people select resume services based on price alone, reviewing sample work can give you a good idea of the quality and time invested in each project—and whether the service will work for your needs.
After locating resume writing samples on company websites, look carefully at the type of document produced. Would YOU hire the person represented? Does the resume speak the language of your profession?
Do you see evidence that the writing service is experienced in your field—and at your level?
For example, the strategy used for most CIO candidates will differ substantially from that of an engineer. Therefore, it’s critical to find resume samples that back up the writer’s claim of specialized expertise.
Even more importantly, is the job hunter’s personal brand evident from quickly skimming the resume? If you have difficulty discerning the candidate’s job goal, this can be a red flag that it’s time to move on to another resume writing service.
Does each resume sample employ a different look and feel, based upon the type of credentials presented?
Be wary of services that display resume samples in seemingly identical formats. This can be a sign that the company does not undertake a strategic brand analysis of your career, but simply uses a template to reword information and churn out each document.
Of course, the visual example that you gain by surfing these websites can give you a solid idea of what to expect when going through the professional resume writing process—long before you make the investment in such a service.
Overall, you might find that writing your own resume is a little less daunting if you can tap into great examples of resumes that have worked for other candidates.
In addition, the examples offered by professionals will give you a strong idea of what to expect, should you decide to turn to a resume writing service for expert help in your search.
Think you’re ready for a 2010 job search–but you’re still using techniques from 2000?
Posted by Laura Smith-Proulx, Executive Resume Writer in executive job search, executive resume writing, linkedin, social media on January 1, 2010
Despite an abundance of great job-hunting advice, many candidates cling to outdated job search and resume writing practices that negatively impact their success.
If you’ve continued to send resumes to “Dear Sir or Madam” while merely updating your tired resume from the year 2000, you’ll find that these methods have quickly become obsolete.
See if any of these common job hunting problems apply to you, and then implement corrections that can improve your success in 2010 and beyond:
1 – Failing to assess your competition.
This is by far the biggest mistake most candidates make when they set out to launch a job search in today’s aggressive market.
The reason? It takes more than mere skill to distinguish your unique qualifications at this point, even if generalizing your credentials worked in past decades.
As an example, you may have created marketing campaigns and worked with ad agencies in a sales role, but there’s plenty of marketing managers who’ve already been there, done that—and they represent your competition.
With your resume stacked against this type of candidate, your application won’t stand a chance.
Employers don’t have the time they once did during the days of intense hiring to review resumes and look for a good fit.
If you possess a diverse set of competencies, you’ll need to do some legwork in your chosen profession, establishing contacts and connections that can tell you where your career has gaps. You may also find that additional education or work experience is needed to enter the new field.
In addition, you’ll also need to prepare a compelling resume that clearly draws the connection between a subset of your skills to a specific job type, and gives companies a reason to interview you.
Like it or not, the social media and online relationship-building components of a successful job search aren’t going away.
While candidates in the early 2000’s had little concern about being Googled, a digital presence will be one of the most critical tools in the job hunt of 2010.
In addition, even though some professionals are savvy enough to build keyword-specific LinkedIn profiles, many job hunters continue to refuse social media connection invitations, failing to realize that recruiters make good use of these resources to find new candidates.
In fact, a recent study found that up to 80% of recruiters routinely use Internet searches to dig up more information on a candidate—and nearly half of these will reject job hunters with no digital presence.
With the intensity of job-hunting competition expected in 2010, you’ll need a strong social media profile that can reinforce your brand and qualifications.
Tony Deblauwe, a human resources expert and the founder of HR4Change, notes that recruiters often look at statistics behind the LinkedIn profile itself, noting the number of connections, recommendations, and group memberships for each candidate.
“The more information a person puts in the professional profile, the better,” he says, noting that recruiters prefer job seekers who provide a detailed summary and career history that saves them time in the selection process.
So, if you’ve held off on creating a full-blown social media presence, the time has come to alter your practices and jump into the game.
If you’re not sure how to proceed, start by creating a profile and gathering connections, then use an Internet search to uncover branded LinkedIn profile writing services.
3 – Ignoring resume trends.
If you can’t move past the thought of listing all duties at each job with no other details on a resume, you’ll find the job market of 2010 to be quite unforgiving.
The achievements-based resume is a trend that has become firmly established, according to hiring managers.
Kevin Murray, Senior Manager of Recruiting at Vistaprint, notes that the company receives hundreds of resumes daily, and that it’s critical for candidates to “document the impact of their work and quantify their accomplishments,” especially at this point in the job market.
“If a company is going to hire you,” he says, “They want to know that you are going to positively impact their business. This can really help distinguish you from other candidates that may just simply list out their previous responsibilities on a resume.”
For executives and senior-level professionals, the next generation of resume writing has involved personal branding. A key weapon in the job hunt, a branded resume includes not only achievements, but reflects your overall value proposition as well.
To create a branded presentation, you’ll need to assess your professional style and reputation, digging deep to analyze the impact of your work—and then capture the pattern that emerges.
Of course, you’ll also want to avoid the tremendously outdated practice of putting an objective statement on your resume. Instead, a short summary should be used to encapsulate your brand value and save valuable reading time on the part of recruiters.
4 – Neglecting to find contacts in your chosen field.
In previous years, applying to a new job was simple. You hopped onto Monster.com, submitted your resume to an open job posting, and received a call back.
However, getting employers’ attention in 2010 will require more effort than simply sending your resume online. With an avalanche of applicants for too few jobs, you’ll need to follow up on any resumes sent, with some detective work required in order to get in front of the right person.
This is where using LinkedIn, as well as business information search engines Zoominfo, Spoke, and Jigsaw will come in handy. You can quickly find company insiders and send your resume to a real person, rather than sending it down the black hole that consumes so many job applications.
In addition, it’s important to network effectively so that you aren’t answering job ads in the first place.
As companies have changed their practices to hire from within networks (before even posting positions online!), it’s important to change the way that you approach them, with guerrilla search tactics that tap into more “hidden” opportunities.
In summary, 2010 may prove to be a improvement over the challenges of 2009, especially when it comes to finding a great new position.
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