One of the fastest ways to lose a job opportunity is by submitting a resume with typos or spelling errors. In a competitive market where employers have a choice of qualified candidates, many hiring managers toss out error-laden resumes and choose the most perfect documents to review.

It can be difficult, even for the most skilled writer, to proofread his or her own resume. It’s easy to overlook mistakes, especially those not picked up by spell-check programs. For example, listing you were “manger” instead of “manager.” Since manger is a word, spell check won’t point out this mistake, and you could send in a resume with a silly error.

In this week’s U.S. News & World Report post, I interviewed Roleta Fowler Vasquez, owner of Wordbusters Resume and Writing Services, for tips on how to avoid those persnickety errors in your resume so they are not inevitable.

Read more via U.S. News & World Report.

What about the biggest resume mistake? My reply:

Most job-seekers don’t realize one important fact: the resume really isn’t about them; it’s about making a connection to the targeted employer. Most people don’t completely understand this key strategy. Instead, they incorporate materials not relevant to their audience and hope potential employers will read between the lines to identify their qualifications.

Since most resumes are either evaluated by an Applicant Tracking System — a computer that scans for key words — or are visually scanned for 10-20 seconds by a busy recruiter or hiring manager, if you don’t make it clear why you are perfect for the job, you don’t stand much of a chance at landing an interview.

It’s not difficult to target a resume. Find keywords in the job description and in the organization’s Website. Focus on job requirements and make it clear you have what it takes to solve the employer’s problems. Incorporate skills accomplishments and results in your resume; don’t just write a laundry list of “stuff” you’ve done. Always consider the employer’s perspective. Will he or she know why you are a good fit based on your resume? If not, revise your materials.

For other responses to this question, click through to Quint Careers.

photo by  elycefeliz

It’s a question Purpose Prize winner Randal Charlton of Detroit asked himself at one point in his career. His story is really inspirational, as he’s experienced many ups and downs personally, but has been working to help create jobs and opportunities in Detroit.

Civic Ventures, which awards The Purpose Prize, is a think tank on boomers, work and social purpose. The organization introduced the concept of encore careers, which combine meaning, continued income and social impact. They provide  social entrepreneurs over 60 $100,000 each for using their experience and passion to make an extraordinary impact on some of society’s biggest challenges. Now in its sixth year, the $17 million program is the nation’s only large-scale investment in social innovators in the second half of life.

Learn about this winner below!

Randal Charlton (pictured), 71, TechTown, Detroit

In his lifetime, Charlton has bought and sold 14 companies, worked as a journalist, tended dairy cows for a Saudi sheik, started a jazz club and consulted for a world bank. For four years, he served as executive director of TechTown, a business incubator aiming to recruit local entrepreneurs to revitalize Detroit’s economy. Charlton transformed TechTown from a nearly empty industrial building with few resources into a thriving hub, currently supporting 250 companies. More than 2,200 entrepreneurs have received training at TechTown, which has helped clients raise $14 million. On November 1, Charlton will transition from leading TechTown to focusing his expertise on BOOM! The New Economy, a TechTown-affiliated venture that offers training, one-on-one mentoring and internships to people over 50 exploring second acts.

Read about prize winner Jenny Bowen.

photo and video courtesy of Civic Ventures

In a recent post for Forbes.com, Kerry Hannon shares information about a new Idealist.org survey of 3,000 U.S. nonprofit organizations. “Organizations are planning on hiring more people. Of those who replied, 42 percent plan to hire new positions and nearly half will fill positions that become vacant. Program or service staff are top of the list. … Administrative, communications, accounting and finance personnel, and technology experts are on the to-be hired scrolls too.” She notes that Idealist, which specializes in non-profit postings, “has had a significant jump in job postings in 2011.”

If you are interested in making a switch to non-profit work, Laura Gassner Otting, author of Change Your Career, Transitioning to the Non-Profit Sector, and founder and president of Nonprofit Professionals Advisory Group, an executive search firm helping identify candidates for the non-profit sector, is an experienced authority on hiring in the “mission-driven” space. She explained how current trends affect how non-profits and their boards hire and what skills job seekers wishing to transition to non-profit jobs should highlight.

Gassner Otting explained several seismic changes in non-profits in the past five to 10 years that affect hiring practices for non-profit organizations. Read her comments on my U.S. News & World Report blog.

photo by Felix the Cat

This year, I have a book to sell, and I am delighted to announce I’ll be in the Atlanta-Fulton County Library’s booth (#127) selling Social Networking for Career Success on Saturday from 2 – 4 pm (or later, if I have lots of visitors).

When you buy my book directly from me, I’ll send you a free copy of my Google+ Guide, a $6.95 value!

The library will also have crafts and storytelling for children, library card sign-up and information about what’s going on at their 34 branches

Please stop by to visit, ask questions about how to use social networking for career success and to pick up a copy of my book and Google+ Guide!

Learn more about what’s going on at the Festival on their website, and be sure to stop by the Atlanta-Fulton County Library’s booth on Saturday from 2-4 to meet me!

OLD RESUME

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE 

Managing Web Editor, XYZ Company
New York, NY  March 2008 – Present

-Manage high-traffic Web site for 1.5-million member organization.

-Edit and write content for Web magazine, marketing materials and internal memos and reports.

-Project manager for Web site overhaul. This includes planning and testing design, navigation and developing streamlined functionality to stimulate e-commerce activities.

How could this description be improved?

• Underlines look dated. Usually, you’ll only include months in the date section if the experience was one year or less.
• Bullet points shouldn’t just list WHAT you did, but focus on HOW you did it so it relates to the employer. Decide what they need you to do and show that on your resume. Ask yourself, “SO WHAT?” for every bullet point and provide an answer in your resume. Incorporate skills and accomplishments when giving the answer.
• Be sure all bullets are consistent – parallel tense. Begin each with a verb: manage, edit and “project manager” don’t match.
• Don’t make your resume a laundry list of “stuff” you’ve done.

NEW RESUME

CAREER ACHIEVEMENTS

Managing Web Editor, XYZ Company  New York, NY   2008 – Present

• Analyzed site traffic using Google Analytics, Lyris HQ Agency Edition and SiteCatalyst. Identified strategic patterns, trends and popular content and recommended changes to site, resulting in 17% increase in page views in only three months.
• Supervised site’s overhaul in compliance with company’s goals. Conducted needs assessment, identified market opportunities and planned and tested design, which stimulated e-commerce and increased profitability from $15M to $20M in 2010.
• Authored content for Web and email newsletters and created and recorded podcasts highlighting organization’s mission. Management attributed increased membership rates to high-quality online and audio content.

What is better about this description?

• Decide if your title or the organization name is more important. In this case, the resume focuses the reader on job titles. Be consistent across the entire resume.
• Incorporate details important to the employer. Use key words (for example, the names of the programs to analyze site traffic).
• Show your impact – use $ amounts, %ages and other numbers when possible. (These answer the question, “So what?”)

photo by y-a-n

Stay tuned for another post with resume tips!

Last week, I joined CNN anchor Fredricka Whitfield on the air to share some tips with job seekers. (Stay tuned for a link to the segment.)

Here are some tips to help you change directions if things aren’t going well.

Biggest job seeker mistakes:

• Using the same resume to apply for every job and not personalizing it for employers’ needs. You need to spoon feed your resume to the employer. If you aren’t customizing it, you’re doing the equivalent of feeding a toothless infant a whole apple — she’ll likely use it to play a game of “drop and get.” Ideally, you’ll offer applesauce to a baby, and a resume detailing what you can do to solve the employer’s problems.
• Applying for the wrong jobs. It’s tempting to apply for “just any job.” After all, YOU know you can do anything, right? It’s possible you can, but writing to an employer with a broad statement offering to be interviewed for “any” job is a recipe for disaster. The employer doesn’t know what to do with you and thinks you are desperate. In other words, you don’t hear back.
• Ignoring social media resources or assuming they won’t make a difference. How many job seekers have been looking for work for over a year, but have never even tried using LinkedIn, Twitter or even Facebook to see how social media may help get them out of their job hunting rut? Too many, in my opinion. Using social media well is a big step in the right direction.

 How to best use social media

• Choose the best networks for you – the ones that highlight and show off your skills. For example, if you love to write (and you’re a good writer), a blog might be great for you. If you’re a better talker, consider creating an online radio program. I outline many different social networks in my book, Social Networking for Career Success.
• Completely fill out your profiles using key words – the words people will use to find someone who does your type of work. It’s important to do this well so it’s easier for people who may want to hire someone with your skills to find you.
• Find people online in your field of work. Use the various search tools in the different networks to identify potential contacts. For example, in LinkedIn, use “advanced search” to locate contacts and join groups pertaining to your interests. Use Listorious.com and WeFollow.com to find people with common interests using Twitter.See what they are saying online, respond, add to the conversation. Try to become known as a person who is “in the know,” is friendly and giving. Do not ask for job leads until you establish a relationship. You may be surprised by how generous your new online contacts are!

In my next post, I share “before” and “after” resume samples and provide specific tips to help update your resume.

• To expand the number of people you know and who know you.
• To learn new information pertinent to your field from mentors and thought leaders, and
• To illustrate your expertise with a community of people who may connect you to opportunities based on learning about you and what you know.

Google+ allows users to accomplish all of these goals in similar ways to other networks, such as Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn; it very easy to open up pathways to connect with people you’ve never met and to engage in an in-depth conversation. This engagement compares, in many ways, to Twitter, where it is possible to connect, meet, and learn from people you don’t already know, without barriers requiring introductions.

Google+’s value add is the fact that Google controls much of search traffic. Any tie to being “found” online and any boost Google+ may provide gives this new network extra value.

Read my post on Job-Hunt.org for tips to use Google+’s features, including your Google profile, “circles,” “sparks” and “hangouts.” Stay tuned for information about the Career+ Chat, sponsored via the Career Collective (and friends).

One of the big reasons to use social media is to help you find people you want to know. I wrote about how to find people on Google+. Be sure to take a look at my post, because it gives you the tools to figure out the next important piece of the social networking puzzle: How to BE found!

Your Google profile (which you probably own but don’t pay much attention) is important. If you’re not already on Google+, you can find your profile via Google profiles: http://www.google.com/profiles.

If you are already on Google+, you can start to test out how easy (or difficult) it is to find you via your profile by searching the various tools I listed in the “how to find people on Google+ post.”Think of the keywords you want people to use to find you. Are you a graphic artist working mostly in Atlanta?  Search, {“graphic artist” and “Atlanta”}. How many pages does it take to find your profile?

Identify the keywords you want people to use to find you. (Follow that link for advice about how.) Maybe your location is not important, but the fact you design custom Facebook pages? Decide your KEY keywords.

NOW – pack your Google profile with those words. Similar to LinkedIn, where it is easier to find you if you include keywords in your titles, descriptions, skills, etc., it appears Google will index you higher in search if your profile is packed with your keywords. List all of your titles. Include professional associations. List anything including keywords in your profile.

A trick?

Google doesn’t offer a “keywords” section to “tag” yourself in the profile, which would be similar to LinkedIn’s “specialties” section, where it is appropriate to list words and phrases relevant to you. Why not add one in?

In your “Introduction” section, add KEYWORDS: and then fill in all the words and phrases you think will help people find you in search. I did it, and it immediately impacted my search results in Google+. Take a look at my profile.

Try a “before” and “after” search to see if your rankings improve. Let me know how it works for you!

photo by Auntie P

“Volume 5, Issue 1 is focused on how to use your established brand to unlock new opportunities and beat your competition. Brooke Burke, featured in our cover story, is a great example of someone who’s successfully leveraged her brand. Brooke has taken the success of her TV and modeling career and used it to start her own company called Baboosh Baby. Since she is a well-known brand, she’s able to open doors and create new monetization opportunities. Whether you’re famous or just starting out, this issue will give you the tools and advice you need to create brand leverage in your industry.”

In my introduction for the magazine, I highlight the concept of using personal branding to create your own success. Social networking and brand building offers so much potential; I wanted my new book, Social Networking for Career Success, to include a bullet on the front saying, “Learn how to job search in your sleep,” because you can use your profiles and online networking to attract business prospects and jobs. In this issue, Nikolas Allen reminds readers, “One of the best results of creating a strong, coherent and positive personal brand is that, in time, opportunities start seeking you.” So true.

We all need to remember how much control we have over our career paths. In this issue, Howard Sholkin quotes Biz Stone, co-founder of Twitter, saying, “Opportunity can be manufactured. Yes, you can wait around for the right set of circumstances to fall into place and then leap into action, but you can also create those sets of circumstances on your own. In doing so, you manufacture your opportunities.”

I think that’s a great way to think about “personal branding” – an opportunity to manufacture your own opportunities.

Features

• Full paid issue (August 1st):  22 articles
• Sample issue (July 25th): 10 articles
• Interviews with: Brooke Burke, Justin Haplern (Shit My DadSays), Jim Craig (Olympic Gold Medalist), Barbara Corcoran (ABC’s Shark Tank), Ali Brown, Adam Bryant (NY Times Columnist), and Peter Shankman (HARO).

• Free sample URL: http://personalbrandingsample.com
• Paid subscription URL:  http://personalbrandingmag.com
• Facebook page: http://facebook.com/PersonalBrandingMagazine

Take a look!