Keppie Careers

Social media speaker, social media consultant, job search coach

More Rules for Job Hunting in a Recession

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Did you watch ABC’s Nightline last night? There was a story about Dale Kloefkorn, an out-of-work, 40-something data analyst with long hair.  The network hooked him up with a coach to see if he could give his job search a jump start.  The coach, Peggy Klaus, who wrote The Hard Truth About Soft Skills, (read more on soft skills here) suggested that there are several points to consider to make yourself more marketable, especially in a recession or when you are out of work.

1. Don’t be overly modest.
It’s all about self-promotion!  If you can’t articulate what you have to offer, how are you going to find an opportunity?  You need to know yourself to sell your skills.

2. No job is completely secure.
Don’t assume that your job is safe – you never know the way the pink slips will fall.  If it looks like your department is in danger, step it up and see if you can avoid being a casualty.

3.  Don’t be a “paycheck player.”
If you see yourself as a cog in the wheel, it is easier to pluck you off the payroll.

4. No job is perfect.
Don’t be too picky when job searching.  Consider new possibilities, different fields and realize that there may not be one job that has the perfect combination of attributes. Limiting yourself will not yield the same offers as being open minded.

Finally, it is important to note that Dale did cut his hair to freshen-up his image.  The fifth rule could certainly be “Appearance Matters.”

ABC reports that, after the meeting with the coach and re-working his resume and posting it online, the candidate heard from 11 recruiters and had one promising interview. 

So, a mini-makeover, attitude adjustment and a revised resume did the trick for Dale.  Could it do the trick for you?  Keppie Careers is here to help!  Visit www.keppiecareers.com for information about our services.

With Job Searching, More Isn't Better

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The Wall Street Journal reports on the fact that companies are enhancing their corporate recruiting sites and functions to make themselves more attractive to candidates.  Features such as blogs, video, podcasts, interactive chats, graphics and more are intended to appeal to Generation X and Y. 

With all of the time, effort and money being put into these sites to make them competitive with candidates, it was interesting to note one candidate’s take on the situation:

Some employers also have gone overboard with enhancements to their career portals by adding too many graphics and links, notes Matt Dunn, a second-year Harvard Business School student. “Companies have become addicted to technology,” he says. “They’re making their sites even harder to navigate because of all the bells and whistles.”

This seems like the perfect irony.  Even as companies reach out to recruits who supposedly embrace all of these bells and whistles, there is a call for getting back to basics.  Give the recruits information that is easy to access and digest that helps them decide where to apply.  Sometimes bells and whistles and podcasts are too much.

This concept of “more is not better” can also apply to the job seeker.  Sometimes, it is best to ignore all the bells and whistles out there.  You can create high tech resumes online, video resumes, resumes that incorporate your voice, links to every place you ever worked…It goes on and on.  However, sometimes, your skills come through in a more true and genuine way when you offer them simply.  No bells, no whistles to try to cover up (or ironically highlight) your weaknesses.  Just you, your skills and your accomplishments.  Unadulterated you.  Refreshing for a change!

Keppie Careers can help you put your best foot forward.  We’ll write a resume that helps you and employers realize what you have to offer!  www.keppiecareers.com

VisualCV – Is this the resume wave of the future?

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It’s all the buzz this week.  A company called VisualCV claims to be reinventing the resume.  It allows video, pictures and a portfolio, graphics and “other supporting documents.”  The point is to make your resume come alive and potentially eliminate the need for a first interview.  (The idea being that you’ll be providing so much information, the employer won’t need to meet you to decide if you are a good fit.)

No one wants to stop progress, but I am having a hard time visualizing these being the “next big thing.”  The main issue is a topic for any video resume.  Many in the hiring industry hate these resumes because of the potential discrimination issues and the fact that it takes longer than 7-10 seconds (the time allowed to quickly review a paper resume) to review something online.

Do employers REALLY want to see an online copy of your transcript (it’s not very official that way)?  You can post examples of your work.  However, what issues are there in posting work product that you’ve done for a particular employer online for another employer to see?  Is it really necessary or useful to post a bar chart of your income?  The site suggests that an applicant could post a video of themselves addressing a gap in their resume.  Will an employer actually sit through that?

Let’s not even touch on the fact that most people who haven’t had professional training don’t come across very professionally on video.  It can be difficult enough to present well in an in-person interview, let along producing a slick looking piece for an online resume.

This seems like a great opportunity for those in very creative industries who would have a portfolio of work to demonstrate or who could benefit from a way to combine video with their resume without having to start from scratch.  However, for the rest of the working world, this brave new resume (with the ironic moniker of a CV – how retro) seems like a lot of lights and mirrors.

It’s almost as if tech people want to press these creative resume opportunities in hopes that the more they offer them, the more likely employers are going to want to see them.

Of course it makes sense for the resume to move to the next level, but it seems to me that it must be done in a way that meets criteria for the end users, not only in a way that allows the job seeker to demonstrate their life story.

Keppie Careers will help you put your best foot forward!  We offer resume writing, mock interviews and career coaching for every candidate.  www.keppiecareers.com

Don't Rely on Job Sites as the Cure-All for Your Search

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The Wall Street Journal’s Career Journal reports that:

Visits to job sites during the first four weeks of 2008 rose about 22% compared to the same period in 2007, according to a new report from Hitwise, a market-research firm.

Beware of being sucked in to a false sense of security when you apply to jobs on these sites.  You may think that if you apply to 100 positions, you are bound to hear something!

Job boards have a role in your job search, but only if you leverage your time and don’t rely on them too much.  I suggest spending no more than 10-15% of your job search efforts seeking and applying to positions on mega-boards.

Why?

Be aware that not every posting on these job boards actually represents a specific position.  For example, some recruiters post seeking a bank of resumes for a position they may (or may not) recruit in the future. 

Of course, every sought after job will receive a tremendous response.  Between sheer volume and job postings that don’t represent actual jobs, it’s no wonder that many people feel as if they are sending their resume into the great black hole when they use these sites.

Another problem with applying for jobs in great numbers is that resumes and applications are not targeted to the employer.  Why would someone want to hire you if you don’t make a case explaining how you are perfect for their job? 

A better use of your time?  NETWORKING!  I’ve written so much about the value of networking and how to do it…See the Networking category at the right for a full update!

Keppie Careers will write your resume, teach you job search strategies and prepare you for your next big career step!

Top 5 Resume Do's and Don'ts

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There is a lot to consider when writing your resume. You don’t want to miss an opportunity for an interview by offering a less than stellar result.  In her blog, Hire Someone to Write Your Resume, career advice blogger and author Penelope Trunk refers to a resume as a “complicated sales document and also a piece of direct mail.” That said, here are my top 5 Resume Do’s and Don’ts…

DO

Remember that your resume is a marketing piece, not a laundry list. Sell yourself; don’t just list what you’ve done.

Focus on transferable skills and quantifiable accomplishments. Determine the employer’s key words and incorporate them. Include soft skills, otherwise known as emotional intelligence. Use strong, active language that helps the reader picture you working for them.

Design your resume to be easy to read and scan – both with software and the eye. Remember that the typical first read allows a 10-second glance. (Some say 7 seconds is all you get!) Make it count by using white space, bullet points and bold, appealing design elements. Ensure that your resume is error free.

Target your resume to the employer. Do NOT zap your generic resume to 100 different online job postings. If you do not personalize your resume to include key words, you may be wasting your time sending it at all.

Be precise. Although the “one-page” rule no longer applies for all employers, it is important to narrow your information to include the most important material. (Typically, two pages are plenty.) Employers do not want to wade through a lot of extraneous information.

DON’T

Use “I, me or my” in your resume. The first-person is implied. Don’t use the phrase “responsibilities included” or “responsible for.” These are passive ways to structure your information.

Don’t use an objective. Your objective is to get the job, so you are wasting space in the very important real estate of your resume – the top! Attract readers with a targeted “Accomplishments,” “Highlights,” or similarly named section. Don’t list “References upon request.” This is assumed.

Don’t include ANY personal information such as age, gender, religion, marital status, social security number, weight, etc. In the U.S., do not include a picture on your resume.  All of this information is inappropriate and will make you seem dated and unaware of correct resume etiquette.

Don’t rely on standard resume templates, especially from your word processing program. Don’t copy text from sample resumes posted on the web. You are unique; your resume should be distinctive.

Don’t ever lie on a resume. Present the best possible image consistent with the truth.

I will design and write a resume that captures your skills and accomplishments and sells your skills!