Resume Geek

O.K., so I guess I am a “Resume Geek”. Let me tell you how this transformation happened; there are so many folks out there emailing, posting, Twittering, and LinkedIning their little fingers off, just to get someone to read their resume, it’s become a global obsession.

As a 20+ year veteran recruiter with a currently active desk I spend a good part of my day reading tales of fiction, factual faux pas, and statistics without rhyme or reason. All the aforementioned documents are being presented under the guise of resume/CV.

On behalf of the hiring community (recruiters, HR professionals, business owners, hiring managers, decision makers from all walks of life), I beg you stop. For much of my career I encouraged job seekers to click their Word icon courtesy of Bill Gates, and move their mouse to the prefab resume templates supplied in that program. My sage advice at the time extolled the virtue of spending an hour or so reminiscing about one’s career. I encouraged candidates that called my recruiting office too chronologically report the events of their careers onto a Word resume template.

Well throughout the ‘90’s and for a good part of the early 2000 years that advice could easily suffice. However, the massive numbers of resumes being sent out into cyberspace (over 100,000 per month on CareerBuilder and Monster alone, and growing everyday), simply places the job seeker in another realm when it comes to presenting their individual background.

Yes, yes I know – this change of counseling stance is going to be looked upon by some readers as self serving and solicitous. My new company, AllowMeToIntroduiceMyself.com (website currently under construction) offers a professional resume and cover letter resource. This for fee service could be construed as impetuous for my change of heart. On the contrary, I’m not making any specific recommendation in this space other than for job seekers with a serious commitment to landing an interview, to research a professional resume writer, and contract a professional to put forth a readable document.

Let me state for the record that not all resumes and cover letters are created equal. It is not necessary for every resume to be presented in the same style. I’ve seen unique presentations with elaborately decorated boarders, html links offering in-depth info on a candidate’s career, and professional accomplishments. The technology resources are spurring a move towards different forms of “video resume”. Many job seekers are looking for a crisp basic format that informs the reader, and illustrates a consistent career progression. All of these varying styles can be contracted with different writers for fees ranging from $150 - $1500. Each and every option will serve the purpose of presenting your career profile in a professional manner.

Keep in mind that regardless of the dollar investment you make, your resume will not get you a job. The most we can ask of the cover letter/resume introduction is to gain you entre for an initial interview. If your resume and cover letter present you as a competent, career minded professional; detailing a skill set meeting a majority of the position profile, you are using these introduction tools properly.

Every major job board (many of the niche boards as well), and countless resume writing services offer for fee assistance to job seekers looking to put forth a coherent well constructed document. The old adage, “you only get one chance to make a good first impression” was never truer than it is today. With resumes and cover letters pouring into recruiting firms, and HR departments at a record pace, you want to insure when your document is ready to be reviewed it captures the mind, and eye of the reader.

Your cover letter should preview for the reader a sense of who you are professionally, why you’re the ideal candidate for the position available, and how your background fits the corporate profile like a glove. If you detail family tragedies, your success as a youth soccer coach, or the fact that your last employer “cheated” you out of earned commissions, you’re providing inappropriate material for your cover letter. Yes, I’ve seen all of these subjects written about in cover letters from job seekers on every career level. In many instances errors such as the ones mentioned above irreparably damage the reader’s mindset as they continue reviewing your resume.

My biggest pet peeves on resumes I’ve seen recently:

• Entire pages that state hardly any facts.I have to read two-thirds through the resume before I know the industry related to the work experience.
• To review a resume that intimates the job seeker’s ability to transfer any skill, to any industry, in any job function.
• Lines and lines of “gobbly-goop bullets” really frustrate me. Like this bullet I recently read on the resume from a Sales Manager, "Directed the sales efforts of my sales team.” Well now, isn’t that a unique talent for a Sales Manager?
  

I see too many resumes from senior managers, (25+ years or more work experience) without any mention of involvement in current technology. Guys, I’m 52 years old. Those of us that remember free TV, and pay phones on the corner, need to show prospective employers that we’ve made the transition from company beepers to BBM.

If a pertinent fact relates to your career, here’s a motto to live by in terms of your resume: “If you know it, show it”. Show information that makes the reader say, “wow, if I meet this person they could probably offer a number of enhancements to my business.”

Last, be honest when preparing your resume. All recruiters, HR departments, and senior hiring managers maintain some type of candidate database. If you are sending a resume for a second or third time to the same recruiter, or hiring manager, make sure your history jibes with previous submissions. No one likes to think that someone is trying to pull the wool over their eyes. If you’ve had a short tenure (90 days or less as a rule), and you do not want to show it on your updated resume, that’s understandably. In the body/text of your email, simply indicate the omission. The reader will appreciate that they are up to date on your career progression, and you’ve been straight forward with them.

Best of luck, and remember to keep networking… please stay in touch with me through
LinkedIn.com - http://www.linkedin.com/home
Twitter.com - http://twitter.com/Recruiter
Jack Young Personnel Services, Inc. – www.jackyoung.com
AllowMeToIntroduceMyself.com, Inc. - www.allowmetointroducemyself.com

A Job Seeker's First Impression - the Resume

Soooo many people looking for a new position, so many of us searching for that new job for the first time ever, or for the first time, in what seems like ever… we all need to start in the same place. We need a way to secure an interview. Unless you have a personal referral, the "connection" or "rabbi", the only way to accomplish our goal is to take it one step at a time, and Step 1 is your resume.

Step 1. – Your Resume:
Let’s understand that this is an information driven document. The job of your resume is to give the reader the impetuous to contact you for an interview! Your resume is the ultimate first impression. It need not be fancy, but it must be strategically well laid out, and bursting with pertinent information. Here are some of the most important do's and don’ts:

Resume format should be consistent, and font friendly throughout.
a. font size should never be smaller than 12.
b. style should one of the more basic forms, e.g. Calibri, Times New Roman, or Arial – never prepare your resume in a script or italicized font.
c. job title, employer, tenures should all be placed consistently throughout resume.
d. utilize underlining, bold, and italics very judiciously.

Name, complete address, home and cell phone numbers, email address, all should be top center.
a. make certain to have your two most reachable telephone numbers listed, indicating what they are – e.g. (h) – home, (c) – cell, (o) – office
b. be sure to have your correct zip code – many firms communicate based on commutability, and desired locale.
c. never "hide" your address and telephone number on the bottom of your resume.

All resumes should state a career objective.
a. make your point in no more than two succinct sentences.
b. do not confuse your objective with your cover letter.

Work experience should be detailed in reverse chronological order, with most recent position indentified first, and working back in your career history.
a. your resume must include your tenures – a resume without dates of employment is like a calendar without numbers.
b. months are NOT essential.
c. a bulleted format is most desirable. Information provide in paragraph form is harder to “pull”.
d. your position with the longest tenure is generally the one allotted the most number of “bullet points”.
e. each bullet point should begin with an action word, drawing the reader’s interest. e.g. Directed, Lead, Created, Initiated, Implemented – you get the idea…
f. the “meat” of each bullet should be very evident to the reader. e.g. Increased profit by 37% year over year, resulting in a net profit of 1.5 million dollars.
g. your resume should go back no more than twenty years worth of professional experience.

Following your work experience should be your educational background. (except recent college graduates where education experience comes after objective)
a. indicate the highest degree you attained first, along with the college or university granting the degree.
b. indicate lesser degrees and the awarding college or university next.
c. mention all certifications, and training courses completed, if the training pertains to your professional experience. e.g. if you are a C.P.A., and your professional background is in the field of finance, we want to know that, however if you’ve passed your Level 3 Soccer coache's certification, that needn’t be mentioned here.

Resume closes with personal background. This can include hobbies, family, community involvement, volunteer experiences.
a. state no more than three personal hobbies, too much success on the golf course could imply too little time in the office.
b. be careful not to “over-accentuate” your commitment to outside activities. e.g. if you serve on 5 different community organizations, and have been the head coach of the highest level soccer club, it begs the question of how much time you will miss from work.

Your resume is the ultimate first impression. Regardless if you do it yourself, or have it professional written, you must insure that there are no TYPOS. Reread your resume over several times. Then ask at least two other trusted friends, family members, or better yet an English teacher to read it over again.

Never rely on "Spell Check" from any program to catch errors. Finally make certain that your information is accurate. Many companies, staffing firms, not for profit organizations, (and hiring authorities in general) are now relying on due diligence firms to verify employment, education, and military history.

To make your resume work for you, make certain your resume makes sense to the reader. Forget the "fancy", and concentrate on presenting the facts... and for more info on your resume, cover letter, upcoming interviews, or any career search question, contact me Jack Young at headhunter@aol.com - also check out two websites affilated with my companies http://www.jackyoung.com/ and http://www.allowmetointroducemyself.com/