Category Archives: Resumes

Resume spreading services and warnings

Posted on June 28, 2013 | Leave a comment

There are two types of resume spreading services. One sends your resume to many job search websites like Monster and CareerBuilder.com. The other sends your resume to hundreds of recruiters and companies like ResumeRabbit,  indeed.com, and simplyhired.com.

The dangers

If you are employed, your resume may be sent to your current boss, or to a website he will access while searching for employees.  He may be upset to see you are looking for a job.

Your resume may also start a life on the internet that you can never stop.  As companies and sites sell and exchange masses of resumes, yours may be preserved for years and repeatedly displayed as “newly submitted.”

The reality

Getting your resume out to 1000 potential employers and recruiters is called a resume blast. It could get you hired. However, in most cases the people receiving your resume do not read it.  They are bombarded with resumes from similar services.  If you use the services that send your resume to recruiters and companies, your resume must have an impact at first glance.  If it requires a thorough reading, you are doomed. The only one of these services I check daily is ResumeSpider . I am sure there are some other useful ones somewhere.

The pay services like ResumeRabbit that send your resume out to 75 job boards get you a lot of quick exposure and save you time.  You also completely lose control of your resume. Once you send it, there is no way to indicate you have been hired.  It will be out on the internet forever.

Indeed.com and SimplyHired.com also will get your resume to a lot of employers, but function more like Monster or CareerBuilder.

Resume spreading services may be just what you need as long as you are not trying to keep your job search a secret.

Something to do today

Many job boards like Monster have resume spreading services that advertise on their sites.  You can also Google the phrase “resume blast”.

————————–

Coming up

Your pay reflects your interview

You, the movie

Leave a comment

Posted in Finding jobs, Job Boards, Recruiters, Resumes

Tagged , , ,

The best resume writing tool ever invented

Posted on June 27, 2013 | Leave a comment

www.agicc.com/resplangeneral.pdf

 

This is a resume interrogation sheet, a planner. It has seriously turned around job searches when the new resume started getting phone calls.

Adventure is just bad planning. (Roald Amundsen)

Use this to plan what to put on your resume.

Something to do today

Take a look and use it to add a little zest to your resume.

————————–

Coming up

Resume spreading services

Your pay reflects your interview

You, the movie

Leave a comment

Posted in Resumes

Tagged , ,

How to choose a resume writing service

Posted on June 26, 2013 | Leave a comment

Whether you even get an interview often depends on your resume. Today is about resumes and people who want to write them for you.

Getting an outstanding resume written is easily worth 1% of your expected salary, but you should pay less. If you can write a great resume on your own, even better. If you pay over $100, and some people do pay $1000 for help with their resume, you deserve a great resume in return every time.

The trouble is that you won’t always get a great resume.  You will get a great looking document, but it can range from spectacular to downright bad. It is the resume words that are acted on that count, not just the formatting.

Resumes are advertising. Good resume writers are like advertising copy writers, they get your attention and force you to act on their words.  The only sure way to tell a great resume from an average one is to submit it for jobs and see if you get interviews. Of course, that may cost you some great job opportunities if your resume is poor.

A resume writing service may help you if you don’t like your resume or don’t want to write one. If you have great accomplishments already listed and all the information you want in the resume is there, an inexpensive service will do fine.  Usually for well under $100 a service will reformat what you put together.  You may get a few suggestions, and even some help getting the right information included.

For anything over $100 you are paying for the resume interview.  That is when the writer talks to you and finds out what to put on your resume.  The interviewer should be delving into what you accomplished.  He should be asking questions that require you to go back and do research. A good resume writer challenges you to figure out how to quantify how much money you made or saved your company. Then the writer should use exciting words and phrases that are carefully placed to make you irresistible.

Some places will even write 3 or more resumes for you.  One is for the executive evaluation committee.  It is gorgeous.  One is for the HR folks and internet job boards  who look at resumes differently The third will be a “quick action resume”. It is designed to be faxed or emailed and demand that the person call you to find out more.  It is always one page.

If you are looking for several different types of jobs, you may end up with several sets of resumes.  One for each job you are looking for.

How do you tell if the resume writing service is worth the money?

If they say, send us your current resume and we will reformat it, don’t pay over $100.  They are just making it pretty and maybe doing some rewording.

If they are planning to probe your past and write a new resume, they may be worth whatever they ask. Maybe. If they schedule an hour or two for an interview, that’s good.

Ask for a few example resumes from the specific person who will be writing your resume.  Ask for a list of the last 10 people they did a resume for, even though it is unlikely you will get it because of privacy concerns. Get them to go over some of the questions they need answered before they will write your resume. Remember, the one person who interviews you, and the one person who actually writes your resume are the people you are hiring.  You have to feel great about them.

Having said all that, I don’t have anyone to recommend to you.  I can write a great resume.  I charge $150/hr for the service. If you are one of my candidates, you get advice for free. You can go to my archives and enter the word “resume” or “sexy verbs” and read my articles at: www.howtoreallygetagreatjob.com/blog/archives.aspx

The greatest resume writing tool ever invented will come tomorrow. I still haven’t decided whether to give it away or charge for it.  I have had it for sale at $4.95 already. Hmmm.  Stay tuned.

Something to do today

Go out on the internet and search for resume services.  See what they promise and charge. Even if you don’t use them, it is a great educational experience.

————————–

Coming up

The greatest resume writing tool ever invented

Resume spreading services

Your pay reflects your interview

You, the movie

Leave a comment

Posted in Resumes

Tagged

Do you have the smell of cabbage soup in your resume?

Posted on June 25, 2013 | Leave a comment

If you want to write about a building where people are living on the edge of starvation, you always write about the smell of cabbage soup.  It tells you they are lower class people who have given up on the good life.  At least that is what it means in the books I read.

Your resume can smell like cabbage soup.  It can give the impression that you are a lower class person who has given up on life.  It can say, “I’m desperate,” or “I’m in shock.”  Here are some of the signs:

Any misspelling, grammar or capitalization mistakes.

……….. use a spell checker and get a friend to check your grammar.

Using a lot of different fonts and different colors.

……….. focus attention using words, bullet points and placement of phrases.

Bolded words everywhere.

……….. too much is a distraction.  Use bolding like pepper, just a little where needed.

Lack of focus.

……….. show how you fit this particular job, not how you can do any job in the company.

Very basic job skills.

……….. a secretary’s resume should NOT say, “I make coffee and remove staples.”  A programmer should not say, “I file reports.”  A CEO should not say, “I can type.”

Make sure your resume smells and sounds like a sizzling steak.  Have the smell of success. Get rid of the cabbage.

Something to do today

Take this list and your resume and see if you need to make a few changes.

————————–

Coming up

Resume writing services

Resume spreading services

Leave a comment

Posted in Resumes

Tagged

Fixing problems with jobs on my resume

Posted on June 24, 2013 | Leave a comment

Too many jobs.

Only one job in 20 years.

Too old.

Worked for the government – no ambition.

Won’t go from management to worker bee.

Owned his own company.

You can make your resume irresistible, but you gotta know the territory. What will be a turn-off prejudice for the hiring manager? What experience is coveted or shunned in the job, company and career you are applying for?

The most common problems are too old, too many jobs and worked for the government.  For some jobs these things are a big plus.  Many companies want to avoid them.  Here is how you get away from them on your resume:

Too old

Get rid of dates and jobs that are more than 10 or 15 years in the past.  Since my first job as an usher in a movie theater, I have had more than 30 employers.  It would be ridiculous for me to put them on a resume.  Most don’t matter anymore.  You get to decide which jobs are relevant and should be put on your resume.  Your last 2 or 3 jobs may be all you want to include.  Also take your graduation dates out of the resume.  Remove the date you were discharged from the military.  Get rid of dates if your resume makes you look older than you think is helpful.

Too many jobs

If you have had 5 career jobs in the last 5 years, you have a problem. Do not lie about it. If some of the jobs are unrelated to the job you are applying for, lump them together as a one line note such as: Teaching 2001-2005, or Sales 2000-2003. If you have great accomplishments, list them under that heading.  If you didn’t do so well, then just leave that one line entry in the jobs on your resume. No explanation at all is required.

Some careers require frequent job changes like being a computer contractor.  In that case, take credit for your broad experience and be sure to emphasize companies that had you come back a second or third time.

Government jobs

Emphasize accomplishments and not bureaucracy.  A job description that only lists duties proves you have a CYA government mindset. If you tell what you got done and how the world is better because of you, you show an entrepreneurial bent.  If you prove you were competitive and better than your coworkers by awards you received, you sound like a top employee.  Only emphasize who you know if it helps for the very specific job you are applying for.  Your ability with politics can help in some jobs, and scare hiring managers away in others.

It is important for your resume to get you included in the interview pool.  During the interview they can find out how wrong their prejudices are.  But you have to have a resume that gets you the interview.  Make a conscious decision about what you want to emphasize and what you need to make disappear.  Get the interview.

Something to do today

What do you think is hurting your job search.  Hide it without lying and send out a few test resumes to see if it made a difference.

————————–

Coming up

The smell of cabbage soup

Resume services

Leave a comment

Posted in Resumes

Tagged

3 ways to get the credentials of an expert

Posted on June 5, 2013 | Leave a comment

My definition of an expert in any field is a person who knows enough about what’s really going on to be scared. (P.J. Plauger)

I spent months getting my CPC (Certified Personnel Consultant).  It does occasionally help me get some work.  It makes me different.  I have become a little more elite than other recruiters.  A lot of people don’t care, but enough care to make it worth the effort.

You can become an elite candidate the same 3 ways I have.

 

Get a letter of recommendation

An expert gives you his credentials when you have a letter from that expert saying how good you are.  A letter from a non-expert also sets you apart. Someone believes in you.

Take some classes and get a certification

You can get a certifications in almost every field.  Some, like a PhD, are more difficult than others.  Passing a www.BrainBench.com  test is an instant certification in 600 specialties.  Microsoft and Sun have a bunch of certifications for computers.

You need to ask experts in your field for help. What certification can you pass the quickest?  Which will have the biggest impact? Any certification will help.

Write an article for a trade journal

Trade journals and trade web sites are hungry for articles.  Doing an interview article for a trade journal is a great way to introduce yourself to top executives in your field.  “How To” articles show your expertise. You can attach the first page of your articles to the back of your resume.

Being known as an expert will make your job search easier.  It will also get you more money.  Don’t wait until you are out of work to become an expert.  Start working on it now.

Something to do today

Ask around and find out who are the experts in your field.  Find out how they became experts.  You can even call them and ask for advice on how to become an expert.  They will feel flattered.

————————–

Why do I make less (or more) money at this job?

Daydreams, plans and the future

Inventing your next job

Religion, politics, sexuality and job hunting

Leave a comment

Posted in Accomplishments, Networking, Promotions, Resumes, Training

Tagged ,

7 tools inside the box. What’s wrong with thinking inside the box?

Posted on May 31, 2013 | Leave a comment

I’ll be more enthusiastic about encouraging thinking outside the box when there’s evidence of any thinking going on inside it. (Terry Pratchett)

7 tools inside the box 

I got an email that said, “I finally got a job networking.”

The job came from handing out lots of business cards.  Often you get lucky working inside the box.  The box is where the proven tools are stored.  It is where most jobs are found.  Sure, think outside the box.  It might work.  First, use all the tools in the box.

This is the box

  1. Look for a job while still employed, if you can.
  2. Concentrate most on the jobs and companies you want most.
  3. Use an accomplishment filled resume – it proves you can do the job.
  4. Get the credentials of an expert.
  5. Constantly network – let people know you are looking, follow up.
  6. Watch the job ads – internet and newspaper.
  7. Use recruiters and constantly follow up with them.

Are you using all the tools inside the box?

Something to do today

Concentrate on a different tool every day or every week of your job search.  It helps keep the hunt from getting boring.

————————–

How to wait for the next interview

Be a squeaky wheel

Get the credentials of an expert

Leave a comment

Posted in Finding jobs, Focus, Networking, Perseverance, Recruiters, Resumes

Tagged , ,

3 examples of thrift that ought to go on a resume

Posted on April 17, 2013 | Leave a comment

Here are 3 examples of thrift that should be on resumes.  They are examples of being thrifty that can get you interviewed and hired.

One change that Laura suggested allowed her company to lay off 3 data entry clerks.  That paid for her salary for the rest of her time at the company.  But, she never put it on her resume.  She never mentioned it in future job interviews.

Bob renegotiated several software maintenance agreements.  He called up some other companies with the same software and asked for information.  Then he called up the salesmen and asked why they were paying an extra $300,000 per year for licenses. Those savings never made it onto his resume.  He did write, “renegotiated software licenses”.  If he had written, “saved $300,000 each year by renegotiating software licenses”, it would have had a lot more impact.

One mechanic I know saved his company $1,200,000 each year by suggesting they use different light bulbs in their plants.  He got an award for the suggestion.  Would you rather hire him or a mechanic who just tightened bolts on machines?

Make sure ways you saved money and time show up on your resume.  Mention them in every interview.  A thrifty reputation can be very enticing.  Every dollar saved goes right to the manager’s bonus pool.  That should help in your next job search.

Something to do today

Go back through your job history.  In your job journal write down everything you have done that saved money.  Getting a project done ahead of schedule or under budget counts.  Make guesses at how much money you saved.  Figure out how many people were shifted to other areas because of your improvements.

Now put those numbers in your resume.

————————–

Later: Interview like an Eagle -11

Start a salary bidding war

Top secret job hunting

Read want ads even if you are NOT job hunting

Free career intelligence

How to turn your dishwasher into a snowplow

Leave a comment

Posted in Accomplishments, Resumes

Tagged ,

Do you have to tell the truth? How?

Posted on April 2, 2013 | Leave a comment

I had two people axed for falsifying their resumes in a year.  The saddest part is that in both cases the lie that cost them their job was not significant to getting the job.  In other words, if they told the truth they still would have gotten the job, they would still have it.  One was a lie about education.  The other was a lie about a previous job.

So how do you let people know about a problem in an interview and still get the job?  By being accurate and brief.  If you merely attended a school without graduating, say it.   They can ask you about your degrees if they care.  Don’t make up any jobs. If they care about a gap in your resume, they’ll ask.  They understand taking 6 months to find a job.  It happens.

Tomorrow I’ll tell you what to say about a job that was horrible with a boss from… never mind.  That’s tomorrow.

The way you get people to trust you is to be honest.  Gasp!  If you have to talk about something you want to avoid, say only one sentence.  Be accurate and very brief.  Get on to the next question and anwer, the one they will remember.

Something to do today

Write down one sentence replies to questions you don’t want to delve into during an interview.  Go over the list an hour or two before the interview.  Right before the interview read the list of things you want to emphasize.  You need to be thinking positively when you go into your interview.

————————–

Later: Interview like an Eagle – 3

Start a salary bidding war

Top secret job hunting

Read want ads even if you are NOT job hunting

Free career intelligence

How to turn your dishwasher into a snowplow

Leave a comment

Posted in Interviews, Quitting or Fired, Resumes

Tagged , ,

How you can accidentally make job search success impossible

Posted on March 27, 2013 | Leave a comment

This story relates directly to your job search, phone calls, interviews, writing your resume, and getting a job offer.

Complete panic, worry, and unhealthy fear were created by my 17 year old daughter as she graduated from high school. In an hour she was going to get her wisdom teeth removed. She’d kill me if I use her name, so let’s call her Gina.

Gina and a friend spent a few days swapping stories about cowardice in the face of needles. They talked about it often enough to amplify their concerns. So Gina was panicked about getting the IV before they put her under. The thought of getting near a needle is horrible to her now. Her friend was bragging about cowering against a wall while she was restrained two years ago to get an inoculation. Gina was fantasizing about how badly she would react when the needle gets close.

Gina came back from the oral surgeon alive.  She had tears streaming down her face before the needle even touched her. She had three holes in her arm because they didn’t get it right. I think part of the problem was hers. Competent nurses became incompetent when faced with her dread and complete lack of faith.

People who need to leave their job are often the same way. They focus on visions of starvation and divorce for months and years before they leave.  All the horrors stories they have ever heard play through their mind over and over.  The will to better themselves is frozen and then shattered by fear.

Even worse than mere fear, you can attract all your worst dreams to you.  As you concentrate on horrible possibilities, you will be drawn to those situations.  The characteristics you concentrate on, will be in your new company.

I don’t know the exact mechanism, but most people get the job they think about the most.  If they concentrate on finding a great job, they usually find at least a good one.  If they concentrate on avoiding horrible, mean spirited, lying, deceitful people in their new company, the usually join below average or horrible companies.  They get the coworkers they dreaded. They are trapped in job after job in companies of despair.

Instead of spending your time talking to someone unemployed who lost their job in November of 2011, talk to someone who just got a new job. Talk to people who have made great job choices. Reminisce with folks who did things right.

Look for a job while you are still employed.  Find out about the company you are moving to.  Talk to your new coworkers before you take the job.  There is a lot less danger than you have been worrying about.

If you concentrate on the positive, you will find the good in every experience.  If you concentrate on the negative, you won’t have a good experience, no matter how good the experience is. You can make good things possible or impossible.

Something to do today

Make a list of the people who tell horrible war stories about job changes.  Stay away from them.  Stay away from everyone who teaches you fear and panic.

Buy The New Psycho-Cybernetics by Maxwell Maltz, or Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill.  Read it. Absorb it.

————————–   

Later: The rubber band solution for nervousness

Leave a comment

Posted in Attitude, Focus, Interviews, Negotiating, Networking, Resumes

Tagged , , , ,