Tag Archives: resume writing

How to write a successful resume

Posted on December 28, 2021 | Leave a comment

The Marines test their men so that under ideal conditions they can strip down their rifles and put them back together extremely fast. They can do it blindfolded.

Since your resume may be first reviewed in 5.7 seconds and thrown away or kept, you have to make sure it can be read blindfolded.

I’m not saying to use Braille. Instead use bullets, placement of keywords, white space, and numbers (which also attract the eye) to make reviewers quickly see you meet the basic requirements.

Test one – the famous test:

Give your resume to a friend. Take it back after 12 seconds. Ask him what your resume says you are qualified to do. If he can’t tell you, it fails.

Test two — plus:

Get some resumes from friends or coworkers. Tell them you need them for this test. Or go to www.agicc.com/resumeideas.htm and download the resumes linked there. Put your resume somewhere besides first in the pile. Now, give the job description for the job you are applying for to a friend. Have him read it carefully. Give him the stack of resumes. Tell him he has 10 seconds per resume to decide if it fits the job. As he goes through the stack, time him on each resume. If he goes past 10 seconds, take the resume away and ask if it passes or fails. Does your resume pass or fail?

If your resume passes both tests, you have got a fighting chance.

Something to do today

Use the methods above to test your resume. Did your resume pass or did it fail? If it fails, make changes to make your resume better and test it again.

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Posted in Resumes

Tagged resume format, resume writing

It’s easiest to become an expert in a NEW technology

Posted on August 25, 2021 | Leave a comment

If you focus on the innovations happening around you, it can change your career. When an idea, technology or procedure is new, it takes a week to become an expert. A year later it takes a year to become an expert.

Startup, Whiteboard, Room, Indoors, Adult, Office

I became a database expert in a week when Oracle 1.0 (yes, I’m that old) came out. I talked my boss into springing for $100 to get a copy. I parlayed that into becoming a DB2 guru by buying a book. One book. I became a data modeling expert because no one else had a clue what that was. One innovation led to another, and my bosses had no desire to stop me. All the industry magazines and experts were using the buzzwords I could implement. I was on the leading edge. I was riding the wave of innovation. Every career progression was caused by taking two weeks to prepare for an upcoming, essential, mystifying technology.

Do a little internal innovation and focus on using other’s ideas and new technology. It is always easier to become an expert when technology and techniques are new. What is new in your field?

Something to do today

Try it again. The greatest lunch topic you can talk about with your boss is, “What is the emerging world changing technology, technique or skill in our field?” Figure out what the buzzwords are that people are barely starting to define in your field.

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Posted in Career choice, Finding jobs, Interviews, Promotions, Resumes, talent, Training

Tagged career choice, career growth, job hunting, new technology, Promotions, resume writing, talent, talents, training

How to engage the hiring manager in a conversation

Posted on August 11, 2021 | Leave a comment

How to engage the hiring manager in a conversation

The heroes in Men In Black have to stop a giant cockroach from leaving the earth. If it leaves, the earth will be destroyed. They are able to engage it in a conversation, sort of. They find out what is interesting enough to get the cockroach to come down and interact with (try to kill) them.

“Hiring managers are like giant cockroaches. They just want to hide in their offices and get away from you.” If you can engage the manager or their assistant in a conversation you will multiply your chances of getting an interview or a job. Here is how you do it:

First, make sure you want the job and that you are a decent fit. The Men In Black were the guys in charge of saving the earth. They were motivated and had the tools, they just had to figure out how to do it. If you are qualified to become a computer technician, audit manager or director of international sales, engage the hiring manager in a conversation. If you are not qualified for the job, just send him a resume through Indeed or ZipRecruiter. That way it only takes you 10 seconds to send it and the computer will automatically delete it for them. Conversation only works if you really want the job and really are qualified.

Now, write down the titles the hiring manager may have. Then call up the company and ask for that person. You may get through to him or you may get routed to someone else. If you get routed to someone else ask, “Are you helping (title) find the person for (job name)?” Push your way through until you get to someone who actually is helping him find a new employee. It doesn’t matter if it is them, the HR department or a receptionist. It has to be someone directly involved with the hiring process for that particular job.

When you get to the right person, say, “You are looking for a (job name). What has been the hardest thing for you to find in the right person?” Then wait. Engage them in a discussion of what they are having a hard time finding in a new hire. Make sure and ask, “Is there anything else you have a hard time finding?” Ask that last question again and again. Probe their answers. Find out what the problem is that they have to solve.

Another good question is, “For the (job name), what is causing you to throw away most of the resumes that you get?” Then probe that too. Add, “Is there anything else?” Listen. Ask more questions. Find out what can disqualify you.

Be helpful. If you find out you are the wrong person, offer to tell someone else who is qualified about the job. If you are the right person say, “I really fit that job, what is your email address so that I can send you my resume directly?” You have a 50-50 chance of getting their direct email address, and that will get your resume right on top of the pile. If you really are qualified, that is a great place to be. And you get there by engaging them in a conversation.

Don’t forget to specifically change your resume and cover letter to match their needs. Then call up an hour later and ask, “Did you get my resume? What more do you need to know?” You may just end up having a phone interview right then and there.

That is how you get a hiring manager to talk to you.

Something to do today

Make a list of a few jobs that you really want and are qualified for that you have not already interviewed for. Whether or not your resume has been sent in, call them up and try this out. Change your resume after your conversation and highlight things you didn’t know were so important. You just may get that job.

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Posted in Career choice, Finding jobs, Interviews, Negotiating, Resumes, talent

Tagged interview, Interviews, job application, job hunting, job interview, job interview tips, job interviews, resume impact, resume writing

Using the right words to catch the hiring manager’s attention

Posted on August 9, 2021 | Leave a comment

In the last article I talked about how hiring managers are NOT God. I even went as far to say, “Hiring managers are like giant cockroaches. They just want to hide in their offices and get away from you. You are a waste of their time unless you tell them something that proves they need you. They would rather have their receptionist shred your resume than take the time to talk to you.”

The hiring manager is not God. They are a giant cockroach.

You cannot assume that a hiring manager will glean 4 key words and 2 key points out of a 3 page resume. You get no points for length and thoroughness. You get no points for briefness. You get points, or an interview, for saying the key words and phrases that the hiring manager wants to hear. If you don’t shout those key words and phrases, the manager’s receptionist will shred your resume. Then the cockroach, the hiring manager, can hide in their office where you can’t get to them.

To find the right words and phrases you need to do some forensic language work. Like a crime scene investigator. Take 3 or 4 job listings on Indeed or ZipRecruiter for different jobs with the same company. Place them all side by side. Highlight all the phrases that are identical. Identify the stuff the human resources department puts around the description the hiring manager wrote. That fluff may possibly be necessary to get you past the HR department, but it won’t get you a job.

Now take your blue highlighter. Mark every misused acronym, word, technical term or technical phrase. Those are the words the HR person didn’t understand. They could very well be critical. You need to have an exact match on those words in your resume.

Continue marking with an orange highlighter. Again look for all the technical terms and acronyms. Mark them all. The orange words are the most likely to be used by a computer or receptionist to screen out resumes.

Finally, go back over the resume with a pink highlighter. Mark the skills that are the most difficult to find. What are the things in the ad that everyone wants and nobody has?

I bet those ads look terrible. That’s good. It means you have taken the time to study the exact words that will get you an interview. You need to include those words and technical phrases in your resume. They will force the screener to pass your resume on to the hiring manager. He will have to call you in order to see if you can do the job. You will prevent him from closing his door and hiding from you.

Something to do today

Get some highlighters and go through ads on the internet. Find the really key words and phrases. Alter your resume before you send it out. Make it so they cannot miss the things that are important to them.

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Posted in Career choice, Finding jobs, Interviews, Negotiating, Resumes, talent, Time management

Tagged finding a job, Finding jobs, interesting resume, interview, make an impression, resume impact, resume writing, Time management

Super short resumes that work

Posted on February 9, 2021 | Leave a comment

Sometimes an extremely short resume is better than a long one. When? I go into that in this short video.

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Posted in Uncategorized

Tagged resume, resume format, resume writing

3 most critical words on your resume

Posted on November 10, 2017 | Leave a comment

job related words in a mass of confusion

The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and a lightning bug. (Mark Twain)

3 critical words

12 words is the most that people will read on a billboard.

(That was 12 words.)

1 ½ or 2 inches of print is what most people read at a glance.

12 to 15 seconds is all the time a resume normally gets in a screener’s hands before it is trashed or put in the “review” pile.

3 critical words can make or break your resume.

How to get your point across in a resume

Worry about the first 3 words people read in every paragraph and bullet point. Those are the critical words that have to drag the resume reviewer into the rest of the line. Think of the hiring manager. What action, accomplishment or benefit can he see in the first 3 words?

Can’t do it? Get a thesaurus, or use the one in your word processor. Find the main word in that paragraph, find a high impact word to replace it with, and put that word in the first 3 words of the paragraph. In most cases it is better to break any paragraph over 3 lines long into bullet points. Long paragraphs are intimidating. Reviewers don’t want to read them. Make sure you worry about the first 3 words in every bullet point.

3 words can make or break your job search. Work on them.

Something To Do Today

Take an electronic copy of your resume and delete everything except for the first 3 words of each paragraph or bullet point. Leave the spacing and formatting the same. There will be a lot of white space and blank lines. Print it out. Put it face down on your desk.

Come back tomorrow and look at the skeleton you created. What is its impact? Fix it.

————————–

Tomorrow: email exploitation and cowardice

Later: Absolute proof it is time to leave your job

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Posted in Focus, Resumes

Tagged critical words, get attention, resume writing

Hirers hate resumes without clear facts

Posted on October 31, 2017 | Leave a comment

Does your resume make it hard to see the most important facts?

Facts would be nice

Even job seekers with great experience hide their best qualities. Here are a few ways they do it.

No facts, just brag

Do you say, “I am wonderful, amazing, lovable, creative, entertaining, and good????”.

Stephen King, author of more than 30 best selling horror books, wrote a book on writing. He says, “Get rid of adjectives.” This top author refuse to write, “She stealthily crept down the spooky staircase which creaked ominously.” Instead of using adjectives, he just tells what his character does, “She crept down the stairs.” He says the toughest thing he has to do in his writing is to remove all the adjectives. Just give the facts.

Get your facts first, and then you can distort them as much as you please. (Mark Twain)

You say what everyone else also says

I’m still waiting to see a resume that states: “I hate to work hard. I disrupt every team. I am a pig. I never take initiative. I lie constantly. I never hit my deadlines.”

I actually get that have half a page that states: “I work hard. I am a team player. I am neat. I take initiative. I am honest. I do assignments on time.” Those paragraphs never give me any facts, so I don’t read them.

Set yourself apart

What I really want to know is: What is different because you were there?

Set yourself apart from the other 40 people applying for a job. Use every inch of your resume to state things you have actually done. State facts like:

 I carried a beeper and was on-call for 3 years.

 I worked late for two months to help a different team finish the Simpson Project.

 I received an award for having the neatest desk.

 I kept our biggest customer from losing $500,000 by shipping their widgets overnight, without being authorized to, because my boss was on vacation.

 I estimated my last project at 715 hours and completed it in 690 hours at $4,000 under budget.

Think about what your new boss REALLY wants

Would you rather hire someone who says, “I work hard” or someone who says, “I carried a beeper and was on-call for 3 years”?

If you write your resume like Stephen King writes his novels, you’ll get more interviews. Give the facts about what you’ve done. Let the hiring manager use a red pen to add comments to your resume like: hard worker, takes initiative and hits deadlines.

Something To Do Today

Grab your resume and a ruler. How many inches of text describe you without giving facts? Many resumes have more hot air than facts. Literally.

As fast as you can, cut your resume down to nothing but facts. Add facts in bullet points. Don’t worry about the relevance of the facts. Act quickly. See if you can create a long “facts only” resume in less than half an hour.

Now take a break until tomorrow. Then fix that resume so that it can be used.

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Soon: Wrestlers in feather boas

Later: Corrections – a newborn’s grasp

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Posted in Accomplishments, Resumes

Tagged get hired, resume writing

Do you read under 2 ½ inches?

Posted on February 25, 2014 | Leave a comment

Most people read in 2 1/2 inch chunks. That is why drudgereport.com and newspapers use narrow columns.

Do you have a 3 ½ inch reading span?

Or is yours 2 ½ inches long?

To get your accomplishments and victories noticed, you have to learn the art of placement. You need to put power words and numbers in the first 2 ½ or 3 ½ inches of each paragraph and bullet. If you don’t, that bullet and that paragraph will not be read.

More than 80% of resumes are tossed in the trash after a 10 second review. More than half of the rest are tossed out after a second review of 45 seconds. The reason is that 100 resumes may come in for a particular job. Reviewing each resume for one minute would take over 1 ½ hours. Instead a screener takes 15 minutes to reduce that pile to 10 or 20 resumes by trying to quickly reject the obviously unfit ones. Since the boss doesn’t want to read even that many resumes, a 45 second review of the remaining resumes will reduce the pile to at most 5 resumes. Then the boss takes those 5 resumes AND DOES THE SAME THING!!!! He shuffles through the pile doing first a ten second review and then a 45 second review, hoping he only has to read one or maybe two in depth.

Can you survive that process?

What gets your resume past all the reviews is having boss stopping information where it gets read. That means you have to have your greatest accomplishments in bullets. Your finest deeds must be at the top of the list of bullets. It also means you put your list of duties, if you really really feel you need to have them, in a single paragraph so they are easy to ignore until the boss decides he will slog through the whole resume.

At the bottom of www.agicc.com/resumeideas.htm are links to some very good resumes. They are actual resumes we got permission to put on our site. They are resumes that got people jobs fast.

Your job review needs to go through the same editing process. Let’s face it, your boss finds your job review even more boring than you do. His boss will barely glance at it. You have to learn to put critical information in the first 2 ½ inches of bullets. It will earn you a lot of money.

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Something To Do Today

Rewrite your list of accomplishments. Make it into bullets. Put the boss stopping words and numbers in the first 2 ½ inches. Write two or three bullets for each accomplishment. Word them different ways. If you have the time, create a new resume or job review. Don’t throw away your practice bullets yet. They will come in handy tomorrow.

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Posted in Resumes

Tagged Accomplishments, be noticed, resume writing