Love this article! So many great points about recruiters, when to use them and when not to! Enjoy!
The word “Recruiter” generally stirs up lots of emotion and opinions in people – we are the people the professional world loves to hate! But can we recruiters actually be of value to you, the client? Can we become a trusted business partner?
Personally, I expect that some clients will like us, and some won’t. That some clients will have had a bad experience, think we call up too much and usually at the wrong time, they think our fee’s are too high and that we add no real value, and you know what they are probably right to think that. But then again, most of my clients say just the opposite.
I have been in the industry for 15 years and have worked with some exceptional recruiters, and just as many pretty average ones, there are lots of them out there so you have to pick your recruiter wisely.
So when you next use a recruiter, how can you make sure it is a positive and valuable experience? That it’s a process that gives value for money and provides an exceptional outcome? That outcome being a fantastic new employee who will serve you and your company well and be a great asset for years to come.
Well that really is up to you and how you engage with the recruiter. That sounds rather simple doesn’t it? Well let’s look at a few simple pointers, which hopefully will help you along the way:
1) Decide on what you want to hire:
Really? Of course you know what you want to hire, don’t you?
Unfortunately, in the majority of cases, clients often don’t know what they want when hiring. They just want “another Dave to replace him before he leaves next month” or a “CA qualified Finance Manager with great communication skills”…. This is cause for guesswork on the part of the recruiter, and they will do just that, wasting everyone’s time, especially yours!
A detailed job specification & description is so valuable to a recruiter and of course the candidate. If you are the hiring manager, you should write this, HR will have a template but don’t rely on just that, you should be the one who thinks about the finer detail in advance of briefing recruiters. Giving clear instruction around what you are looking for will make it so much more of a smooth process.
Hiring Managers: Don’t Try to Find the Perfect Employee!
2) Select your recruiters wisely:
Does your company have a list of Preferred Suppliers to tap in to? If so, are they any good? Were they selected on price or ability? If price, then beware!…. Are they a specialist in your area of expertise or generalists across all lines of business?
The larger recruitment firms tend be a little cheaper and they are usually generalists who can recruit every role within your company, but often this will dilute the expertise of the recruiter.
Smaller ‘boutique’ firms will be specialists within your professional sector and will understand your technical requirements, they will have a wider reach in to your specific market and should be able to source the best talent, but, they may cost you a little more for the pleasure.
Establish how long the individual recruiter has personally been recruiting in your sector in the local market, this will be a clear guide to their capability and reach.
3) Don’t open the role up to every recruiter who calls you:
If you do this then you are likely to find yourself in a world of pain, the phone will ring incessantly, your inbox will be flooded with CVs and it will not be a pleasurable experience. Use 2 or 3 recruiters maximum, or if you are really confident of the recruiter’s capability, just use one Consultant on the assignment. You will be amazed by the level of input you will get from an ‘exclusive’ arrangement.
4) Meet the recruiters:
Seems logical right? But often clients just don’t have time to meet. Why do we want to meet you? It’s not because we like coffee or want to be you new BFF.
I will let you in to a secret: recruiters don’t like wasting their own time, or yours, or their candidates. You will get so much more from a recruiter if you invest 30-45 minutes with them talking about your ideal candidate, how you like to recruit and how you envisage the process going. They should then tailor the process to suit you and your needs.
5) Agree terms up front
Do it at the start of the process – not the end when you want to make an offer to a candidate. The recruitment fees, the payment terms, and the guarantee period are the 3 most important things to understand and agree up front. Expect that different firms will offer different terms for a different level of service – you wouldn’t expect to pay Holden prices in a Mercedes dealership, would you? They offer the same thing, cars, but a very different product all together.
If price is your main driver then be pragmatic on what you expect from your recruiter: “Buy Cheap, Buy Twice” is a bad situation for everyone concerned.
6) Set out your timescales:
Work out exactly when you want the person to start, so after your briefing, give the recruiter a week or so to source candidates, assume 2 or 3 rounds of interviews over a couple of weeks, with referencing too and factor in 4 weeks notice for the chosen candidate to leave their employment, and there you have it, a timetable of events.
Put these in your diary, give the recruiters a couple of dates/times for interviews and instruct them to come up with the best candidates in the market (not just those ‘on the market’, who have applied on Seek) this is the ultimate carrot for any recruiter. They know you are serious about hiring, they will move mountains to find you the best guy or girl.
7) Stick to your plan:
Once all of this is agreed and in place, stick to it, simple:
Don’t change the brief (unless you really have to).
Don’t put the process to one side while you start another project.
Always give feedback to the recruiter on CVs, interviews and references – do this within a day or so, candidates need to know what is happening and will think badly of your company if they hear nothing, no news or feedback can be damaging to your brand.
Remember, a good recruiter will represent your business in a positive way, they will ‘sell’ the opportunity to a candidate and get their buy in to you and your team before they potentially join your company.
The cost of a bad hire is immeasurable, the negative impact to the team and business is just awful. But if you get it right, and hire the best possible person out there to come and join you, who adds value, who is an asset and raises performance, surely this is money well spent at twice the price? A great recruiter will help you do this, and then you will love us again!
Monday, September 23, 2013
Monday, March 25, 2013
What is Your Myers Briggs Social Media Type?
Just saw this one this morning on the Undercover recruiter site...thought it was interesting...enjoy! :)
Have you ever taken the Myers Briggs test?
It is an assessment based on Carl Jung’s theory of psychological types that looks at what kind of characters people have and is broken down into four categories: extraversion or introversion, sensing or intuition, thinking or feeling, and judging or perceiving. These assessments are extremely accurate if taken properly and essential to group constructions for projects and group dynamics.
Recently, the developers of the study, CPP, compared their data to those who use social media and the results are fascinating.
Here are some of the best parts of the stats of users on the infographic:
69% of extraverts use Facebook, higher than the 65% average of all people, and more than the 60% of introverts.
75% of feeling people browse once a day but only 23% share about their personal life
Intuition people are more likely to use LinkedIn and Twitter than Sensing people.
Here is a link to picture below with better detail off original Undercover Recruiter site since it is showing up so small here in my blog: http://theundercoverrecruiter.com/myers-briggs-social-media/
Have you ever taken the Myers Briggs test?
It is an assessment based on Carl Jung’s theory of psychological types that looks at what kind of characters people have and is broken down into four categories: extraversion or introversion, sensing or intuition, thinking or feeling, and judging or perceiving. These assessments are extremely accurate if taken properly and essential to group constructions for projects and group dynamics.
Recently, the developers of the study, CPP, compared their data to those who use social media and the results are fascinating.
Here are some of the best parts of the stats of users on the infographic:
69% of extraverts use Facebook, higher than the 65% average of all people, and more than the 60% of introverts.
75% of feeling people browse once a day but only 23% share about their personal life
Intuition people are more likely to use LinkedIn and Twitter than Sensing people.
Here is a link to picture below with better detail off original Undercover Recruiter site since it is showing up so small here in my blog: http://theundercoverrecruiter.com/myers-briggs-social-media/
Tuesday, March 5, 2013
Buying Resumes Online
I had a candidate actually tell me they bought resume writing services offline recently and it was from ebay of all places. (He did give me permission to share this story as long as I promised not to share his name or any identifying info about him!). Needless to say, he did not have a good experience at all and felt his money was wasted. Surprisingly, there are several resume writing services out there online and agencies. After years of telling people not to ever pay for resumes, I finally gave in and had to start charging something when taking on the task of creating a full resume just due to how much time it involves. It is a huge investment putting together a resume and not one that should be taken lightly...or for $35 off a site like ebay. Most people should be able to tackle the job on their own, but it never hurts to get a second opinion and get another set of eyes to review and critique it. Honestly, i always suggest that the person you ask to review it is someone you know, but knot a recruiter or someone in HR function solely because we looks at resumes all day long and may not be as objective as someone who is not in that line of work. There are some great tips and resources out there to build your resume online too! Good luck!
Everything You Need to Know About LinkedIn Invitations
Lots of this is common sense, but some good tips and reminders here too! Enjoy! (article from undercover recruiter site, reposted, written by Eduard Titov)
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As an active LinkedIn networker, blogger and trainer, I receive lots of LinkedIn questions every day. This week, there seemed to be a common theme – LinkedIn Invitations. Many interesting questions crossed my desk, so I thought I’d compile them all in one place and share my answers with you. Have a question about LinkedIn invites? It’s probably answered below… Take a peek!
1) What’s the best way to invite someone to connect?
I always tell people to never send an invitation unless you’re fairly certain it will be accepted. A best practice is reach out to that person elsewhere first (email, phone, real life conversations, Twitter, Facebook, Google+, LinkedIn messages, InMail, group discussions, status updates, etc.) and start a conversation. If they seem amenable, go ahead and invite them (customizing the invite to remind them how you know each other and why you’d like to connect).
Never send the default invitation verbiage since it does turn off some people. And definitely don’t bulk-invite everyone in your email contacts list. There’s no way to personalize the message and it could lead to some invites that you probably didn’t intend to send (your ex-spouse, grandma, doctor, mechanic, that employee you fired, people who might not know you or remember you and/or people who aren’t even on LinkedIn – but will now get marketing emails to join LinkedIn… something they may not appreciate at the end of the day).
2. How many invitations can I send?
You are allotted 3000 invites to send out and you can send out as many as you want per day, but you will be required to enter a Captcha for each invite over 100 sent in a 24-hour period.
3. How can I prevent accidentally inviting the same person more than once?
If you’ve already invited that person, you will no longer see the regular “Invite John to Connect” screen with the gray box and the radio button list. You will instead see a similar screen with only one option – to invite that person by plugging in their email address. This screen tells you that you’ve already invited this person in the past.
4. Can I withdraw an invitation once I’ve sent it out?
Yes, simply go to Inbox > Sent > Sent Invitations tab to see all of your sent invitations. Click on any invite you want to withdraw to open the message then click the “Withdraw” button. The person will not be notified that you’ve withdrawn the invitation. (If you want to find a specific invite to withdraw, go to the search box in the top right corner of any screen, choose Inbox from the dropdown menu, plug in the name of the person you wish to un-invite and it will pull up that specific invite in the search results).
5. If I withdraw an invite, is it credited back to my account?
Nope, I’m afraid not. Once you’ve sent an invite, it counts toward your 3000 invitation limit whether you withdraw the invitation or not.
6. What do I do if I run out of invitations?
Simply email LinkedIn Customer Service and ask for more invites. As long as you haven’t been labeled a spammer by getting too many declines, they will typically grant you another 500 – 1000 invites (per month) to send out. If you use them all up, you will need to wait until that month is up before asking for more.
7. Why would I ever want to withdraw an invitation?
I recommend withdrawing an invite if it hasn’t been accepted in the past week or so. It means that either a) the person doesn’t remember you, b) they don’t want to connect with you for some reason or c) they aren’t very active on LinkedIn (and may not remember you by the time they do log back in… which greatly increases the chance that you’ll get declined).
8. What happens when someone clicks “I don’t know John?”
Many people don’t realize this, but this type of decline is EXACTLY the same as getting marked as Spam. IDK (I Don’t Know) and Spam are identical in LinkedIn’s eyes and if you receive approximately 5-7 of these declines (either type, in any combination), then LinkedIn will place a restriction on your account, requiring you to enter an email address for all future invites.
9. Why is LinkedIn requiring me to enter an email address to invite people?
It means you’ve received too many declined invitations and LinkedIn has placed a restriction on your account. (See #8 above.)
10. How can I remove a restriction on my account?
It’s not uncommon for newbies to get overzealous with their invitations and get restricted, so LinkedIn has actually created a way for you first-timers to remove your own restriction. Simply go to this page, check the “I agree” box and click “OK.” Shazam! You’re now unrestricted and back in action. (Just be more careful going forward!) Not your first restriction? You’ll need to reach out to Customer Service and promise to be more careful with your future invites.
11. How can I tell if someone’s marked my invite as IDK / spam?
Here’s a little ditty that I discovered a while back but this is the first time I’ve shared it with anyone else! When you click on a sent invite (see #4 above), if the “Resend” box is missing, that means the person has archived your invitation (which does not penalize you in any way aside from taking up one of your 3000 allotted invites). If both the “Withdraw” AND “Resend” buttons are missing, it means that the person has marked your invitation as Spam or IDK. (Note – it could also mean that you’ve already withdrawn the invite or they’ve already accepted it, so always delete a withdrawn invitation for record-keeping purposes and/or check to make sure they’re not already a 1st level connection. You can’t reinvite someone who’s already connected to you!)
12. How can I prevent account restrictions in the future?
Stick to those best practices outlined in #1 above. Only send an invite that you’re fairly certain will be accepted. Never roll the dice with an invite. Start the conversation elsewhere and only THEN send an invite to connect. Customize the invite, be clear how you know each other and let them know why you’re interested in connecting. These best practices will greatly increase your acceptance rate!
Even better? Create a one-click invitation link that takes people directly to your invitation page on your LinkedIn profile. Feature this link anywhere that prospective connections might read it (your email signature, blog, website, Twitter bio, Facebook page, company website, About.me page, etc.). The best part? A one-click invite reaches a wide audience, puts the ball in the other person’s court to invite you (rather than putting them on the spot with an invite), doesn’t use up any of your 3000 invites (since the other person is inviting YOU) and there’s no risk of you getting declined as Spam or IDK (since you’re the one doing the accepting, not the inviting). Cool, huh? (Feel free to comment below with YOUR one-click invite link… you just might get an invitation!)
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As an active LinkedIn networker, blogger and trainer, I receive lots of LinkedIn questions every day. This week, there seemed to be a common theme – LinkedIn Invitations. Many interesting questions crossed my desk, so I thought I’d compile them all in one place and share my answers with you. Have a question about LinkedIn invites? It’s probably answered below… Take a peek!
1) What’s the best way to invite someone to connect?
I always tell people to never send an invitation unless you’re fairly certain it will be accepted. A best practice is reach out to that person elsewhere first (email, phone, real life conversations, Twitter, Facebook, Google+, LinkedIn messages, InMail, group discussions, status updates, etc.) and start a conversation. If they seem amenable, go ahead and invite them (customizing the invite to remind them how you know each other and why you’d like to connect).
Never send the default invitation verbiage since it does turn off some people. And definitely don’t bulk-invite everyone in your email contacts list. There’s no way to personalize the message and it could lead to some invites that you probably didn’t intend to send (your ex-spouse, grandma, doctor, mechanic, that employee you fired, people who might not know you or remember you and/or people who aren’t even on LinkedIn – but will now get marketing emails to join LinkedIn… something they may not appreciate at the end of the day).
2. How many invitations can I send?
You are allotted 3000 invites to send out and you can send out as many as you want per day, but you will be required to enter a Captcha for each invite over 100 sent in a 24-hour period.
3. How can I prevent accidentally inviting the same person more than once?
If you’ve already invited that person, you will no longer see the regular “Invite John to Connect” screen with the gray box and the radio button list. You will instead see a similar screen with only one option – to invite that person by plugging in their email address. This screen tells you that you’ve already invited this person in the past.
4. Can I withdraw an invitation once I’ve sent it out?
Yes, simply go to Inbox > Sent > Sent Invitations tab to see all of your sent invitations. Click on any invite you want to withdraw to open the message then click the “Withdraw” button. The person will not be notified that you’ve withdrawn the invitation. (If you want to find a specific invite to withdraw, go to the search box in the top right corner of any screen, choose Inbox from the dropdown menu, plug in the name of the person you wish to un-invite and it will pull up that specific invite in the search results).
5. If I withdraw an invite, is it credited back to my account?
Nope, I’m afraid not. Once you’ve sent an invite, it counts toward your 3000 invitation limit whether you withdraw the invitation or not.
6. What do I do if I run out of invitations?
Simply email LinkedIn Customer Service and ask for more invites. As long as you haven’t been labeled a spammer by getting too many declines, they will typically grant you another 500 – 1000 invites (per month) to send out. If you use them all up, you will need to wait until that month is up before asking for more.
7. Why would I ever want to withdraw an invitation?
I recommend withdrawing an invite if it hasn’t been accepted in the past week or so. It means that either a) the person doesn’t remember you, b) they don’t want to connect with you for some reason or c) they aren’t very active on LinkedIn (and may not remember you by the time they do log back in… which greatly increases the chance that you’ll get declined).
8. What happens when someone clicks “I don’t know John?”
Many people don’t realize this, but this type of decline is EXACTLY the same as getting marked as Spam. IDK (I Don’t Know) and Spam are identical in LinkedIn’s eyes and if you receive approximately 5-7 of these declines (either type, in any combination), then LinkedIn will place a restriction on your account, requiring you to enter an email address for all future invites.
9. Why is LinkedIn requiring me to enter an email address to invite people?
It means you’ve received too many declined invitations and LinkedIn has placed a restriction on your account. (See #8 above.)
10. How can I remove a restriction on my account?
It’s not uncommon for newbies to get overzealous with their invitations and get restricted, so LinkedIn has actually created a way for you first-timers to remove your own restriction. Simply go to this page, check the “I agree” box and click “OK.” Shazam! You’re now unrestricted and back in action. (Just be more careful going forward!) Not your first restriction? You’ll need to reach out to Customer Service and promise to be more careful with your future invites.
11. How can I tell if someone’s marked my invite as IDK / spam?
Here’s a little ditty that I discovered a while back but this is the first time I’ve shared it with anyone else! When you click on a sent invite (see #4 above), if the “Resend” box is missing, that means the person has archived your invitation (which does not penalize you in any way aside from taking up one of your 3000 allotted invites). If both the “Withdraw” AND “Resend” buttons are missing, it means that the person has marked your invitation as Spam or IDK. (Note – it could also mean that you’ve already withdrawn the invite or they’ve already accepted it, so always delete a withdrawn invitation for record-keeping purposes and/or check to make sure they’re not already a 1st level connection. You can’t reinvite someone who’s already connected to you!)
12. How can I prevent account restrictions in the future?
Stick to those best practices outlined in #1 above. Only send an invite that you’re fairly certain will be accepted. Never roll the dice with an invite. Start the conversation elsewhere and only THEN send an invite to connect. Customize the invite, be clear how you know each other and let them know why you’re interested in connecting. These best practices will greatly increase your acceptance rate!
Even better? Create a one-click invitation link that takes people directly to your invitation page on your LinkedIn profile. Feature this link anywhere that prospective connections might read it (your email signature, blog, website, Twitter bio, Facebook page, company website, About.me page, etc.). The best part? A one-click invite reaches a wide audience, puts the ball in the other person’s court to invite you (rather than putting them on the spot with an invite), doesn’t use up any of your 3000 invites (since the other person is inviting YOU) and there’s no risk of you getting declined as Spam or IDK (since you’re the one doing the accepting, not the inviting). Cool, huh? (Feel free to comment below with YOUR one-click invite link… you just might get an invitation!)
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
10 Bizarre Interview Questions That Work
Thought this was interesting...and in thinking about it am not even sure how I;d answer a few of these! Enjoy! :) (article courtesy of inc.com)
A new survey reveals the best oddball questions that your interviewee has never heard before. A good interview question can give you insight into a potential hire's critical thinking process, communication skills, and ability to think and execute on their feet.
But with the the amount of prep they do these days, there's a good chance that your candidate has probably already heard just about every question you're about to ask them during their job interview.
Glassdoor.com recently compiled a list of the top 25 oddball questions that big businesses, including Amazon and Trader Joes, ask during their hiring interviews.
Here are 10 that will put your interviewee on their toes and hopefully give you a chance to see if they can think outside the box.
1. "If you were to get rid of one state in the U.S., which would it be and why?" Asked at Forrester.
2. "What song best describes your work ethic?" Asked at Dell.
3. "Jess Bezos [or, our CEO] walks into your office and says you can have a million dollars to launch your best entrepreneurial idea. What is it?" Asked at Amazon.
4. "Name 3 previous Nobel Prize Winners." Asked at benefitsCONNECT.
5. "If we came to your house for dinner, what would you prepare for us?" Asked at Trader Joe's.
6. "My wife and I are going on vacation, where would you recommend?" Asked at PricewaterhouseCoopers.
7. "Calculate the angle of two clock pointer when the time is 11:50." Asked at Bank of America.
8. "Have you ever stolen a pen from work?" Asked at Jiffy Software.
9. "If you had turned your cell phone to silent, and it rang really loudly despite it being on silent, what would you tell me?" Asked at Kimberly-Clark.
10. "On a scale from one to ten, rate me as an interviewer." Asked at Kraft Foods.
A new survey reveals the best oddball questions that your interviewee has never heard before. A good interview question can give you insight into a potential hire's critical thinking process, communication skills, and ability to think and execute on their feet.
But with the the amount of prep they do these days, there's a good chance that your candidate has probably already heard just about every question you're about to ask them during their job interview.
Glassdoor.com recently compiled a list of the top 25 oddball questions that big businesses, including Amazon and Trader Joes, ask during their hiring interviews.
Here are 10 that will put your interviewee on their toes and hopefully give you a chance to see if they can think outside the box.
1. "If you were to get rid of one state in the U.S., which would it be and why?" Asked at Forrester.
2. "What song best describes your work ethic?" Asked at Dell.
3. "Jess Bezos [or, our CEO] walks into your office and says you can have a million dollars to launch your best entrepreneurial idea. What is it?" Asked at Amazon.
4. "Name 3 previous Nobel Prize Winners." Asked at benefitsCONNECT.
5. "If we came to your house for dinner, what would you prepare for us?" Asked at Trader Joe's.
6. "My wife and I are going on vacation, where would you recommend?" Asked at PricewaterhouseCoopers.
7. "Calculate the angle of two clock pointer when the time is 11:50." Asked at Bank of America.
8. "Have you ever stolen a pen from work?" Asked at Jiffy Software.
9. "If you had turned your cell phone to silent, and it rang really loudly despite it being on silent, what would you tell me?" Asked at Kimberly-Clark.
10. "On a scale from one to ten, rate me as an interviewer." Asked at Kraft Foods.
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
When Bad Resumes Happen to Good People
Thought this article was fitting and timely to post with me having just mentioned for job seekers to send me their updated resumes. Ironically enough, I have also been at fault for having a bad resume several times in my career. I have had my resume out there lots in the past year for various contract recruiting or consulting jobs and after many months of having sent it out to lots of important people...I scanned it one day and found a few pretty critical errors...and fairly big "no no's" on my on my very own resume! Yikes! Needless to say, resumes are often easily overlooked, rushed through or often worse is spending too much time on your resume where you over critique it and revise it to the point it gets too confusing or overdone. The below article courtesy of undercover recruiter site...Enjoy!
If your 401K has dwindled to a 201K and your real estate has gone soft, it’s possible that the most important thing you own right now is your resume. But if the flow of e-mails into my office is any indication, the number of people with bad resumes has reached epidemic proportions. Worse, they don’t understand why I’m not doing back flips to schedule a meeting. To stop the spread of this viral vitae, I offer these remedies:
Less is more.
The sole purpose of a resume is to get you an interview, period. It’s not an autobiography. If you blurt it all out now, why should anyone want to meet you? Rather, think of it as wrapping paper that will make its recipient eager to tear open the package and see what’s inside. Once you’ve accomplished that, take a bow and start working on your interview skills.
Report, don’t editorialize.
Resist the urge to tell me that you’re a “highly motivated, results-driven, visionary, worldclass entrepreneur.” May I decide that for myself, after we’ve met and I’ve had time to consider your multitude of accomplishments? Save the adjectives for a topic other than you. This might be hard, I know, but it will be far more meaningful if I conclude that you’re a “seasoned, savvy professional with a distinguished career” than if you announce it beforehand and I have to hunt for evidence to support your claim. Give people credit for having a clue and they may just return the compliment.
Control your audience’s eye movements and you control the audience.
This ancient wisdom comes from Alfred Hitchcock and I urge you to learn from the master. Get your reader on a short leash with a choke-chain. Oh, did someone tell you those horrid little bullets will make it easier to scan your resume? That’s exactly why you don’t want to use them. Shameless self-promotions, garish buzzwords and inventive graphics are as image-positive as polyester leisure suits…and about as likely to get you a date. Avoid gimmicks aimed at luring the window shopper inside. If you want to provide a quick and dirty overview for that ADD reader in your life, write a brief, dignified paragraph and call it “Expertise” or “Summary.” Put it at the top of the page and get out of there.
Just the facts, ma’am.
Write the way Jack Webb spoke on Dragnet. Simple, direct statements in government style, gray flannel prose. No lying, no embellishing. Say what you were genuinely responsible for and don’t merely feature “highlights” or “achievements.” Again, no bullets – they resemble advertising copy. (Think how your filter kicks in when you see media hype. Same goes for hiring managers and recruiters.) So let it look and sound like…well, information. Leave out the poetry (together with any other unnecessary words, including articles and pronouns) and write in clear, journalist declarations that begin with verbs (“Woke up. Got out of bed. Dragged a comb…”). The number of pages doesn’t matter; substance does. Tell your story and be done with it.
Be realistic.
If you’re a dermatologist in Buffalo who wants a job pitching for the Yankees, you’ll need a wicked slider because even the best resume won’t help. And no, you can’t break down 10 years of accounting experience into core competencies and demonstrate how qualified you are to become the next CFO at Google, either. By all means say what you’ve done, but if the dots between that and what you’d like to do can’t be connected, the resume isn’t to blame. Putting your fantasy on paper won’t make it come true. Ask yourself honestly,
“Can I get there from here?”
Keep your cash in your pocket…you’ll need it for gas. Don’t hire a resume writer. Not for $100 and certainly not for $10,000. It’s a waste of money, honey. Hire a seventh-grade English teacher to help with your composition, if you need it, but not a pro. Although often well-intentioned and fiercely proud of their so-called credentials, very few professional resume writers have significant, direct experience actually placing executives in corporate functions. While you may be impressed by their aesthetic standards, they simply do not have skin in the game.
If your 401K has dwindled to a 201K and your real estate has gone soft, it’s possible that the most important thing you own right now is your resume. But if the flow of e-mails into my office is any indication, the number of people with bad resumes has reached epidemic proportions. Worse, they don’t understand why I’m not doing back flips to schedule a meeting. To stop the spread of this viral vitae, I offer these remedies:
Less is more.
The sole purpose of a resume is to get you an interview, period. It’s not an autobiography. If you blurt it all out now, why should anyone want to meet you? Rather, think of it as wrapping paper that will make its recipient eager to tear open the package and see what’s inside. Once you’ve accomplished that, take a bow and start working on your interview skills.
Report, don’t editorialize.
Resist the urge to tell me that you’re a “highly motivated, results-driven, visionary, worldclass entrepreneur.” May I decide that for myself, after we’ve met and I’ve had time to consider your multitude of accomplishments? Save the adjectives for a topic other than you. This might be hard, I know, but it will be far more meaningful if I conclude that you’re a “seasoned, savvy professional with a distinguished career” than if you announce it beforehand and I have to hunt for evidence to support your claim. Give people credit for having a clue and they may just return the compliment.
Control your audience’s eye movements and you control the audience.
This ancient wisdom comes from Alfred Hitchcock and I urge you to learn from the master. Get your reader on a short leash with a choke-chain. Oh, did someone tell you those horrid little bullets will make it easier to scan your resume? That’s exactly why you don’t want to use them. Shameless self-promotions, garish buzzwords and inventive graphics are as image-positive as polyester leisure suits…and about as likely to get you a date. Avoid gimmicks aimed at luring the window shopper inside. If you want to provide a quick and dirty overview for that ADD reader in your life, write a brief, dignified paragraph and call it “Expertise” or “Summary.” Put it at the top of the page and get out of there.
Just the facts, ma’am.
Write the way Jack Webb spoke on Dragnet. Simple, direct statements in government style, gray flannel prose. No lying, no embellishing. Say what you were genuinely responsible for and don’t merely feature “highlights” or “achievements.” Again, no bullets – they resemble advertising copy. (Think how your filter kicks in when you see media hype. Same goes for hiring managers and recruiters.) So let it look and sound like…well, information. Leave out the poetry (together with any other unnecessary words, including articles and pronouns) and write in clear, journalist declarations that begin with verbs (“Woke up. Got out of bed. Dragged a comb…”). The number of pages doesn’t matter; substance does. Tell your story and be done with it.
Be realistic.
If you’re a dermatologist in Buffalo who wants a job pitching for the Yankees, you’ll need a wicked slider because even the best resume won’t help. And no, you can’t break down 10 years of accounting experience into core competencies and demonstrate how qualified you are to become the next CFO at Google, either. By all means say what you’ve done, but if the dots between that and what you’d like to do can’t be connected, the resume isn’t to blame. Putting your fantasy on paper won’t make it come true. Ask yourself honestly,
“Can I get there from here?”
Keep your cash in your pocket…you’ll need it for gas. Don’t hire a resume writer. Not for $100 and certainly not for $10,000. It’s a waste of money, honey. Hire a seventh-grade English teacher to help with your composition, if you need it, but not a pro. Although often well-intentioned and fiercely proud of their so-called credentials, very few professional resume writers have significant, direct experience actually placing executives in corporate functions. While you may be impressed by their aesthetic standards, they simply do not have skin in the game.
Happy New Year!
Hope everyone had a wonderful Holiday Season and a Happy New year! Hard to believe it is already mid January! This is the best time of year to revamp your resume and to remember to email a current copy to your favorite recruiter (me!) :)
What helps me the most is to keep a current, updated resume on file and also have you send me a quick update of any changes that you have going on professionally in your career. I am seeing more and more companies wanting job seekers to be able to relocate, so please mention that to me as well in your note. While I can't always pick up the phone immediately and call everyone who contacts me, I try my best and always keep your information on file to try and match with companies and opportunities that I am working on.
I am looking forward to working with many of you in the upcoming year...both job seekers and companies looking to fill positions! Happy 2013!
What helps me the most is to keep a current, updated resume on file and also have you send me a quick update of any changes that you have going on professionally in your career. I am seeing more and more companies wanting job seekers to be able to relocate, so please mention that to me as well in your note. While I can't always pick up the phone immediately and call everyone who contacts me, I try my best and always keep your information on file to try and match with companies and opportunities that I am working on.
I am looking forward to working with many of you in the upcoming year...both job seekers and companies looking to fill positions! Happy 2013!
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