Posts Tagged ‘Resume’

Resume writing 10001

Friday, July 16th, 2010

It’s estimated there are 6 job seekers for every job opening in the market today.  That’s not very good odds.  However, any one can cut those odds in half instantly, simply write a decent resume!

I realize that I have a resume writing 101 entry on our site already, but in my mind I can’t tell people enough how important it is to write a clean, interesting and job worthy resume!

There is a bit of competition out there right now; people are unemployed, or looking to change jobs finally as the economy becomes more stable.  Think of this when writing your resume.  Those that have the most readable resume will rise above the rest.

The following are just a few things I’ve noticed about resumes over the last little while that I am finding over and over again. In a more competitive job environment, these ‘blunders’ are not helping anyone while searching for a new opportunity. Take a read:

  1. Spell check, spell check, spell check!!  I (obviously) can’t stress this enough. Grammar is another huge one too!  If you don’t understand how to use there, their or they’re in a sentence – I really encourage you to ASK SOMEONE!  Don’t assume you know – it’s okay! Assuming just makes a donkey out of you….and well, yep, just YOU!
  2. Unless you don’t have any work experience – your ‘job/volunteer’ experience as a team sport coach, or a day camp counselor for the summer of  ’93, ’94 and ’95 isn’t relevant anymore!  Keep it current!
  3. Act professional, be professional, but your resume isn’t professional looking?  Big problem!  Be aware of your tabs, bullets and overall formatting of your resume, your coverletter and even the EMAIL that you send to prospective employers.  This can make or break a good resume!  FIRST IMPRESSIONS PEOPLE!  Getting a resume with different font styles, sizes, alignment, margins etc is just sloppy and won’t get you further than the ‘G’ file……(for garbage in case you didn’t get it….).
  4. I understand, you want to portray yourself as a well rounded individual, but it is really NOT NECESSARY to write your hobbies down.  From airplane models, to synchronized swimming – we don’t need to know!
  5. Picture Perfect?  Maybe not!  This is another no-no in my mind.  An individual picture of you belongs on a passport – NOT YOUR RESUME!
  6. If this is one of your first jobs – I’d like to give some advice to the young job seekers out there too – be mindful of your job titles.  Even though, yes your real job title was “Shooter Girl”, how about either leave that experience off, or if you feel you need to keep it, replace it with; Waitress, Hostess, Server, bar assistant…. I’m sure any of those mentioned will do just fine!
  7. I know, we are all lazy creatures at heart – but come on!  Using a template that has worked for you in the past is fine (I guess), but make sure to change the contact name on it!  Surely nothing looks worse than addressing to the wrong person.  Surely you can see my point and oh, DON’T CALL ME SHIRLEY either!
  8. Again with the laziness.  I know, it’s easy and quick to write things in TEXT TALK – C U soon, or signing the end of your letter with TTYL – just to name a few, but again NOT PROFESSIONAL! Save it with your buds – not your potential employer!
  9. You know how ‘they’ say, “don’t sweat the small stuff”? Well, SWEAT IT when it comes to your resume, your cover letter and even the email you send! Be conscious of all the little details!  It’s the extra details, or lack of them that will make or break your resume.
  10. Finally some less critical advice!  Social media can play a part in your career search.  Why not create a LinkedIn account to check out potential employers?  It would really impress employers, if you had some recommendations from past employers, co workers, or clients on Linked In- they actually hold weight if it’s from the right person.

I know you’ve got a lot to offer. You’ve got some great experience – so don’t ruin a great opportunity with a bad resume – that’s all I’m saying.

Follow me on Twitter – @andrea_duggan

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How to lie on your resume, get away with it and have a great career!

Wednesday, June 23rd, 2010

You may have clicked here out of curiosity, or because you just couldn’t believe someone would write an article that would actually give you the tools to ‘get away with it!’, or perhaps you really are interested in my advice.  Well I hate to disappoint you!

Honesty is (ALWAYS) the best policy  when searching for a job.

I know you’re nervous, anxious, maybe excited, about searching for a new job.  You’ve spent a lot of time thinking and writing the best possible resume you can!  Innocently enough, you add extra words, implied stronger skills, embellished here and there to make your resume ‘shine’ above the rest.

You’ve applied to great positions, gone on some great interviews, and during those meetings you’ve been challenged with some difficult questions about the level of your skills, your experiences, and your overall knowledge.  You find once again, you were not the one chosen for the position.

Statistics say that 30% of people ‘embellish’ their resumes and experiences.  During recessionary periods, like the one we’ve just experienced, that number jumps to 44%. We all do it.  We all want to impress and showcase our talents. Be careful of exaggeration however, it’s all too easy to self justify a few extra words to pump things up a bit.

Today’s recruitment methods are very detailed.  There are far more skills assessments – hard and soft, personal checks (credit, education, criminal, even basic referencing, etc.) and personality reviews than there were even 5 years ago. Plus, most people forget about the internet.  Yes, Google has made it possible for all employers to get a glimpse of what you’ve been up to, the good, the bad and the down right ugly!  So, is all of that ‘dishonesty’ or embellishment of your resume and overall skills and knowledge worth it?  Likely not.

Here are a few examples of areas to watch for when job searching:

I’m the Expert – trust me

Lack of knowledge is the first step down that slippery slope.  It’s easy to imply expertise. You have the internet, you’ll simply look it up, cruise through some web sites, learn some keywords and BAMM you’re an expert….besides once you get the job you soon will be an expert…given a little time of course, you can do it.  You can do anything.  It doesn’t work that way folks, not even a little bit.

I’ve observed, therefore I can

The second step down that slippery slope is experience through observation.  You never actually had the experience but you’ve worked with a team member and learned everything they know.  It’s kind of like playing a doctor on TV, you may know all the right words and catch phrases, you may even look like the real thing, but given a scalpel, look out!  If you haven’t done the work yourself don’t put it on your resume, it won’t make you anymore “job worthy” and don’t be fooled into thinking you can fake it until you make it. You can’t!

Oh that software, I’ve used that before!

List current software skills only!  One of the most obvious embellishments is to profess proficiency in every imaginable software application.  Just because you’ve touched it, looked at it, used it over 10 years ago at a job you did for 3 days, does not make you skilled enough with that particular software to warrant putting it on your resume.  Put down the software you are capable of using today and today only. Unsure of your abilities with a particular piece of software?  There are many refresher courses out there, and even the staffing firm you are using may have the option for you to use their tutorial systems to hone up those rusty skills.

Mwwahh!  Got away, just like those other schemers…..

One of the biggest trends now, in light of the past few years of financial meltdowns and ponzi schemes, is to do credit checks, primarily for all accounting people in any industry, and those interested in working in banking, finance, investments or any other finance-accounting related business.  All positions in the finance-related industry, such as customer service, admin support or even mail room can be subjected to a credit check.  If you know your credit is not up to par….don’t put yourself (or the employer) in this situation.  Own-up and get it on the table up front, no one enjoys surprises!

I had a little trouble in the past, but that’s all behind me

This is similar to the credit check as above.  A lot of companies these days are asking for background criminal checks, in every industry, for every position.  Even if you committed a crime, likely a stupid error of judgment caused by age, or more precisely there of, unless pardoned, it will come up and could hinder you in your job search.  No matter how upstanding a citizen you are now, this could haunt you.  Not much can be done about this one, just be prepared to do some splain’in.

Well I did go to University…

If you went to University, got a degree in Art History, with some dabbling in economics, a B.Comm you do not have!  If you went to University but didn’t get a degree, don’t mention that you did.  Education verifications are more commonly used these days to ensure that, the business degree you say you have – you actually have. More and more universities also put information about alumna on their websites so it’s easier and easier to verify.  Don’t worry too much though, experience always trumps education. If you’re still relying on your education 10 years into your career, you’ve got bigger problems.

There’s nothing on the internet about me!

Regardless of these checks, a note of warning to everyone is the dreaded Google search.  If you haven’t done it, I would suggest you Google yourself, just to see what comes up.  Hopefully nothing, but in the rare chance that there may be something unflattering, not to mention down right incriminating, at least you’re aware, and understand how it will possibly affect you in your job search.  Those in your twenties, first step in your job search…remove all drunken party pictures from any and all public web sites.  Oh and never add your prospective boss to your Facebook account, or at least not without the appropriate filters activated!

So you see, it is very difficult to cheat, lie or exaggerate your way into your next position – but why would you want to?  You need to focus on finding the right position with the right company; using the skills and expertise you have and are comfortable with.  Don’t get me wrong, taking on new challenges and stretching to the point of being uncomfortable is important for your career; just make sure it happens in your new job where it counts, not in the interview where it doesn’t!

Hopefully all these little ‘honesty’ tips will help you in landing that next great job!

Follow me @andrea_duggan

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Resume Writing 101

Tuesday, May 11th, 2010

One of the most asked questions I receive before, after and sometimes even during an interview is, what do you think of my resume and what suggestions do you have for making it more effective?

There are many different thoughts on this, different styles suggested, and overall different advice on how to write and format the perfect resume.  There are lots of websites or career counseling centres out there that can offer you step by step advice.

Here are a few points I’ve noticed over the years that can help make your resume stand out from the rest of the pack. Most I’m sure are common sense, but a friendly reminder is never a bad thing;

  1. Keep your resume ideally within 2 – 3 pages.  Anything beyond that 3 mark and you’re in dangerous territory of over-selling yourself.
  2. Now that your resume is 2 to 3 pages, this shouldn’t mean that the font is smaller!  Font should be at about size 10 to 12pts, and should be in a clean type – Arial, Times New Roman are usually your best choices.
  3. There is a lot of debate about types of resumes – Functional vs Chronological.  I would have to say that we would prefer most resumes in chronological order, with duties and details beneath each position.
  4. When writing the details of your previous positions, write them from most important skills or tasks (eg. Prepared reports for year end audits) to least important (other clerical duties such as filing, data entry)
  5. If you are writing an executive style resume, detail your job duties, and at the bottom of your duties, give 1 – 2 achievements within that role.
  6. Cover letter?  It’s more impressive to find out the person’s name if you can, rather than writing “Dear Sir or Madam”.
  7. Can’t find out the person’s full name, but have their last name? Don’t assume what gender that person is!  Mr. so-and-so to a woman, and Mrs. So-and-so to a man doesn’t always go over so well! Stick to ‘Dear Hiring Manager’, or their title if that’s all you’ve got.
  8. Don’t forget a section to highlight your key skills, eg. MS Word & Excel, handling multi-line reception board, 10 years overall experience in sales
  9. When listing your education, make sure to include the schools you attended.  You worked hard at that school so show it off.
  10. Check, check and check!  Check spelling and grammar, check format – are all headers highlighted or underlined, does everything look consistent, margins and tabs all aligned? Last check – did I miss anything?

All of these steps will help you create a workable, useable resume, and make a great first impression!

Good luck!

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Looking Beyond Your Resume…

Tuesday, February 2nd, 2010

Resumes on 8 1/2 x 11 sheets of paper are the norm however with the growing popularity and use of social media venues such as You Tube, LinkedIn and Facebook, companies are looking for other ways to make sure that they are hiring the best person for the role. More and more organizations are visiting these social websites and plugging in a candidate’s name to find out more about the individual. Hiring Managers are using these social websites as screening tools for weeding out potentially undesirable candidates.

With the magic of Google, potential employers are able to get a real view of who you are apart from the embellished resume and glowing reference from your previous Supervisor (who just so happened to be a family friend). Employers are able to access a wealth of information about you with one click of the mouse. Do you know what type of image you portray online?  If not, I suggest you Google yourself to find out what others are seeing. It may be the reason you weren’t chosen for the ‘perfect’ job or why you didn’t get a call back after that interview with the Recruiter.

It is important that as an individual you ensure you maintain a consistent image. That means paying close attention to what type of information (including pictures, and videos) is available about you on the internet – whether you posted it or your friends did, it is your image and your personal brand that’s at stake. So the next time you are posing with a beer in one hand and a cigarette in another, it may be more than just your friends who are viewing those seemingly harmless photos. Other people are paying attention as well. You just never know who’s looking.

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