#BestofFSCBlog : Resume Writing – How To Build A Crazy Effective #Resume That Gets Top Results. A Must Read ! !

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One of the most common questions I receive each month in my career coaching work is about how to build a truly compelling resume that will stand out from all the competition and generate positive responses from the nation’s top organizations.

Today, it’s not nearly as simple and straightforward as it used to be twenty years ago. We have to be very savvy in how we craft our resumes and LinkedIn profiles and in how we talk about ourselves. But we also have to illustrate powerfully our personal brands, and choose carefully the specific words and phrases we use to demonstrate what we do and how we do it, and why that matters.

To gain a better understanding of what you need to know for today’s job search, I was excited to catch up with Austin Belcak, founder of Cultivated Culture, where he helps people land amazing jobs without traditional experience. Austin joined me on my Finding Brave podcast offering powerful advice about how to land a dream job at the salary you deserve and we’ve just recorded a new episode on building the most compelling resume you can. Belcak is now helping professionals get even better results from their resumes through his free resume builder with ATS-friendly templates approved by recruiters from companies like Google, Microsoft, Barclays, and more.

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What Skill Sets do You have to be ‘Sharpened’ ?

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Here’s what Belcak shares about how to build a truly stand-out resume:

Kathy Caprino: Austin, from your work with so many professionals seeking to land great jobs, what are the biggest changes you’re seeing regarding resumes in today’s job market?

Austin Belcak: The hiring landscape has gone through some remarkable changes over the past 5-10 years.

We’ve seen a rise in robot-driven candidate processing and a huge jump in online applications. While I personally believe we’re moving out of the resume era and into the LinkedIn era, resumes still play a major factor in your ability to get hired.

If your primary focus is applying online, you need to make sure you’re using a proven resume template and that your resume is optimized for keywords that Applicant Tracking Systems (resume scanning robots) are looking for.

But even if you beat the robots, your resume is still going to have to convince a real human if you want to score that interview slot.

I’ve had thousands of resumes come across my desk at Cultivated Culture and the ones that consistently land interviews do two things:

  1. They don’t summarize; they focus on selling
  2. They’re naturally keyword optimized

Caprino: What is the ONE the biggest mistake people make when writing their resumes?

Belcak: The absolute worst thing you can do on your resume is summarize your experience with vague buzzwords and jargon. I’m talking about bullets like:

  • “Results-oriented salesperson with a track record of success”
  • “Team-focused collaborator with stellar leadership skills”
  • “Proven manager focused on servant-leadership to drive results and exceed goals”

None of those bullets tell us anything specific about the candidate.

What does “results-oriented” even mean? That you orient yourself around results? Does that mean you actually get great results? If so, what are they?

I see a lot of people get frustrated because they don’t hear back from their applications, but you need to put yourself in the recruiter’s shoes. If you received 10 (or 100) resumes that all say “track record of exceeding goals,” how would you be able to differentiate?

If you want to stand out and get noticed, you need to focus on selling and driving tangible value in your bullets. Speak about the specific initiatives you drove, the skills and tools you used to drive them, and the results you achieved.

Instead of, “Managed team of salespeople to generate new business and exceed targets”

Try, “Managed team of salespeople who generated $27M in new business last quarter (117% attainment).”

Caprino: What additional steps can people take to “sell” instead of “summarize” on their resume?

Belcak: If you want your experience to jump off the page, you need to focus on the value you drove.

There’s a field out there called Copywriting which is focused on how written words influence behavior. You come in contact with it daily when you scroll through the news or social media. Those headlines you see have been carefully crafted to grab your attention and earn your click.

With the rise of big data, marketing agencies have been able to put numbers behind the specific tactics and formulas that lead to more clicks and higher engagement.

I’ve spent the past 7 years studying the principles of copywriting and I’ve baked them into a simple, easy to follow Resume Bullet Formula:

If your resume bullet contains a word mix matching that formula, you can bet that it’s going to be much more compelling than the majority of bullets the competition is using to describe their experience.

Let’s look at an example:

Say you’re a marketer who leverages customer data to refine targeting on the company’s digital advertising, increase sales and lower cost-per-lead.

A mediocre bullet describing your experience might look like this:

“Leveraged customer data to run targeted ad campaigns and drive cost- effective leads.”

An awesome bullet leveraging the formula above might look like this:

“Overhauled digital ad targeting based on comprehensive customer data analysis – sales shot up 37% while CPA dropped 18%.”

This bullet is 18 words long and balances out to:

  • 17% Action Words (overhauled, comprehensive, shot)
  • 39% Uncommon / Industry Related Words (digital, ad, targeting, customer, data, analysis, CPA)
  • 33% Common Words (based, on, up, while, dropped, sales)
  • 11% Measurable Metrics (37%, 18%)

That’s right in line with our target word mix. See how compelling that is?

Let’s look at another example for a support engineer who helped a company improve its support process to eliminate a ticket backlog.

A mediocre bullet might look like this:

“Helped improve support processes to reduce ticket backlog and better serve customers.”

A strong bullet leveraging our formula might look like this:

“Developed tiered triage system that eliminated 40% of JIRA ticket backlog in less than 8 weeks.”

This bullet is a nice length (16 words) and its word balance comes out to:

  • 13% Action Words (developed, eliminated)
  • 38% Industry Terms (tiered, triage, system, JIRA, ticket, backlog)
  • 38% Common Words (that, of, in, less, than, weeks)
  • 11% Measurable Metrics (40%, 8)

Perfect!

Caprino: How can people optimize their resumes’ keywords to get past the robots?

Belcak: When I write resumes, I always work through the advice I mentioned above first. We want to focus on convincing the human that will eventually read our resume before we work on injecting keywords.

Once all of your bullets are focused on driving value and selling your experience, we can shift gears to keyword optimization.

When it comes to finding the right keywords for your resume, there are some paid tools out there but I want to give you a free workaround using a site called Wordclouds.com.

This site will help you identify the major words the resume scanning robots are looking for so you can include them in your resume. Here’s how:

Step 1: Find the job description for the role you want. Highlight and copy the entire job description.

Step 2: Head over to WordClouds.com and click on the “Word List” button at the top. Towards the top of the pop up box, you should see a link for Paste/Type Text. Go ahead and click that.

Step 3: Now paste the entire job description into the box, then hit “Apply.”

WordClouds is going to spit out an image that showcases every word in the job description. The larger words are the ones that appear most frequently (and the ones you want to make sure to include when writing your resume). Here’s an example for a data science role:

You can also get a quantitative view by clicking “Word List” again after creating your cloud. That will show you the number of times each word appeared in the job description:

9 data

6 models

4 experience

4 learning

3 Experience

3 develop

3 team

2 Qualifications

2 statistics

2 techniques

2 libraries

2 preferred

2 research

2 business

When writing your resume, your goal is to include those words at the same frequency as they appear on the job description.

This approach isn’t foolproof but it will help ensure that your resume is generally aligned with what the applicant tracking systems are looking for.

Caprino: Outside of the advice above, what’s one thing you’d recommend everyone do with their resume?

Belcak: Make sure your LinkedIn profile is hyperlinked on your resume.

ResumeGo, a site for hiring resume writers, ran an experiment on the effects of including your LinkedIn profile on your resume. They created 24,570 resumes and bucketed them into three categories:

  1. Resumes that did not contain a link to the candidate’s LinkedIn profile
  2. Resumes that contained a link to a bare bones LinkedIn profile
  3. Resumes that contained a link to a comprehensive LinkedIn profile

ResumeGo then submitted these resumes and aimed to measure the callback rates for each. The results showed that applicants who included a link to a comprehensive LinkedIn profile on their resumes received callbacks at a rate of 13.5%, which is 71% higher than the 7.9% callback rate of candidates who didn’t include their LinkedIn profile at all.

This is a super easy tactic that anyone can do in a few seconds to boost their chances.

Caprino: Any last words on what you’ve found are the top keys to a job-winning resume?

Belcak: Writing resumes can feel like a hopeless task, especially with the low callback rates candidates are seeing from online applications these days.

The main reason most people don’t hear back is because they get caught up in the minutiae of one page vs. two, what font to use, etc. instead of focusing on changes that actually get results.

The tactics in this article aren’t just fluffy suggestions–they’re backed by the results I’ve seen from the thousands of resumes I’ve reviewed at Cultivated Culture. If you take the time to implement them, I promise you’ll see better results.

For more information on creating an awesome resume that gets results, visit CultivatedCulture.com and check out their free resume builder tool.

To improve your networking and interviewing results, work with Kathy Caprino in her Career Breakthrough programs and her Amazing Career Project 16-week course.

Author: Kathy CaprinoSenior Contributor Careers
                                                     Forbes.com | September 14, 2019

#CareerAdvice : #HowtoStandOut – How To Use Pain Letters In Your #JobSearch . A #MustRead !

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Anybody who’s job-hunted in the past few years knows that the recruiting process is broken. You can easily apply for 100 jobs using employers’ own career portals and never hear a word back in reply.

When you do hear something from an employer it’s likely to be a terse auto-responder message that either says “If we want to hire you, you’ll hear from us, but don’t hold your breath!” or a terse auto-response commanding you to take a test or fill out another form.

Applying for a job these days is like applying for citizenship. It’s a bureaucratic morass. It’s demoralizing and insulting. If companies don’t need help, why do they run job ads? If they do need help, why do they treat job-seekers like dirt?

There’s a better way to get a job, but it requires you to step outside the  lines and break some rules. Whose rules are they? They are HR rules. I’m an HR leader myself and I give you permission to break silly HR rules in your job search process, right now!

You can find your own hiring manager, the person who will be your boss if you take a job working for a given employer. Here’s how to do that. You can find the specific person you’ll be working for in your new job, and reach out to him or her directly.

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What Skill Sets do You have to be ‘Sharpened’ ?

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You have to do some work and conduct some research in order to use the side door and avoid the dreaded online-application portal, but it’s worth it!

You will compose a thoughtful letter addressed directly to your hiring manager. Let’s say you’re writing to Arnie Smith, the Director of Customer Care at Angry Chocolates, a maker of specialty chocolate goodies.

You found Arnie on LinkedIn and read his complete profile. You know that Angry Chocolates is growing fast and winning awards for their high-quality chocolate treats.

You’re not going to send Arnie a boring cover letter with a boring resume. You’re going to compose a letter called a Pain Letter and staple it to your jazzy Human-Voiced Resume, and send those two documents together in an envelope (unfolded, so get an 8.5 x 11-inch envelope at the office-supply store) straight to Arnie’s desk!

Here’s how your Pain Letter to Arnie might read. “Dear Arnie, I was happy to see that Angry Chocolates was voted one of Fayetteville’s most up-and-coming companies. Hats off to you and your team!” That opening for your Pain Letter is called the Hook.

Your Hook gets Arnie to keep reading. He’s busy and if you start your correspondence to him talking about yourself, he’s likely to put your letter down and never pick it up again.

Your Pain Letter does the opposite. It talks about Arnie and his company, instead of you! You found the press release about the up-and-coming company designation right on the Angry Chocolates website.

There’s a paragraph break after your Hook and then you’ll dive into your Pain Hypothesis. “I can only imagine that given your thirty percent annual growth rate, your distributor clients must require more and more sophisticated levels of support all the time.” You’re only pointing out the obvious: that growing companies tend to burst at the seams.

Now you’ll segue into one of your favorite Dragon-Slaying Stories — a story about a time when you solved a similar kind of pain before. You worked for another company, Underwater Sleepwear, that also grew fast and almost got overwhelmed by demands from its customers.

“When I was at Underwater Sleepwear and our growth rate was twenty-five percent per year, we had a similar challenge,” you’ll write to Arnie.

“Our team split up the country into eight territories and each of us took on one or two large distributors and made sure we kept them happy. That way we were able to keep growing until we could hire and train new support folks. We didn’t lose a single customer and every one of our clients increased their year-over-year sales of our products.”

A Pain Letter is short. You’ll end it by saying “If large-account support is high on your radar screen I’d be happy to chat by phone or start an email conversation. All the best, Michael” or whatever your name is. You can research and send three or four Pain Letters every day. Not every hiring manager will respond to you, of course, but that’s okay – not everyone deserves you!

You can change up your job search process and step out of the traditional, mojo-sucking approach. Wouldn’t that be a welcome change?

Author: Liz Ryan

I was a Fortune 500 HR SVP for 10 million years, but I was an opera singer before I ever heard the term HR. The higher I got in the corporate world, the more operatic th…

 

Forbes.com |  November 26, 2015

#CareerAdvice : #JobSearch – Are #JobBoards Worth the Time? Great Two(2) Min REad!

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Job boards may have been an effective job searching tool decades ago, but not in today’s market. Executives who spend several hours a day searching job boards for the right position are likely just wasting their time and energy.

With the thousands of jobs and applicants that apply for those jobs, your chances of being recognized are slim. In fact, many of the top executive positions won’t even get posted on job boards.

After you’ve spent time developing your LinkedIn profile and updating your executive resume, your best chance of finding a job is through networking.

Here are some of the main issues with job boards and why you should avoid them:

Job Boards Rarely Post Executive Positions

After completing your executive resume, you should not spend time hunting through job boards. The high-level positions you’re seeking are rarely, if ever, posted on them anyway.

You can look through the different company names in order to spark your own internal research on them. Your time would actually be better spent looking through LinkedIn, attending networking events, and doing other research to learn what jobs are actually open.

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What Skill Sets do You have to be ‘Sharpened’ ?

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Applicant Tracking Systems

Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) are used by employers today to sort through resumes automatically. The trick to passing ATS is having the appropriate amount of relevant keywords scattered throughout your resume.

It takes time and effort to make sure you have these keywords included effectively, without overdoing it. However, even with that, there’s no guarantee it will pass since there’s not a standard ATS software to study and learn.

Since jobs posted on job boards likely receive hundreds of applicants, hiring managers usually will use ATS to filter out candidates. This means your chances of getting noticed are very low.

So What Is An Effective Job Search Strategy?

The most effective job search strategy for executives to find jobs fitting their skills and expertise is still networking. Employers want to take their time to find the right fit, and they usually never find that person from a job board.

Focus on your LinkedIn profile development first, since you will be doing some networking via that platform. Making connections through LinkedIn gives you a great foundation for developing professional relationships that may eventually evolve into new opportunities.

Though it can be tempting to use job boards as a job search strategy, it will not be a good use of your time and energy. The top executive jobs are rarely, if ever, posted there.

You will be better served to focus your resources in more effective ways to search for that executive position you are dreaming of.

________
Did you like this article? There’s more where that came from—here’s more and search by category!

 

TheCareerExperts.com | August 29, 2019 | Erin Kennedy 

#CareerAdvice : Ten(10) Career Experts Share Their #1 Piece of #JobSearch Advice. #MustRead !

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Once you announce that you’re looking for a new gig, unsolicited job search advice is inescapable: “Video resumes are the future!” “Go back to school!” “Talk to my cousin’s best friend’s son, he knows someone who used to intern there!”

While all of the people sharing job search advice like this are well-meaning, they’re usually not career connoisseurs — just friends and family who want to help you out. As a result, the quality of their advice is often suspect.

There’s plenty of good job search tips out there, but if you really want to identify the advice that’s worth your time, you’ve got to get it from a credible source. And who better to weigh in than professional career coaches, HR consultants and other subject-matter experts?

We reached out to nine career experts to learn their best advice on how to find a job — here’s what they had to say.

1. Have a Job Target You Believe In

“Be clear on what you want, why you want it and what qualifies you… Without clarity from the very start, virtually every stage that follows will be based on little more than a hunch — and that is an extremely fragile foundation for navigating a dynamic job search. You begin by engaging in some form of assessment. It could involve taking a standardized assessment instrument, keeping a journal or talking with people whose advice and feedback you value — friends, family, or a career coach. The goal is to achieve self-awareness in the form of a career target. The next, and equally important, step is a reality check. Here is where you determine that the goal you selected makes sense. Is it appropriate for you and is it attainable?” —Roy Cohen, career coach and author of The Wall Street Professional’s Survival Guide

How I Finally Got Job Interviews at My Dream Companies

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2. Create a Plan

“Identify a few key features, such as, why is finding a new job important to you? What is your ideal time-frame for finding a new job? …What are types of companies you’d like to work for? When will you perform job searches — is there a day of the week that you will meet for coffee with your networking connections? What’s your timeline for updating your resume and cover letter? Post the plan somewhere you will see it and put important dates on your calendar. This is my favorite advice because most people don’t plan their search; they simply go about it in a haphazard fashion, [fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][so] you’ll be ahead of the game. If you plan your search, you’re committing to a new job and will be more likely to find the job that you love.” —Mary Warriner, career coach

3. Develop Your Career Story

“A branded career story helps differentiate you from the competition, provide clarity for yourself and showcases your unique value proposition to the employer. The people that are most successful in their job search are those people who are able to first clearly articulate what they’ve done, how it’s been impactful and how it can benefit a future employer. From there, the resume tweaking, network building and LinkedIn optimizing become a lot easier and more effective.” —Jena Viviano, career coach

4. Apply Even If You’re Not a 100 Percent Match

“Job seekers (especially women more than men) may be underestimating the value they can bring into a role. For many roles, hiring managers are looking for people who will be quickly deployable to do the work and usually the tasks you need to complete on a regular basis are learned or refined on the job. If you meet the majority of the qualifications for a job you are interested in and are confident you can quickly learn the remainder, apply for that job, but make sure your resume demonstrates your past success in learning new skills.” —Mary Grace Gardner, career strategist at The Young Professionista

5. Go on Informational Interviews

“The best way to get a meeting with decision makers is to ask for informational meetings with them. Rather than the ‘hard sell’ of ‘I’m looking for a job, do you know of anything,’ this informational meeting takes the ‘soft-sell’ approach of asking for information and for them to share their story so you gain advice for your job search and career journey. People who are happy in their work generally love to talk about what made them successful, so if you reach out to decision makers and ask for informational meetings, it’s only a matter of time.” —April Klimkiewicz, career coach and owner of bliss evolution

Everything You Need to Nail Your Informational Interview (and Score Your Dream Job!)

6. Brand Yourself

“You need a brand in the digital age because while your job is what you do, your brand is who you are… By branding yourself properly in the digital age (think: elevator pitch with a digital footprint on LinkedIn), and combining it with true networking strategies, you will rank yourself higher in the job search potential.” —Wendi Weiner, Resume Writer & Career Transition Coach

7. Supplement Online Applications With Offline Efforts

“Sites like Glassdoor provide so much great information about job postings, salaries and company reviews. We’ve never had more good information at our fingertips. But, don’t rely on the internet [entirely]. Hiring managers are bombarded with hundreds of resumes that come in through the internet. When you’re searching, apply online. But, then think about what you can also do offline. For example, do you have contacts at the company that you could network with? Could you reach out to the hiring manager directly? When you connect to the company offline, you become a real person… These straightforward offline steps will put you in the fast lane when it comes to hiring.” —Angela Copeland, career coach

8. Become a Star Performer at Your Current Job

“Assuming you can do the work, the most important differentiator that will land you a sought-after gig is to establish yourself as the positive, collaborative, authentic and trustworthy co-worker/boss everyone would love to have. And you only do that by cultivating professional relationships and acting from a place of authenticity and integrity. Like attracts like, and people who are themselves authentic and trustworthy are looking to hire and work with people who show the same commitment to a positive work environment… show in every interaction you are the type of colleague or boss who keeps her word, values the team and contributes to a positive work environment… Focus on people and opportunities will open up.” —Aurora Meneghello, career coach and founder of Repurpose Your Purpose.

9. Network With Everyone — Not Just the Bigwigs

“I think the most effective networking includes the informal kind which happens in daily life — at your kid’s soccer game, at the dentist’s office, at parties, etc. If someone says, ‘What do you do for work?’ you can say something like ‘I’m a project manager at a large industrial manufacturer but I’m looking to make a move to XYZ, do you know anyone in that industry?’ It may smack of the ‘putting it out into the universe’ kind of advice but you honestly never know who will have a connection for you, so I’m a firm believer in working any and all angles… As a consultant, I’m always interviewing for jobs, in a way, so I treat every baby shower, swim class and vet visit as a chance to meet potential clients and get that job.” —Jill Santopietro-Panall, HR consultant and owner of 21Oak HR Consulting, LLC

8 Networking Strategies You Haven’t Thought of Yet

10. Use Resume Keywords & Get Referrals

“Companies today receive a high volume of resumes. With the increased use of online applicant tracking systems even among smaller companies, it means the recruiter or hiring manager may not see your resume unless you use just the right keywords… Referrals [also] increase the likelihood that a recruiter will see your resume. If you don’t have a personal connection, use social media to find out who does. Don’t be embarrassed to ask someone to make an introduction on your behalf, people do this all the time. If you’re uncomfortable asking for favors include an easy way for them to say no, like ‘If you’re not comfortable connecting me, I completely understand.’” —Mikaela Kiner, Founder/CEO of UniquelyHR

 

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#CareerAdvice : #ResumeWriting – Top 10 Qualities Of #CEO #Resumes . Question: IF this is Great for a CEO, How Would it Be for Yours?

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Many executive resume guidelines have evolved up until now, but just as many have stayed the same.

Here is a tip sheet outlining the top 10 things your CxO resume should have in order to give you full market leverage.

 1. Your resume must be equally effective upon cursory glance as well as upon a deeper read.

Your executive resume is “two resumes in one.” The first is what readers see upon a cursory glance, in which you organize your core strengths and primary expertise in short soundbites. Visually, your document should be laid out in a way that helps your readers digest these soundbites quickly. Give the broader points first (who, what, when, where, why and how much), then follow it up with the more granular details. This ensures the deepest understanding from your readers.

2. Take a ‘less-is-more’ approach.

After the cursory glance resume comes the narrative and deeper read. Many executives try to load up their executive resume document with every detail of their career, the mindset simply being that “more is better.” However, the truth is that to gain interest, “less is more” prevails. So upon the deeper read, since space and time do not permit you to relay every detail of your success, focus on your biggest achievements as they line up with what you want to do next.

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What Skill Sets do You have to be ‘Sharpened’ ?

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3. Pay attention to your visual presentation.

An executive resume with professional polish and visual balance is very attractive to recruiters and key decision makers. Thus, just like investing in a professional photo for your LinkedIn profile, the visual component cannot be overlooked as secondary, but rather, as a critical part of your executive appearance and one that will gain favorable consideration from your audience. Showing you know how to promote yourself visually gains the trust of your readers.

4. Don’t attach your executive resume to your LinkedIn profile.

Attaching your resume to your LinkedIn profile might seem like a good idea, but it can give the impression you are in a job search. I have never personally seen LinkedIn work effectively in this capacity. Rather, my executive clients benefit most from leveraging LinkedIn to establish or reinforce their thought leadership, gain new connections in their industry, and most importantly, create the kind of intrigue that pulls opportunities to them.

5. Do consider utilizing your executive resume outside of a job search.

Craft your executive resume to not only the kind of role you want next but other interests in your purview. Perhaps you are interested in being nominated for your first board seat, obtaining your EMBA or pitching a talk topic to TED. Think of your resume as a way to communicate your overall executive branding. At the C-level, you may also be interested in advisory, interim or consulting roles. Consider defining these categories of your interest and expertise in your executive resume to suggest talking points and for blue-sky opportunities.

6. Take some time to tell your story.

Just because you work at Microsoft, Bain Capital, Toyota or Salesforce doesn’t mean your reader is automatically going to know the numbers behind the world-class name. No matter the size and superstar quality of your current company, take a sentence or two to share with your reader how big the company is, what its reach is and the highlights of its reputation. This does two things: It shows respect to your reader, and it helps them to put your role and responsibilities in the proper context.

7. Format your accomplishments like a leader.

When writing about your career history, resist the temptation to begin each bullet with your action or activity. Start each bullet with your quantifiable impact. An easy exercise for identifying this is as follows: For each bullet point under your career history on your current resume, ask yourself, “… resulting in what?” to determine the payoff or metric. This should stimulate the creative, visionary and strategic part of you that has helped you be the great leader you are in the first place.

8. Do your homework.

This is a lot more fun than the title implies. Search Google for “CEO” + “jobs” or “CEO” + “health care” or whatever combination appeals to you, and find the things that really excite you. Read what companies or recruiting firms are seeking. Which parts, words and phrases interest you? Now, analyze your current resume with the positions you are drawn to. Does your resume contain the same keywords, phrasing and accomplishment highlights? If not, now you know what the solution is!

9. Understand your CEO resume is a marketing document.

Often, my clients will bemoan having to brag about their accomplishments. I share with them that you don’t start leading the first day of your new position; your leadership begins at first contact. Your audience deserves to be communicated to respectfully and clearly. If you make it difficult to understand the magnitude of the impact you have had on other companies, how are they supposed to fully understand the impact you could have on their company?

 10. Remember your core wins go first.

One of my clients recently authored a fantastic article in CEO Magazine. What major media have you appeared in? Have you spoken at a top industry conference? Won awards? Been recognized in a “Top 10” list or through an association? Participated in panels or think tanks? These are all things that should be organized somewhere at the top of the first page of your resume as they act as credibility and reputation enhancers and make your other accomplishments and leadership capabilities stand out even more.

It is within your control to craft an executive resume that will stand out, impressively represent you, and give you the fair advantage to fully leverage your industry.

Author: Mary Elizabeth Bradford, CERM, CMRW, CARW, MCD

Top Executive Resume Writer, Mary Elizabeth Bradford runs maryelizabethbradford.com, #1 online global source for CxO Executive Resumes….

Forbes.com | September 12, 2019

Remember 911 Today: Seven Costly #Networking Mistakes That Cripple Your #JobSearch .

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“Networking” is defined by BusinessDictionary as “creating a group of acquaintances and associates and keeping it active through regular communication for mutual benefit. Networking is based on the question ‘How can I help?’ and not with ‘What can I get?'”

I hate to break it to you, job seekers, but if your search is failing to get off the ground, it’s likely because of one or more of the following mistakes when it comes to networking or using your network for a job search.

1. You’re not ‘creating’ your network.

A network is something you should create and be adding to on a regular basis. You can add new contacts to your network by attending industry events, joining groups on LinkedIn or finding interesting people to connect with on LinkedIn.

2. You don’t keep it active through regular communication.

Your network should hear from you on a regular basis. Like or comment on others’ posts on LinkedIn. Congratulate others for their recent job promotion. Meet people at industry events. Take a colleague out to lunch. Set up breakfast meetings the next time you’re at a conference.

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What Skill Sets do You have to be ‘Sharpened’ ?

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3. You only contact people when you need help and don’t help others.

You should always be considering how you can help your network. Most people only reach out to their network when they need something, like a job. But the purpose of networking is to make it a two-way street. Consider the needs of others. Send helpful articles. When you connect with them, ask if there is anything you can do to help. When they reach out to you for help, go above and beyond to assist.

4. You’re not strategic about who is in your network.

Be sure to connect with others who are in your industry, your job role, and with recruiters as well. You can find like-minded people online as well as offline. One year, I made about 500 connections with marketing professionals by volunteering to handle registration at conferences so I could meet everyone who walked through the door for each event. Online, you can search for people by industry and job function on LinkedIn and offer to connect with a customized note. You can also search for specific types of recruiters this way too.

5. You ask people if they know of job openings instead of who you should talk to.

Most job seekers will meet others and ask, “Do you know anyone who is hiring?” It’s a good question, however, the person you’re asking most likely has no idea who is hiring. If they do know of job openings and you’re chatting with them, they would have most likely shared this with you anyways.

Instead, ask, “Can you share with me the names of two people I can talk to who would be helpful to me in my search?” With this approach, you’ll walk away with specific names of those who may have an opening or know of one. Your quest to talk to people then keeps expanding and doesn’t simply end with a “no.”

6. You’re not specific in telling your network how they can help you in your job search.

When you connect with someone in your network for job-search purposes, be as specific as you can about what you’re looking for. Share the types of roles you excel in, the industries you enjoy working in and specific names of companies where you’d like to work.

You can outline how others can assist you by sharing a “networking resume,” a one-page document that communicates your brand, career history, and roles, industries and companies where you’d like to work. Share this with your connection after you’re finished meeting or in an email. A word of caution, however: If you’re still employed and launching a confidential job search, you may want to be discreet.

7. You’re not actively engaged with jobseeker groups.

If you’re in the market for a new job, job seeker groups are a great resource for networking. Many of the groups I’ve visited allow fellow job seekers to mention the types of roles they are seeking as well as companies they are looking to gain employment at. Others in the group may have connections at those companies and be eager to help.

An added plus is that those who are also in jobseeker mode “get it.” They understand the importance of helping others, as they need help as well. They are eager to provide connections, support and ideas.

In summary, make sure you are actively and strategically growing your network on a continual basis. Reach out and assist others. When using your network for a job search, ask for names of more people to talk to, tell people specifically what you’re looking for, and create a networking resume as a leave-behind. Be sure to visit some local jobseeker groups too to network and find support.

Forbes Coaches Council is an invitation-only community for leading business and career coaches. Do I qualify?
Author: Rebecca Bosl

Career Coach and Resume Writer at www.dreamlifeteam.com. Stunning, top-tier resumes that land offers in as little as 60 days.

Forbes Coaches Council

Forbes Coaches Council is an invitation-only, fee-based organization comprised of leading business coaches and career coaches. Find out if you qualify at forbescoachesc…

Forbes.com | September 11, 2019

#BestofFSCBlog : Job Interviewing – The 3 Interview Questions Job Seekers Struggle With the Most.

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There’s no doubt about it — interviews are tough. With so much on the line, job seekers often psych themselves out or majorly overthink things, resulting in a sub-par performance.

The good news, though, is that this is largely avoidable. If you can thoroughly practice beforehand, you’ll be able to get the jitters out, refine your responses and identify the key points you want to mention. With so many different questions asked in interviews, though, you can’t realistically rehearse all of them.

So where should you focus your efforts? We chatted with Candace Bracher, a Recruiting Manager for the Information Technology division at staffing agency Addison Group. Bracher has spoken to thousands of candidates throughout her career, and identified three questions as the ones that candidates most frequently flub.

Below, Bracher expanded on what these questions are, what makes them so tough and how you can give answers bound to impress recruiters.

Question #1: Walk me through your resume.

A successful response to this request is key, as it is frequently one of the first things your interviewer will say, if not the first. It may seem pretty straightforward — you just need to describe what’s on your resume, right? But according to Bracher, running through your resume line by line is a big mistake. Besides eliciting an overly verbose response, this information is redundant.

“Interviewers do not want you to tell them your responsibilities in all of your positions; they have already read that on your resume. They want to hear about what you’ve accomplished, and how you’ve added value to the organization,” Bracher explains. “Interviewers want to hear what added value you can bring. So it is important to use this question as an opportunity to demonstrate prior examples of success.”

To do this, “find specific details, responsibilities and accomplishments you’ve had in your background that are applicable to what the job is looking for, and spend time illustrating those examples,” Bracher suggests.

Spend some time searching your resume beforehand to identify specific examples related to the bullet points in your work experience section, and try to choose ones that are as relevant as possible.

“Be mindful of the position you are applying for, and make sure when noting prior accomplishments, that you are focusing on ones that can be pertinent to the position,” Bracher says.

The Ultimate Job Interview Preparation Guide

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Question #2: What is your greatest weakness?

This question has stumped many a job seeker before due to its deceptive nature.

“Many think they should highlight their strengths [fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][in the] form of a weakness (e.g. ‘My greatest weakness is that I work too hard’),” Bracher shares. “Another common mistake is denial” — after all, who wants to highlight one of their shortcomings when they’re trying to convince their interviewer to give them a job?

But interviewers don’t expect candidates to be infallible, Bracher says.

“Prospective employers ask this question to gauge both a candidate’s honesty, and self-awareness. A better way to answer this question is by being honest, but mindful not to overshare,” she explains. “For example, maybe your weakness is that you struggle with collaboration, and prefer to do projects by yourself. Instead of saying ‘I do not like teamwork,’ you could say something like ‘I struggle with sharing projects, or tasks with others, because I think I can manage the project on my own.’”

Regardless of which growth area you share, you should make it clear that it’s not so severe that it will interfere with your ability to do the job.

“Prospective employers want to be reassured that despite these weaknesses, your productivity will not be in question. Remember – you want to be mindful of your weaknesses, but also demonstrate the capability of overcoming them to prevent them from interfering with your productivity,” Bracher says.

Question #3: Do you have any questions for us?

When I was still new to the workforce, I viewed this question as being purely for my own benefit. If I felt I had gotten sufficient information from the person I was speaking with, I would let them know that I didn’t have anything I wanted to ask. But this question isn’t just an opportunity for you to learn more about the position at hand — it’s an opportunity for your interviewers to gauge how thoughtful and passionate you are about the job.

“By far one of the biggest, and most common mistakes a candidate can make, is saying no to this question. If you have not prepared any questions for the interviewers, they may interpret this as a lack of interest or engagement in the prospective position,” Bracher explains.

The simple fix? Draft a few questions beforehand!

“Make sure you have prepared a list of questions for the interviewer. These may be questions about the role, or the work environment. Preferably, the questions you are asking will demonstrate an interest in both the role and the company,” Bracher says. “For example, it is a good idea to ask questions that surround specifics about the responsibilities and expectations, while avoiding questions that are overly self-serving, such as salary-related questions.”

A few questions you might want to ask in particular include:

  • If I got the position, how would we work together?
  • What do you most enjoy about working here?
  • What is the biggest challenge your company/department is facing today?
  • How do you define success?
  • Is there anything about my background or resume that makes you question whether I am a good fit for this role?
Top Questions to Ask in an Interview, According to a Hiring Manager

Is there a question you’re struggling with that you don’t see above? Don’t worry. Bracher had some additional tips for job seekers, regardless of which question they face.

“Be concise and consider timing when answering questions. You want to avoid rambling [during] interview questions. Interviewers want to know you can directly answer questions without dancing around an answer, so be concise,” Bracher says. “Give a direct response and support it by drawing upon examples with prior success, but be careful not to dance around the answer.”

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#CareerAdvice : How To Avoid The Five Emotional Pitfalls Of A #JobSearch . A #MustREad for All!

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Spoiler alert: your job search will be anxiety-inducing, frustrating, and at times, painful. It doesn’t matter how far you’ve come in your career; conducting a job search is emotionally taxing and it can shake your confidence and wear down your patience.

But like most trials in life, knowing what to expect can help you avoid making things worse and lessen the blow as you go through it.

So if you are considering launching an active or even passive job search, here are the things you can expect and need to prepare yourself for.

1.   Knowing what you want is harder than it sounds

The fastest path between two points is a straight line, but few people clearly know precisely where they want to go when they start a job search. You don’t want to narrow your options too soon, so you likely cast a wider net, sometimes remaining flexible on everything from title, company mission, business size and culture to the type of work and compensation.

There is a trial and error process to seeing what is available to you and then deciding what you want to pursue most. In the meantime, you may feel confused and a bit indecisive, but this is natural; most job searches, especially those where you are seeking greater purpose or impact from your work, require additional time and effort to get through an exploratory phase.

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2.   Proving your value breeds insecurity

Even the most experienced CEOs question themselves during a job search—nobody is exempt from vulnerability. Having to convince people that don’t know you that you are competent, valuable and they should want to work with you every day, brings back all the old fears from being chosen for a team on the playground. You want to know that your peers deem you as a strong player and an asset to their group.

Interviewing forces you to open yourself up to the possibility of rejection. It’s a real fear because you may indeed be rejected; there are a lot of reasons why someone else may get the job you want. Be prepared to keep your insecurities at bay when you can and to give yourself a break when you can’t. It’s okay to have a bad day and let yourself feel the sting of losing out on an opportunity you wanted. Job searches are hard on the ego.

3.   Your best instincts will play against you

One of the things that makes you great at what you do is that you take the time to think strategically, reduce risks and plan out details. Unfortunately, these normally productive skills may backfire during your job search. Trying to control or predict the process will at best cause you an incredible amount of frustration, but at worst it will lead you to become overly aggressive and signal desperation or a lack of cultural fit.

Know that launching a job search will require that you strengthen your ability to be at peace with uncertainty. You will not know when the next opportunity will come your way, if you’ll get it or if you’ll have multiple options in the end. You have to trust the process and take each step one day at a time.

4.   The highs and lows will drain you

By now, you may have the impression that every day of a job search is a struggle. Thankfully, that isn’t true either. You will have many good days, days when you are filled with optimism and excitement. What’s taxing about this cycle is the constant spike of ups and downs.

One day you’re excited because you got a call out of the blue on something you may be interested in, while another day, you are left sulking at home after making a mistake in an interview. Some weeks see good activity while others require you to endure the silence of emails that aren’t coming in and a phone that isn’t ringing. All of this is normal—just be prepared for it.

5.   People will disappoint you

The largest frustration of your job search will be waiting for people to do the things they promise to do, be that favors, such as making connections or introductions, or getting back to you with feedback as promised. It’s hard to wait, but following up leaves you feeling like you’re nagging people or being a burden.

It’s irritating when a recruiter or professional acquaintance fails to keep up with the timing they promised, but it’s downright hurtful when it’s a friend, family member or someone you’ve done a lot for professionally in the past. Try not to take it to heart. Most of the time, they truly don’t mean to offend you or let you down—life gets busy and they lose track of the promise. Instead, let it be a reminder to you about how you want to treat people in the future when the shoe is on the other foot.

Kourtney Whitehead is a career expert and author of Working Whole. You can learn more about her work at Simply Service. 

Follow me on LinkedIn. Check out my website.

Author: Kourtney Whitehead

I’ve spent my career helping people reach their work goals, from executive searches to counseling to career coaching, through my leadership positions at top executive re…

 

Forbes.com | September 10, 2019

#CareerAdvice : #JobSearch – Ten Ways to Stand Out at a #JobFair (and Snag One of those 30,000 New #AmazonJobs )

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Amazon has 30,000 job openings and will hold job fairs in six cities to jumpstart hiring. Job fairs (or career fairs) are not limited to Amazon. Universities, professional associations, and affinity groups also organize hiring events that bring together multiple job openings under one roof.

If you are looking for a job, job fairs give you an opportunity to meet employers live, learn about different jobs and make your case for being hired. Some job fairs include interview slots on the same day. Some employers will accept resumes even for jobs not currently on offer. Sometimes workshops featuring companies, networking opportunities or job search advice are included.

If there is a job fair coming to or near your area, check the agenda for companies and/or jobs you are interested in. Even if there is just one company or job of interest, this might be your best chance to get in front of that recruiter. That said, job fairs do take time, effort and money (sometimes there is a registration fee, and there is also the cost of commuting and lost wages, if you need to miss a day of work).

Therefore, don’t just show up and hope to get noticed. Here are 10 ways to stand out at a job fair:

1 – Research who will be there

If multiple companies will attend, research the companies to see not only what jobs are open, but also what is happening with the company overall – executive team, recent press announcements, new initiatives. This will give you an idea of what they are hiring for and what they are interested in. If it’s a single company event, like the Amazon fair, review their job postings and identify which jobs or at least departments you want to apply for. For all companies, look at your contacts and social media connections to see who you know there – maybe your inside friends can tell you who will be there, what they’re hiring for and/ or any helpful tips for how to make a good impression.

2 – Prioritize your schedule

If it’s a single company event, try to find the recruiters representing the specific departments or office locations you’re interested in. Find out if there is a general application you can fill out that will start your hiring process, and make sure you get that piece done. If it’s a multi-company event, know which companies you definitely want to see and do these first. You may run out of time before you can see everyone. If you have extra time, look for employers who aren’t busy – they’ll give you more attention.

3 – Keep your enthusiasm and energy high

When I represented companies at career fairs, it was EXHAUSTING! I was just one recruiter, and there were hundreds of candidates coming at me. Make it easy on these tired employers, and keep your energy high. Likeability matters, and if you approach people with enthusiasm, it is noticed and appreciated.

4 – Craft a concise and tailored pitch

Don’t introduce yourself to every employer in the same way. You are the same person, but they are representing different jobs. Even at a single company event, you might meet people from different office locations or departments. If you are open to being placed in either finance or operations, don’t talk about yourself in the same way with each group. Tailor your pitch to focus on your relevant skills and experience. Above all, be concise – plan on 30 seconds or less. You can always continue talking if the recruiter has time but don’t plan on it.

5 – Bring extra resumes

Whatever number of resumes you think you’ll need, bring more than that so you have extra. You never want to run out. If there are 25 companies at the event, bring 35 copies. Some companies may want more than one resume if they are representing multiple hiring teams.

6 – Bring additional marketing material as needed

If you are a graphic designer, bring your portfolio in case there is someone at the fair who wants to view it. If you are a content marketer, bring clips or campaign collateral. I once interviewed a branding candidate who pulled out a tablet during our meeting and showed me various sites he consulted on. It was an easy and impressive way to supplement what he was saying.

7 – Bring what you need to be at your best throughout the day

In addition to bringing your resume and other marketing for the employers, don’t forget about taking care of yourself. Wear comfortable shoes. Bring water and snacks to maintain your energy. Figure out what kind of bag or folder you will use that enables you to easily pull your resume out, put in business cards you collect from others, and grab a pen or your cell phone as needed. You want to appear put-together, not disorganized.

8 – Be prepared with references – as needed

Do not liberally distribute your references – your reference list includes people’s contact information and should be kept private. However, you might need to fill out a company application which asks for references, so it’s helpful to have the information handy.

9 – Be ready to interview on the spot

Some job fairs include interview time on the agenda, but even if that isn’t specified, be prepared to interview anyway. Every interaction with an employer is an interview. When you approach the table and have that one-minute back and forth, that’s an interview because that employer is formulating an opinion about you. Even if the job fair representative isn’t directly involved in hiring you, they decide whether to share your information with the hiring team and whether to say, “You should talk to this person!” or “I don’t really remember this person…”

10 – Collect contact information and follow up after the job fair

Ask employers about the best way to keep in touch, and actually stay in touch. Some employers will hand out business cards – send a thank you note for attending the fair, send an article that continues whatever topic you may have discussed, send another copy of your resume referencing the current jobs you would like to be considered for. Even if it seemed like you didn’t get any substantive time with the employers, your presence at the job fair is still helpful because you can refer to it in your follow up, and the employer knows you were interested enough to stop at their table.

The job fair is one step in a multi-step hiring process

While you prepare for job fairs, attend them and follow up after them, you also want to keep the rest of your job search going. Attend additional networking events. Contact companies outside of job fairs. Create your own opportunities.

Follow me on Twitter or LinkedIn. Check out my website or some of my other work here.

Author: Caroline Ceniza-Levine

I am a longtime recruiter, career coach and creator of Behind The Scenes In The Hiring Process, a job search e-course. Take the FREE mini-course, 5 short video lessons, …

Forbes.com | September 10, 2019

#CareerAdvice : #ResumeWriting – 10 Crucial Questions To Make Your Résumé Land A Job . Great Read!

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Your résumé is probably something you consider when changing careers or looking for a new job. Job searching doesn’t have to be as hard as we make it, especially if we focus on what I wrote about in this column. 

Thinking about the job search process and how it compares to things in your everyday life helps you relate and increases the likelihood that you’ll act on the takeaways. Sarah Johnson, a job search strategist, recently asked me to participate in a LinkedIn conversation about how job searching can be compared to online dating. Having met my husband online, I was especially intrigued. In both cases, job searching and online dating require a strong personal brand and benefit from an objective perspective. 

If you want your résumé to be a branding tool that lands a job, you’ll need to answer these questions with a resounding yes aside from question five.

1. Does your résumé showcase you as the ideal candidate? 

Good talent acquisition teams and hiring managers will spot word fluff and fillers on a résumé. Instead, they want to see what you’ve achieved and how you added value to the company because this shows why you’re right for the job. Here are some key accomplishments that resonate on a résumé.

  • Contributing to the company culture
  • Contributing to corporate social impact
  • Boosting employee morale
  • Generating revenue or saving money 
  • Expanding stakeholders
  • Boosting productivity
  • Building clientele
  • Improving processes
  • Increasing profits

But before you think about what you’ve accomplished, you need to focus on the first step. You’re probably not an ideal client if you don’t have a clear focus. Although, as I shared in this article, you can still be stuck when you’re clear on your career path.

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2. Are your dates and claims correct? 

A recent ethics in the workplace study with 23,000 employees found:

  • Male respondents were 6% more likely to say they had lied or exaggerated on a résumé or in an interview in their lives than females.
  • Hispanic/Latino, Asian/Pacific Islander, and African-American respondents all say they’ve “never” about 10% less frequently than the Caucasians.
  • Men in Design and Engineering are three times more likely to have lied or exaggerated for an interview or résumé.
  • 30% say they’ve lied to their boss.

3. Does your résumé content match the job description? 

Look at the job description and ask yourself:

  • What responsibilities are mentioned first?
  • What are their must-haves and preferences?
  • What are their top personality and character themes? If they’ve noted something more than three times, then you can count it as a key theme. Common themes are often soft skills like leadership, teamwork and agility.
  • What are the key technical skills?

How to make your content match?

  • Match the top keywords from the job description in your skills section and opening section.
  • Make your target job title the same title as seen in the job listing. If your current job title doesn’t accurately speak to what you do, put a title in brackets.
  • Reorder your bullet points, so the most relevant aspects are first.

4. Does the top third of your résumé give enough evidence? 

Recruiters spend an average of 7.4 seconds when initially screening your résumé. If you don’t get the employer interested in interviewing you in the top section of your résumé, you’ll lose out.

5. Is there anything else that should and can be quantified? 

Ask yourself how, what were the outcomes, when and why? Employers want to know what you’ve accomplished, and numbers can help show that. Just remember not to include anything that would be considered private company information, and don’t border on the lines of looking inauthentic by quantifying too much.

6. Do you have a professional form of social proof listed?

According to Jobvite, 77% of talent acquisition teams use LinkedIn to find talent.

7. Is your document free of typos and errors? 

More than two-thirds of hiring managers (77%) immediately disqualify résumés because of grammatical mistakes or typos. Applicant tracking systems and job search tools won’t pick up a misspelled word, and that will mess up your chances of being found in searches.

8. Do you have your email address, zip code and telephone number clearly displayed? 

9. Is the layout attractive, professional, modern and complimentary to your message?  

10. Is your use of language compelling and precise, and are you overusing verbs or any other words?

My mentor would always say it doesn’t matter how fantastic your services are if the right people don’t know about them. It’s the same with a résumé. A compelling résumé means nothing if it’s not in the right person hands. Your résumé is a small fraction of what’s needed as you seek out fulfillment in your career.

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Author: Rachel Montanez

I fell in love with the coaching industry at age 23 after working in Japan and South Korea. I help you achieve your career goals by drawing on my graduate degree in car

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Forbes.com | September 8, 2019