CMS Career Blog

As a job seeker, you have a resume and you send it to every possible job opening you can find.  You make sure every recruiter in town has at least one copy on her desk. It’s posted in 6 places on Monster.com and 4 places on CareerBuilder.com. You hand it out like those guys hocking strip-show fliers on 5th Avenue in New York City.  You even sent one to your best friend’s mother, simply because she seems to know everybody!  But how effective is your resume, really? (Read more . . . )

A recent Gallup Management Journal article encourages hiring managers and HR recruiters to begin “courting” qualified talent now for jobs that aren’t even available yet.  That’s because, even in a deep recession with so many people unemployed, recruiters have a tough time finding good candidates to fill important positions.

How can that be? Well, here’s my take on it. . . (continued at www.CareerAdvice4U.com/blog)

A good resume is one of the most important tools you will use in your job search. A good resume will get you in the door so you can ace the interview and negotiate for a higher salary. A good resume is important, but its not the ONLY tool you need. . . but we’ll talk more about that next time. Today’s post will give you some resume tips and some resume writing examples to help you create a winning resume. (continued at: http://careeradvice4u.com/resume-writing-tips/)

I hear it all the time. Unemployed people tell me that because of the current economy they are willing to take any job just to get by. They write their resume to fit every job posting that comes along. They are willing to expand their job search to cast the widest net possible. They search the Internet for ”fast hiring jobs” and “free resume examples” to copy what others have done, believing that they will increase their luck by increasing the volume of resumes they send out.

Let me offer a bit of free career advice as to why this is a BAD IDEA! (continued at http://careeradvice4u.com/job-bad-idea/)

The following question came from one of our readers. “Which job search engine works the best? I like indeed.com, and it looks like my monster search is not returning hardly anything. I was also wondering if ladders.com worth the fees that they charge for the job seekers.”

Great question!  Here’s the truth about using Job Boards in the job search process:

First, you must remember that only about 4-6% of people find their jobs through the job boards.  That’s because job boards are NOT set up for job seekers – they are set up for company recruiters.  You are not the customer – the company is.  They are the ones paying the bill to post a position.  Job boards provide the “raw materials” to these companies – job seekers.  YOU are the raw material.  YOU are a commodity.  YOU are the product.  Job boards make their money by selling volume to companies who pay significant fees for a posting – anywhere from $400-$1,000 each.  These things aren’t cheap.  However, from the employer’s perspective, they are effective.

Second, MOST people find their job through some form of networking.  Remember, “it’s not what you know, it’s who you know.”  Since networking is the most effective job search method (at somewhere between 60 and 80%), you should spend MOST of your time talking to people.  Too many job seekers go wrong in their job search because they spend most of their time behind a computer searching the job boards. If you want to accelerate your job search you should be sitting face to face with several people EVERY DAY.  Find out what they need and offer to help them achieve it.  That’s what networking is all about, “finding opportunity for you, the person with whom you are networking, and your respective networks.”

That being said, there are some job board strategies that will HELP you in the job search.

-    Consult local job boards (such as Craig’s List, or http://portlandtwitterjobs.com/).  Since networking is about finding opportunity, the chances of you knowing the person or company who posted the position on the local board is much higher, which allows for more networking.
-    Update your Monster/JobDango/CareerBuilder profile frequently.
-    DON’T post to job boards during the daylight hours.  That’s when you should be talking face to face with your networking contacts.
-    Use specialty job boards that target your specific industry or position.  For instance, people who are in pharmaceutical sales and healthcare have had some luck with medzilla.com while engineering & techie-types have found good postings through dice.com.  What boards do recruiters in your field consult?
-    To fee or not to fee?  I would steer clear of job boards that want to charge you something.  Remember, for job boards you are a commodity, the “raw material”.
-    Don’t forget about LinkedIn.  LinkedIn has its own job board.  Some of the postings there can’t be found anywhere else.  The good thing about LinkedIn is that if you submit an application through them, the recruiter can go directly to your LinkedIn profile where they will see your resume, your contacts, and your recommendations.  (You DO have LinkedIn recommendations, don’t you?!)

Finding a job in this tough economy is a full time job in itself.  No matter what career position you have held or seek, to be most effective you will need to become an expert at sales.  As a job seeker you are selling the most important thing you have to offer – the ability to help a company achieve their business goals.  Job boards can help you in the sales process, but they are limited in their ability to produce.  Use your time wisely.  Spend 80% of your time face-to-face with your network and 5% of your time searching the internet.  That’s where the real results are!

Happy hunting!

You will only have about 8 seconds to get the attention of the person reading your resume.  That’s nearly impossible, UNLESS you have a clear concise Career Objective Statement.  Here are some tips for writing that concise Objective Statement.

• You Career Objective needs to be built around your own personal brand.  What do people think about when they hear your name?  What do you WANT them to think?  Tom Peters has written the classic article on ‘Brand You’ — and you can find it at Fast Company (here).
• Keep it short — 10-15 words is best.  At MOST it should be only 2 sentences.  You want the reader to know what you can do for them — without putting you in a box. Your goal for the Objective Statement is to get them to read the rest of the resume. Period.
• Don’t put yourself in a box — don’t use a title unless you are applying for a specific job.  Think about what you do for a company.  What kind of ROI (Return on Investment) will their organization get from hiring you?  If you say, “Accountant” they will put you in the “Accountant” box in their mind.  If you say “Save a company money by organizing key financial data” they will actually want to read on.
• Get them to read further and make EVERYTHING on the rest of the resume point to your Objective Statement.  If you have done things in your past that don’t relate to your objective, you probably want to leave them off.  The resume should be a FOCUSED document.
• Remember that the point of the Resume is to get an interview.  The Objective Statement should get them to read the resume, so that they will want to interview you.

With only 8 seconds to grab the attention of your potential employer, you better have a clear Objective Statement.  A good Objective Statement will help them see that you are a person they want to learn more about. . . and ultimately that’s what it takes to get the job!

In a recent post we discussed the difference between the old resume style and the new resume style. The new resume style focuses on key, quantifiable accomplishments to show a prospective employer what you are capable of and willing to do for them.  The new resume focuses on the ROI (Return On Investment) that your new employer can expect when they hire you.

One tool that we recommend our clients use to identify key accomplishments and show their ROI is the CARS (the Condition Activity Resolution Statement).  Here’s how they work.

• First you identify a specific condition (problem, situation, need) you worked on in a prior job or career position.  What was the need?  What was happening that needed your attention?  Whenever possible, use numbers to define the scope of the situation. Write two or three bullet points to identify the condition you encountered.

• Second you describe the activity or action you took to address this condition.  What did you DO to address the problem?  Describe it in a few bullet points.

• Third you describe the resolution that came about as a result of your actions.  What happened?  Be sure to use quantifiable results – how much money did you make or save?  How many people were involved?  How much time was saved?  How did you reduce waste or increase efficiencies? One or two bullets ought to do it.

• Finally, write one to two sentences that pull the 5-9 bullet points in the first three steps. These two sentences should pull all of your points together in a concise statement.  A simple format for this is: “did what”, “for whom”, “resulting in . . . “ Be sure to use numbers to show how the results were measured.  This is important because managers use numbers to measure the success or failure of just about ANY business activity.  When you quantify your results you are speaking their language, and that is more likely to lead to an interview for you!  Numbers make the accomplishment “pop” off the page.  They allow you to stand out among the competition.

We recommend you come up with 3-4 CARS for each key accomplishment area in your career.  Use different times, jobs, and situations to show a variety from throughout your work history.

You can use the CARS on your resume, in other marketing materials (i.e. blog, LinkedIn profile, portfolio, etc), and in interviews.  CARS are a helpful and important way to let your prospective employer know that YOU are uniquely qualified to solve their business problems.

The new style of resume focuses on the results you have had in the past to prove to your prospective employer that you are both capable of and willing to do something similar for them in the future.  CARS will help you get that point across in a clear and concise fashion!

Here’s a link to a recent Forbes.com article with predictions about jobs in 2009: http://is.gd/cWiZ.

Basically, the author says, “If you’ve got a job you like, hold on to it with all your might.”  Sound advice, IF you can follow it. But what about those who have been recent casualties of the economic crisis facing our nation/world?  If you’ve recently LOST your job, you need more advice than simply, “hold on to what you’ve got.”

Here are some resources that will be helpful in your job search:

• Career Crossroads 2.0 - a social network for job seekers.  It’s free to start an account.
• LinkedIn - A social network for professionals.  Build your network and find opportunities within it.
• O*NET - An online research database provided by the US federal government.
• Resume Bear - “Advance Your Career. Empower Your Resume.”
• “Brand You” - An article by Tom Peters in Fast Company magazine discussing the importance of self branding.

With the new economic stimulus package being proposed by President Obama in Congress, I believe that there will be a significant amount of money being poured into the alternative energy, healthcare and highway/infrastructure sectors.  If you aren’t prepared to enter either of those areas, perhaps this is a good time to get some additional training.  Some state workforce development departments have funds to re-train people through their dislocated workers programs.  It’s worth checking out with your state employment department.

Folks, the news we get is that the economy continues to slide.  DON’T let that discourage you!  People are still finding work.  Develop your network, build a personal brand, and embark on a career marketing campaign.  These things WILL make a difference in your job search.

Best wishes.

If you haven’t submitted a resume in a while, you may not be aware that things have changed significantly in the past 5 or so years regarding what employers, hiring managers, HR folks, and recruiters are looking for.  Here is a brief synopsis of what used to be and what is, along with some suggestions for making your resume “pop” for that potential employer!

OLD STYLE — we used to think of a resume as simply an accounting of the jobs we have held over our career-life.  The old style of resume (the one I was taught to put together in college) focused on describing what you did on the job.  It was heavily dependent upon responsibilities and was more of a job description.

NEW STYLE — the new style of resume places heavy emphasis on helping your potential employer see how hiring you will bring them a return on that “investment.”  This new resume style is all about results and achievements.  How will you help your potential employer make or save money?

Here are some tips for making your OLD STYLE RESUME into a NEW STYLE RESUME:

1. Begin with a clear Career Objective.  This should be your USP — Unique Selling Proposition.  It should be written to entice a potential employer to read the rest of the resume.  Use their language and be sure to let them know what you will DO for them.
2. Quantify results.  Give quantified examples of what you have done in the past.  Use numbers to express the scope and quantity of your previous work.  Use specific examples that will be helpful to your potential employers.
3. Get LinkedIn and get recommendations.  The Internet has made it easier for you to submit hundreds of resumes.  Conversely, it has made it more difficult for hiring managers and HR personnel to sort through the hundreds of resumes they receive for each posting.  ANSWER?  LinkedIn.  Get recommendations from former co-workers, clients, bosses, etc. and they will help you cut through the clutter.

The OLD STYLE of resume is out.  If you want to get yourself seen by potential employers you must upgrade your resume to show them what you can do for THEM.  The NEW STYLE of resume is the way to go.

Its almost 2009!  WOW!  Where did the year go?

Have you achieved all your career goals this year?  Did you find that perfect job you were hoping to get?  Are you satisfied with your performance?  We are in the end of the year “Red Zone” – the time to take a look back at 2008 and prepare for 2009.  Here are 5 things you can do NOW to improve your career next year.

1)    Fix Your Files.
For many of us the end of the year (or beginning of next year) is the time to clean out our files.  As you go through your files trying to decide what to shred and what to keep, here are a few ideas that can help you improve your career.  NOTE WINS – what did you do this year that you consider to me a “win” for your career?  Keep track of them and quantify results (as best you can).  NOTE KEY CUSTOMERS/PARTNERS – who did you work with that might be willing to give you a recommendation?  THANK THEM – you are already planning on sending out Holiday cards, aren’t you? Why not include a brief note of gratitude for what they have done for you.  A hand-written note goes a LONG way these days.

2)    Brush-off Your Personal Brand.
What is your personal brand?  Who do you want to present yourself as “Brand You”?  Take a few minutes to look over and update your brand for 2009.  You may want to revise your USP (unique selling proposition), or update your collateral material (business cards, etc).  Don’t forget to update your blog and website.

3)    Look at LinkedIn.
Your LinkedIn profile is one of the most important tools you have in the job search and in your career development.  In today’s world, potential employers and recruiters will Google your name to learn more about you – that’s a given.  LinkedIn helps your name and profile jump to the top of the Google search results.  You might want to ADD or DELETE something from your profile to update it. (hint, what “wins” did you find while cleaning out your files?)  It may be time to ADD or DELETE links from your profile.  How about contacts?  ASK FOR 3 RECOMMENDATIONS.  Now is the time to do it, while you are still on the top of your customer’s mind.

4)    Fire Your 5 Worst Customers.
If you are in sales, run your own company, or have clients; you no doubt have some who suck away your time and energy.  They are never happy with what you do for them, and you probably aren’t too happy to work with them either.  Well, you don’t have to.  You are hereby granted permission to fire your 5 worst customers.  Don’t forget to replace them with 5 new customers who fit your PERFECT CLIENT profile!  You will glad you did!

5)    Review Your Annual Review.
Did you get an Annual Review last year?  Maybe it was in the beginning of the year, or perhaps it was in the summer.  NOW is the time for you to dig through your files and find it.  Look for areas where you got good marks and include that into your LinkedIn profile and “wins” list.  Now take a look at the areas for improvement you and your superior set out for this year.  What have you done to move forward in those areas?  If you have already shown improvement it may be time to shoot your boss an email indicating your progress.  S/he will likely put it in your file so you can discuss it at your next review.  Be sure to share your “wins” with you boss as well.

What you do now, at the end of 2008, can help you propel your career forward in 2009.  We hopes these tips help you end the year strong, and begin the next with a bang!