Executive Resume Expert

7 Phrases to Strike From Your LinkedIn Profile

2011-07-19T20:43:00.000-06:00

An interesting practice seems to have cropped up among self-written social media profiles, where phrases that are taboo on resumes (like “self-motivated team player”) are creeping back into lists of job hunter credentials on LinkedIn.

Unfortunately, these mundane, dry, and redundant phrases can make it difficult for you to maximize the power of LinkedIn in a job search.

It's also challenging for recruiters and employers to see past these overused terms when looking for your value proposition!

However, with a little ingenuity, you can pull the lackluster phrases out of your Profile and replace them with powerful writing that conveys your personal style and energy.

Here are some of the worst offenders lurking among LinkedIn Profiles, along with suggestions for alternative wording:

1 - Accomplished professional.

If this is really true, then show (don’t tell!) your readers about it. This phrase is likely to prompt more annoyance from employers than appreciation.

Instead, consider using a sentence or phrase that speaks specifically to your achievements, such as “Sales rep honored for closing 147% of quota during 2009 and 2010” or “IT Director heading multimillion-dollar outsourcing contracts at major banks.”

In addition, you can add accomplishment data (right in the Summary) that cuts to the heart of what you do and why you’re good at it, with sentences like “Sales manager honored for coaching 3 Top Producers” or “Operations manager promoted for increasing production line efficiency.”

2 - Results-driven.

Most companies plan on hiring someone who fits this description, and they weed out anyone who doesn’t perform to their expectations. It’s almost to your detriment to point this out in your Profile.

You might try adding information that actually PROVES your drive for results, with mention of how you’ve earned a promotion in just 6 months, or the ways in which your performance has outpaced that of your peers.

3 - Exceptional communicator.

The trouble with this phrase is that it’s not only tough to prove, but that the person using it often misspells one or more words (really).

Since your LinkedIn Profile gives you plenty of opportunity to demonstrate your writing skills, you’ll have the opportunity to convey complex concepts or perhaps distill a major project into a short description… both of which would speak louder about your communications skills than this phrase ever will.

4 - Proven success.

Well, employers would hope so. After all, why mention your success unless you have some proof to back it up?

Here’s where you’re better off noting some metrics, as in “exceeded quota for 7 out of past 8 years,” “brought company to 87% market share,” or “met 100% of project budget constraints despite limited resources.”

These achievements can help online readers understand the scope of your work and the reasons behind your career progression.

5 - Experienced.

Ahem… of COURSE you are.

Even worse, “successful experience” is so redundant that you’re wasting space and LinkedIn keyword optimization by even thinking of these phrases.

One way to replace this word is to simply specify the number of years you’ve worked in the industry.

However, be careful here: “15 years of experience in sales” doesn’t quite have the same ring as “Generated 23% average over-quota revenue throughout progressively challenging sales roles.”

6 - Responsible for.

Just like a resume, there is no reason to clutter the landscape of your Profile with a phrase that is largely assumed.

Rather than use this phrase, you can just skip to the relevant facts (“managed $500K budget,” “supervised staff of 10”) and save everyone’s time.

7 - Microsoft Word skills.

There’s no advantage to listing basic skills that nearly all candidates possess. Unless you are seeking an entry-level role requiring clerical duties, employers will be more surprised if you don’t have these skills, than if you take the time to list them.

You’re much better off researching target jobs and noting the skills (keywords) required for the position, then using these terms to show your competency.

To summarize, back up and take a long look at your LinkedIn Profile. Are you committing the same mistakes that have been appearing on resumes for years?

If so, it’s time to refresh your approach and provide specific details on the high points of your career—information that others can readily relate to (and even use to hire you) from your LinkedIn Profile.

In interviews, what you ask is as important as what you answer

2011-07-14T16:22:00.001-06:00

Facing an interview with dread? Sharpen your questions for the interviewer

What do interviewers want?

That seems to be the question on the minds of job hunters everywhere. You might have made it into an interview, only to realize that your competition is every bit as qualified, and that employers are being selective.

If you're going on interview after interview with no end in sight, here’s a critical idea to take into your next meeting with employers:

The interview questions you ASK are just as just as important as the ones you ANSWER.

Employers are attuned to candidates that are attentive to THEM. In other words, the What’s-In-It-For-Me approach is alive and well in interviewing, and companies are eager to hear your ideas on what can help them.

My recent collaboration with colleague Tony Deblauwe of HR4Change, The Right Questions to Ask in a Job Interview, published here on Monster.com, shows that employers are not only gauging your fitness on your ability to field their questions, but also on your ability to throw some good ones back their way.

Formulating and asking solid questions for employers demonstrates 3 qualities important to company needs:

1 - The ability to think on your feet.

2 - A keen interest in what is happening in the company outside your potential department.

3 - An awareness of the strategic importance of the role to the employer.

These attributes are often equally important to your hard skills, technical knowledge, certifications, and credentials.

Arming yourself with ideas for interviewer questions is one of the most effective strategies for landing the job of your dreams.

So, take these ideas with you to the next interview, and get ready to field the best question of all: “When can you start?”

Copying a Professional Resume? Watch Out For These Pitfalls

2011-07-07T00:36:00.001-06:00

Recently, I was contacted by a job hunter who wanted an update to his existing resume, a service that I offer to former clients in my practice.

The resume looked strikingly familiar on some level, but the name didn’t resonate.

Then it hit me: I HAD written it—but for someone else.

Professional resume writers encounter this scenario all the time, and for the most part, it’s flattering to think that our work is compelling enough to be copied (at least if we can ignore the obvious part pertaining to copyright law).

However, here’s what worries me when I spot a copied rendition of a professional resume (mine or anyone else’s): the copier rarely grasps the branding and building process that went behind it in the first place.

Therefore, he’s doing himself a grave disservice by borrowing the format, writing style, and tone, then pasting his career story in between that of someone else.

The worst part? The “borrower” often fails to understand this context, and goes right on using it as if it were a coherent and targeted document.

So, if you’re determined to make your resume look like the masterpieces that you see on sites like mine, here are 6 likely problems that you’ll encounter in doing so:

1 - You can easily unravel the original brand strategy… and be left with nothing.

So… you think you have the same career path and can therefore just “tweak” a word or two? Not so fast.

For a resume to be effective, the strategy is set (prior to any writing) based on how well the candidate fits the desired role and the potential for screen-out factors based on his or her personal career path, age, industry preferences, and a host of other factors.

I often compare a client’s career path and achievements to others in the industry, pulling out any areas of strength or weakness in credentials (including education and former jobs) to make decisions about word choice and emphasis.

The writing process itself only starts after lengthy data mining and analysis of the job goal. Then, content is wrapped around and woven through the strategy, along with personality traits, resulting in a total picture and unique value proposition.

Given this process, any changes to the resume by someone who doesn’t understand the candidate will create problems in the message… and while these nuances may go unnoticed by you, they are all key factors in whether a resume gets read or dismissed.

2 – You might slide into generalizations that blur the message.

Here’s what one candidate did with my power summary that described market-leading achievements (including a 70% rise in revenue over 2 years, a totally restructured team and profitable turnaround effort, plus a total obliteration of the competition):

“Dedicated and hard working professional with over 12 years of experience in the food service sales and marketing industry, Successful experience in strategic planning, analysis of results, and international media relations.”

Ouch.

Now, if you haven’t read lists of overused words for resumes, it might be time to do so.

Words like “hard-working” or “successful experience” are both no-brainers and would not be taken seriously by employers… plus, they’re a dead giveaway that the writer doesn’t know what he is doing when trying to describe himself.

3 – You could repeat yourself…

And put words like “created,” “spearheaded,” and “developed” in the document so many times that they’ll lose their meaning.

Hopefully, you’ll refrain from describing all your achievements as “successful” and reference a thesaurus to avoid using the same word 4 times in one sentence (as I recently saw in a copied document).

Here’s where training in power verbs can really save the day.

Not convinced? Most professional writers count word occurrences (yes, really) and tend to scan documents for our favorite words, just to ensure that employers remain fully engaged in your resume.

4 - Your changes can mess up the formatting.

Professional resume writers are masters of presentation and formatting, to the point that they’ll incorporate tricks and nuances into a resume that escape your untrained eye.

In fact, just moving a sentence or two will often throw an entire page into disarray, because you’ll be challenged by figuring out how to adjust headings or change point sizes for spacer lines.

Worse yet, you might feel the need to shrink the font below 11 points. This should only be done for certain sans serif fonts, and then reviewed on different monitors to verify that the over-40 crowd of employers can read your document.

5 - Your writing might suck up space (or not make sense).

Professional resume writers specialize in something your English teacher never approved of: sentence fragments. That’s right – we boil ideas and full sentences down to the most minute of details in order to avoid that font problem that I just described.

Best practices in journalism (you didn't know that resume writers use the Associated Press Stylebook, now did you?) dictate that sentences must be short, conveying meaning in the first 5 to 10 words. (25-word sentences are held up as the holy grail)

So, with minimal practice in tight writing, your sentences might be as long as the one I just reviewed in a copied resume: 79 words!

It's close to impossible for your resume to pass a 10-second scan with a dense paragraph like this.

In addition, lack of parallel sentence structure is a dead giveaway that your resume wasn’t professionally written. Parallel structure means that your sentences are written in alignment with each other (such as fragments that all begin with nouns, or verb forms that consistently appear in past tense).

6 - There won’t be any way to update your “work” professionally.

Your personal work style and energy will rarely (if ever) show up in someone else’s document. So, you’re already operating at a severe brand disadvantage before even trying to have someone update the resume for you.

Think about it: you started with someone else’s strategy, brand message, tone, and presentation, and tried to plop a mixed bag of verbiage over the original text.

Now, it really doesn’t represent you, and this will make it difficult for a professional resume writer to make sense of it without starting fresh (which would have been my advice in the first place).

In summary, you can certainly TRY to adopt a professionally written resume as your own, but the pitfalls that can trip you up along the way can actually hurt your job search results.

You’re better off pulling in some formatting styles that appeal to you, and writing about your own career history—from scratch.

Yes, Research Really IS Important to Your Job Search Success

2011-06-15T16:17:00.002-06:00

Guest post by Career Trainer and Certified Professional Resume Writer Bob McIntosh.

I tell jobseekers in all my workshops that research is key to their job search. I’m being redundant, but it’s true and worth repeating. Whether you’re writing a résumé or cover letter, or preparing for an interview or a networking event, the time you put into research is a tremendous return on investment. This time well spent precedes submitting your résumé and being interviewed for positions advertised or not.

Let’s look at the five steps you must take before you earn a seat at mid-court, the interview.

Step One
Candace Barr of Strategic Executive Connections writes that discovering which companies are growing the fastest is the start of the job search. “The very first step in your career transition, or executive job search should be research. So many people skip over this step quickly and do not take the time to really dig deep, consider their skill set as well as economic conditions when choosing target companies.”

An excellent source of the Fastest Growing Companies is the Inc 5000 list. Here you can find a list of 5,000 companies that showed the fastest growth rate in 2010. This would be a great place to start your research, as Candace Barr suggests.

Step Two
Once you’ve located the companies you’d like to researched and decided which companies are the ones for which you would like to work, you should dedicate a great deal of your computer time visiting their websites.

Study what’s happening at your chosen companies. Read pages on their products or services, their press releases (if it’s a public company), biographies of the companies’ principals, and any other information that will increase your knowledge of said companies. Your goal is to eventually make contact and meet with people at your target companies, so it makes sense to know about the companies before you engage in conversation. This research will also help when composing your résumé and cover letter and, of course, it will come into play at the interview.

Step Three
If you don’t have familiar contacts at your favorite companies, you’ll have to identify new potential contacts. You might be successful ferreting them out by calling reception, but chances are you’ll have more success by utilizing LinkedIn’s Companies feature. This feature of LinkedIn’s is something my jobseekers have used to successfully make contact with people at their desired companies. Again, research is key in identifying the proper people with whom to speak.

Most likely you’ll have first degree contacts that know the people you’d like to contact—contacts who could send an introduction to someone in the company. These contacts could include hiring managers, Human Resources, and directors of departments. If, on the other hand, you have a first degree contact at a company, she could initiate personal correspondence with the appropriate persons.

Step Four
Begin initial contact with those who you’ve identified as viable contacts. Your job is to become known to your desired companies. Will you be as well known as internal candidates? Probably not, but you’ll be better known than the schmucks who apply cold for the advertised positions—the 20% of the jobs that thousands of other people are applying for. Let’s face it; going through the process of applying for jobs on the major job boards is like being one of many casting your fishing line into a pool where one job exists. Instead spend your time on researching the companies so you’ll have illuminating questions to ask.

So, how do you draw the attention of potential employers?

■ Send your résumé directly to someone you’ve contacted at the company and ask that it be considered or passed on to other companies. The risk in doing this is to be considered presumptuous. As well, your résumé will most likely be generic and unable to address the employer’s immediate needs.

■ Contact someone via the phone and ask for an informational meeting. This is more acceptable than sending your résumé, for the reason mentioned above, but takes a great deal of courage. People these days are often busy and, despite wanting to speak with you, don’t have a great deal of time to sit with you and provide you with the information you seek. So don’t be disappointed if you don’t get an enthusiastic reply.

■ Send a trusted and one-of-the-best-kept-secrets approach letter. The approach letter is similar to making a cold call to someone at a company, but it is in writing and, therefore, less bold. Employers are more likely to read an approach letter than return your call. Unfortunately, it’s a slower process and doesn’t yield immediate results.

■ A meeting with the hiring manager or even someone who does what you do continues your research efforts. You will ask illuminating questions that provoke informative conversation and ideally leads to meetings with other people in the company. At this point you’re not asking for job, you’re asking for advice and information.

Step Five
Sealing the deal. Follow up with everyone you contact at your selected companies. Send a brief e-mail or hard copy letter asking if they received your résumé or initial introductory letter. If you’ve met with them, thank them for their time and valuable information they’ve imparted. Send your inquiry no later than a week after first contact. For encouragement, I suggest you read Never Eat Alone by Keith Ferrazzi. It’s probably the most recommended book in history and for good reason. Ferrazzi goes into great detail about his methods of building relationships through networking, while emphasizing the importance of constantly following up with valued contacts.

People in the career development industry never said finding a rewarding job is easy. In fact, the harder you work and more proactive you are, the greater the rewards will be. Take your job search into your own hands and don’t rely on coming across your ideal job on Monster.com, Dice.com, or any of the other overused job boards. Your job is to secure an interview leading to the final prize, a job offer. But your researching skills are essential to finding the companies for which you’d like to work, identifying contacts within those companies, and getting yourself well-known by important decision makers.

A Career Development Trainer at the Center of Lowell in Massachusetts, Bob McIntosh, CPRW, MBTI Qualified, has designed workshops tailored to the needs of job seekers in need of expert resume, LinkedIn, and job search information. He frequently blogs on best practices in career search, resume writing, interviewing, and other topics at Things Career Related.

Executive Job Hunting? You’ll Need More Than a Resume

2011-05-25T22:27:00.002-06:00

If you’re an executive planning your next career move, it might surprise you to learn that you’ll be judged by more than just your resume during your job search.

In other words, a full resume is NOT necessarily the best fit for every job search contact.

Surprised? You’ll find that recruiters, company owners, Boards of Directors, and other hiring decision-makers often look at your experience through a series of interviews and investigations—which means that your executive resume is just one part of the process.

Here are 4 must-have documents for an executive portfolio designed to capture attention at all the right levels—along with recommendations for the timing of each component:

1 - Executive Biography.
A short, narrative-form document, the Biography often appeals to readers that are not engaged in the technical detail of a full resume.

The best readers for an Executive Biography are usually networking contacts (who are easily overwhelmed by a full resume) or Boards of Directors (who typically interview you in the later stages of the hiring process).

2 - LinkedIn Profile.
While not technically a “document” created just for job hunting, your LinkedIn Profile is a critical—and often underutilized—piece of an executive portfolio.

Most executives set up a Profile very quickly and then abandon it, becoming preoccupied with their work, which is a costly job-hunting mistake.

Your LinkedIn Profile may actually be the first piece of information encountered by a recruiter. Therefore, it must be polished, professional, and keyword-heavy (to aid others in finding you through LinkedIn’s search engine).

3 - Cover Letter.
Despite the myth that hiring authorities rarely read cover letters, some audiences (company owners, CEOs, and Presidents) might not even glance at your resume until they’ve fully digested the contents of your letter.

These groups are usually probing for leadership abilities that they feel are more evident within the letter. Investors, in particular, like to read a very short, bottom-line value proposition letter, in lieu of a resume.

In short, don’t write off a cover letter as an important document in the hiring process, as you might find that it was this part of your portfolio that influenced an interviewing decision.

4 - Full Resume.
Not a month goes by when a social media or recruiting expert poses the question, “Is the resume dead?” No, the need for a resume won’t go away soon. You’ll absolutely be asked to send your resume to many contacts at different stages of your search.

No matter who reads it, an executive resume serves as the centerpiece of your presentation, and therefore must convince employers of your brand, value proposition, and leadership standing—no small feat.

Often, the best readers of a full resume will those that thrive on analytical detail (such as operations or technology executives hiring EVP and Director-level candidates).

In summary, an executive portfolio is a must for serious job hunters ready to assume a leadership role. The days of distributing an executive resume without backup in the form of a Executive Biography, LinkedIn Profile, or Cover letter are gone.

Your job search will be smoother, faster, and more effective with a well-rounded and branded portfolio that appeals to the diverse audiences you’ll encounter.

What LinkedIn's IPO Means for You

2011-05-20T12:32:00.001-06:00

Now that the dust has settled a bit on LinkedIn's successful IPO, you might have wondered what the implications are for your job search. Will the site change? What will happen to your membership?

Are more people expected to join? Will another networking hub overtake LinkedIn as the favorite of businesspeople and job seekers?

Here are some musings on what the new state of LinkedIn can mean for you:

Site changes.
Interestingly enough, LinkedIn HAS changed its functionality significantly over the past 18 months, potentially in prepartion for its IPO.

In case you didn't notice, the new Skills sections and search functionality appeared late last year. In addition, site functions that once were available from the top menu bar started to drift around. More notably, the Settings page became more user-friendly, with the Privacy controls a bit easier to understand.

So, it IS possible that the navigation and menus will continue to shift... but keep in mind that much of the change may have already occurred.

More jobs.
No, I'm not referring to the site's job search engine, but the company itself.

It's expected that the company will start to boost its technology workforce, and may even open offices outside of California - meaning that a slot could open up for you.

A burgeoning membership.
Imitators and new social networking sites aside (Quora, anyone?), LinkedIn is on a tear with its growth, and most site watchers don't expect it to slow anytime soon.

At last estimate, the site had around 100 million registered users, but this number is somewhat skewed from the volume of orphan and duplicate profiles.

As many recruiters (more than 90% of all active headhunters, according to careers industry surveys) mine the site for the ultimate candidates, LinkedIn is still a mecca for those wanting to find (companies, jobs, services, etc.) and be found.

The takeaway? Keep that LinkedIn Profile polished for searchability and branding, and your radar up when it comes to maximizing the site.

As business activity continues to grow, and the site continues to attract attention, more features and more active users can only mean that you're in the right place as a job hunter.

Want That Executive Job? Don't Write Your Own Resume

2011-04-25T17:59:00.002-06:00

Here’s a common refrain that I’ve heard from budding C-level executives: “I wrote my own resume a few years back, but I can see that it’s just not working now. I can't get anyone to respond at the right level!"

An overwhelming majority of aspiring and current executive job hunters (and I mean literally 80%+ of the people that I talk with) cannot position themselves properly in a resume, and here’s why:

Buzzwords and project lists work fine for a mid-career move, but once you’re targeting the executive suite, the whole game changes.

Now you’ve got to list critical initiatives, collaboration with other leaders, impact on your teams, and a whole host of other situations in context from your career (and that's just a start).

As examples, I’ve seen IT Vice Presidents mistaken for Project Managers, and Sales reps who failed to make an impression as Sales Managers, all based on how the resume was constructed.

Here are steps to take to ensure that you don’t fall into this category:

Gather information about your own brand.

If you’re serious about advancing to the next step on the career ladder, you’ll ignore this step at your own peril. Feedback such as 360 reviews, performance evaluations, and colleague perspectives can all be important information for your resume.

Try these steps to pull in critical data on your successes, turnaround achievements, and leadership story, keeping in mind that others often have a better perspective on your value than you do.

Get familiar with what an executive resume looks like.

Still playing catch-up on what employers look for these days? Bring yourself up to speed faster by looking around at the current trends in executive resume writing.

This is especially important if you’re still somehow convinced that your resume needs to fit on a single page, contain your picture, or use an objective.

Consider turning this task over to a pro.

No, I don’t advocate this just because executive resume writing happens to be my specialty. The reality is that more job seekers are realizing that resumes aren’t their forte, and you’re much more likely to compete against a professionally written resume in today’s market than ever before.

In fact, you can take a look at what you’re up against by reviewing samples of executive resumes written for CEO, CTO, CIO, COO, and VP level candidates on my sample resumes page.

In summary, if you’re trying to open a new opportunity for yourself and make a move upward, it’s important to open it at the right career level.

Executive resume presentation and content has changed significantly over the past decade—and you certainly don’t want to get left in the dust with a 1990's-style resume.

3 Easy Ways to Overcome the Challenge of Resume Writing

2011-04-04T11:43:00.003-06:00

Trying to get your job search off to a strong start – only to be hampered by the resume-writing process?

Do you struggle to articulate the high points of your career and brand - or to sum up the reasons you should be considered over others?

If so, you have plenty of company, especially if your career is at the executive or senior professional level. Many leaders have discovered that it’s easier to actually drive change, improve company operations, or transform revenue performance than it is to write about it.

Here are 3 main reasons why resume writing can be difficult--followed by 3 simple ways to make the process easier:

1 – You’re too close to the subject.

Most executive leaders and skilled professionals are subject matter experts in all types of leadership competencies, from strategic planning to team delegation.

However, when asked to describe their strengths, most of them will resort to tactical or skills-based descriptions, rather than illustrating the ways in which they add strategic value.

You’re naturally good at what you do, but telling your story requires a higher level of analysis—a process that most executives and senior-level professionals don’t think to undertake for themselves.

2 – Marketing copy isn’t your strong suit.

Most COOs spend their time ensuring that costs are reined in and that the company’s infrastructure will support growth, while sales managers are assessing the competition, CEOs are busy forming strategic forecasts, accountants are closing the books, IT Managers are negotiating with vendors, and CIOs are dealing with the rising costs of technology.

Of course, these activities leave precious little time to become well-versed in marketing.

Even if marketing campaigns ARE part of your leadership role, you’ll still find that it’s much harder to create promotional copy when the product is YOU.

3 – You haven’t created your personal brand message.

As with any type of promotion, branding is a key element of marketing. When it comes to job search, your personal brand is basically the value proposition and reputation that you’ve forged throughout your career.

Even if you’re in touch with what your value-add means to your next employer, it’s difficult to articulate it for others to read! It’s even harder to translate your personal brand into the context of a cohesive executive or professional resume.

Now, here are some tips to help with the process of writing about yourself:

• Ask colleagues about what they see as your most valuable accomplishments and proficiencies. What compliments do you receive on your work?

• Consider looking at executive or professional resume examples, which are readily available online, to get an idea of the marketing style that appeals to employers in today’s job market. How does yours stack up?

• Talk to past supervisors to find out the strengths you brought in your job. What were the key reasons for your past promotions?

• After putting together a draft of your resume, show it to others. What do THEY think you're missing about your own message?

In summary, writing your resume can seem like the most challenging part of your job search. However, don’t give up and just list your duties!

Instead, spend some time figuring out how to frame your most valuable achievements and brand in a way that captures (and holds) employer interest.

CIO Resumes: Mining IT Projects for Strategic Benefit

2011-03-28T21:30:00.002-06:00

Are you a rising star in the IT world eager for a shot at the CIO role? Ascending from IT Director or VP takes more than just showing how you’ve leveraged the technology itself: you’ll need to first put yourself in the C-suite on paper.

As described by my recent article in ComputerWorld, most would-be technology executives stumble when it comes to resume writing at the CIO level.

Transitioning your value proposition to reflect officer-ready qualifications requires a significant transition from the traditional, skills-based resume that helped capture your last job in IT.

Here, I've included simple steps that can transform your IT resume from mundane, project-by-project details to a leadership brand message designed to land a CIO role.

First, I recommend making a list of the projects you’ve led, then answer the following questions about each one:

What made these initiatives attractive to stakeholders (in terms of ROI)?
Were the benefits external or internal to the company (with impact to either the company’s customers or business users)?
How did the company leverage the new technologies from a PR standpoint?
And last of all, what competitive edge was gained from the project?

Now, take these project details and add specific budget or cost figures to demonstrate scope, as shown by these examples:

“Contributed to $4M total savings by working with regional CEO to incorporate SaaS and cloud technologies…”

"Delivered automation solutions that increased business productivity 43%—even with $300K reduction in operating costs…”

As you can see by these sample phrases from actual CIO resumes, focusing on the bottom line can help decision-makers review your credentials in a more strategic light.

In a future column, I'll cover CIO resume writing techniques that showcase (and capitalize on) your executive relationships.

Do You Really Want to Use THAT LinkedIn Photo?

2011-03-18T21:08:00.005-06:00

Some time ago, I ran across a LinkedIn picture of a job seeker who was holding a very specific political sign over her head that used bright letters.

While wearing shorts (and no, they did NOT become her).

Curious about this phenomenon, I surveyed my fine resume-writing, coaching, and careers industry colleagues at Career Directors International on the subject of inappropriate LinkedIn photographs.

As a result, I came away with a very interesting list of purported job seeker LinkedIn photos that:

Were taken from such a distance that no one would recognize them
Included the candidate posing in a bikini on a beach
Showed the candidate's GARDEN - without her in it
Displayed a major league sports cap (a turnoff to the recruiter that contacted him, who noted that it was the "wrong city, wrong team")
Were snapped at a party where the subject obviously had too much to drink
Resembled a mug shot - no smile, just a grimace that did not put the candidate in the best light

Job hunters, PLEASE! It's time to think carefully about the image you're projecting online.

It's an employer's market, and the best opportunities WILL pass you by if others believe you aren't serious about your career.

Take that picture down (the one where someone else's shoulder can still be seen next to you, with that big shadow!), and succumb to a professional headshot.

At the very least, let someone adept with a digital camera take your photo in a suit, with a smile, and use it to put your best foot forward.

Don't Apply Just Once

2011-02-28T11:51:00.002-07:00

Planning to apply to that hot job you just found online? Take it a step further with some competitive research that can put you first in line (but at another company).

Here’s the idea: when companies post a position, they might be hiring from within their network – looking at suppliers, competitors, vendors, and any other organizations within their sphere of influence for that perfect candidate.

If they follow through on hiring from within this group of companies, there's now a space to be filled somewhere within this network.

Here’s your cue: jump on this scenario, and send your resume to any of these other firms BEFORE a job is posted, putting yourself first in line (before these companies realize that someone is leaving)!

Find a hiring manager (using LinkedIn or Zoominfo), then add supporting detail to your cover letter that shows your research on the industry, and your interest in their specific operation. (This letter WILL be read in detail, because you're going to send it in hard copy, intriguing the manager enough to open it.)

Next, plan to follow up in about a week by phone or via LinkedIn.

Congratulations! You’ve just made a preemptive strike in your job search, figured out how the hidden job market works, and probably generated sufficient interest to win an interview.

Want Stronger Results? Try a Networking Resume

2011-02-15T13:23:00.001-07:00

Trying to engage high-level decision-makers in your job search? Planning to contact recruiters or network during business meetings?

You might find that these audiences quickly become overwhelmed with reading your full executive resume—or that a multi-page document is simply too much to handle in a busy networking situation.

The solution? A Networking Resume—a powerful sound bite that encapsulates your career in a single page and gets more traction in your search by supplying a quick picture of your bottom-line brand value.

Also called a Marketing Brief or Networking Biography, this single-page document allows you to zero in on what you want, while hitting the high points of your career. It’s especially useful for job hunters in the midst of person-to-person contact who want to avoid the hassle of tracking multiple sheets of paper.

Best of all, a Networking Resume is fairly simple to construct, especially after you’ve invested significant branding effort into writing your full-fledged executive resume. (See this example of a Networking Resume for a CEO & CEO candidate.)

Here are 5 easy steps to take when condensing your leadership expertise down into a potent, single-page marketing tool:

1 - Skip the job descriptions.

There’s no room for lengthy explanations of teams led, budgets managed, and so forth. Instead, you’ll want to pull out some results-focused stories from your work history or a bullet-point executive accomplishment list that reflects the high points of your career.

2 - Distill your career into just titles, dates, and companies.

A Work History section on your Networking Resume will present just the facts of each job in your career, and believe it or not, this can be very effective.

Often, recruiters will be skimming for progression in your background, and writing a short summary of your job titles can quickly demonstrate promotions and the increasing level of responsibility required for a leadership position.

3 - Give your success stories a label and some context.

The best part about writing a Networking Resume or Biography? Giving more detail on highlights of your work, using full sentences that pack in metrics and tell a well-rounded story.

While these items should be featured on a full resume, they rarely will be allowed the same breathing room. Consider fleshing out each Challenge-Action-Result story, highlighting up to 3 achievements.

4 - Write a branding tagline that speaks to results.

If you’ve been able to make significant impact as an executive, here’s the place to show it. Break your brand message down into a straightforward and condensed headline that describes how you get results (as shown here).

Struggling with this step? Keep condensing it, taking out words and refining the tagline until you have a powerful sentence that conveys impact. Here are some ideas:

Turning Around Challenged IT Organizations by Building Loyal, Productive Teams
Generating 650%+ Revenue Increase Through Competitive Market Strategies

5 – Sum up your education and board affiliations.

Boil your educational background down into just a few lines, using common abbreviations for degrees, states, universities, etc.

You’ll also want to cut to the chase on professional associations, speaking engagements, and volunteer affiliations; use the organization’s initials to conserve space; list keynotes with the word “Speaker,” followed by the name of the organization.

Now, you’re prepared to give a snapshot of your professional background and executive abilities to recruiters and hiring authorities, without worrying about information overload or excess paper.

You’ll still need a full resume for interviews, of course, but your new Networking Resume can serve as a value-packed, concise introduction to decision-makers.

Is Your Executive Resume Too Wordy?

2011-02-09T00:25:00.001-07:00

Finding it difficult to sum up your value proposition in a 2- or 3-page resume?

In addition to annoying employers, a too-long resume can quickly lose its potency and dilute your brand message—leaving decision-makers confused about why they should hire you for a leadership role.

Here are some tip-offs to a too-wordy resume that fails to distinguish your skills:

Your bullet-point sentences are longer than 2 or 3 lines, making them nearly impossible to scan quickly
You’ve started many phrases or sentences with the same word, which weakens your message
Your performance results are buried all the way at the end of each sentence, and are therefore hard to find, with minimal brand impact
You’ve added too many adjectives and adverbs, with every achievement noted as “outstanding,” “exceptional,” and worst of all, “successful.” (employers certainly hope this is the case!)

If any of these apply to your executive resume, it’s easy to trim excess words with these 3 techniques that drive your point home quickly:

Skip verbs for increased impact.

As a branded marketing document, a leadership resume can use innovative conventions, such as sentence fragments that remove the verbs. Consider this example of a sentence transformation:

Original:

Led large-scale operations restructuring and expansion of call centers and company facilities, resulting in a 63% profit increase in just three years and the region’s lowest personnel costs.

New:

63% profit increase in 3 years plus lowest per-employee expenses with enterprise-level operations restructuring and expansion.

Here, the original sentence was condensed 37%--but it still conveys the same meaning. Now, imagine what cutting more than a third of the clutter could do for the clarity of YOUR executive resume!

To use this technique, make list of front-loaded results sentences like these, give this section a name (such as Selected Leadership Results), and then pop it on the front page for maximum exposure.

Take out that long, winding summary paragraph.

There’s no need to bore your reader with a lookalike resume summary or profile that states the obvious, such as:

"Dedicated team player with proven leadership, technology utilization, and financial expertise. Skilled in completing projects and communicating at all corporate levels, with excellent team-building and cross-functional collaboration skills.”

Don’t waste this key area of resume real estate with a description that fails to tell a story. Instead, cut down the volume of words while giving a snapshot of brand value that pulls in some achievement metrics.

Here’s an example culled from a leadership resume for a candidate moving up the ladder to a CTO role:

VP Technology attaining 99% over-goal performance by exceeding SLA requirements through strategic planning, cost containment, and contract negotiations.

Note the metrics and specific job title blended into the summary statement – with a message that promises value and performance.

Learn to write a branding headline.

A trade secret among professional and executive resume writers, the headline is actually a tagline that allows you condense more data into a tight space. The best part? Your resume can use more than one headline to convey your strongest points.

Here are some examples of headlines that encapsulate value and position job hunters for a specific role:

Senior pharmaceutical executive behind accelerated, multibillion-dollar product launches
VP Sales driving global growth for new-media marketing company achieving worldwide recognition
Investment professional promoting financial health through investment & capital planning

A branding headline can quickly give employers the “big picture” of your achievements, without taking up precious space on your executive resume.

To create this statement, combine the position you seek with a major achievement from your career, showing the results of your work or the approach that you use. In fact, you can lift a success story directly from the body of your leadership resume and summarize it—allowing you to remove extraneous detail from elsewhere in your document.

As you continue to adjust your executive resume and tighten the language, be sure to show it to colleagues and others familiar with your work. You’ll probably find that, even with excess words removed, that it still conveys your brand message—and faster to boot.

5 Reasons Why Your LinkedIn Profile Isn't Working

2011-02-05T16:12:00.003-07:00

By now, you’ve certainly heard why a polished, professional LinkedIn Profile could actually be MORE important than your resume.

However, you could spend hours perfecting your Profile, and still not receive results from it.

But don't give up! Here are 5 common reasons that your Linked presence isn't drawing attention for your job search or business:

Problem #1: You forgot to apply the principles of SEO.

A fantastic LinkedIn Profile is still like the proverbial tree falling in the forest, because if you fail to make it easily searchable, no one will actually find it.

The best way to do this is to conduct some due diligence on the keywords used by others who are looking for new hires. Recruiters and employers often look for candidates with a particular job title, and specify a city as another parameter.

Think of a recruiter intent on finding a Senior Vice President of Sales in San Francisco, and you'll have the right idea.

So, you'll want to pop that desired job title or career level into as many parts of your Profile as possible, in addition to skills that describe your experience.

Problem #2: Your profile text looks like a dry bio.

Your digital presence should do more than merely exist, pulling in the reader with a narrative that lets you explain your unique selling proposition (USP) in detail. Therefore, if you dump the contents of your resume summary or biography into LinkedIn, it’s not going to work.

In fact, pasting sections of your traditional resume straight into any online social networking site is asking for trouble, because these documents are written for print, not the Web.

Online copy is fresh, concise, and a bit more energetic than your resume, and it should be written in first-person to engage your reader as an individual.

Problem #3: You gave away the store.

I’m commonly asked where and how to attach a resume to a LinkedIn Profile. Well, there IS a way, but don’t do it!

Generate a little intrigue by refraining from providing every last bit of information to employers and recruiters. Think of your Profile as the introduction (with almost the same purpose as a cover letter), where you can add just enough data to make employers want more.

Then, then back off and make it easy to connect with you (or contact you directly) so that you don’t commit Problem #5.

Problem #4: Your dates aren’t working to your advantage.

Searching for a job in your 40’s, 50’s, or 60,’s? Don’t give employers reason to filter you out by including all that work history dating back to the 1980’s or 1970’s – please!

In fact, assuming that your resume has a great strategy for combating age discrimination, be sure to employ the same techniques on your LinkedIn Profile.

You’ll quickly find that employers are most interested in your last decade of experience, and that adding too much information leads to Problem #3.

Problem #5: You didn’t pay attention to Contact Settings.

Yes, LinkedIn is a social networking site (with a business purpose, of course). Then what’s the idea behind preventing others from contacting you?

There’s nothing worse than finding a great professional contact on LinkedIn, only to see the message that “Bob is not open to receiving invitations or InMail.”

The Contact Settings section allows you to give a brief blurb about the best way to reach you, and this is a great place to list either an email address, a phone number, or both.

However, you’ll also want to ensure that the parameters within your Contact Settings are checked so that you can receive any combination of Introductions, InMail, and OpenLink Messages.

So, if your Profile isn't generating enough interest, I recommend going back over your content and ensuring that you're using a well-thought-out strategy to draw the world to your digital door.

A Job Search Model Bound to Fail

2011-01-24T13:40:00.005-07:00

In my Sunday Denver Post, I was intrigued to read a story in the Business section that detailed the woes of 2 job seekers. Each of these women had been on the job hunt for months, with no end in sight (until one of them obtained retraining in another field).

One of these women relayed her story of spending 5 to 6 hours per day on Internet job searching and networking, and the other mentioned sending more than 300 resumes out to posted ads.

Maybe you also read the same story, and thought that this was a prime example of how bad the job market really is out there. Or perhaps you could relate to the journeys that these women had taken in their quest to find new work.

I read something different.

In fact, I was amazed to hear the details of both stories, and here’s why: sending your resume to posted job ads is the worst possible method to use when unemployed.

This method not only pits you against the largest volume of competition possible, but also forces you to play a numbers game, where your resume might be number 501 in the stack--but the employer has stopped looking after the first 500 entries.

What's astounding to me is that time-tested advice on the right way to look for a job (by targeting desired employers and creating an irresistible pitch) are everywhere, including this recent how-to job search article from Erin Kennedy.

In addition, I was shocked to learn that each of these job hunters had a sales background! This means that they probably possess fantastic, door-opening abilities to cold call and penetrate accounts at a decision-making level.

Why not use those abilities to follow up and find an actual person on the end of each inquiry?

What about using sales databases or other company data (Dun and Bradstreet, Hoovers, etc.) to find contacts at local companies? Even the Harris Infosource Directory can be had for free at any Denver public library.

In addition, neither job hunter mentioned how she used social media to advance the job search, so I did a little investigating. There, I found that one of these people had populated her LinkedIn Summary with a cover letter. (How do I know this? I wrote it. Yep, that’s right – all 2,000 characters are my cover letter, save for about 5 words.)

It was lifted from a letter that I developed for another job seeker, who must have passed it along. (So, not only is the profile written for someone else, it uses copy that wasn't optimized for LinkedIn!)

Is it possible that these job hunters had never heard of the proper way to use LinkedIn?

I find that hard to believe, given the volume of data published by the careers industry on a daily basis. Ask The Headhunter, Tim’s Strategy, Career Rocketeer, CAREEREALISM, Secrets of the Job Hunt, and Job-Hunt.org all do a fantastic job of educating job seekers on social media topics, as well as fresh, innovative ways of getting out from behind the computer to make an impression on employers.

Now, I know that job search isn't easy, but the techniques and tools needed to make things happen are totally different in 2011 than they were even a few years back - and there's plenty of help for anyone that trolls the Internet to find it.

I'm just amazed that the word hasn't gotten out to those that really need it.

Struggling to write your executive resume? Try these branding tips

2011-01-15T20:31:00.000-07:00

If your idea of writing an executive resume is trying to list all your tasks and group them under each job title, you’re in for quite a surprise.

The information that actually makes employers want to call you is quite different than just the descriptions of your previous jobs, as it involves creating a personal brand message with a clear, unmistakable promise of leadership value.

In this market, your job search is almost guaranteed to take longer if your resume doesn’t reflect your specific strengths and the impact of your work for your employers.

However, don’t despair: there are quick, real-life branding exercises that you can undertake in the executive resume writing process that will get the response you deserve.

In the process, you’ll also be able to turn around your perspective of resume writing, gaining a valuable lesson in how to self-market and promote your unique leadership background.

To jumpstart the process of executive resume-writing and related brand analysis, try these 3 tips to make your task easier, before writing a single word:

1 – Ask others for feedback.

This may seem like a backwards step, but if you discuss your job search and resume purpose with trusted colleagues or friends before putting pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard), you’ll actually have a better vision of the end goal.

Specifically, most people around you can clearly see your value in ways that you cannot, because they have likely benefited from your leadership qualities, organization skill, and technical proficiency.

Here are some great questions to ask your network, which will help generate resume ideas:

What reasons would you have for recommending my work to my next employer?
What company-level problems did you believe I was able to solve when we worked together?
How you believe I’ll be able to add value as a leader in my next job?
What did you see as my top 3 contributions to profit, employee performance, or cost savings in my last job?

Next, you’ll want to keep these ideas in a list next to you during the leadership resume-writing process. Use them to add color to your resume profile and flesh them out in more detail in your executive work history.

2 – Make a list of career wins.

Right off the bat, make a list of your top achievements over the course of your career – including everything from leading a challenging project to success to turning around a non-profitable company division.

Give yourself permission to remember (and savor) the highlights of what you’ve been able to do that brought you kudos from others. Don’t forget that the impact might have been external to the company, as many executives often garner praise from industry insiders or analysts, as well as from their teams.

You’ll want to create success stories from each of these accomplishments, and then put them in the classic Challenge-Action-Result format for your resume writing efforts. Describe the Challenge or situation first, then the Action that you took, and most importantly, the Result of each project or achievement.

These stories will now become the foundation for accomplishment stories in your executive resume, and can be used to replace what would usually be the classic list of tasks performed at each job.

In addition, you’ll want to add more facets to each story during the resume-writing process, supplying employers with more proof of your leadership performance as you recall the details.

3 – Inject some personality into the process.

Give some thought to the role you are seeking. What type of qualities does the perfect candidate for this job display? What are his or her professional attributes?

This isn’t hard to picture: for example, a COO might be extremely analytical or improvement-focused, while the ideal IT Director would tend to challenge the status quo and take a firm stance with vendors.

Now, tie these qualities back to your own experience. In what situations did you display these attributes and what were the results of your leadership at the time?

What’s important about this exercise? It allows you to start with an employer-side view of the ideal executive leader, giving you the same perspective they’ll have when scouring your resume for proof of these qualities.

As a result, you have some goals around which to center your leadership resume, rather than just starting with a list of mundane tasks that everyone performs in your field.

In summary, you’ll need to transform your perception of executive resume writing from what you’ve been led to believe, and start the writing process from a standpoint of brand value that can help you differentiate your experience – a solid first step toward capturing a better response for your leadership skills.

5 Simple, High-ROI Resume & Cover Letter Fixes

2010-12-26T20:46:00.001-07:00

As much as you may want to land your next job, you have to feel for the person who is reading your resume on the other side of the hiring table.

It's almost impossible to tell hundreds of resumes apart, what with similar phrases and nearly identical conventions.

So, if you want to generate serious attention, you'll need to shake things up a bit, and deviate from what you’ve seen everyone else use in a resume and cover letter… to put it mildly.

Here are 5 fast, simple ways to think outside the template:

1 - Introduce your resume with a specific, branded title.

Pursuing a global business development or marketing role—one with authority for trend watching and sales in industry verticals?

Sure, you can resort to Business Development Executive, but Director Strategic Sales packs more impact, plus retains the keywords (Director and Sales) that are needed at your career level.

There’s always more than one way to introduce yourself. Project Manager is fairly specific, but you can give yourself a bit more latitude with a general title such as Project Executive, with a second line that lists Portfolio Manager, Project Director, and PMO Manager as job targets.

2 - Alter your resume headings for a powerful impact.

There’s no law that requires your resume to use sections such as Experience, Education, and so forth.

If you’re in sales, you can use the title Relevant Revenue Highlights to describe a selected list of sales successes, while an Operations Manager can create a section entitled Operational Productivity Improvements to show important achievements.

Light on experience? Group your training under keywords that make sense to employers, such as Sales Education, Leadership Training, or Technology Knowledge.

3 - Give recruiters something else to read besides your job titles.

Are your job titles very general, such as Associate Analyst or Senior Consultant? Help employers out (please!) by specifying exactly what you do in your career.

Get creative and add another line underneath your real title with more descriptive terms such as Project Manager, Product Development Analyst, or Business Process Reengineering Manager.

4 - Change your cover letter’s enclosure line.

Adding just “Resume” with the notation Enc. after your signature doesn’t quite cut it as a parting shot.

How about Enc: Business Development Leadership Resume or Attached: Senior Leadership Qualifications Summary instead?

5 - Try a P.S. on for size.

The power of the post script (or P.S.) is well-documented. Marketing studies have proven over and over that this may be the most-read sentence of your entire cover letter.

Branch out a little and try a grand finale such as “I’ll be glad to share my ideas for bringing XYZ Company’s Western region revenue to #1 in the nation. May we talk?”

In conclusion, don't believe everything you read about a single RIGHT way to create a resume or cover letter.

Instead, experiment by adding some flair and road-testing different ways of stating the same information – and you can easily end up with a better response.

Did You Short-Circuit Your LinkedIn Profile With Overused Words?

2010-12-16T16:02:00.002-07:00

So your LinkedIn Profile's all suited up and ready for a job search - with plenty of information for employers to view, all in an effort to get that ultimate seal of approval under the 100% Profile Completeness display.

But wait - it's still possible that your LinkedIn Profile will deflate your job search efforts, especially if you populated it with some of these terms in LinkedIn's 10 Most Overused Buzzwords List.

Ironically, this is the same suite of fluff words that should be used either sparingly or not at all in your resume!

In fact, the more cliches that readers encounter, the less they can see the ROI in your background and the faster they'll move on.

As an example, you could replace proven track record with:

I deliver an average 34% revenue increase in Sales Executive roles by identifying and leveraging market trends.

Extensive experience could be stated as:

Global manufacturing leadership as VP Operations that created a 30% annual rise in productivity.

(Note the SEO built into each example.)

It's the same principle that applies to your resume - don't show, TELL.

And given LinkedIn's character limitations, the faster you tell, the harder your Profile will work for your job search.

Need Interview Advice? Check Out This Q&A from About.com

2010-12-08T10:30:00.006-07:00

Alison Doyle of About.com has issued a great list of job interview advice, with links to tips on every question from what to wear, how to handle behavioral questions, and what types of challenges to expect -- and it's all free for the taking on About.com!

Even better, the site is used to gather feedback from other job hunters on their interviews, allowing them to post information on what really happened and what you should be prepared for in your own search.

I highly recommend bookmarking these sites for your own job interview preparation.

Interview Questions
Take the time to review the "standard" interview questions you will most likely be asked. Also review sample answers to typical interview questions: http://jobsearch.about.com/od/interviewquestionsanswers/a/interviewquest.htm

How Employers Use Behavioral Interviews
Behavioral interviews ask the candidate to pinpoint specific instances in which a particular behavior was exhibited in the past. In the best behaviorally-based interviews, the candidate is unaware of the behavior the interviewer is verifying.

Here's more on why and how employers use behavioral interviews: http://humanresources.about.com/od/interviewing/a/behavior_interv.htm

Interview Tips for Medical Job Seekers
Whether you’re interviewing for an entry level, hourly wage job, a high-paying hospital executive role, or a clinical role such as nursing or physician jobs, this link provides a few key steps you can take to assure that you’re prepared for your interview: http://healthcareers.about.com/od/gettingthejob/bb/MedJobInterview.htm

Dressing for a Job Interview
Getting dressed for a job interview can be tricky. You want to make a good impression, and your clothes will certainly influence whether or not you will do that.

Ask yourself these questions before you decide what to wear: http://careerplanning.about.com/od/jobinterviews/a/dress_questions.htm

Share an Interview Tip
It's always helpful to get job interview tips from job seekers who have aced the interview and from career experts who can share their interviewing expertise.

Review interview tips and add your job interview tips to the About.com list:
http://jobsearch.about.com/u/ua/interviews/jobinterviewtips.htm

Is Your Resume Summary Boring Employers?

2010-12-01T23:17:00.001-07:00

Have you struggled with putting your brand into your resume, writing a profile paragraph that looks great, but is failing to get the attention you deserve?

If you’ve spent considerable time (or money) on a lackluster resume that serves up the same information as everyone else’s, it might be time to rewrite your introductory summary to get better results.

You’re boring hiring managers if your resume contains an opening paragraph like this:

Accomplished professional with proven experience leading cross-functional teams, managing budgets, increasing revenue, and creating strong customer relationships. Able to work effectively in fast-paced environments, lead teams to successful project delivery, and communicate at all levels of the organization.

The problem with a paragraph like this isn’t the writing itself; it’s the fact that this description could apply to almost anyone!

What I recommend instead is a tight description that includes a level of achievement, while cutting down on the volume of words, and incorporating an achievement that others cannot claim.

Here are some examples taken from leadership resumes:

Logistics Director noted for launching global supply chain that cut expenses by $1M, plus orchestrating consistent supplies across U.S. operations for 19 distribution centers.

Top Producer who outworks the competition to deliver over-goal results of up to 157%--identifying major account needs to secure new business in software, Internet, and e-commerce industries.

Trusted Board Advisor creating revenue opportunities and championing expansion including 10 new Bank of America branches ($800K to $3.3M) generating $90M average annual deposit growth.

My advice? Pull in a prominent accomplishment, wrap some metrics around it, and add industry emphasis.

You'll quickly find that your new summary separates you from the "self-motivated team players" that represent your competition.

What does your LinkedIn headline say about you?

2010-10-27T14:03:00.003-06:00

Did you realize that LinkedIn has a built-in marketing and search engine-friendly capability that is easy to use--and often overlooked? Well, neither do most job hunters.

The best 120 characters of keyword optimization you can find for a job search, your LinkedIn Headline (or title) is a major piece of the puzzle that can help recruiters locate your skills.

If you're one of the many that loaded up this field with your current job title (such as 'Vice President of Operations' or 'Sales Executive'), or worse yet, used it to declare your unemployed status, you're missing out on a great opportunity to market yourself!

Instead, I recommend presenting your brand and goal in your LinkedIn Headline, using some self-promotion plus a label that gives you a fighting chance of being located by a keyword search. (What's that? You didn't realize that recruiters will look for you by keyword? That's a subject for another post.)

Here are some LinkedIn Headline comparisons for your perusal, taken from actual profiles.

William Jones, Unemployed and Looking
John Taylor, Operations Director and Manager | Cost Control & Efficiency Improvment at AT&T
Bill Ford, Project Manager at Sun Microsystems
Anne Wilson, Providing Innovative Business Solutions by Leveraging Technology
James Hardin, Pursuing Product Management & Quality Consulting Assignments in Dallas
Carson Anderson, IT Systems and Management With Government and Nonprofit Experience
Douglas Harding, Enterprise Technology Leader | Principal Network Engineer | Network Architect | Team Leader

Which do you believe increase findability? What makes you want to read further or fails to pique your interest? And of course, which of these are too general to tell you anything about the candidate's brand?

I hope this makes you take a closer look at your own LinkedIn Headline. Maybe there is a better, more strategic way to convey your value and goals, while sticking to that 120-character limit.

Executive resume writing contest award wins!

2010-10-20T09:36:00.006-06:00

I'm pleased to announce that 4 of my resumes have been recognized as award-winners for Best Executive Resume, Best Technical Resume, Best Career Change Resume, and Best New Graduate Resume in Career Directors International's annual Toast of the Resume Industry competition!

This contest, which draws entries from Asia, Australia, New Zealand, and the U.S., is recognized as the resume writing industry’s most difficult competition. Winning entries will be posted on Career Directors website, so be sure to review these for a glimpse of top-notch writing, formatting, and presentation techniques.

Why your next job might come via LinkedIn

2010-10-13T22:04:00.004-06:00

As you might expect, I speak with many senior executives and other job hunters on a regular basis. As we review their job search techniques and situation, the common refrain I hear is that they’ve set up a LinkedIn Profile, but then failed to do anything else with it.

In many cases, I find that executives are only peripherally aware that using LinkedIn can help their job search, but they're not sure what steps to take that will help them leverage it properly.

Here’s the fact that you’ll need to face if you plan to find a job in 2010 or beyond: your online identity is already starting to eclipse your traditional resume.

That's right - a branded, search-optimization-friendly synopsis of your background on LinkedIn has become a requirement for finding your next job.

The proof is in the results, as noted by this article that points out how Oracle's new CFO was headhunted directly from LinkedIn. And that's not all: the piece includes more advice on how recruiters can learn more about prospective candidates by using social media to track job hunter activities.

And just to hammer the point home, here are several recruiters that publically noted their search methods in the LinkedIn Answers Forum, giving you a birds'-eye view on exactly how YOU might be found and recruited on the site!

So quit focusing on your resume as the ultimate centerpiece of your search! You can have the most beautiful, well-written resume on the planet--but if it isn't accompanied by a strong LinkedIn Profile, your efforts will stall quickly.

Want more information on how to use LinkedIn for job search success? Need to get a LinkedIn Profile up and running quickly?

With full-service LinkedIn profile writing designed precisely around your goals, my client profiles accelerate job hunting results through search-engine specific keyword content that is tailored to your leadership brand.

My newest book, Finding Your Next Job With LinkedIn, is also included to help you leverage the site to find new opportunities.

How and why to reframe resume achievements for a better impression

2010-10-07T15:05:00.002-06:00

If you're struggling to convey the magnitude of what you've achieved throughout your career, you're in the same boat with many others. This seems to be the ultimate sticking point for resume writing on many levels... where candidates just can't make that leap through the WORDS to get to the MESSAGE.

The best way to get employers to take note of what you can do for them, though, is to quantify it and put it in terms that anyone can understand. Again, if this seems tough to do, don't despair.

I recommend taking a step back and looking at the overall picture when it comes to your work. What projects were you taking on at each company? And what did these projects actually DO for that employer? Cut inefficiency? Increase income? Allow it to compete on a larger scale?

If you can recall the size and scope of different initiatives that you've handled, you're at a good starting point. By scope, I mean budget, number of people affected, and so on.

Your next step is to look at the impact your efforts had on the project, then the effect that this project had on the company. It shouldn't be hard to do, especially if you had to get involved with stakeholders who had to be convinced that this project was essential to their department, or user that were eager to get to the results stage because they KNEW what effect the project would have.

So... beef up Designed detailed program specifications for businesses in the Western region like this:

First Iteration:
Created detailed technical requirements to support $750K project affecting 12 locations in the Western region.

Second and final iteration:
Supported companywide transition to imaged processing that saved 10 FTEs ($550K annually) by creating detailed technical specifications for $750K project affecting 12 locations in the Western region.

Yes, it's longer, but the final version of this sentence talks about the context (an impact to the whole company), plus quantifiable achievements that occurred as a result ($550K annual savings), plus the size of the overall effort ($750K).

These figures are the absolute essentials to a strong resume! Plus, they speak directly to employers about your effect on the bottom line, which is a hard message to ignore.

7 Worn-Out, Overused Resume Phrases to Avoid Like the Plague

2010-09-19T17:20:00.002-06:00

If you’ve constantly looked at other resumes to get ideas, you might find that employers are on to your game.

Weary of reading the same phrases over and over again, hiring managers are starting to expect more from top candidates who want to stand out in the crowded job market.

Here are 7 phrases that appear far too often on resumes, with recommendations on how to improve your wording for a sharper, more professional message:

1 - Self-motivated professional or team player.

Most employers assume that they are interviewing candidates with these strengths. After all, if you weren’t self-motivated, why would you be pursuing a career move at the next level?

Assuming that you are using these phrases into your resume summary of qualifications, try instead to write a branded, headline-style sentence that pulls in your achievements, as in these examples:

“MBA candidate with numerous promotions in operations leadership roles.”
“Technology leader awarded company honors for saving $100K in imaging expenses.”

2 - Including, but not limited to.

I have news for you: “including” technically MEANS “not limited to.”

As an example, if your sales clients spanned a number of major corporations, you can spell them out with “including ABC Corporation, XY Company, and BC Enterprises.”

In this case, the reader can assume that you’ve left out several others—therefore, the word “including” will serve you just fine by itself.

3 - Responsible for.

To any experienced resume writer, these words are like fingernails on a chalkboard. If you weren’t charged with doing it, why would it even appear on your resume?

Here is where a power verb will serve you better, plus provide more detail to the reader. Consider writing a replacement sentence such as “Raised customer satisfaction scores 30% with improved product launch support,” rather than resorting to “responsible for customer service delivery.”

4 - Thrives in fluid environments while remaining pragmatic and focused.

Unfortunately, there are phrases still living on that were written by major resume companies as an example for their writers—but the writers continue to churn them out on actual resumes for clients.

Google this phrase to see how many times it’s been referenced—just in case you’re inclined to borrow it. If you do find your sentence on a number of LinkedIn Profiles or resumes, it’s time to come up with a fresh approach and different wording.

5 - Entrepreneurial.

Be very careful with this term, as many employers assume that entrepreneurs are focused solely on their own companies and needs, and may avoid candidates that appear unable to work for someone else.

Should you be a former business owner trying to transition into the corporate world, you’ll make a stronger impression by defining your entrepreneurial nature for employers—in a way that makes sense for their needs. Here’s an example:

“Concept-to-market driver with multimillion-dollar record of startup success backed by launch planning, market development, product development, and forecasting skills.”

6 – Excellent communications skills.

Like “effective communicator,” this phrase is likely to elicit a “so what” yawn from employers, mostly because it’s largely assumed that you are able to convey critical messages to those around you.

You’ll do better to describe your communications skills in more detail, with phrases such as “capable of distilling complex technical concepts to non-IT executives” that give specifics on how you are able to educate others in your company.

7 - Over 15 years of experience.

Unfortunately, this phrase shows that all you did was survive in your field! Beyond an early-career stage, where employers want candidates with a minimum of 3-5 years, this wording doesn’t help you—and only distinguishes you from others on the basis of your age. (Ouch!)

(Incidentally, “over” is technically a direction and the phrase here should be “more than” 15 years of experience. But I digress...)

Rather than listing your years of tenure, add data that shows the titles you’ve achieved or the details of your accomplishments, such as “Extensive leadership promotions to Technology VP, IT Director, and Project Manager based on ability to deliver improvements to cost, efficiency, and product development.”

Now that you’re armed with this overview of worn-out phrases, revisit your resume to see if you’ve watered down the message with an overused term or sentence!

You’ll find that employers will welcome a different—and more detailed—version of your capabilities instead.

Is Your Leadership Resume Ready for a Recruiter's Call?

2010-09-08T09:50:00.001-06:00

It’s happened! You received a call out of the blue from an executive recruiter who is searching for a great candidate, and he wants to see your leadership resume quickly.

However, you haven’t kept it up-to-date, and now panic mode is setting in.

What should you do?

First of all, consider asking for more time to pull things together. After all, the recruiter will be able to present you much more effectively if you can put your best foot forward on paper, and even a few extra days can make a big difference.

Now, on to your leadership resume update--a fitting subject, considering that it's Update Your Resume Month.

Here are 3 tips to help you craft a compelling and masterpiece presentation (that looks like these resume samples), even if you’re short on time:

1 – Position yourself appropriately.

Nothing kicks an applicant out of the running faster than an unfocused resume. Therefore, you’ll need to decide on a career direction that represents your executive goal, and apply it to this version of your resume. You can always create a different leadership resume for use in pursuing another position type later.

Add a resume title, using as many specifics as possible that reflect your goal, such as CFO and Board Member, Vice President of Operations, IT Director, etc.

Next, you’ll need to write down ideas for a summary of your background and why you’re qualified for this particular position. The key to writing an effective summary is to tweak it and keep it flexible during the executive resume writing process, as different ideas will spring to mind that you can weave into this section.

In addition, your leadership resume summary needn’t be an actual paragraph. Some people find it easier to write short, brand-focused headlines instead.

Remember to review your summary after finishing your resume as well. You might find that you’ve uncovered more information to add—forming the basis for a well-rounded, powerful introduction to the rest of your executive credentials.

2 – Make a list of success stories to be listed as achievements.

Here is where you’ll need to spend the bulk of your time. Analyzing your contributions to each employer in each leadership role is critical!

Start by jotting down ideas and key points that you’d make in the interview, taking special note of the metrics behind each story and the impact of your work on the company.

Flesh each out to a small paragraph, cutting out extraneous details, until you have a sentence of 3 lines or less that describes your executive role, the context behind each accomplishment, and the results.

Repeat this process a minimum of 3-5 times for each job that you’ve held in the past 10 to 15 years to fill in your leadership resume, adding as many details as possible, while keeping your sentences brief.

Finally, add these stories in bullet-point form for each job, then finish by writing a basic job description that introduces each executive position—describing the number of employees you’ve supervised, budgets managed, business unit growth, and other contextual details.

3 – Get feedback on your leadership resume update.

This is an important step, but it’s one that many executives miss. Colleagues, spouses, bosses, and friends can help you to recall any important projects you might have omitted, or leadership qualities that you should demonstrate in order to be considered for the job.

You can also rely on others to help you proofread your new executive resume, as typos and other errors can escape even the best writer who is pressed for time.

You’ll want to go back over what you’ve written in detail, keeping what others have said as a guide, in order to emphasize some points about your leadership skill and bring in others.

That’s it! Now, take the time to compose a short note to the recruiter that points out your main qualifications and the reasons you’re interested in the job. Your new leadership resume can help do the rest of the talking.

Why the resume isn't dead just yet

2010-08-30T22:44:00.004-06:00

Not a month goes by when someone fails to issue one of the following predictions:

1) The resume is dead!
2) Who reads resumes anymore?
3) Resumes have been replaced by a) networking; b) online branding; c) web portfolios; d) something else - maybe your LinkedIn profile?

The interesting thing about these so-called forecasts (usually via Twitter) is that they are always followed by a recruiter or HR manager who immediately refutes these assumptions by telling the world that yes, resumes ARE still a major part of the hiring game.

And, they add, there is no standardized replacement that "everyone" reads in lieu of a resume.

Even though resumes have evolved significantly from a mere chronology of your past, and managing your online identity IS critical to landing the job you want... resumes are consistently relied upon by the following groups:

Recruiters, who don't relish the task of manually entering your employment data into their database, and therefore prefer scanning in your resume
Interviewers, who need your chronology in front of them in order to make sense of it when they assess your qualifications--and who really prefer talking to you in person instead of staring at you on Skype
Networking contacts, who would be quite lost if you handed them only a business card with your LinkedIn profile URL--because now they have the extra step of looking it up and then emailing it to a contact (who will then want your resume, of course)
Hiring authorities, who may have just learned about you and want to "get your resume" into their hands--and will then circulate your resume (paper or electronic) around their office as proof of your fitness for the job they're about to post

Don't mistake the place of your resume in your quest: it won't network for you, it won't call employers on your behalf, and it won't magically land in the lap of an interested party without your facilitation.

However, it's also not going away anytime soon! You WILL be asked (and hopefully frequently) for a branded, value-specific resume that aligns with your career level and goals during a job search.

Are Candidates Finding Jobs Faster... or Just Fielding More Interviews?

2010-08-10T14:24:00.001-06:00

If it seems that you're generating quick interest from employers, but your job search is still taking longer, it's not your imagination.

To conduct an informal survey of career professionals, my colleague Julie Walraven recently posed a question on LinkedIn that seemed to inspire similar answers from those of us in the careers industry.

Many seasoned, leadership-level professionals are finding that interest in their skills has picked up over the past 6 months. While this is a good sign, it doesn't always mean that companies are truly ready to hire.

Consider the saga of one client, who recently noted that "after 3 successful interviews, I did not hear back from a large employer. Upon calling, I was informed that the Board was considering a merger with another organization, and there would not be a need to fill the slot I had interviewed for should the merger take place."

The good news? Companies ARE showing interest in well-qualified candidates.

The not-so-wonderful news? They're not always able to do something about it, which means that you'll need to hang in there and continue to build productive relationships for your search.

How to Conduct a Covert Job Search Using LinkedIn

2010-07-28T20:25:00.006-06:00

If you're planning ahead for an executive job search, you might be concerned that cultivating a LinkedIn presence will announce your candidacy--and blow your cover.

Well, nothing could be further from the truth - but only if you use LinkedIn correctly and adjust your Privacy Settings in anticipation of a search.

Here are the 3 key steps to preserving some secrecy for your job hunt, while still getting the most out of LinkedIn:

1) Hide your activity through Profile Views.

Take a look at the Settings for your account (Settings can be found in the top right-hand corner of the page. After clicking on it, you'll need to scroll down until you see Privacy Settings.

Under Privacy Settings, choose Profile Views. This setting deals with what is shown to other LinkedIn users when you click on their profiles. Select the last option that states "Nothing. I will be completed invisible to users I have viewed."

Doing so will ensure that you can "surf" LinkedIn freely, reviewing others' profiles without them being aware of your activity. So, if you want to find a recruiter, hiring executive, or HR manager in a target company, you can look to your heart's content at their profiles--and they'll never know!

2) Change how others see your Profile Updates.

To do this, go back to Privacy Settings, and click on Profile and Status Updates. Here, you can change your settings to ensure that no other users receive a notification for your updates.

When you select each "No, do not notify anyone" button, this essentially prevents those in your network from receiving an email blast that would "out" you to the world for changing your profile (which is a common step in the job search).

In fact, you'll want to leave this setting closed down unless you have a good reason for issuing reminders to others about your personal LinkedIn activity.

3) Adjust your Connections Browse settings.

Here is where you can block others in your network from seeing your relationships.

If you plan to connect with recruiters or insiders at competing companies, it can be a good idea to hide these ties from those at your current employer.

Been too preoccupied to tune LinkedIn for a job search? I've begun offering FULL setup on LinkedIn Profiles, allowing you to present a confident digital identity to employers.

Your part? Collaborating with me to create a strong brand message--while I do all the writing and setup. Get more details here.

Why "knowing" recruiters won't help you in your search

2010-07-26T16:21:00.004-06:00

I was recently asked by a prospective client if I "knew" any recruiters. Well, I do maintain strong relationships with recruiters in various fields, but there seemed to be a disconnect in the question.

You see, finding a recruiter is only part of the effort you'll need to undertake in order to be successful. Recruiters find candidates, not jobs. Let me repeat that again - a recruiter will NOT set out to find you a job.

Recruiters are in the business of locating desirable candidates to fill requests by the client companies that pay their fees.

Therefore, they will have little reason to scour the corporate world to find new job openings for you, but they may be interested in your qualifications. The key word here is "may."

If you offer a straightforward career trajectory with a wealth of industry experience, you may well be a sought-after candidate by recruiters.

However, if you plan to change careers, your work history is spotty, or you are currently unemployed, you may find that recruiters are not able to convince their clients of your value.

What does this mean for your search? You'll need to spend time finding the right audience for your resume, rather than just shooting off a mass email to thousands of recruiters (or finding someone who "knows" a recruiter!).

And above all, remember to use the same level of professional courtesy that you'd deliver in the context of an interview. Recruiters are dealing with intensities of the job market just as you are, and will remember their interactions with you.

How to Capture a Leadership Brand for Your Executive Resume

2010-07-13T22:16:00.007-06:00

So you’ve written and re-written your executive resume, but it still doesn’t feel right to you? Maybe you’ve added metrics and detailed your career promotions, all to no avail.

If so, it might be time to up your game—especially if you want to generate interviews.

To create a powerful and effective leadership resume, you can find relief from using a concept called the S-T-A-R (Situation-Task-Action-Result) strategy.

This method (aptly named for a reason!) helps you to capture and sharpen the information you’ll need for a masterpiece resume, starting with the description of leadership tasks and situational challenges, and ending with the results of your work.

Specifically, it is designed to avoid the common blunder of skipping ahead to present revenue or cost-saving metrics without describing how these successes came about. To really gain attention from employers, an executive resume must use a storytelling approach instead.

Note that are several variations of S-T-A-R, such as S.M.A.R.T. (Situation with Metrics, Actions, Results, and Tie-In) or C-A-R (Challenge, Action, and Result). The theory behind each method is the same, where the context of your work becomes the real "meat" of your leadership brand.

Does your leadership resume need the S-T-A-R overhaul? It does if you’ve written it to simply serve up your end results, as in these examples:

-Exceeded 2008 quotas 140%.

-Built 2 new offshore data centers.

-Staffed Dublin office with 300 team members.

Now, consider that it could provide more detail on each situation instead, as in these examples:

-Exceeded 2008 quota 140%, despite market entry from 5 new competitors and downward pressure on pricing that impacted revenue.

-Responded to increasing storage and monitoring costs, slashing expenses 30% with design and buildout of 2 offshore data centers.

-Dampened staffing costs for 300-employee Dublin center while bringing in new talent pool, reducing time-to-hire by cultivating relationships and volume contracts with European-based recruiters.

To extract the valuable information needed for a well-rounded executive resume story, you’ll need to follow these steps:

1 - First, make a list of all career accomplishments you’d like to use as examples of your success.

These can be strategic initiatives that you’ve led, projects that you’ve championed, or company-wide changes that you have implemented.

To be on the safe side, ask trusted colleagues to help if you can’t recall sufficient high points or projects from years past.

2 - Next, use the S-T-A-R formula to describe the situations you stepped into in each of your leadership roles.

What was happening at the company? Were revenues flat, and you were asked to improve them?

Did you inherit a disillusioned team? Was the company experiencing growth so rapid that internal procedures didn’t keep up?

If there were specific challenges that include operations in need of a turnaround, or executive teams that required significant political maneuvering, these situations can make for a great leadership resume story.

3 - Write a description of the actions you took (such as restructuring a team, adding new cost controls, reworking sales methods, etc.).

Here is where you’ll want to be descriptive, but as concise as possible. Most executive resumes should be no longer than 2 or 3 pages, but still give considerable detail on how you achieved the end results.

Now you can focus on that end result! List the ultimate outcome for each project, and don’t forget to include metrics, since revenue, profit, productivity, and costs all play an important role in your executive resume.

You should have a story that demonstrates how you tackled challenges, as well as the reasoning behind your actions and the benefit to the company.

Now, you’re ready to apply this strategy to each part of your background. Tighten your language to make each story fit into 2 or 3 lines, and your S-T-A-R story is done!

Repeat as often as needed for each highlighted success story on your resume—and you’ll soon be the recipient of more requests for interviews at the leadership level.

Are You Committing The Top 3 LinkedIn Profile Sins?

2010-07-08T16:09:00.004-06:00

If you're stopping to read this, chances are good that you're not maximizing your LinkedIn Profile in a way that will actually get you hired.

Here are 3 common pitfalls to avoid when setting up and using LinkedIn for a job search:

1 - Failing to use all the space provided.

You’re guilty of this if your summary is comprised of just a few sentences, your work history only includes titles (and no description of your achievements), or you skipped sections like Interests or Specialties.

These are valuable pieces of data that not only educate readers on your career, but also serve to boost your searchability quotient. Here are the current character limits for LinkedIn categories:

• Headline – 120 Characters
• Status Field – 140 Characters
• Summary – 2,000 Characters
• Specialties – 500 Characters
• Company Name – 100 Characters
• Position (Job) Title – 100 Characters
• Position Description – 2,000 Characters
• Interests – 1,000 Characters

If your profile isn't close to maxing out each of these spots, you're missing out on valuable opportunities to sell yourself to employers!

In addition, many recruiters surf LinkedIn for candidates that possess specific skills or career experience. By adding more information that contains key search terms, your odds of being found based on a keyword search (and subsequently recruited!) can rise dramatically.

Want proof? Take a look at my LinkedIn Profile (or first search "executive resume writer" in LinkedIn.) You'll quickly see why every word counts.

2 - Conveying a message that is inconsistent with your traditional resume.

There’s no way around it – employers will be trolling the Web for information about you, even if you’ve already sent your resume to them to review. The problem comes in when your job history, core competencies, or achievements seem different online than on paper.

After creating both your resume and your LinkedIn Profile, I recommend printing them out, and reviewing information such as job dates, education, job titles, and employer names side-by-side. You’ll be able to spot any discrepancies quickly.

In addition, reviewing the profile this way allows you to see if it delivers the same value proposition message as your resume. If you missed mentioning highlights of your career (such as metrics on revenue generated or cost savings), you can incorporate this data back into the profile so that it aligns with your brand.

3 - Mistaking a resume summary for a LinkedIn summary.

The LinkedIn summary area is designed primarily to present a snapshot of your brand and value proposition. However, many people mistake this for the resume summary of qualifications, and insert a long paragraph.

I can't say this enough! Web copywriting is much different than writing for printed or emailed documents. You'll need to create your profile so that it can easily be read online, using first-person writing style, with presentation techniques intended for the Web.

Rather than use your resume summary, instead write a more personalized account of your background and qualifications, breaking up the text visually so that employers can quickly scan through for key words. Font treatments such as bullets or all caps can help to deliver more punch.

Remember, your career isn't identical to anyone else's. Why settle for making your LinkedIn Profile blend in when it can promote you with a differentiating, powerful message?

How to quit rewriting your resume for each job

2010-07-04T11:58:00.007-06:00

Several executives have recently sent me their resumes in anticipation of our working together, and one thing struck me from viewing the files: these candidates were already working on versions 10 (and up) of their resumes!

If you find yourself writing and rewriting your resume just to get it to "fit" a particular job description or employer, stop and read this instead.

When you continually rework your presentation to fit someone else's needs, you're stepping into reactive mode on your job search, and this doesn't bode well. For one, tailoring your resume to a particular job opening means that you're putting yourself at the mercy of employers... reworking, rewriting, and waiting, over and over again.

For another, I DON'T recommend tailoring your resume to each job description. There, I've said it. I don't believe that the "rule" that gets passed around as gospel, where you must have a different resume for each job. Here's why:

Your value proposition doesn't change, no matter what job you're seeking. If your resume eloquently and consisely describes your core brand value and achievements, there's very little reason to tune it over and over.

The other issue with resume customization is that you're obviously answering job ads as a search method--and it's one that I don't recommend.

Try this instead: build your resume around a specific JOB TYPE, rather than a JOB AD. Say you're pursuing an Operations Manager role, but you'd also be interested in a Sales Operations job.

Create just 2 resumes for these goals, incorporating different resume presentation (because different audiences will hire for each of these jobs), a unique set of keywords that match each job type, and a value proposition that clearly states qualifications for each target.

Next, create a list of 10 companies where you feel your skills could make a difference in each of these roles. Create a custom letter, find out who the COO is (because that's the likely hiring manager), and send him or her your focused resume and cover letter for the job you want.

Repeat THIS process over and over - you'll see a dramatic increase in response and the number of interviews you'll win.

There - isn't that simpler than tracking which version of 12 that you're issuing to a nameless, faceless job ad? Declaring your independence from continual resume rework is much easier and a much more high-ROI activity than the change-apply-wait cycle you're already using.

The Amputated Resume: Is Yours Missing The Tie-In to a Promotion?

2010-06-15T00:46:00.004-06:00

I’ve seen an alarming trend among self-written resumes lately, where job hunters are positioning themselves for promotion, but have failed to include any information that substantiates their placement at this level.

If you’ve decided that it’s time for the next step up in your career, you'll need to pack some punch by leading with a resume title that clearly shows your intent.

But if you forgot to include supporting detail—or it’s too low-key to resonate with employers—then you just wrote an amputated resume, which is missing the critical tie-in for your desired change.

In other words, you need to Show.Your.Readiness.

As an example, I’ve worked with candidates who are ready to take on the role of IT Director or CIO, and have a great career progression: previous systems analyst work, project management skills, and infrastructure-building activities.

However, their resumes show experience that is related to lower-level jobs (such as Systems Architect, Project Leader, or even IT Manager), with no mention of directorship skills such as executive team collaboration, board-level relationships, or infrastructure decision-making.

The result? The candidate keeps wondering why the resume isn’t clicking with hiring authorities—who still see a technician coming through on paper.

If you’re struggling to make an upward move, here’s the changes I'd recommend for your resume:

1) Include specific competencies tied directly to your goal.

Elevate employers’ view of your skills with a list of keywords that closely match your desired title.

Not sure what these competencies look like? Use indeed.com or jobing.com to find a good cross-section of job descriptions, then pull the requirements shown for each job into a keyword list.

2) Take your career experience out of micro view.

So, you’ve met deadlines and made your boss look good? Take it a step further, looking at the projects you’ve worked on and how they impact the company, not just your department or team.

Now, you’ll want to flesh out this impact in more detail, including dollar or percentage figures on the overall benefit of these projects and adding these metrics to your resume.

3) Remove skills that pull you down.

While you’re boosting your image on paper, don’t forget to take off skills that only a lower-level candidate would display.

Examples are basic computer experience in applications such as Microsoft Word or Outlook, or obvious competencies like technical documentation. Most employers will assume that you possess these skills—given that your target is at a higher level—so use your resume real estate wisely!

Remember that your resume, like any marketing piece, should be shaped for a specific audience with a precise message, and you’ll be able to fill in the missing links to your desired promotion.

3 LinkedIn Errors That Will Harm Your Job Search

2010-06-07T14:32:00.003-06:00

So, you've heard all the hype about LinkedIn and your job search, and so you've signed up for a profile, plopped your information into it, and then... poof! Nothing is happening.

If you’ve spent only a brief amount of time setting up your profile, your chances of being sought on LinkedIn for your expertise are slim to none—especially if it fails to represent your core brand value or showcase what you offer employers.

However, you CAN and SHOULD take matters into your own hands to turn this situation around by figuring out if you've made these common mistakes:

1 - Setting up your LinkedIn profile JUST LIKE your resume.

Dumping the contents of your resume straight into your LinkedIn profile is a huge mistake. After all, your resume is usually created to fit on 1 to 3 pages in hard copy form, but writing for the Web is much different.

For instance, you might have unloaded your traditional resume summary paragraph directly into the LinkedIn profile Summary section (which appears at the top), but if you don’t break this information up for the reader, it will be nearly impossible to navigate online.

In addition, many job hunters don’t realize that online readers are an extremely fickle and impatient audience. Given that it’s unlikely others will scroll down to read your Experience section in detail, it’s best to put a quick, brand-focused snapshot of individual achievements right into the Summary.

I recommend pulling out a composite of your past, including job titles, individual accomplishments, and notable positions (such as community leadership or national speaking engagements) to include in this area, in addition to stating your goals and value offering in this section.

If you don’t do anything else with your LinkedIn profile, at least tweak your Summary in this manner – and use all 2,000 characters. This will ensure that recruiters doing a brief sweep of your background won’t miss salient points.

2 - NOT setting up your LinkedIn profile like your resume.

For some reason, all the principles of effective resume writing seem to fly out the window when job hunters create their LinkedIn profiles.

Jobs from 1975, titles that state “Unemployed” in lieu of an occupation, and overly verbose explanations of job duties vs. achievements continue to appear on too many profiles to count.

Here’s a tip: if it wouldn’t normally appear on your resume, take it off your LinkedIn profile!

Older jobs that can signal your age, for example, should be left off the profile and merely listed in the Summary. LinkedIn also asks you for your birth date and year of college graduation, but these values are not required.

Also, just like a resume, your LinkedIn profile shouldn’t resort to generalities that fit all of your peers. Online readers will grasp your brand value faster if you add relevant accomplishments, clearly defined with dollar figures, percentages, and other quantifiable numbers.

3 - Failing to use Contact Settings properly.

Joining LinkedIn as a job hunter effectively tells the world that you’re ready to take your search seriously.

Unfortunately, some professionals who use the site leave their profiles virtually locked down and therefore inhibit any form of connection—either because they are maintaining a confidential job search or because they fail to understand the reasons behind the site.

If you haven’t already done so, examine your Contact Settings to ensure that you’ve indicated willingness to accept Introductions, InMail, or some combination of these plus OpenLink messages.

In addition, you’ll want to check the Opportunity Preferences section to verify that you have at least checked off boxes for “expertise requests.” Doing so will ensure that others can feel comfortable approaching you.

Of course, for those openly searching for work, I recommend enabling settings for other values such as “consulting offers” and “career opportunities.” Add a phone number in the Personal Information Section, as some recruiters will skip you in favor of candidates they can reach more easily.

In summary, keep in mind that your LinkedIn profile can serve as an online resume. However, to be a truly effective tool for your job search, your profile should borrow SOME elements from a traditional resume, and leave others behind.

Do You Have What It Takes to Be a Professional Resume Writer?

2010-05-10T16:40:00.012-06:00

So, you've decided that the time is ripe to become a professional resume writer, especially given today's tough job market. If you've already helped others write their resumes or have logged experience as a recruiter, it may seem like a no-brainer.

Here are 5 crucial points to consider before embarking on a venture where you hold others' futures in the palm of your hand... along with ways to get started if you're really intent on launching your own resume writing operation:

1 - It’s difficult, if not impossible, to write cohesive resumes without business knowledge.

Before creating a website or advertising your new resume service, you’ll need to be honest with yourself about the extent of your business expertise.

Do you have the background and know-how to understand the metrics behind sales and operations positions? Will you be able to guide a client that isn’t sure how to present a stint in the retail industry?

What will you do when an IT applicant tells you that he or she is looking for a step up in a technical career? Can you analyze the differences between a project leadership position and a program director’s job?

These proficiencies are a must for anyone who wants to enter the field of resume writing. After all, prospective clients will rely on your ability to know what’s relevant and important to them at any point in their careers. You’ll also need a firm grasp of the latest developments in job search and hiring practices.

My advice? Take steps to become more educated on your clients career paths, corporate hiring models, and the economic climate. Study job search 2.0 concepts by following some of the most respected career experts on Twitter.

Read What Color is Your Parachute? (plus similar books) and get familiar with the Occupational Outlook Handbook so that you can understand the nuances of career change and what it means for clients that need your assistance writing their resumes.

2 - Reading resumes all day doesn’t make you a resume writer.

The same way that reading the newspaper on a regular basis doesn’t make you a journalist, and becoming enthralled by a book doesn’t transform you into a novelist, having access to resumes on a regular basis isn’t an automatic qualification for the job of professional resume writer.

Resume writing is a very tight and contrived form of communication, with fragmented sentence structure, limited space, and the need for parallel structure throughout each document.

You’ll need a flair for written expression, a skilled command of the English language, and an eye for technical detail in order to create focused and well-written resumes that truly help your clients.

Specifically, the speed and brevity with which you communicate key information can make or break your client’s options. Even the most qualified candidates struggle to land jobs at the right level without a sharpened business presentation.

To help boost your writing abilities, I recommend obtaining your own copy of the Associated Press Style Guide (a bible for most resume writers) and studying examples that demonstrate compelling writing style, strategy, and business aptitude.

You’ll find great samples in the Expert Resumes and No-Nonsense resume book series published by Wendy Enelow and Louise Kursmark, as well as in Resumes that Knock ‘Em Dead by Martin Yate.

3 - It’s far more than templates or typing.

Great resume writing requires the ability to elicit the kind of information that most people miss adding to their resumes in the first place.

If you don’t believe this, then you’d need to see a sampling of the resumes that cross my desk on a regular basis… which skip over “details” such as multimillion-dollar budget figures, project success rates, sales awards, and the candidate’s role in corporate growth.

In fact, information mining is the cornerstone of effective resume writing! Even CFOs and IT Directors leave critical details off self-written resumes—details that you’ll need to grasp in order to ask the right questions.

Rewording original facts and figures won’t cut it, as you’ll need to truly understand each client’s career change from a strategic perspective and gather NEW information.

There are different ways to extract this data as well. Some writers elect to present their clients with detailed questionnaires, while others prefer to conduct a thorough interview with each applicant. Whatever your style of information gathering, you’ll need to ask as many pivotal, thought-provoking questions as possible.

In addition, graphic design is a core element of every compelling resume. Even though you may be tempted to just pop your clients’ data into a template, your clients are paying for a more customized presentation that allows them to stand out... without resorting to the use of gimmicks.

The top resume writers continually refine style elements and examine trends in font, color, and formatting to present client data to the best advantage—and today’s hotly competitive job market demands it.

You’ll need to become intimately familiar with the formatting techniques offered in Microsoft Word, including borders, tables, tabs, text boxes, and other treatments, in order to market your clients as individuals with unique accomplishments.

4 - Spin artists need not apply.

Truly effective resume writing is NOT embellishment, lying, or marketing hype. It’s centered on the ability to extract the most relevant and fitting accomplishments that make up a career, and then ensuring that they are presented in the best light.

You can expect to deal with professionals that have a job gap, unrelated experience, or other challenges. It’s your charter to ensure that these obstacles don’t hinder the applicant, without resorting to elaborate tactics that hide information and skew the facts.

Here is where the power of your writing skills and business knowledge will make a critical difference. Employers need to know the truth about each applicant, and they’ll reject any attempt made to gloss over important details.

Therefore, you’ll want to take note of strategies for special situations, which are covered in Resumes for the Rest of Us: Secrets from the Pros for Job Seekers with Unconventional Career Paths, Gallery of Resumes for People Without a 4-Year Degree, and other career publications.

5 - If you’re in it for the recession, reconsider.

If you’re looking to make a quick buck by churning out resumes, think carefully about the effect you’ll have on others. You may end up like those that tried resume writing, failed to get results, and left the industry within a year or two—leaving a wake of unfulfilled clients behind them.

Most of us in this field started out by writing others’ resumes after discovering a knack for pulling careers together on paper.

Others decided to rid the world of bland resumes after having worked in HR or recruiting, and still other writers got their start in fields that demanded extreme focus, such as journalism or marketing.

Most writers focused on their ability to pinpoint client strengths when getting started in the business—with very few lured by the prospect of a recession.

There are numerous professional associations that train, credential, and mentor resume writers, such as Career Directors International, the Professional Association of Resume Writers and Career Coaches, the National Resume Writers Association, Resume Writing Academy, and the Career Management Alliance.

Candidates for certification must follow a course of study and pass a multi-part exam graded by judging panels in order to qualify for the various credentials offered through each organization.

Bottom line: writing for others—living and breathing their career histories, goals, and dreams while immersing yourself in the details—is far from simple, and requires an emotional and professional dedication to helping others through one of life’s most significant challenges.

While attaining true proficiency can take years of intense work and dedication, you’ll find few fields as simultaneously rewarding, demanding, fulfilling, and fascinating.

The 5 Essentials Missing From Your Resume

2010-04-27T21:51:00.003-06:00

Finding that executive resume writing is NOT your forte?

Worried that it won't make the cut or doesn't convey your message strongly enough? I hate to say it, but you're probably right, if what crosses my desk is any indication.

Even if you feel that your self-written resume looks fairly good, I'd challenge it against these 5 often-missing components to see how well it creates that bold first impression you want:

1 - Your career progression.

A surprising number of people provide a work history that shows just the last, most important job that they’ve held at that company. Understandably, earning that Director or Vice President title can give you an ego boost, but consider that you’ve left a major branding detail out of your executive resume—namely, your promotability.

Your career advancement shows more than just longevity: being selected for promotion also proves that your work is of high quality. Being promoted over your peers also demonstrates an ability to take on new challenges, which is a sought-after quality among new leaders.

So, be sure to show interim positions on your resume, even if it turns out that you started at the bottom and worked your way up the career ladder.

2 - Your role in the company’s growth.

One of my first questions to job hunters is “Did the company grow during your tenure?” What I often find is that, even if the company was already poised to double or even triple its revenue, the candidate had a major hand in supporting or driving this level of growth.

There are several ways you can look back at your work history in light of corporate expansion. For one, you may have created support systems that helped the company move from small business to a global concern.

In addition, it’s important to note that nearly everything changes when a company expands: its staff, computer systems, operations procedures, marketing message, and mission can take on a different tone.

Here is where you can carefully assess your role during changes in the company’s size, looking at your work to see which successes you facilitated, suggested, or led, and then adding this information to your executive resume.

3 – Your explanations for job gaps.

You may find that, although you are trying to demonstrate consistent work history, that your resume contains a gap due to caring for a family member, a move, or (of course) job hunting.

While these situations are common, the way in which job hunters deal with the gaps themselves is critical.

What you may not realize is that failing to describe what happened during a gap will allow employers to imagine your reasons! It’s best to simply provide sufficient information that fills in the missing information.

Whether you took a personal sabbatical to care for an aging parent or joined numerous trade associations to build your job-hunting network, I recommend presenting a plausible explanation that can help assure employers of your dedication to their needs.

4 – Your qualifications for a specific job type.

Here is where your experience as a jack-of-all-trades will not be helpful. Why? Most job ads are written around a specific business need, and employers are (rightfully) trying to fill those particular requirements.

Your resume must spell out qualifications for an ideal executive role; otherwise, you’re essentially asking employers to stretch their imaginations.

So, if you really have created marketing campaigns that generated results for your employers, be sure to create a marketing-focused resume that speaks to the effectiveness of the collateral and sales training information you produced (even if your background contains business development and product management).

If your background contains jobs with broad titles, such as Sales Manager and IT Director, you’re best off creating 2 distinctly different resumes or showing employers how blending your skills sets you up for a technical sales leadership job.

Again, this is different from the “general resume” concept adopted by many hopeful candidates.

5 - Your effect on the bottom line.

Yes, companies ARE still hiring during this recession, but there’s one commonality to the leaders they bring on board: the ability to make an impact to revenue or costs.

For job hunters in sales, summarizing their direct impact to the company’s profitability is fairly simple, as they can state achievements in terms of revenue or sales increases.

However, if you’re in a different occupation, dollar-driven comparisons can be tougher to make—and this is where you’ll need to dig deep to show profit-related impact.

For IT executives, bottom-line improvement usually comes in the form of projects that increased efficiency or automated manual tasks. If this fits your situation, do some research to find out what volume of hours or steps were saved with systems that you helped to implement.

If operations is your area of expertise, you can also point to time savings in terms of new processes or procedures—both of which typically have a cost component associated with reduced hours. Your work may have had an effect on staff members whose salaries you can estimate, which will give you a potential cost savings figure.

The more you look at your work in terms of benefit to the company, the easier it will be to include this vital information on your executive resume.

In summary, remember that your executive resume as a marketing document must speak to a specific audience about your value-add. You can influence an employer’s hiring decision with a well-thought presentation that shows how you’ve met business needs, acted as a change agent, and conducted your leadership career.

Is Your LinkedIn Profile Optimized to Draw an Audience of Recruiters?

2010-04-15T18:28:00.005-06:00

So you signed up for a LinkedIn account and let the system walk you through adding your information, dutifully populating each field with past jobs, descriptions, education, and so on.

Wait – did you pop your resume profile into the Summary, or add the first few paragraphs of a stiff, boring biography?

If so, you’ve just missed the chance to optimize every one of those 2,000 characters (the Summary limit) that you could be using to draw in recruiters and employers.

LinkedIn officials say that instead of creating a summary that describes you as a great communicator or forward-thinking executive, a keyword-driven suite of short paragraphs and sentences is key to being found by your desired audience.

Here’s why: in addition to the relationship-building factor, LinkedIn is all about searchability! Employers who aren’t award of your reputation as a sharp sales expert or operations turnaround leader will use keywords to find you—and learn more about why they should hire you.

In addition to keywords, you’ll need to make it easy on your readers by using bullet-style sentences and short phrases, which will allow your top competencies and skills to shine.

The Summary isn’t the only place in which to add keywords; your profile is also searchable by the Job Titles, Headline, and Interests that you specify. Here’s where you have the chance to make the high points of your career and achievements stand out.

But wait – there’s one more step! Track how many visitors your profile received (look on your Home page on the right-hand side to find “Who’s viewed my profile?”). Look at this metric on a regular basis to see if your visitor volume is increasing.

Don’t forget – your LinkedIn profile isn’t carved in stone. Tuning your profile over time is a good idea to gauge any changes in your visitor metrics, especially if your career goals evolve or you have fresh information to display.

Should you work with a recruiter?

2010-03-29T15:58:00.006-06:00

Considering contacting a recruiter for your job search? You’ll need to first understand how this relationship works, then locate and nurture the best sources of recruiters for your field.

First of all, your best option is to contact more than one recruiter during a job search.

For jobseekers who don’t grasp the overall strategy of recruiting, this may seem confusing. Can’t the recruiter you called just find you a job?

Well, no. The companies that contact recruiters to fulfill their hiring needs are the recruiter’s true clients (not jobseekers).

Therefore, since recruiters work for (and are paid by) client companies, they do not have allegiance to any particular candidate and WILL NOT FIND JOBS FOR YOU—unless your expertise matches their client’s needs.

In addition, many recruiters now work globally to source the best candidates for their clients. Therefore, a recruiter based in Texas may recruit a Colorado candidate to fill an open slot in New York City. Given that recruiters are looking for that perfect match, it can be in your best interest to present your resume to more than one recruiter or recruiting firm.

Here are 3 ways to find and make the best use of recruiter contacts:

1 – Find recruiters that specialize in your area of expertise.

Google for recruiters that fit your skills and field, using search terms such as “recruiter IT” or “recruiter operations” to get lists of firms that source candidates for particular fields. Some websites, such The Riley Guide, also offer lists of recruiting firms by specialty.

Another option is to use a recruiter directory such as OnlineRecruitersDirectory.com or HeadHuntersDirectory.com. Here, you can specify either a location or a particular field in order to guide you to firms that fit your situation.

Yet another alternative is to send out a recruiter email distribution. While this is certainly NOT a guaranteed strategy, it can save you many hours of time (if you intend to spend those hours emailing your resume to recruiters).

Many firms offer resume distribution, with fees that vary from $50 to more than $300. The general feedback on these services is that you get what you pay for in terms of better quality contacts. Of course, using this method means that you will lose the personal touch associated with calling each agency.

Larger, well-known recruiting firms, such as Heidrick & Struggles and Korn Ferry also specialize in executive recruiting for varied skill sets.

2 – Adjust your resume style for a recruiter.

Recruiters often scan resumes very quickly for experience and education, and prefer straightforward, chronological resumes. They are usually looking for job histories that match specific criteria—meaning that they are not able to match candidates to jobs outside of their experience.

If you plan to change careers or industries, it is best to avoid contacting recruiters, as their client companies pay them to find seasoned candidates with specific experience in the desired field.

However, if you plan to stay in the same industry and have a solid career background, you will be an attractive candidate for recruiters. An impressive academic background is also desirable, as is the candidate who has held no more than 3 jobs in the past 10 years.

3 – Cultivate long-term recruiter relationships.

Keep in mind that many recruiters stay in touch with their clients on a regular basis, and are therefore a great source of information on the industry or a particular field of expertise.

It’s a good idea to stay in touch with a recruiter from time to time, as new job requirements can pop up even months after you’ve first contacted them. As many recruiters fill a multitude of job orders and talk with many candidates, they may not recall your area of expertise unless you stay on their radar.

Most importantly, treat the recruiter relationship as you would any business arrangement, with courtesy and attention to follow-up. Offer to pass along the recruiter’s contact information to other valuable candidates as well, as most recruiters will appreciate—and remember—your responsiveness and professionalism.

3 ways to write your resume using job ads

2010-03-10T12:20:00.003-07:00

Ever wonder if there's a great shortcut to resume writing - you know, one that others don't think to use but is very simple? Well, there is, and it will surprise you.

Just look around at job postings. That's all there is to it, and it will help you avoid one of the biggest job search mistakes by tailoring your resume to what employers are seeking.

Companies post job ads all the time that are a gold mine for resume information—but only if you know how to use them correctly.

Here are 3 tips for mining job ads for better resume results:

1 – Get an idea of the title you'll be applying for.

While this may sound odd, your first step is to figure out what employers call the job that you’re seeking. This is especially true for anyone whose previous employer gave them an unusual job title.

For example, you may have great analysis skills and a thorough knowledge of IT systems, combined with experience in HIPAA and Sarbanes-Oxley.

Adding all of these skills to a job aggregator board like indeed.com will yield titles like IT Compliance Manager, Information Technology Auditor, or Technical Compliance Analyst.

Now, use this title as the heading of your resume so that employers can link your competencies to their needs.

It sounds simple, but you need to speak THEIR language in order to get your foot in the door. (and you'd be shocked at how many resumes cross my desk that skipped this crucial step!)

2 – Use keywords from the job description.

Next, review the list of required skills in each job ad (not just one – you’ll want a good cross-section).

Most sales job descriptions will contain terms such as account management, cold calling, and business development, while operations positions will refer to productivity, manufacturing metrics, and workflow analysis.

This is important: even if you believe that employers should be able to see your abilities without keywords, add them to your resume anyway.

Your goal is to ensure that the resume can pass the Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) scans used by many companies, in addition to catching the eye of a hiring manager.

3 – Find out what skills to exclude.

This requires a little more thought and analysis on your part, but it's just as important! Your resume must match enough of the requirements for a job ad to be considered, since employers often eliminate candidates if they possess too many skills that fall OUTSIDE of company needs.

Therefore, you’ll need to skip outdated skills that don’t add weight to the resume. A software developer, for example, might take off non-technical competencies like Microsoft Word or Excel, since these applications are presumed knowledge for their career level.

Additionally, a Vice President of Sales would not need terms like prospecting or referral generation, since these capabilities are often proven earlier in their career path.

Don’t forget to take off professional training or association memberships unrelated to the job you seek. These only clutter your message and take up valuable space that you can use for more relevant information.

If you’ve worked at an unrelated type of job, be sure to remove emphasis on the skills that you used in it. Otherwise you run the risk of being “locked in” to this type of position in the future.

Try using job ads as a guide if you've strugged with writing your own resume. Detailed job descriptions can give you the inside edge, helping you decide what should stay and what should be cut to make the best impression.

Why a first-person LinkedIn profile will help your job search

2010-02-10T20:35:00.016-07:00

There's a lot of buzz these days in my industry on what makes a LinkedIn profile really effective... not just for job seekers, but also for service providers.

The whole idea is to be found and to find others, right?

After a lot of analysis and more than a few tweaks, I've hit on what makes a LI profile stand out and build more buzz for your job search:

A WIIFM (What's In It for Me) message, written in first person.

Here's why:

1 - It engages me on a different level.

There's something about reading another "results-oriented professional in the xxx industry" paragraph that just leaves me cold. Not only is this ineffective in a resume (which I won't delve into right now), but it's just plain boring.

However, when your profile tells me about your goals, value proposition, or passion, then I sit up a little faster and take more notice.

2 - I feel as if you're speaking directly to me.

Instead of getting the impression that your summary was developed for everyone, I am drawn in when you address ME directly.

Writing in first person forces you to get to the point faster, too. This way, you can tell me why your profile is worth reading and note the salient points in your background.

While I'm on the subject, let's not forget that LinkedIn is all about connecting with others to form relationships. Why not remind me that there's a REAL person (not just a bag of credentials) behind your LI profile?

3 - I get the impression that you care about my needs.

A first-person profile allows you to address your target audience, looking them in the eye (so to speak) and asking them where their pain lies.

If you tell me that you're the solution to my predicament, I'd like to know what you think you can solve, and what you've done that has helped others.

All in all, this makes me believe that you care enough to conserve my time. If I don't need what you have to offer, I can move on faster.

So there you have it... reasons why writing your LI profile in first person helps others tune in to your value.

Is your resume lagging behind your career?

2010-01-26T21:47:00.008-07:00

If you’ve been ascending the career ladder, your executive resume has probably seen many changes throughout the years.

During this time, the real story of your brand and qualifications can get lost throughout job changes and new responsibilities.

This isn’t a problem, of course, until you‘re looking for a new job. That's when employers won't be able to see the meaning behind your achievements or figure out what you’re really offering.

If your resume doesn't capture your current status, you'll need to give it a fresh look and personality that reflects today’s trends, using these 3 steps as a start:

1 – Clarify your achievements and brand—past the point of keywords.

Skills and buzzwords are great for those in the early and mid-stages of their careers. You can quickly add these to your resume and get others to grasp the breadth of your experience.

However, this isn’t so easy once you’ve arrived (at a management or executive level, that is).

This is the point at which your overall brand message needs to bubble up through the individual accomplishments that you’re using on the resume.

Sifting through your successes and what they mean to your next employer is an important step, and one that I’ve covered here in more detail.

2 - Take a look at your resume presentation style.

Chances are good that, if you’ve just piled on your last few jobs, the format is outdated and won’t represent you at the correct level.

I frequently advise executive job hunters to surf for professional resume samples, not as a copying exercise, but to get a feel for what your competition is offering.

Of course, since your goal is to stand out, you’ll want to avoid just plopping your content into that minimalist Microsoft Word resume template (which isn’t made for executives).

Avoid taking the easy way out—like 90% of all job hunters—especially if your field demands innovation and energy. Instead, build an executive message by formatting your resume to reflect the stature that you’re earned.

3 – Keep up with the trends.

Resume formats, practices, and principles change constantly, whether you’re aware of it or not. What worked well for you a few years back (or what your college career center told you) is passé today.

Even what your friends tell you is outdated, unless they have a finger on the pulse of the hiring industry—and they rarely do.

Take the functional resume, for example (please). A few years back, these were all the rage. Now try it, and you’ll quickly find out that HR is on to you and will reject your application.

You’re better off writing your executive resume to show transferable skills AND job titles now, plus networking to make an impression before the resume is seen.

One of the best ways to see what’s new in executive resume writing is to view global competition award entries and winners. Here, you’ll see some striking differences in layout, font, color, and treatment of special situations.

Want better results? Run your job search like a PR campaign

2010-01-20T20:49:00.009-07:00

It’s not exactly a news flash, but the strategies for a successful job hunt have changed considerably over the past several years—and possibly forever.

Like it or not, getting in front of the right audience for your search has become the equivalent of running a PR campaign, complete with brand development, market research, and message delivery.

If you’ve been striking out while trying to get noticed, it’s possible that your expertise is still a secret in the business world.

You’ll get better results by boosting your promotional efforts with these methods:

1- Be noticed online.

For every job hunter that’s decided to really leverage LinkedIn, there must be at least a dozen others who don’t get the reasons behind forming new connections or keyword-loading their profiles.

Building an online presence is one of the most valuable (and cheapest!) ways to put yourself in front of others seeking your expertise—and LinkedIn is one of the simplest, most effective ways to create online credibility.

Make it easy for employers to learn about you by filling your LinkedIn profile with every skill, job title, and competency possible. Take care to ensure that this data is consistent with the knowledge expected in the job you’re pursuing, and remove irrelevant skills that can confuse companies viewing your profile.

Add a professional photo, get (and give) recommendations, and take the time to provide expertise in the LinkedIn Answers forum in your subject area. Accept all connections—even those that seem foreign to you—as this can put you several degrees closer to your desired employers.

If you share a common name with others, or want even more exposure, place your profile on business search engines like Zoominfo, Spoke, or Jigsaw.

2 - Be noticed by target employers.

Stop waiting for great companies to post an online job ad. If they do, you’ll have to compete with even more job seekers in order to get some traction in your search.

Many job openings are simply the result of companies that test the market. In other cases, employers can have such a long hiring cycle that your query can go unnoticed for some time.

Instead, put together a focused mailing to a group of select companies every week. Use business information engines or LinkedIn to identify likely targets for your skills, then find company insiders using these same methods.

After finishing this detective work, send your resume and cover letter in a 9x12 envelope marked “confidential” directly to your newly found contact. Be sure to follow up your query with a call during the next week.

3 - Be noticed in your circle.

Tap into an already established network by reaching out to old friends and colleagues, not just to let them know about your job search but to find out what is happening in their lives, too.

You might realize that there’s been significant activity in your industry or city, just by querying others for updates on their career status.

Preserve this inner circle as much as possible! Maintain contact through LinkedIn and other social networking sites, join others for coffee and to catch up, and generally keep in touch with others that already know about the quality of your work.

In addition, ensure that your career marketing materials (resume, cover letter, biography, reference dossier) are polished and ready for others to distribute to their networks.

4 - Be noticed in your field.

There’s never been a better time to show commitment to your field than right now. You can join trade and professional associations (sometimes in just a day or two) that will connect you with employers seeking your skills, professionals who share your expertise, and more opportunities for exposure.

Not only will these groups look great on your resume and LinkedIn profiles/groups, they will also offer the opportunity to network with others in your field. Many members will also be actively employed in your target companies, and therefore a great source of connections to boot.

Find new groups that share your passion by googling your industry with the word “association” behind it. Then, contact these organizations to ask if they’ll allow you to attend a trial meeting or enroll for a short, free membership.

Don’t forget to volunteer for board positions. These duties not only demonstrate leadership to potential employers, but may also increase your visibility, especially if board memberships are posted online.

Should your resume writer be social media-savvy?

2010-01-13T19:59:00.010-07:00

Much has been written about the impact of social media in the careers industry, with plenty of accolades for the role of Twitter and LinkedIn in the job hunt.

Of course, there’s still many holdouts in the job-seeking community. But what about career professionals themselves?

Should your resume writer or career coach know how to use social media—and what are the implications of working with a service provider who is lacking this expertise?

Here are some ways (and reasons) to find a resume or career expert that can help you get faster results and higher-level interviews—all by supplying insider knowledge on leveraging social media:

First, find your expert using social media tools themselves.
Chances are, if you’re frequenting LinkedIn or Twitter, you’ll find a multitude of resume writers and other career professionals. Here is where you can perform some quick research on their social media savvy.

For LinkedIn, most professionals who are using the service to its fullest have grown their networks to include at least 100 contacts. Significantly less connections—say, 54—mean that you’ve encountered a newbie who recently dumped their address book into the site.

On Twitter, many people look for users that have a minimum of 1,000 followers as proof of their knowledge. While this number is arbitrary, you can at least get a feel for a provider’s expertise by reading a sampling of their Tweets and looking at how often their broadcasts are re-tweeted, which shows that they offer something of value to their network.

Take a look at the provider’s self-marketing efforts.
Can you quickly discern what a resume writer or career coach offers by reading THEIR LinkedIn profile?

Better yet, if you use a common search term in LinkedIn’s People Search (such as “resume writer” or “career coach”) does your provider show first- or second-page results? If you add their city of operation, do they come even close?

What this test tells you is whether your provider can create a keyword-specific LinkedIn profile that caters to online search functions.

While many resume writers spend time crafting social media profiles, these are only partially useful tools that serve as a backdrop when you’re Googled. You’ll also want to be found when employer don’t know your name, but they know what skills they seek.

In other words, a generically written profile (where your resume is simply dumped into the profile section) won’t help recruiters locate you based on your career goals, unless it is tuned for Search Engine Optimization (SEO).

Be sure to ask specific questions.
When you approach a resume writer or career coach purporting to help you navigate the complexities of job search in 2010, don’t be afraid to query a bit to find out how they propose to market you.

That’s right: I said market you. The most beautifully written resume or social media profile will not advance your job search unless it is actually seen. Would an ad for McDonald’s, however effective it may be, impress you if you never heard it on the radio?

Your career provider should offer information on how to increase your visibility, both online and off, with an assessment of how social media will play into your efforts. These methods can include instructions on how to build an attractive Twitter pitch, maximize your LinkedIn account settings, or address damaging online personal information.

Remember, the job search has changed for good! Recruiter contacts, resume distribution, and job boards are NOT considered prime sources for new jobs; therefore, the more your “PR campaign” uses the free online tools offered through social media avenues, the better.

In summary, social media—like it or hate it—has become an integral part of the routine for millions of business professionals. If you sense that your career coach or resume writer is not among them, then it may be time to find another resource.

Leveraging your letters of recommendation in a job search

2010-01-10T21:34:00.003-07:00

Letters of recommendation and other types of testimonials such as performance reviews are a great strategy for reinforcing your value proposition and of course, your personal brand.

One of the ways you can put these letters to good use is to add some snippets from each letter to your resume.

Why does this help? Well, a resume is written to tell your own story, presumably from YOUR point of view. While you can tell others about what you offer (along with quantifiable results), using accolades allows you to add proof of these results from other sources.

This tactic is most effective when your sources point to specific achievements and indicate the value of your work in the context of the challenges you faced.

Some job hunters approach their networks for reference letters, which can be a great strategy if done correctly. You see, some reference letter writers quickly nail your value proposition in just a sentence or two, but others sometimes write a full letter that doesn’t provide much value.

So, to get the best return on your efforts, provide your network with specific information on your job search goals and the precise message you’re trying to convey with your resume.

Then, let them describe the reasons they’d want to work with you again, in addition to the qualities that have made you successful at this juncture in your career. You’ll end up with a valuable message that underscores what you want prospective employers to know.

How to use professional resume samples for your own benefit

2010-01-04T10:10:00.006-07:00

So, you’ve realized that your own resume isn’t up to par, and you’re intent on making improvements or finding some help.

What you might NOT know is that using professional resume samples can greatly increase your chance of success.

Whether you’re polishing your own resume or finding a resume writing service to assist you, using examples of successful resumes can play a large part in the responses you receive.

Here are 3 ways that you can use resume samples to increase your odds of winning an interview:

1 – Get an insider’s edge in your industry.

While copying is prohibited (and can cost you the job if you’re found out!), finding examples of resumes in your field should be your first step. This will give you the inside scoop on keywords and strategy ideas.

Given that resume quality (and results) will vary among samples, it’s best to locate several examples representative of your skill level and career goals.

For example, if you’re tailoring your resume for a sales job, you’ll find that a search on sales resume sample should produce documents showing an array of skills such as as closing, negotiations, prospecting, cold calling, revenue growth, relationship management, and other related keywords. If these apply to your background, by all means add them to your own resume.

Conversely, a search on CTO sample resume will show many terms for technical leadership careers, including infrastructure planning, offshore development, and project management.

Searching for resume samples in your area of expertise can also give you an idea of the number of pages that are commonly expected in your field.

Consider this: resume samples in your field can show you what your competition is offering (a major point in my post on 2010 resume trends), and how well your credentials stack up in a particular industry. You may even be reminded of projects, skills, or achievements that you’ve neglected to add to your own resume.

Be sure to adjust your own resume to reflect any relevant data that you might have missed during the writing process.

2 – Get pointers on format, design, and content.

Recruiters can’t say it enough – your resume must be clearly laid out, giving the reader a good chance to quickly skim your details and assess your professional goals.

This is where professional resume samples often have an edge. Many writers make a candidate’s credentials stand out (and quickly!) by creating innovative designs with graphics, borders, and bolded text specifically intended to draw the eye to critical areas of the document.

A crucial point: resume design should vary based on the industry, career level, and personal brand of each job hunter. A resume for a marketing specialist, for example, may have added flair and design elements that are important for professionals in a creative field.

These types of graphics, however, would be totally out of place for the resume of a bank Vice President. In fact, many recruiters in financial services fields are drawn to more subdued fonts and layouts.

Most hiring managers welcome a bit of creativity—even the use of color here and there—as long as it doesn’t overwhelm the document and impede your brand message.

The key to incorporating design elements is to start small, selecting just one or two changes to use your own resume.

Depending upon your field and career path, simple graphical changes may be all that’s needed to generate more interest from employers.

3 – Gain a clear idea of the difference among resume writing services.

When searching for a resume service, you’ll find that formats, design practices, and writing styles will vary considerably. Most professional resume writers therefore post examples of their best, interview-winning work.

While some people select resume services based on price alone, reviewing sample work can give you a good idea of the quality and time invested in each project—and whether the service will work for your needs.

After locating resume writing samples on company websites, look carefully at the type of document produced. Would YOU hire the person represented? Does the resume speak the language of your profession?

Do you see evidence that the writing service is experienced in your field—and at your level?

For example, the strategy used for most CIO candidates will differ substantially from that of an engineer. Therefore, it’s critical to find resume samples that back up the writer’s claim of specialized expertise.

Even more importantly, is the job hunter’s personal brand evident from quickly skimming the resume? If you have difficulty discerning the candidate’s job goal, this can be a red flag that it's time to move on to another resume writing service.

Does each resume sample employ a different look and feel, based upon the type of credentials presented?

Be wary of services that display resume samples in seemingly identical formats. This can be a sign that the company does not undertake a strategic brand analysis of your career, but simply uses a template to reword information and churn out each document.

Of course, the visual example that you gain by surfing these websites can give you a solid idea of what to expect when going through the professional resume writing process—long before you make the investment in such a service.

Overall, you might find that writing your own resume is a little less daunting if you can tap into great examples of resumes that have worked for other candidates.

In addition, the examples offered by professionals will give you a strong idea of what to expect, should you decide to turn to a resume writing service for expert help in your search.

Think you're ready for a 2010 job search--but you're still using techniques from 2000?

2010-01-01T13:56:00.004-07:00

Think you're ready for a New Year's job search? It's entirely possible that your methods aren't keeping pace with the times.

Despite an abundance of great job-hunting advice, many candidates cling to outdated job search and resume writing practices that negatively impact their success.

If you’ve continued to send resumes to “Dear Sir or Madam” while merely updating your tired resume from the year 2000, you'll find that these methods have quickly become obsolete.

See if any of these common job hunting problems apply to you, and then implement corrections that can improve your success in 2010 and beyond:

1 – Failing to assess your competition.

This is by far the biggest mistake most candidates make when they set out to launch a job search in today’s aggressive market.

The reason? It takes more than mere skill to distinguish your unique qualifications at this point, even if generalizing your credentials worked in past decades.

As an example, you may have created marketing campaigns and worked with ad agencies in a sales role, but there’s plenty of marketing managers who’ve already been there, done that—and they represent your competition.

With your resume stacked against this type of candidate, your application won’t stand a chance.

Employers don’t have the time they once did during the days of intense hiring to review resumes and look for a good fit.

If you possess a diverse set of competencies, you’ll need to do some legwork in your chosen profession, establishing contacts and connections that can tell you where your career has gaps. You may also find that additional education or work experience is needed to enter the new field.

In addition, you’ll also need to prepare a compelling resume that clearly draws the connection between a subset of your skills to a specific job type, and gives companies a reason to interview you.

2 – Staying clueless about your online identity.

Like it or not, the social media and online relationship-building components of a successful job search aren’t going away.

While candidates in the early 2000’s had little concern about being Googled, a digital presence will be one of the most critical tools in the job hunt of 2010.

In addition, even though some professionals are savvy enough to build keyword-specific LinkedIn profiles, many job hunters continue to refuse social media connection invitations, failing to realize that recruiters make good use of these resources to find new candidates.

In fact, a recent study found that up to 80% of recruiters routinely use Internet searches to dig up more information on a candidate—and nearly half of these will reject job hunters with no digital presence.

With the intensity of job-hunting competition expected in 2010, you’ll need a strong social media profile that can reinforce your brand and qualifications.

Tony Deblauwe, a human resources expert and the founder of HR4Change, notes that recruiters often look at statistics behind the LinkedIn profile itself, noting the number of connections, recommendations, and group memberships for each candidate.

“The more information a person puts in the professional profile, the better,” he says, noting that recruiters prefer job seekers who provide a detailed summary and career history that saves them time in the selection process.

So, if you’ve held off on creating a full-blown social media presence, the time has come to alter your practices and jump into the game.

If you’re not sure how to proceed, start by creating a profile and gathering connections, then use an Internet search to uncover branded LinkedIn profile writing services.

3 – Ignoring resume trends.

If you can’t move past the thought of listing all duties at each job with no other details on a resume, you’ll find the job market of 2010 to be quite unforgiving.

The achievements-based resume is a trend that has become firmly established, according to hiring managers.

Kevin Murray, Senior Manager of Recruiting at Vistaprint, notes that the company receives hundreds of resumes daily, and that it’s critical for candidates to “document the impact of their work and quantify their accomplishments,” especially at this point in the job market.

“If a company is going to hire you,” he says, “They want to know that you are going to positively impact their business. This can really help distinguish you from other candidates that may just simply list out their previous responsibilities on a resume.”

For executives and senior-level professionals, the next generation of resume writing has involved personal branding. A key weapon in the job hunt, a branded resume includes not only achievements, but reflects your overall value proposition as well.

To create a branded presentation, you’ll need to assess your professional style and reputation, digging deep to analyze the impact of your work—and then capture the pattern that emerges.

Of course, you’ll also want to avoid the tremendously outdated practice of putting an objective statement on your resume. Instead, a short summary should be used to encapsulate your brand value and save valuable reading time on the part of recruiters.

4 – Neglecting to find contacts in your chosen field.

In previous years, applying to a new job was simple. You hopped onto Monster.com, submitted your resume to an open job posting, and received a call back.

However, getting employers’ attention in 2010 will require more effort than simply sending your resume online. With an avalanche of applicants for too few jobs, you’ll need to follow up on any resumes sent, with some detective work required in order to get in front of the right person.

This is where using LinkedIn, as well as business information search engines Zoominfo, Spoke, and Jigsaw will come in handy. You can quickly find company insiders and send your resume to a real person, rather than sending it down the black hole that consumes so many job applications.

In addition, it’s important to network effectively so that you aren’t answering job ads in the first place.

As companies have changed their practices to hire from within networks (before even posting positions online!), it's important to change the way that you approach them, with guerrilla search tactics that tap into more “hidden” opportunities.

In summary, 2010 may prove to be a improvement over the challenges of 2009, especially when it comes to finding a great new position.

However, to make an impression in the new decade, you'll have to employ stronger job search tactics and a branded, sharpened resume presentation.

7 resume writing errors that make you look like an amateur

2009-12-24T17:50:00.013-07:00

Want to write a resume that really cuts to the heart of your value and stands out for its professionalism?

It's going to be difficult if the writing style you use undermines your credibility--before an employer even reads your resume summary!

No matter how strong your credentials (and despite the fact that most resumes are written in sentence fragments that aren't grammatically correct by themselves) you'll still need to follow basic rules in order to convey your brand value.

Start by examining your resume for these errors (yes, even if it was written by a professional!) in order to ensure that your message comes through clearly and succinctly.

1 - Use of superlatives to describe yourself.

This is a huge problem for too many resume writers, both do-it-yourself and professional.

If you (not your skills) are described as brilliant, superior, or extraordinary, what's an employer to think? That you ran out of other descriptors for your superhuman qualities?

For what it's worth, I've seen several professionally written resumes that described the candidates in just such terms--seemingly grasping for words to convey that this job hunter must be somehow far above mere mortals.

Here's a tip: If you don't use a particular adjective when describing yourself in common speech, then don't add it to your resume.

2 - The essay approach.

Yes, it's truly difficult to describe your fitness for that great job in just a sentence or two.

However, resume summaries that go on for longer than a few lines are bound to lose (or bore!) your audience.

Here's an actual example from a professionally written resume (I kid you not!):

Accomplished business innovator who utilizes the dynamic combination of a BS in Business Administration, three certifications in Process Reengineering and 16 years experience developing world-class systems to support revenue growth, improve efficiency, elevate customer satisfaction and increase profitability for a Fortune 500 corporate icon. Seasoned process reengineering expert who earned a Certificate of Mastery in Process Reengineering, a Certificate of Process Expertise and a Certificate of Process Mastery studying directly under tutelage of the late Dr. Michael Hammer, the recognized founder of Process Engineering. Skillfully employs change management and organizational design skills to reengineer global organizations to achieve increased efficiency and productivity and reduce operating expenses to improve the profits.

Mind you, rewriting this saga to just 3 lines (with an accompanying, hard-hitting Career Results list of achievements) quickly secured a string of interviews for this candidate.

Instead of using the essay approach to resume writing (trying to hit the message somewhere), I recommend tightening the summary until it fits into 4-5 lines, or eliminating it altogether in favor of list of power-packed, bullet-point phrases that show the impact of your performance.

3 - Inability to use hyphens or separate words from each other.

One of the most glaring punctuation errors is the misuse or omission of hyphens, with variants that include creating a composite "word" that doesn't exist.

If you do use a hyphen, ensure that it's supposed to be there. On the other hand, if a phrase looks "off," a hyphen may be missing.

Errors that I've seen all too often include words glued together (brought onboard instead of brought on board), missing hyphens (low performing instead of low-performing), or the use of extra hyphens to create a descriptor that makes no sense (team-leader vs. team leader).

Of course, these errors are often found in professionally written resumes, too.

If you aren't well-versed in grammatical rules surrounding hyphens, check out a reliable website such as http://www.grammarmudge.cityslide.com/articles/article/426348/2805.htm for guidance.

4 - Extra commas.

When I saw proven success cooperating with, and leading diverse groups of professionals in another resume, I shuddered.

News flash! A comma is intended to separate dependent clauses, not just thoughts that seem to need a pause here and there.

However, commas do seem to be a gray area for many writers. A great resource for reviewing your comma usage is http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/commas.htm.

5 - Excess use of "and."

If your resume is littered with sentences that contain 3 or more instances of the word and, then you know that trouble is afoot.

It's hard enough to condense your full career history without writing too-long (or run-on) sentences that confuse your reader.

One of the best solutions to this problem is to insert slashes between related items, which can increase clarity while cutting down sentence length.

If slashes seem like an odd writing convention, remember that resume sentence fragments aren't technically sentences. Therefore, you can use symbols and punctuation that you wouldn't normally put in conventional writing.

Therefore, you can convert:
Partnered with senior management and business owners to plan and direct corporate revenue initiatives incorporated into FY 2008 budgets and reflecting $3M in cost reductions.

to the following:
Partnered with senior management/business owners to create corporate revenue initiatives incorporated into FY 2008 budgets, with $3M in cost reductions.

or to my preferred version, which cuts to the chase even faster:
Cut costs $3M, leading corporate revenue initiatives for FY 2008 budgets in partnership with senior management/business owners.

Notice the sentence getting smaller every time? That's one of the keys to tight, compelling resume writing--which uses less space while preserving the message.

6 - Lack of parallel sentence structure.

Yes, this was a hassle to remember back in grade school, and it's a hassle now. However, if you decide to play by your own grammatical rules, employers will have a hard time reading your resume.

It's absolutely critical to ensure that the object of your sentences (that is, the person) is related to the actions described in them.

As an example of a problem sentence, review this entry (sent to me by a client who had developed her own bio):

Her written and oral skills have served her well in one-on-one situations from high-ranking members of Congress to staffers of committees as well as speaking before large audiences.

Ouch! A few missing commas plus a lack of parallelism makes situations appear related to high-ranking members.

Of course, you CAN follow the ideas... but it's painful.

For a resume (as well as a bio), parallel sentence structure is key. Here's a great resource on the topic to help you through any hurdles: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/623/01/.

7 - Incorrect use of "over" when referring to figures.

I'm sorry to tell you this, but you don't have over 20 years of experience; you have more than 20 years of experience instead.

Over is a direction, as in hanging a picture over the couch. More than or less than describe volume.

While I'm addressing this issue, it's a good time to remember that longevity equals just that, and no more.

Calling attention to your tenure in in this manner can subject you to age discrimination, or imply that you simply "lasted" this long in your job (not exactly a brand-building moment).

There you have it: resume writing problems severe enough to obscure your value proposition and threaten your job search.

All in all, I recommend that you spend some time combing through your resume for these errors so that your message can be conveyed more quickly and clearly.

What's supposed to appear at the top of your resume?

2009-12-19T14:03:00.004-07:00

Job hunters are often told that hiring authorities will give their resumes a quick, 10-15 second glance before moving onto the next candidate. However, during my recent survey of recruiters for an Examiner.com article, I found out that it's more like 3-5 seconds.
While your initial reaction to this news might be panic, stop for a second and think about it – how are you obscuring your message with all the noise at the top of your resume? Are you making it hard for employers to figure out what you can do for them—and why they should tune in to your value?

First of all, you’ll need to delete that objective statement; otherwise, your chances of being noticed by a recruiter are slim to none. Instead, cut through the clutter and grab attention during that brief glance with just 3 elements: a powerful resume title, focused brand tagline, and perhaps a summary, as described here:

-Resume Title. Place yourself squarely in the role that you seek with this brief phrase (up to 4 words maximum, otherwise your goal isn’t focused enough).

The recruiter should be able to easily discern your intent by seeing Senior Sales Representative, COO, Marketing Director, Senior Purchasing Agent, Web Developer, etc. in this area.

-Brand Tagline. A 1- to 2- line sentence that points out the benefit employers receive from hiring you vs. your competition, this must be a high-impact, not canned, phrase.

While writing this isn’t easy, some phrases that can help are consistent revenue generation, high-ROI product development, operations efficiency, and the like. Brainstorm until you get a short, tightly worded phrase or sentence that encapsulates your value.

If all else fails, take a cue from online resume samples to find some ideas for inspiration.

-Summary. While a hotly debated area among resume experts, you’ll find that no one has time to read a long-winded block paragraph, no matter how carefully you word it.

Stick to a short, value-packed summary of 4 lines or less (some of the worst summaries are those that go on for more than 6 lines, describing how “successful” or “self-motivated” the candidate has been in previous jobs). Avoid doing this: you’re burying the key points of your message!

However, you can and should include keyword content as appropriate, including skills or areas of strength, as well as a key accomplishment that defines your contributions.

If you find writing a tight profile to be difficult, consider skipping it entirely. Many of my resumes avoid using a summary in favor of achievements and quick snippets of brand value.

In summary, you’ll get better results by creating a compelling, quick “prime resume real estate” summation that conveys what you’re about and why employers should pay attention.

Why recruiters are rejecting your resume (part 1 of a series)

2009-12-14T21:15:00.001-07:00

Wondering why recruiters don’t call you back, and how you’re ever going to get hired in this recession?

As it turns out, hiring authorities continually see problems with the resumes that come their way, with what one noted was “more pet peeves on this issue than Elin Woods’ attorney on the new pre-nuptial agreement.”

However, most recruiters are more than happy to share their advice for getting your resume into the “yes” pile, with recommendations for fonts, sentence bullets, length, file formats, and more.

This week, I talked with Raj Khera, CEO of email marketing firm MailerMailer, professional headhunter and Guerrilla Marking for Job Hunters 2.0 co-author David Perry, recruiter Angee Linsey of Linsey Careers Recruitment and Consulting, HR Director Greg Szymanski, recruiter Mitch Beck of Crossroads Consulting, Absolutely Abby careers expert and Lead Staffing Consultant Abby Kohut, and recruiter Mel Adkinson of RF Technologies, Inc. to gain insight on recruiter resume turnoffs—starting with length.

Surprisingly enough, even with all the advice piled on job hunters about keeping a resume to 2 pages, many professionals seem to have missed the memo. Recruiters say that they’re still being barraged with 4- and 5-page novels instead of the concise presentations they need.

Khera, who recruits software engineering, graphic design, marketing, PR, and customer support professionals, notes that receiving an “essay” is the biggest problem. “Don’t tell your life story and take 5 pages to do it. These go directly into the trash.” Perry adds that anything over 3 pages is considered a “resume brick” and a quick turn-off.

Linsey agrees, saying that 4- and 5-page resumes provide “too much information” for the average job hunter, making it hard for recruiters to digest the data. She encourages job hunters to boil down their message to 2 pages, adding that a third-page addendum of publications or technical skills is ideal for job hunters in IT or education.

Recruiter Mitch Beck reinforces the idea that most resumes are too long, saying with 7 to 10 seconds for a quick glance, he may need to move on rather than try to decipher the candidate’s value proposition.

Recruiters are equally vocal about professionals trying to fit too much information into a tight space in an effort to adhere to the (outdated) admonition about single-page resumes.

Adkinson says that using 8-point font to cram all of your data into “just 1 page” isn’t helpful to a recruiter, pointing out 2-page resumes are perfectly acceptable for those with sufficient experience to warrant it. Most hiring authorities, he noted, prefer a clean, readable font of at least 11 points.

It’s important to leave sufficient white space on a resume, according to Kohut—and this often means expanding it to a second page. If your resume is hard to read, she notes, it’s more likely to be passed over by a recruiter who can’t gauge your fitness for their open positions. She publishes resume tips each Tuesday in a series called Rockin' Resumes.

Szymanski, who recruits for the real estate development industry, agrees that readability is the key to being selected for an interview. Job hunters who display the “failure to write succinctly” make it harder for their resume to be easily scanned—or for them to be recommended for the next step in the hiring process.

When it comes to brevity, Beck is emphatic. “Your resume should never be more than 2 pages, even if you’re George Bush,” he says. “Nobody has time to read that much information.”

9 signs that your resume won't make the cut

2009-11-24T17:44:00.006-07:00

In deep denial about your resume? Sure, a single-page rehash of your work life used to be the standard, but not there's a never-ending multitude of resume “sins” that can prevent you from landing interviews.

Take a careful look at these likely scenarios--and the fixes behind them:

1) You’re unsure as to what a resume should look like, but it turns out that Microsoft Word has a great built-in template.

2) You’ve added an objective statement because that’s the way it’s always been done. Besides, how will employers know what you want if you don’t specify it?

3) You’re worried that employers won’t see everything you’ve done and therefore you’ve had to write a lot of pages to explain it all. How else would they see all of your jobs?

4) You’ve crammed your resume into a single page because you’ve always understood this as a requirement. The font can always be adjusted, anyway.

5) You’re having trouble recalling all the revenue numbers, budget figures, and other facts of your career, but you’ve spent a lot of time describing your duties.

6) You’ve added block-paragraph descriptions of each major achievement or job, rather than breaking up your text with well-placed bullets.

7) Your last job isn’t that relevant to your career, so you’ve decided to use a functional resume.

8) You’re proud of your long tenure in the industry and want everyone to know that you have “over 25 years of experience.”

9) You’re unsure of what your actual goal really is, so you’ve added a strong description of each skill to the resume so that employers can see all of your expertise in one shot.

Remember... even if it’s been light years since writing your last resume, you CAN add quick fixes that will help win the interviews you deserve.

Could your executive resume actually be too SHORT?

2009-11-03T17:02:00.006-07:00

Most job hunters remember the days of single-page resumes, when hiring professionals warned them that any document daring to breach this "rule" would be quickly eliminated from consideration.

Fast forward to the rapid-fire job market of today, and you'll find that things have changed considerably.

Not only have many executives jumped ship amid volatile corporate changes, but numerous mergers, downsizing efforts, and layoffs have cluttered the employment landscape.

The result? Job hunters have more information than ever before to incorporate into an executive resume.

However, it seems that plenty of executives still sell themselves--and their resumes--short.

Consider the case of Richard* (fictitious name), an executive with a long tenure in the financial services industry.

He wanted to go after sales positions both inside and outside his industry, and possessed a solid history of wealth management experience, sales awards, and business-to-business relationship-building skills.

Yet, for all his experience, Richard was still cramming more than 20 years of sales proficiency and executive history into a single page. His resume didn't even do him the honor of providing metrics on his revenue performance, nor did it spell out how his career progression was tied to his ultimate goal, which was Vice President of Sales.

Naturally, we worked together to extract some impressive numbers (4 years in President's Club, leadership for a 10-person team, multimillion-dollar revenue growth, etc.). In the process, we discovered that his core strength (building strategic alliances) actually accounted for up to a THIRD of his department's revenue, making this skill a central theme.

Incorporating and assembling these facts made it easy for his resume to stretch out and breathe--giving space to shout his value proposition and clearly tell a story of success. In the end, his resume pushed past the single-page mark, making it much easier for the reader to digest.

If this situation sounds familiar, it's time to break out of your comfort zone and advance your resume into the 2-page arena. Keep in mind that a clean, easy-to-read design surrounded by plenty of white space can showcase your achievements, and that employers appreciate being able to quickly scan a resume for relevant information.

Here are 3 tips to jumpstart your resume-building process--and incorporate your strongest points into a powerful document worthy of your stature:

1 - Start by asking colleagues to comment on your value proposition.

You'll find that, as your career has progressed throughout different positions and companies, your brand value has remained intact. Often, you'll see major themes emerge when looking at your work history from an aerial viewpoint.

For example, natural leaders usually find that they are drawn to work environments where the team needs a strong focal point. Problem-solvers inevitably end up at companies where there are operational or process improvement issues to overcome.

Whatever your unique strengths, showcasing them on your resume--even if you typically would wait until the interview to discuss these qualities--allows employers to see how your work will have an impact on their success.

Not sure how to approach colleagues? Consider what alliance partners, vendors, or suppliers have noted about your performance.

Of course, you'll want to ensure that these qualities and capabilities take center stage on your executive resume.

2 - Write dollar-driven specifics that back up your value proposition.

Figures are the best way to demonstrate proof of your capabilities, as they provide eye-catching points that hit home for hiring managers.

Budget amounts, sales revenue, cost savings, productivity gains, and other metrics are all useful information for an executive resume.

What if your previous employer won't allow you to disclose these amounts? Consider using percentages to indicate improvements in revenue, market share, or profits that drive home the same point on your brand.

3 - Add judicious use of white space and text effects.

An understated, yet powerful presentation is a hallmark of the most effective executive resumes.

While many people opt to use a built-in Word template, doing so can reflect poorly on your leadership strengths. Formatting and visual design are key elements of an effective resume, and can require some creative thinking on your part.

Executive resume samples are readily available on the Internet, and while copying text is not recommended, looking closely at different formats will give you an idea of the best presentation for your materials.

For a clear brand message, add white space around the title of your resume, plus the section headings and individual jobs. Be sure to use boldface text to set off areas of particular emphasis.

In summary, you'll find that expanding your executive resume to 2 or even 3 pages can inspire hiring authorities to take a second look.

These steps will help you to easily expand your resume with relevant information--leaving you with a strong brand message in a just-right amount of space.

Stop Saving It All For The Interview!

2009-10-06T11:47:00.002-06:00

Recently, I had a delightful conversation with Jennie Dorris of 5280 Magazine in Denver on the subject of (what else?) effective resumes that catch the eye of employers... and it may have been just as eye-opening for me as it was for her.

What I've found among many job hunters is this: their confidence extends mainly to the interview--meaning that they're convinced they can land the job if only their resume will make it past the gatekeeper first.

However, if you REALLY want to land interviews, you'll need to turn this idea upside down! Get that value proposition that you carry about in your head, plus your vision of that perfect interview, down on paper INSTEAD.

Why? Well, for starters, the resume presentation you have in mind (the one that holds back the good stuff) won't sway anyone enough to call you.

While you may have been led to believe that you should save your strengths for the interview, you're actually better off presenting your value proposition as fast as you can so that no one misses it.

I've always told my clients the same thing - what I'm really intent on capturing is that interview story that you're saving up, because it will make or break the reception you gain from your resume.

So, remember to take a step back, analyze what you want the employer to really know about you, and get THAT story on your resume (instead of the dry, responsibility-focused one you have now).

Give employers what they WANT on an executive resume

2009-09-01T09:52:00.003-06:00

I've seen it yet again - a functional resume that goes to great lengths to "hide" work chronology and the current job title of the executive using it.

Of course, it's not producing any interviews, and the job hunter is desperately seeking a critique to find out where the resume has gone wrong.

Employers in today's market are savvy, seasoned, and perhaps even a bit weary. They've probably seen it all by now, including executive resumes that don't give up credible, easy-to-find information in a way that makes sense.

So, give them what they crave!

Your resume will make an ethical, professional case for you, but only if you "come clean." By this, I mean showing your full work history with dates and descriptions of what you did.

Now, if you have past (relevant!) experience that qualifies you for a new job, but you don't want the employer to miss it, add a Career Highlights section on the first page that shows this information.

However, don't peel your work chronology off in order to do this! The mistake I see many executives make is that they believe these are opposing pieces of information, instead of resume sections that complement each other.

Work history is of absolute importance to the reader of your resume. The harder you may try to "cover" something, the more an employer will react (in a negative way, that is).

If you can't figure out how to pull relevant information onto the first page of an executive resume, see samples of my work for real-life case studies.

Secrets of an Executive Resume Writer: Where to Put Key Information

2009-08-24T16:53:00.002-06:00

Like hiring managers and recruiters, I read plenty of resumes sent to me by job hunters hopeful for a shot at a great new role. And like hiring authorities, I struggle to find the most pertinent information about each candidate as I scan through the documents.

Many professionals still adhere to resume formats that kill their chances of winning an interview, burying their most attractive credentials and making it harder for employers to see salient points.

However, it's not your fault! Setting out to write your own resume is a daunting task that throws even the most skilled writer for a loop.

Marketing managers, HR directors, and even journalists can struggle to write a successful, interview-winning resume, as they often miss key points about their own career histories and are unsure how to quickly make that critical first impression.

What truly masterful executive and professional resume writers know is that the ORDER in which your resume displays your skills can make or break the reception you get.

Here's an example: I recently received a resume from a seasoned operations executive that listed his education first, then his work history. No professional summary, just a quick list of who he'd worked for and a few numbers.

Halfway into reading it, I spotted some organizational projects that he'd led that had trimmed expenses by 30%, allowing the company to open a new facility with no extra staff! Why wasn't THIS information front and center?

In another case, I worked with an executive that had graduated from Notre Dame, plus earned an MBA from a prestigious university.

Even though his recent experience as a CFO was much more prominent than the education, these university names could be a key qualifier that resonated with employers.

Therefore, I brought this information to the forefront by noting it in the executive profile of his new resume--eliminating eyestrain for hiring managers who might be on the lookout for these notable qualifications.

My advice for you? Take a STRATEGIC look at what you offer, noting the top 3-5 qualifications, credentials, and achievements that will make you stand out among others vying for the same job.

Next, redistribute this information on your resume so that it gives an immediate impression of who you are, what you do, and why employers need YOU to solve business problems.

You'll find that, the less your reader needs to hunt for key data, the higher volume of interviews--and successful job offers--will come your way.

Job search strategy: How carving your own path leads to success

2009-08-21T13:08:00.005-06:00

If you've read my book, How to Get Hired Faster, you know that I'm a strong advocate of finding your niche and "selling it" to prospective employers.

Now, this New York Times article features a Denver executive job hunter who did just that: he found, as many do, that job boards don't produce fast results and that he needed to widen his network.

He notes that, along the way, he became more involved in maintaining business connections. At the urging of a key contact, he initiated a dialogue with hiring authorities about an open position, even though it seemed beneath his level.

This is a key strategy that I advocate to anyone in the job market ! You'll never know if a company realizes that YOU are the solution to their business needs until you make an attempt to COMMUNICATE this message.

In the end, he was hired at a Denver-area company as a result of his conversations and connections with the CEO--after convincing the firm that his expertise could produce the business results that they sought.

What a great success story! Of course, this is proof that you can influence employers to take note of your unique skills--without chasing down job leads or relentlessly pushing the Send button to distribute your resume.

Get rid of that functional resume format - please!

2009-08-08T19:27:00.005-06:00

I'm starting to see the resurgence of functional resumes - and this is a critical concern of mine, since they rarely, if EVER, work for job hunters.

Backtracking for a moment, the functional resume slaps all your skills and achievements onto the front page, with little mention of which employer is related to each accomplishment.

Then, in the ensuing sections, the work history is listed like this:

Operations Manager, Company A, Denver, CO, 2005-Present
Operations Supervisor, Company B, Chicago, IL, 2000-2005
Process Improvement Analyst, Company C, Littleton, CO, 1992-2000

...and so on, with NO detail under each job.

As I've mentioned here before, hiring managers have rightfully developed a strong distaste for these documents. After all, they seem to be "hiding" something with the lack of descriptions for each job, plus the detail all lumped together.

If you're trying to minimize job hopping or unrelated work experience, STOP. Take the time to analyze how you can connect your career path to the job you seek.

After all, every role you've held (yes, even the not-so-great ones) has prepared you for your current set of qualifications. Surely you can find a way to describe your job chronology in a way that makes sense.

Plus, you'll need to prepare this information for the interview anyway.

Create your resume in the classic, reverse chronological format, and pull out some selected achievements to display in the top of your document--that is, if you want RESULTS.

If you're stuck on how to fill in a career gap, search this blog or google for my articles on that subject. It's a lot easier than you think!

Believe it or not, font matters

2009-07-24T16:28:00.003-06:00

If you're ready to truly think of your resume as a marketing piece, then this won't come as a total shock: font choice is key.

Unfortunately, most people are so focused on writing the content of their resumes that they don't give a second thought to font, and yet it can make a critical difference in the look and tone of your materials--giving the hiring audience an immediate impression of who you are, what you offer, and at what level you operate.

This is why I recommend looking at your industry—and your desired reader—before picking a resume font or defaulting to Times New Roman.

For example, conservative fields dictate the use of a closed, trim font. Fast-paced, technology-focused careers need a streamlined, sans serif font. Creative fields beg for the use of a fancy, innovative font (at least for your headings).

There are 2 major caveats to font selection: 1) your selection must common enough to be readable on every computer screen and in every word processing program; and 2) font size/spacing will differ greatly—meaning that you’ll have to make point size adjustments if you change your mind.

Here are my overall recommendations by industry:

Accounting: Arial 10
Operations: Book Antiqua 10 or 10.5
IT: Arial 10 or Tahoma 10
Sales (VP or above): Garamond 11.5
Technical Sales: Tahoma 10 with Arial Narrow 11 Headings
CIOs or CTOs: Arial or Book Antiqua 10
CFO: Arial Narrow 11.5 and Arial 10

If you ask professional resume writers about their choices in fonts, you’ll hear many variations.

Keep in mind that these fonts are READABLE in nearly every application, and therefore may be a bit “boring” to those who are very familiar with font choices.

I personally find Palatino to be too gray-looking, Georgia too heavy for all-over use (although great for headings), Century Gothic too wide, Calibri fantastic (but not convertible in many applications), and Franklin Gothic Book too narrow for readability.

Don’t be afraid to switch out heading fonts; Garamond has limited readability in italic format, but italicized Book Antiqua closely resembles it and offers much more style.

So take a look at your resume with fresh eyes, click on Select All, and try out a font change (or 2). You might be surprised at the effect--and the results.

Why you should stop adding ALL of your work history to your resume

2009-07-08T00:32:00.001-06:00

One of the most puzzling concepts to some candidates is that of the resume as a marketing document INSTEAD of a job application.

This may come as a surprise, but employers don't want to read through all of your work history!

The past decade is of most interest to them, as well as any and all relevant qualifications that prepare you to be their best candidate.

To get at the heart of this idea, start thinking of the story of your career in marketing terms, rather than as a detailed litany of jobs and tasks.

By definition, marketing communications give the audience reasons to engage and be interested in the subject matter, and your resume deserves no less attention.

If you've kept adding to your resume throughout the years, and now struggle to fit it onto anything beyond 2-3 pages, this is a sign that something has to give--and it should start with the oldest and least relevant information.

Since relevance can be hard to assess, here are some points to help you analyze what data SHOULD stay on your resume:

What is the most important job that qualifies you for the position you want?
Which projects demonstrated the type of work that is needed for your next role?
What skills did you use that are necessary in the job you seek?
Which of your employers is most prominent? Are any household names?
Which of your job titles is most directly related to your current career goal?

Conversely, you can eliminate or minimize work experience based on the following criteria:

Does the job predate your relevant experience of the last decade or so?
Has the technology used in this job changed substantially?
Would using the position title "date" your experience in any way?
Are the tasks completed for this job far beneath your skills?

While it's difficult to pinpoint an exact date cutoff, most employers are interested in seeing experience dating back around 15 years.

After that, it's a simple matter of summarizing up the positions held by listing just job titles and company names.

Remember--a resume is designed to market your career experience, NOT dump all of your information out for employers to filter!

The more ways you can link your talents to the job, the easier it is for hiring managers to see why they need you on staff.

Making the leap from business owner to executive? Construct your resume carefully

2009-06-20T19:18:00.004-06:00

If you've heard the siren call of business ownership, only to find that the economy has affected your clients or business, you might be facing an executive job search that comes with an extra hurdle--that of transitioning your executive resume from an entrepreneurial mindset.

What's the best way to show employers that you're serious about this move--and that you truly deserve that top executive spot?

Like any complex change, you'll find that the outcome of your entrepreneur-to-executive job search will depend upon the strategy that you've put in place--as well as the way you present your leadership experience on your resume.

The challenge is to look at the skills that you've used as a business owner, and then translate these qualifications in a way that resonates with employers' needs.

Here are some key points to follow for your transition:

1 - Develop tunnel vision--to a point.

Most business owners have trouble quantifying exactly what it is that they do well, especially since they wear many hats to run their operations.

Here's a case where it's important to focus intently on what qualifies you for a single role, while using the rest of your competencies as backup. You can always create another version of your executive resume if you decide to focus on a different leadership goal.

For example, if you've developed a history of marketing success and plan to pursue a job as Marketing Director, you'll need to pull out quantifiable data from your career that focuses on campaign development, promotions, and the like.

Then, using the following suggestions as a guide, maintain the emphasis on this same set of skills within your resume.

2 - Give your resume a meaningful title.

If your goal is a position as Executive Director of Sales, for example, the best resume strategy is to spell out your goal, using a resume title or heading that appears at the beginning of the document.

In this case, you could add titles such as Sales Executive, Sales Director, or even Sales Leader (which allows more latitude) to the resume. By adding this heading, you are demonstrating a clear focus on a single job goal, which is essential for hiring authorities to see on your executive resume.

Don't skip out on this step and expect employers to figure it out for you!

3 - Keep the connection alive.

Continue to add relevant information to your resume in a way that shows you know what you're doing.

Using the previous example, you could provide a section on the first page of your executive resume entitled "Sales Leadership Highlights" that contains a sampling of the results you've achieved in your business.

In this section, I recommend adding quantifiable accomplishments that demonstrate your fitness as a sales leader, including any sales management duties that you assumed, in addition to sales force training or other related data.

These achievements don't have to be internally focused! You may have developed sales teams for your clients, and can point to this expertise as proof of your proficiency.

4 - Look at your role with fresh eyes.

While many business owners are proud to take the title of Founder and President, these terms can cast your experience in a different light and make it difficult for employers to see the relationship to their needs.

If your goal is a position as Chief Operating Officer, for example, the best way to do this is to show that your position as company principal was a combination of operations leader and business owner.

I recommend carefully examining your role to determine if you can add a descriptive title to the resume for your entrepreneurial "job" that closely resembles the role you seek.

Be careful to add, NOT replace your original title! In these examples, your business ownership role would appear as Principal and Marketing Manager, or President / COO.

If you decide to use this strategy, just be sure that you can back up your title with concrete examples of your contributions.

5 - Don't forget the keywords.

You'll need to mine your career for expertise that demonstrates the kind of fit needed for the job you want.

Examine job descriptions for your desired executive role, taking note of the commonalities between different job postings for the skills (which are keywords) that are required for at least several different executive jobs.

Next, insert these skills into a table or list in your executive resume to reinforce the point that you possess adequate qualifications for the role you seek.

In summary, these steps are the crucial ones to make on paper before you can make your case in person.

Use these resume strategies to paint a clear picture of yourself as an executive and potential employee--giving employers a true picture of your value proposition and fit for their company.

The Top 8 Career Sites that You Didn't Know About

2009-05-14T21:28:00.006-06:00

It always surprises me that job seekers aren't on the receiving end of some of the best advice for their career search--especially when it's FREE and updated continually by respected career experts.

To accelerate your search and maximize the ROI of your efforts, tap into the best of the best! I highly recommend becoming familiar with these 8 resources NOW if you haven't done so already:

http://www.job-hunt.org/. Job-Hunt.org is my most often-recommended site. Why? Because not only does it cover EVERY subject you (and I) have ever thought of on career transition, it sources information from true experts in the field. Read it here first--and believe what they say.

http://www.secretsofthejobhunt.org/. Chris Russell has done an outstanding job of ensuring that professionals can tap into the thoughts, advice, and how-to instructions from a wealth of career experts. I'm NOT just recommending this site because of my affiliation, either. Check it out and you'll see why.

http://www.fttresearch.com/. Barbara Safani has tapped into a key method for finding your next role; namely, that of directly contacting those who stand the best chance of appreciating your skills. Talking directly to hiring managers is the optimum search method! Don't worry about finding these companies - that's what FTT Research does for you. Hone in on your parameters, including geography, title, type of company, financial status, etc. first to get your results, then prepare to get a jump on your competition.

http://www.careerrocketeer.com/. Although new to the blogosphere, the MBA Highway LinkedIn group has founded an immensely useful portal for career advice. Topics include everything from being outplaced, search techniques, and establishing a true career marketing campaign.

http://www.zoominfo.com/. I'll just bet that YOU are on this business information search engine. With 37+ million profiles of companies and employees, you're bound to find a) yourself; b) hiring managers in your target companies; c) former employees of your target companies (my personal favorite for getting the inside scoop); d) all of the above. Please refer to answer "d".

http://www.simplyhired.com/. Don't just hunt down your next job on the "big" boards--choose an aggregator like this one or http://www.indeed.com/. When they say "one search, all jobs" on indeed, they MEAN it. Quit wasting time searching all the boards when you can look at just one.

http://www.linkedin.com/. No list of job resources would be complete without this powerhouse. Quick, name one site where you can present your brand, be directly hired by a recruiter, post to forums that establish your credibility, create new business relationships, apply Search Engine Optimzation techniques to your profile, and keep others updated on your professional status. Move over, Twitter.

http://www.examiner.com/. Yes, I know it's a site for news and entertainment updates, much like a cyber newspaper or blog. (and yes, I am an Examiner) However, if you haven't tapped into the Careers and Workplace section, you're missing much more than just yours truly. Ben Eubanks, Heather Huhman, Liz Ryan, Miriam Salpeter, and lots of others hang out there, too.

No list would be complete without noting http://www.jibberjobber.com/, http://www.execunet.com/, http://www.bluesteps.com/, and others.

What would YOU add to this list? Post your comments below.

Avoiding the "should's" of executive resume writing

2009-05-11T09:38:00.005-06:00

As you might imagine, I see hundreds of executive resumes on a regular basis, sent to me with the same accompanying verbiage:

"I've sent this out many times, and have yet to receive a call - what am I doing wrong?"

"I engaged a professional resume writer to create this for me, but it still doesn't work. I'm not sure what to do."

"After writing this, I'm not sure it represents me, and I'm reluctant to send it out as is-- please help!"

What I find most often by reading through these documents is that the candidate's real value is buried somewhere... usually between the lines of various accomplishments, in too much detail crammed into the resume, or in vague statements that really don't describe the performance.

There are plenty of resume writing books (including one by yours truly) that will lead you, step by step, through the process of what to do/what to avoid.

You can also find tons of executive resume samples that give you a sharper visual of what an effective leadership resume looks like. And last, but certainly not least, you can nail down plenty of advice on resume writing from nearly every corner of the Internet.

Here's what I find in nearly every case--with the understandable intent of doing it the right way, your executive resume is written using an over-abundance of should's:

I "should" use these phrases

The recruiter "should" be able to see what I mean--even if I don't fully describe it

I "should" copy this idea

My friends said I "should" tweak the resume this way

The other resume service said this "should" work

My take? Start over! Take "should" out of your vocabulary, and aim instead at defining your value and brand before writing a single word.

After all, your career can't be summed up with what others say is relevant, but with what YOU'VE achieved that already has relevance.

Resume power tip: sharpen your message to 3 main points

2009-05-02T18:41:00.003-06:00

When it comes to a job hunt, it isn't just the content of your resume that will make a difference--it's the speed at which it can be read and digested that determines which candidate makes the cut.

If you've been struggling to capture ALL of your experience and qualifications on paper, this might just be the problem! Stop trying to load your resume with too many details, and zero in on your main qualifications.

Ask yourself what your top 3 qualifiers are--then write directly to them. What do you REALLY want an employer to know about you?

Take out a piece of paper and jot down your 3 strongest qualifications for the job. For example, this could be a recent degree that is sought-after in your field, your leadership tendencies that achieve on-time project success, or your ability to bring in new business.

Now, write your resume AROUND these points, taking into consideration that the document should give a clear picture of your overall background as well.

Not sure what strengths to highlight? Conduct a little real-world research (my favorite strategy, as it tells you what employers REALLY look for in a candidate).

Spend some time on www.indeed.com for keyword mining - and print out a job description from your search. Next, circle some areas that match your expertise. Focus your thinking around these requirements, and the skills needed to meet them.

The result? A targeted resume that precisely describes your fitness, strengths, and unique qualifications for that particular job type.

3 'tests' that you can use to ensure your resume hits the mark

2009-04-23T20:21:00.002-06:00

In the rush to get your resume in front of employers, stop for a minute (or a few hours) and consider whether you're giving an accurate picture of your capabilities.

All too often, candidates unload a mixed bag of skills, job duties, and meaningless phrases (take "self-motivated team player" - please) on employers, and then wonder why they're still job hunting months later.

It's important to map out a resume strategy BEFORE writing anything! Get a clear picture of your goal, the skills you plan to market, and the audience you're targeting.

Then, run your document past these critical tests to ensure that it produces results:

1 - Are you making employers read a book?

In my recruiting days, we simply tossed resumes that were 4 or 5 pages long--especially when they began with long, self-important paragraphs that took up half of the first page.

What happens for many executives and seasoned professionals is this: they've kept up with their careers by creating a basic resume, then adding to it throughout the years. Pretty soon, it resembles a novel.

If your strategy for updating your resume has always been to add your latest job, and then add the next, and the next... it's time to STOP.

Hiring authorities don't have the time to wade through pages of your career to find out the relevance to their requirements.

Summarize your credentials up front, and then chop-ruthlessly-from the back, until you've narrowed it to 2 or 3 pages at the most.

2 - Are you thinking like a recruiter?

Hold every word up to scrutiny--and I mean EVERY. Does it have relevance to the job you are pursuing? Does it show the level of leadership accomplishment that you want to sell to employers?

You'll know the answers to these questions if you've done your homework. Peruse job ads, not just to apply, but to see if your content matches what employers are seeking.

Think about it: if you're trying to hire an operations manager, do you really want to see a list of college coursework for engineering on a resume? Probably not.

Conversely, that list of process analysis, efficiency improvement, and performance metrics evaluation skills should be front and center - within the top half of the first page, if possible. This is the kind of information that catches the attention of most recruiters.

Employers are interested in your tendencies, work style, and the pattern of achievement you bring to the table. The more you can articulate (yes, on paper!) what those patterns and contributions look like, the more captivated and interested your audience will be.

3 - Are you still using an outdated presentation--from your college days?

Job hunters who want to get hired in the aggressive market of 2009 have learned to skip objective statements, tiny fonts, and outdated, 1-page formats.

They gain key information on what a masterpiece resume looks like by visiting reputable websites that contain cutting-edge, current resume samples.

A Google search for resume examples can turn up a surprising array of styles and provide you with great starting points (NOT phrases to copy) for your own resume.

Presentation, as I have stated before, is a critical piece of marketing yourself. Be aware that the style and tone of a document speak volumes as to the qualifications and business savvy of the candidate it presents.

Therefore, move outside classic fonts like Times New Roman and Arial, and experiment a little. Try out Book Antiqua or Garamond to shake things up a bit and help your qualifications stand out.

Overall, the best way to get attention during your job search is to throw out the colored paper, lengthy tomes about your career, and worn-out phrases.

Instead, focus on what employers need when they hire a new candidate, and how you can market THOSE capabilities using a fresh, direct approach.

Got references? Maybe it's time for some coaching

2009-04-07T19:52:00.003-06:00

Interesting article from CareerJournal on the care and feeding of those who not only endorse you, but can make or break your search -- Bulletproofing Your References.

Cultivating a solid list takes time and effort, along with some coaching and timely updating for EACH job search.

References, after all, might be the last stop on an employer's timetable, but should be one of the FIRST stops on yours.

Freshly laid off from your last executive role? What to do first

2009-04-06T13:46:00.010-06:00

If you're newly searching for your next executive oppportunity, you'll find plenty of advice out there on steps to take that can ensure your success.

However, there's reasons to let the dust settle on your new situation before taking action.

Like any other business challenge, finding a job is a task best mapped out with a strategic, well-founded plan that addresses challenges head-on and ensures success for your search.

First things first... starting with some steps that can save you valuable time and stress:

1 - Rely only on TOP sources of career information.

Instead of taking every piece of job search advice online, go straight to reputable sources that supply you with executive search tips that REALLY work.

Recommended sources that possess a strong reputation in the careers industry include:

http://www.job-hunt.org/- Job Hunt.org is hands-down, THE bible of career search information, and contains numerous articles from resume and job search experts.

http://www.weddles.com/ - Weddles.com is a primary hub for advice to both recruiters and job seekers on best practices, run by industry veteran Petter Weddle.

http://www.rileyguide.com/ - The Riley Guide is a comprehensive source for employment opportunities and job search advice.

2 - Get your resume in top form.

This goes without saying in today's hotly competitive market, but nothing less than a masterpiece executive resume will truly launch your job search.

If it's been more than a couple of years since you've created a resume, you'll be surprised at how much has changed. Where objective statements and Times New Roman font used to be resume standards, adhering to these old "rules" will actually drown out your voice among the crowd of candidates.

In addition, personal branding has taken center stage as a strategy that successfully captures and expresses professional competencies and strengths--saying everything you'd like an employer to know up front.

If you're not sure how to create a compelling resume, get some expert help by tapping into credible sources for an executive resume writer, such as the Professional Association of Resume Writers and Career Coaches, Career Directors International, or the National Resume Writers' Association.

3 - Create a plan of action--one that DOESN'T have you on the computer all day.

It's a fact that plum jobs rarely make it to the Internet, simply because most companies prefer to hire referrals and professionals they know from networking relationships. So how do you become one of "those" people?

First of all, be sure to automate your job search by using a job aggregator website like http://www.indeed.com/, where the data comes from many sources (CareerBuilder, Monster, Dice, and other job boards) for your search. This will free up your search time for more valuable activities.

Next, get out and tap your network--or rebuild one if yours has been eroded over time. Spend time meeting other professionals within industry associations, or create new relationships with insiders using LinkedIn.

Contact recruiters to find out if they're sourcing candidates with your expertise and credentials.

If not, look carefully at whether you can gain additional skills during your job hunt, perhaps by taking a class or enrolling at college to finish that degree. Either way, these steps will add to your marketability.

Remember that a very low percentage (between 4-8%) of job seekers find their next role on the Internet!

In summary, it's up to you to take crucial steps to ensure your success during the job hunt, while tapping into executive search resources that can save you time, effort, and frustration.

Executive Resume Lessons from American Idol

2009-02-28T18:20:00.003-07:00

It's happening again this season: the pool of candidates is being narrowed, and the judges are listening intently to find out what differentiates them from each other.

Of course, I'm referring to American Idol (not your job search!)--but what does this nerve-wracking contest have to do with YOUR resume?

That's an easy answer for anyone who has studied resumes. Like Idol hopefuls that are soundly criticized for not finding their own style, too many executives play it safe with their resumes, ignore the reaction they're producing, and then wonder why they're quickly eliminated from consideration.

Read on for some signs that your resume may have experienced Idol-contestant affliction, and some targeted steps you can take to address it:

Refrain from copying others' style.

It happens all the time - your friend has the same job, and you swipe a few sentences from his resume. While this is technically plagiarism, there's worse news for anyone who does this: your friend's resume ISN'T about you.

Keep in mind that an executive resume is really a marketing document, and YOU are the product.

Just like a singing contestant who tries to copy Whitney Houston (ouch!), finding out what sets YOU apart is a crucial step in the resume process--and one that should be done before you write a single word.

Gauge your audience reaction and learn from it.

The most unsuitable candidates for any kind of job (singing included!) are those who ignore the response they're receiving. Similar to those who fail to see the confused looks on their Idol audience during a performance, taking the same tone and actions with your resume will continue to get the same results.

If you're not getting the response you want in your job search, then it's time to take a different strategy with the style of your resume (again, without copying content). Look at executive resume samples from reputable websites or books to get a feel for the flair you could inject into your document.

Some executives seek out help from colleagues or professionals when they find that their desired audience (the hiring manager, of course) is passing them over for roles that they should have landed.

Solicit constructive criticism to get the best feedback.

Putting yourself out there for judgment is much like the experience of having Simon Cowell's brusque once-over. However, constructive feedback is the best type of information you can get IF you want to improve your situation.

If possible, I recommend showing your resume to others who are familiar with your leadership style and attributes. This may elicit some negative comments, of course, but hopefully your colleagues or friends can shed some light on what you've missed about yourself.

Take this type of advice to heart, and incorporate constructive information about your work contributions and reputation throughout your executive resume. After doing so, you'll find that it represents your value much more clearly.

In summary, put that competitive mindset to work, not only the next time you tune into Idol, but also when you get ready to send your resume to an employer.

You just might spot some areas where you, too, can stand out as a winner among intense competition.

Networking when your network doesn't exist anymore

2009-02-19T23:03:00.004-07:00

For anyone who has cultivated a strong network over time, only to find that their inner circle has imploded over the past few years, welcome to the club.

Rebuilding a network (or trying to discern which parts of it are still viable) have become commonplace among job hunters. This article in Forbes points out that there are different options for creating a network this time around.

As an executive told me recently, "There's simply not enough of my 'old guard' left and I have to be on-target with everyone I meet, online or offline."

The article goes deep into one of my favorite resources, LinkedIn, to find out ways to tap company insiders. Apparently, looking for those who've already HAD your desired job is a resourceful way to identify the movement of professionals between companies.

I'll have to add that to my ever-growing arsenal, How to Get Hired Faster--where the chapters on online networking keep threatening to take over the whole book.

5 Insider Tips You Must Know for Writing Your Executive Resume

2009-02-13T16:08:00.003-07:00

If you're an executive searching for your next opportunity in today's hotly competitive market, you've probably found that the task of marketing yourself is unlike any other.

How DO you sum up a long, storied career in just a few paragraphs? What is the best way to differentiate yourself on paper--and to get others to focus on this value?

Standing out among the pack requires an intense emphasis on your natural leadership abilities, the impact you have on your employer's businesses, the feedback you get from colleagues, and the hard skills that you bring to the table.

This information comprises what is known as a "personal brand," and it has become the cornerstone of a successful executive resume in the employment arena.

Here are 5 insider tips that can help bring out your personal brand--and get your resume to open more doors for you:

1 - Hone Your Message.

Many executive resumes contain too much detail, which is quite understandable given the long tenure that many candidates possess.

However, it's asking a lot of hiring authorities to wade through more than 2 or 3 pages of information.

My recommendation? Sharpen the intensity of your branding message by zeroing in on your top 3-5 main qualifiers, including success stories and keywords that back these up.

In addition, focus on one career goal and skill set at a time. This may mean that you will create one resume targeting a role as COO, and another that describes your skills for a VP of Sales position.

2 - Don't Bury the Lead.

As we used to say in journalism, get your critical information all up front and ready for the reader to absorb.

Just started a high-level MBA program? Get it on the front page. Held roles of increasing scope that lead to your destination as CEO? Make it obvious.

Don't bury this type of key information on page 2 of your resume. The top half of the first page is prime "resume real estate," and your main qualifications deserve center stage here.

In addition, many executives benefit from a branding statement, which is a short sentence that serves as a marketing tagline. You can develop this sentence by jotting down some ideas on what you bring to the table, and how you achieve it.

A great branding tagline will tap into the heart of what you offer, such as these examples culled from the front-page position on executive resumes:

"COO Who Leverages Business Competencies to Create Profitable Ventures with Exceptional ROI"

"Strategic & Operational Leader for Real Estate Investment/Master Planning"

3 - Tell Your Story.

Most executives are able to spout figures and facts about their achievements, but it's the story behind these accomplishments that will add weight to the resume.

Consider looking at your results in light of the C-A-R (Challenge-Action-Result) strategy, which asks you to describe the situation you faced at work (Challenge), what you did when faced with it (Action), and of course, the outcome (Result) that occurred.

The C-A-R formula is popular for a reason--these anecdotes can also form the basis for success stories that you can also use as a basis for your next executive interview.

4 - Carefully Format Your Presentation.

When creating an executive resume, it's important to differentiate yourself from both your direct competition, plus distinguish yourself from lower-level applicants--and this means that it is best to make your document DIFFERENT from all the others.

Searching the Internet for executive resume samples will show you that there are many choices for font, format, and graphics that give flair to an executive resume presentation.

Above all, refrain from using the classic Microsoft Word template for your resume. Doing so will make your qualifications blend in rather than stand out, and lay the foundation for less-than-stellar results.

5 - Use Those Glowing References.

Got testimonials? If so, you're in good shape, as these form a key part of a successful personal
brand.

Better yet, including this information on your executive resume will allow you to back up the stories you've told about your achievements.

Many executives are able to use a quote or letter of reference as a striking addition to their leadership resume, especially when it reflects what they've already noted about their skills and competencies.

If you don't have access to this information, be sure to seek out colleagues, supervisors, customers, and even suppliers as a source of positive feedback. Then, take a shorter version of the most powerful testimonial to use as an endorsement.

As an example, a COO targeting a lateral move might be able to include a quote such as "Ted's resourcefulness and ingenuity are without equal. I have witnessed his ability to grow a startup into a maturing business and develop a multimillion-dollar venture in a difficult economic environment," from a corporate officer onto the executive resume--thereby verifying performance from a key reference source.

In summary, there ARE effective ways to develop a masterpiece executive resume. It's important to ensure that hiring authorities can quickly cut to the heart of your qualifications--and consider you for prime opportunities that closely match your talents.

Who or What is Reading Your Executive Resume? Why Should You Care?

2009-02-06T14:56:00.002-07:00

One of the big mysteries that confounds job hunters is that they see a great job posting, apply to it, and then... nothing. Why isn't the phone ringing? It's often that automated systems are "reading" your executive resume--and they don't like what they see.

Under siege, employers are trying to filter out unqualified applicants for executive roles as hard as they're trying to get IN. If you're not receiving a response from your resume, there are a number of ways you can look at changing it, and this should start with keyword content.

Keywords are simply terms for skills, certifications, and other qualifications that are required for each job. Automated systems make looking for keywords on resumes much easier, and these applications are designed to count the number of times that crucial terms appear in each document.

To ensure that your resume gets read by your desired audience (meaning that picky scanning system!), alter the keyword count using these strategies:

1 - Take out irrelevant terms.

If you possess skills that are transferable to more than one career, consider creating more than one resume version, and then take OUT the keywords that don't apply to that field.

Be aware that including extraneous information can confuse the HUMAN reader too. Like any other marketing document, your resume gives the reader an impression of what you offer... and when it's filled with phrases that relate to a different type of job, employers often react by taking a pass.

Executives can often fall into the trap of retaining key words for their resumes that relate more to lower-level jobs. A great example is the CIO who should leave the tech industry jargon, such as programming skills, off the resume for a leadership role.

One way to gauge whether to take out certain words is to look carefully at the jobs to which you are applying. If your resume contains a large number of skills that are NOT in these descriptions, then it's time to remove them.

2 - Add new keyword content that fits your executive skills and goals.

Another reason to take a second look at your desired jobs is to see the type of keywords you SHOULD be using.

Many sales leaders, for example, don't give a second thought to mentioning that their skills include prospecting, relationship management, or business development. Yet, the positions they apply to may contain these terms, and the scanner can reject their resumes if it doesn't find a match.

A good rule of thumb is to make a composite list of terms commonly appearing in leadership roles you are targeting, and then ensure that your resume contains a representative cross-section of the keywords that apply to your background.

3 - Keep in mind that keywords can also communicate the breadth of your skills.

Often, scanning systems will account for synonyms, and may ferret out your resume into a different sub-section reserved for more advanced professionals.

For example, a new account executive might put "relationship management" on a resume, but a more experienced sales representative could add "revenue improvement" and "profit growth."

By the same token, an operations manager may add tactical skills such as "production capacity," while a COO can sharpen the focus to add "strategic production planning."

The bottom line? It's important to stand out by backing your resume achievements up with a host of skills that employers seek-meaning keywords. This is a crucial step for any executive who wants to increase results and distinguish themselves from lesser-qualified competitors.

Networking for an Executive Career? Take Your Search Offline

2009-01-22T18:57:00.005-07:00

One of my favorite job-search strategies is talking about WHERE you can find networking leads. Sure, everyone knows they should be networking... but if you've neglected to keep your circle "warm," then what should you do?

Professional associations and user conferences are a great place to start, since you'll be tapping into others whose industry interests match yours, plus most people you meet there will likely be employed.

If you've been to a job search networking event and felt dragged down by all the unemployment stories, you know what I mean: this is a huge plus. Of course, it goes without saying that people who are working now are more likely to refer you for a new job at their company--rather than compete with you for that perfect position.

Remember to hang out where your target audience does... meaning that trade shows or industry events can be a good source of leads.

To meet someone who is hiring at your level, think like they do. What do they read? What interests them? For an aspiring IT Director, for example, this might be trade events that attract CIOs. For a technical sales executive, this could be a vendor conference.

These strategies can help spark ideas on where to network... and what kind of resources you can tap for a leadership job hunt.

Peter Weddles' Take on Executive and Professional Job Hunting, Realism, and Effort

2009-01-08T21:07:00.003-07:00

I'm absolutely enthralled by Peter Weddle's newsletter today, in which he takes on the not-so-easy task of pointing out that a job search is really work.

In "You're Only Kidding Yourself," he says that recent studies found that unemployed professionals were spending only minute amounts of time per day looking for work--less than an hour per day, despite facing an uphill battle that demands plenty of time and resources.

This, he says, is less time than most people spend watching TV or showering. Unbelievable!

His major points were as follows:

"Whether the economy is in recession or firing on all cylinders, whether you're starting out in your career or have years of experience under your belt, whether you're a skilled tradesperson or a senior executive, looking for a decent employment opportunity is the hardest job you will ever have.

It will take every bit of knowledge you can muster, every insight you can gain, every piece of wisdom you can acquire, and even then, it will take pluck, determination and plenty of hard work."

Well said! To read more and sign up for Peter's newsletter, visit Weddles.com (which I wholeheartedly endorse in How to Get Hired Faster.)

Denver Executive Resume Service featured on Secrets of the Job Hunt - Laura's Interview with Chris Russell

2008-12-29T20:42:00.005-07:00

Spilling resume secrets to Chris Russell at Secrets of the Job Hunt here...

In case you have yet to visit SOTJH, you're in for a welcome surprise. Career experts (including yours truly, of course) drop by frequently to give extensive, in-depth, and HELPFUL advice on all aspects of job hunting.

Frequently featured on accompanying online radio site JobRadio.fm, these are high-profile authorities on resumes, cover letters, interviews, LinkedIn profiles, and just about any topic you can encounter in today's competitive market.

Put this advice to good use!

Wondering Where Employers Find Executive Candidates?

2008-12-22T19:30:00.005-07:00

Check out this Newsweek Article that gives tips to employers on where to find the best talent pool.

You'll notice, of course, that face-to-face networking is touted as a great method for finding a new employee, as is LinkedIn and other professional associations.

If you've read my book, How to Get Hired Faster, a lot of this information should sound familiar!

I've long advocated finding connections through both online and offline strategies, and for the busy professional, there's nothing like maintaining a presence on LinkedIn to get things rolling in your search.

If you think LinkedIn is just for adding connections, you're missing the point

2008-12-11T15:16:00.003-07:00

It's kind of funny--most people who use LinkedIn for the first couple of times seem to miss the boat. They'll get started, build a quick profile, add a few connections, and then... nothing.

Most executives that I work with have went through this routine, and they don't quite look far enough to realize that LI is such a hot tool for discussin job search, finding company insiders, joining other networking groups, etc. (and if this applies to YOU, please read Jason Alba's book "I'm On LinkedIn, Now What???".)

The best reason to maintain your LI profile REGULARLY is that it pushes older information down on your search results. This still seems to be a head-scratcher for some, so I'll elaborate.

Suppose your digital dirt has caught up with you, and you're finding that your job search is at a standstill while the negative information associated with your name is floating around.

Can you get rid of it? Not really. Can you defend yourself? Sort of. Can you focus attention on another aspect of your professional life? Certainly, and the best way to do this is to grab every profile you can, starting with LI.

One of my recent clients had encountered a big problem with her online identity - she had sued a former employer--owned by a senator with an iffy reputation--and who was up for re-election in this hot political year.

We created numerous profiles using LinkedIn, Twitter, FaceBook, MySpace, etc. to help push this off the front page of Google? (and claimed her profiles in Zoominfo, Spoke, and the like)

No, this method wasn't magic... but it helped.

Direct Mail Campaigns for the $300K to $1 Million Executive

2008-11-29T15:34:00.003-07:00

If you're preparing for an executive job search, consider that that rules have changed, and your job hunt technique must change as well.

So what? You already knew that, right? Perhaps not. At the upper echelon, there are several companies within a tight niche around executive job seeking--with some startling theories.

As an example, direct mail campaigns offer a way for top-level executives to target the desired audience, plus make a professional, value-driven presentation in the process.

For C-suite executives, this is a BETTER way to find a new position than hitting job boards or networking with recruiters.

If you're in this position, be sure to email me at laura@anexpertresume.com to find out more about executive mail campaigns--before starting your executive resume process.

Save Your Executive Career, Start a Blog

2008-11-17T21:46:00.001-07:00

I've long advocated blogging (in my How to Get Hired Faster book) for those who want to be seen as experts in their field.

Now, there's new evidence that blogging can actually rescue your career in our competitive market. Save Your Career, Start a Blog focuses on the reasons why you should consider blogging to be a viable job search tool, and how it's helped other job hunters.