Part 2 – A Resume Tip for Highly Experienced Professionals

So WHY is it important to reduce your resume to 2 pages or less?

First of all, if anyone disagrees with me and feels that a resume can be longer than 2 pages please voice your opinion.

I have been an in-house recruiter and 3^rd party recruiter. All we do is look at resumes ALL DAY LONG. I love the human interaction and not as much the data mining on resumes. So make it a little easier for us. The more poignant you are on your resume the better. Have a section that has the highlights and buzz words that are relevant to the job description and qualifications. Then if you want spend 20 pages telling me every little detailed accomplishment. I wouldn’t mind that at all. Most of that I will get from you in the interview process though, but knock yourself out. I just don’t want to knock myself out after spending too long reviewing your resume.

If you make other people’s jobs easier, you will earn their business and their friendship.

How to eliminate the GAPS in your res um é.

So there are many reasons why a professional would have gaps in their resumé. The key is finding a way to fill those gaps. Many of my clients are involved in contract work, which means they might work for 2 months to 2 years for a company on a temporary project. A lot of resume experts would suggest to leave some of those short term jobs out so that you look more stable. I get that, because you can appear to potential employers as unreliable. That can be a real turn off for them when they think of you as a candidate.

The way to overcome those misperceptions is to position yourself as a consultant. You can group 2, 3 or 4 of those contract positions under the umbrella of Business Flow Consultant or Software Developer Consultant. Now you’ve taken unreliable and transformed it to leader and innovator. “Well done my friend” (The Most Interesting Man in the World).

A Resume Tip for Highly Experienced Professionals

The highly experienced professional seems to have a unique dilemma when constructing his/her resume: A lot of experience and not enough space on a 1-2 page resume. So what do you do?

The first step is to personalize your resume for each position. When you have a skill set that you have developed over 10, 20, 30 years the opportunities tend to be limited. The more niche your skill set, the more limited the opportunities are in most cases. Therefore, you must take the time to review the job description and tailor your resume, accordingly.

The best way to do this is to have a “relevant experience” section. In this section you will DETAIL your ACCOMPLISHMENTS for each position that you’ve held which relates specifically to the job for which you’re applying. Get specific here. Think of your past relevant experiences and extract your accomplishments and duties for each position to match the requirements and job duties from the job description. Get specific and quantify your achievements.

Another useful section is a general work timeline section, which has only the company name, your title at that company and dates (specify years only). This section allows you to list your experience chronologically in case there are gaps in the “relevant experience” section.

Take it a step further. Go on their website, call their sales guys, and interview their receptionist so that you can learn the terminology and culture of the company. Many companies use spyder tools that scan your resume and the more your resume matches their language the more likely it will be found by the “spyder” or by a recruiter for that matter.

 This extra step will take you out of your comfort zone and will set you apart from the competition. You will already talk their language, so when you arrive for the interview it will feel like a match for you and for them. 

Attached is a sample resume that may give at least 1 idea on how to structure your resume, as outlined above. Best of luck.

Sample Resume

Can you get fired for what you say on social media sites?

The answer is possibly. Most major companies have a social media policy. The question is: does it violate National Labor Relations Act Section 7, which allows for employees to communicate and engage in concerted activities for the purpose of collective bargaining? This is a dicey topic. If you’re complaining about work and under that employer’s social media policy there’s a violation you could be rightly fired. However, if you are complaining about work with other employees it can be within the law covered in Section 7. Slander, defamation, drug and sexual references are obvious topics that could get you fired. On the other hand, if you make accurate accusations and are citing evidence such as clear violations of labor laws, etc. you’ll probably be okay.

As far as just general social media site posts go, you should be very careful. Company culture is also reflected in many social media policies and if you are posting anything that could come back around to damage that company’s reputation you could be liable. As expert Marshall Tanick put it: just like real estate’s law of location, location, location. Anyone posting on social media sites should be careful, be careful, be careful.

Here is an article and a link to a discussion about the subject on linkedin.

http://www.linkedin.com/groupAnswers?viewQuestionAndAnswers=&discussionID=34815146&gid=2079&commentID=26087599&trk=view_disc

http://blogs.forbes.com/jimnichols/2010/11/09/social-media-policy-sparks-lawsuit/

Networking Is Like Taking a Test

Would you ever take a test without learning the material first?

Hmmm. Let me think…

Uh, absolutely not!

Similarly, you should never hit your network up for something you need without learning about the people in your network and cultivating relationships with them first.

Many people will meet a new contact and instantly BEG for their help. This can and most often will offend your new contact.

So how do we avoid these awkward situations and still get the help we need?

First, we must understand the principle involved: Learn about your new contacts and cultivate a relationship.

Cultivating a relationship is just like cultivating plants. The relationships with the people in your network must be developed through genuineness and good will.

That may or may not take time. For example, I recently  introduced myself to someone who is in the 2nd tier of my network (in other words he is a friend of a friend). I knew beforehand that he could help me with something I need immediately. However, I chose not to solicit his help but to just genuinely let him know what I’m up to and that we have a lot in common. After we spoke, he offered his help if and when needed.

Look. I’m sure we’ve all been on the receiving end of an unwanted solicitation for help. It can be irritating and outright offensive. So, if you need something why don’t you think of something you can offer your new contact as a gesture of good will? It works.

Now your asking how, right? Easy. Just think of someone you know that is in the same line of work or has similar interests. Tell them about this person and that you’d really like to introduce them or connect them sometime. It works every time. Just remember, it has to be genuine.

Advertising sales – Are you a fruit?

I had a conversation with a respectable gentleman in advertising sales and he communicated that things are “tough” right now. I took that as an opportunity to think for a second to see if there was a way I could help. It instantly came to me. You’re in advertising, right? I asked. He responded, yes. Well, do you network with other advertisers? His response was no. I can’t count how many times I’ve signed some one up for an event and the client asked “do you know anyone who can help me with signage, giveaways, etc?” If you sell promotional products you better network with people who have those type of clients. As Jeffrey Gitomer would say…”but Josh (said in a whiny voice) who has that type of client?” Look. I don’t know all of them but here are a couple people that you should network with.

1. Radio salesmen – the good stations do lots of events. their clients need signage and giveaways.

2. Ad agency reps. – not every ad agency handles every part of the business for their clients. Call an ad agency rep. and see if you can help each other out.

3. Print shops (commercial or quick print shops) – commercial print shops do a lot of direct mail pieces for small and large businesses. That means they know people spending advertising dollars. On top of that, they usually send out mailers for events. Those clients may need promotional shirts, footballs, signage, you name it for those events.

Just think Fruit Salad. You may all be fruit, but strawberries and kiwi are much better together than apart. RIGHT?

Red Bow Ties and Purple Cows?

What does this have to do with anything? A CEO friend of mine distinguishes himself as a “Purple Cow.” In a world of normal colored cows a purple cow certainly looks different. Looking different is key for any business. You must distinguish yourself from the competition. Roy H. Williams said he met a man who wore a red bow tie every day. He was always remembered. Do your friends, associates, clients remember you? Maybe you should dance outside your shop in a purple cow suit with a red bow tie.