10 Boilerplate Phrases That Kill Resumes

  The Savvy Networker

by: Liz Ryan

The 2009 job market is very different from job markets of the past. If you haven't job-hunted in a while, the changes in the landscape can throw you for a loop.

One of the biggest changes is the shift in what constitutes a strong resume. Years ago, we could dig into the Resume Boilerplate grab-bag and pull out a phrase to fill out a sentence or bullet point on our resume. Everybody used the same boilerplate phrases, so we knew we couldn't go wrong choosing one of them -- or many -- to throw into your resume.

Things have changed. Stodgy boilerplate phrases in your resume today mark you as uncreative and "vocabulary challenged." You can make your resume more compelling and human-sounding by rooting out and replacing the boring corporate-speak phrases that litter it, and replacing them with human language -- things that people like you or I would actually say.

Here are the worst 10 boilerplate phrases -- the ones to seek out and destroy in your resume as soon as possible:

• Results-oriented professional
• Cross-functional teams
• More than [x] years of progressively responsible experience
• Superior (or excellent) communication skills
• Strong work ethic
• Met or exceeded expectations
• Proven track record of success
• Works well with all levels of staff
• Team player
• Bottom-line orientation

You can do better. What about adding a human voice to your resume? Here's an example:

"I'm a Marketing Researcher who's driven by curiosity about why people buy what they do. At XYZ Industries, I used consumer surveys and online-forum analysis to uncover the reasons why consumers chose our competitors over us; our sales grew twenty percent over the next six months as a result. I'm equally at home on sales calls or analyzing data in seclusion, and up to speed on traditional and new-millennium research tools and approaches. I'm fanatical about understanding our marketplace better every day, week and month -- and have helped my employers' brands grow dramatically as a result."

You don't have to write resumes that sound like robots wrote them. A human-voiced resume is the new black -- try it!

Liz Ryan is a 25-year HR veteran, former Fortune 500 VP and an internationally recognized expert on careers and the new millennium workplace. Contact Liz at liz@asklizryan.com or join the Ask Liz Ryan online community at www.asklizryan/group.
The opinions expressed in this column are solely the author's.

Guarantee a phone interview!

from getpickd

As an employer, I have a policy of conducting phone interviews with any applicant I receive a reputable recommendation for (assuming the applicant's resume is at least passable). This is the case even if I don't know the person making the recommendation (although that certainly helps). Recommendations provide instant credibility and show that the applicant is serious about the position. I know of a number of colleagues that have a similar policy.

So how can you use this policy to your advantage?

First, try finding someone in your personal network that might know somebody at the organizations where you are applying. Consider sending your contacts an email with the names of your intended places of employment and politely ask if they have any contacts there. It's a small world and you might be surprised by the results!

Second, if you can't find a connection using the strategy above, consider asking a couple of your key supporters, such as former employers, mentors, and professors (but not college roommates) to send an email to the hiring manager at the organization where you've applied and provide a recommendation. Here's an example:

Dear Hiring Manager,

I am writing in regards to Jane Smith, who recently applied for the communications associate position at Strategic Communications Limited. I was Jane's supervisor during her internship with our organization last summer. She was an exceptional talent who excelled in her position and was a pleasure to have in the office. I strongly encourage you to consider her application.

Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

Sincerely,

John Doe
Director
Human Rights Organization

If you do decide to ask someone in your network to provide a recommendation, make it easy on him or her. Provide the appropriate contact information for the hiring managers and consider providing sample language for the actual recommendation (like the example above).

Don't forget, we'll be launching our new online resume service on June 23 at getpickd.com, but in the meantime, be sure to follow our blog for updates, resume ideas, and interview tips. You can also follow us on Twitter @getpickd.

Adam Sterling is the founder of getpickd

Personality and Corporate Culture - Where’s a Person to Fit?

Original Post from Brazen Careerist by careerrocketeer

We've all heard it – 'she/he/you has a great resume and seems to have a good personality for the team, but I don't see the fit with the organization'.

How is a career seeker to make sense of that statement? We're looking at three possible contexts for evaluating one person – resume/skills, personality and 'fit' criteria, and each plays a part in securing or retaining meaningful, rewarding employment.

It's arguable that personality is a key factor because it is immutable. Many self-assessment tools are available that can help us understand how our personality shapes how we present ourselves to potential employers – Myers-Briggs, DISC, Big 5, for example. While not everyone is comfortable with using these tests, they can be very useful as general guides in certain cases. Take Myers-Briggs, with its large-scale cues to what motivates or inhibits you. The results aren't all there is to know about your personality or how you might fit, but the self-assessment process itself may reveal not only personality attributes to leverage, or manage, in a job search; it can provide the information necessary to evaluate 'fit', even before the first conversation with a recruiter, HR person, or hiring executive.

In the multidimensional process of finding the right career fit, I advise clients to work beyond understanding personality type to an evaluation of their personal brand, which is then measured against a target company's corporate culture and the actual role. It may seem like a lot of variables, but here are a few points that can aid you in assessing true 'fit' for a role/company– a blend of skills, experience, personality/personal brand and corporate culture that can be crucial to success.

1. First, know who you are: If you take three different personality tests and they all come up INTP, take comfort. This may be an indicator you're intuitive, an architect of meaning, someone who thinks deeply and acts rationally. Congratulations! You may not be cut out for sales, or for a company with a corporate culture that values flash over substance – but you've got plenty to work with.
2. Second, work on establishing a personal brand. Your brand is your personality, plus the attributes that make you a good prospect for the job in this particular context. Build a personal vocabulary to describe yourself in action verbs and definitive nouns. Break out a bit here – we're not talking 'creative' or the dreaded 'seasoned', but words that speak to your unique brand. Use that vocabulary in your resume, in your interactions with friends, and in consultation with advisors. Test each word until you're comfortable with your brand. It's who you are, and what you present to others. Strive to be authentic in your presentation.
3. Third, use what you've learned from personality assessments, what you know about yourself at a gut level, and what your closest counselors tell you to determine what your next career move should be. Are you strong-willed or flexible? Argumentative or a peace-maker? Dogmatic or flexible? Assess your personality attributes through the lens of the market and you have the beginnings of organizational fit.
4. Once you've reached a comfort level with who you are, your personal brand, and identified targets that match – that offer some degree of cultural fit – it's time to test your assumptions with research. Find out:

   • What do employees think about the target company? Check blogs and message boards, and network to get the inside scoop.
   • What are the stated values of the organization? Mission statements are a start; check news coverage and press releases to see how the company presents itself to the world, investors and customers.
   • Understand where the company is going, not just where it's been. Scour the news for analyst comments to glean information about the company's intent and see where you, and your personal brand, can help the company realize its goals.
   • Use your network to set up informational interviews.
   • Prepare a narrative that blends what you've learned about the target company, what your personality strengths are, and where your personal brand can be an asset.
   • Test, test, and recalculate. Your personality won't change, but you can apply what you've learned to refine your personal brand.
   • When you find a job where you fit, record the highs - and the lows – in memory. There's ebb and flow in every job; learn to control the course.

Matching your personality to a company's culture and role may just yield a better fit. It's an interesting, challenging, and fun process, one that will teach you a lot about yourself, help you build a personal brand, and help you figure out where you want to go with your career. After all, who doesn't want to know more about what makes them tick?

What are the things you do to determine 'fit' for a potential role/company?

Guest Expert:

Meghan M. Biro is the Founder of TalentCulture, LLC based in Harvard Square, Cambridge MA- a full-service recruitment, coaching, and branding practice. An accomplished executive recruiter and career coach, Meghan has an extensive background in executive search and talent acquisition strategy for clients ranging from Fortune 500 corporations to start-ups and mid-size organizations. Her fundamental belief in the importance of corporate culture and candidate personality has earned her a national reputation for creative employer branding, personal branding and talent acquisition strategy. TC partners with clients – corporations and individuals - to ensure a match between hiring needs, brand and culture/personality. Reach her at mbiro@talentculture.com, www.talentculture.com, LinkedIn and Twitter at @MeghanMBiro @TalentCulture.

http://www. careerrocketeer.com/2009/07/personality-and-corporate-culture.html

FreelancerPro Interview: A Career in Freelance Outsourcing

FreelancerPro Interview: A Career in Freelance Outsourcing: "

There are hoards of freelancers that swear against websites that outsource freelance work, but there are just as many contractors that say these sites can yield a successful career.

At 24, Luis Lazo drew upon his experiences completing projects for RentACoder.com and leveraged that into a second career running RACSuccess.com, a mentoring service for coders and other freelancers. Luis has an interesting background and a unique take on freelancing—let’s hear what he has to say about using outsourcing sites.

Tell us about yourself, what you do, and a little on your background. Where did you go to school and for what?

I started using computers about eight years ago reading textbook after textbook of computer programming. Thanks to this knowledge I started working as a freelancer on RentACoder.com having completed more than 150 projects so far. I attended Baker College in Michigan and obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science.

You’ve mentioned having some success working on RentACoder.com. How does that work?

Well, RentACoder.com is a freelance marketplace which basically connects freelancers that have technical skills with employers or buyers who need projects done. Whether buyers need a website or a desktop application they have plenty of freelancers to choose from. Everything happens online: the process of hiring, awarding the projects, providing the deliverables, and finalizing project.

Many freelancers are leery about sites like oDesk and elance. What do you have to say to them?

Well, the truth of the matter is that working as a freelancer doesn’t impose any limits. You can work on more than one freelance website at the same time if you want and you will not get in any trouble. Everyone has their own preferences when it comes to what freelance websites they like working on. Frankly speaking, oDesk.com and elance.com are actually very good freelance websites and are good places to find projects simply because they have very nice options such as escrow services, quantity of projects available and various tools. I have heard many good comments about both freelance websites.

In addition to the technical work, you also run RACsuccess.com. How did that get started?

Well, RACsuccess.com started initially with the authorization of Ian Ippolito who is the owner of RentACoder.com as an idea I proposed to him about selling videos on our site with the purpose of teaching people how to take the most of RentACoder.com both as a freelancer and as a buyer. This product appears in the tools page inside RentACoder.com.

After that, I decided to start with a mentoring service on our site and our site became more global expanding to other freelance websites as well not just to Rent A Coder. For instance, before the letters RAC in RACsuccess meant “RentACoder” but now the letters RAC in RACsuccess mean “Running Against Competition” which clearly indicates that we dedicate to help freelancers beat their competition and to help employers successfully hire freelance workers.

You work with mentors a lot—do you have a team that you rely on to provide services for RACSuccess? Why should someone hire RAC instead of finding their own mentor?

We do work with mentors a lot but mentors are not really our representatives or employees. What we do is to hire real successful freelancers and employers to assist our members on our site. We hire these people as independent contractors and they assist our members through the mentor’s area.

It can be easy to get confused when you hear the word mentor but the truth of the matter is that things are simpler than they seem. When you hire a freelancer on a freelance website, you are actually looking for a technical job to be done. When you hire a mentor on our site, what you get is a friend that can help you start a career in freelancing or help you improve your existing freelance business. A mentor doesn’t do any technical job for you, it’s basically a guider that helps you find success as a freelancer on any freelance website or as an independent freelancer.

On our site, mentors can give you advice on any concern or situation you may have and can give you tips on how to be a successful freelancer. Mentors will even write effective proposals for you for the projects that you wish to get on any freelance website.

So, what’s your typical day like?

Wake up, grab a snack, go to my computer, check my email, and look for freelance jobs to apply for. I also like to stay in touch with my online contacts. I know so many people; especially freelancers and I like to communicate with them. Most of my day is basically spent in front of my computer but I also take some breaks in order to do some other things as well.

Finally, what’s your ultimate career goal?

I would like to continue with my education and obtain my Masters Degree and then a Ph.D. in Computer Science. I also want to continue running RACsuccess.com.

3 Ways to Maintain Your Weight While Working Behind a Desk

Original Post from Dumb Little Man - Tips for Life by DLM Writers

If you have ever changed jobs you know the transition can often mean big changes to your daily schedule and habits. Due to the advancement of technology, many people are finding themselves behind a desk rather than out in a field or on the go. While I am thankful for the technological advantage of our current time, I cannot help but notice the alarming rate of obesity.

After college I noticed many of my friends heading out to sedentary jobs, many of which were behind a desk. Over time I noticed almost all of them slowly gaining unwanted weight and I knew exactly why; none of them changed their habits. They were so used to being very active as they spent most of their day walking to and from class, going to the gym and going out at night. Now all they were doing was going to work, sitting on their rump and then going home to sit some more.

I recently relocated and found myself at a desk job similar to all of my friends. However I knew that I didn't want to gain the excess weight as they had. So if you have recently changed jobs or have been at a desk for some time and have put on some weight, here are some tips I utilized to maintain my weight despite my activity levels decreasing drastically.

• Eat Less

  
  I know this sounds easy but consistency is key. If you were like me, running around on campus 5-6 hours per day required a lot of food energy to maintain my weight. As you can imagine my food choices were not the healthiest and I usually went for the most calorie dense bites I could find. When I began my desk job I had to make a conscious effort to eat less at first but in time the habits were ingrained in my psyche and it just felt normal. Here's what I did.
  
  
  • I consumed fiber rich foods – I decided to stick with foods higher in fiber to keep me full. Instead of eating my usual pop tarts and cereal for breakfast I made sure I ate more fruit and veggies. The extra vegetables added a lot of bulk to my diet which allowed me to feel full on a fraction of the calories. Fruit and veggies contain more water than other foods which also helps with satiety. This made adherence easier.
  
  
  • I lowered my meal frequency – I knew that I wouldn't need to be consuming the same amount of calories as I was in college so I dropped my meal frequency down from 5 meals to 3 meals per day. This was an easy way to cut back on the calories.
  
  
  • I ate more lean protein – Protein is the most satiating of the three macro nutrients. It's a good idea to eat lean protein with every meal due to the hunger blunting effects it can have.



• Move More

  
  So how do you move more when you are chained to a desk all day? Here is a concept you must get creative with. Depending on the rules and structure of your workplace, you may not have the freedom to move about as you'd like. Here is what I did to ensure my expenditure increased somewhat.
  
  
  • I walked a lot – I found the bathroom farthest away from you desk. Each time I had to relieve myself I walked clear across the building. During both of my fifteen minute breaks, instead of sitting around in the lounge I would head outside and walk a few laps around the building. This always woke up me up and the fresh air was nice.
  
  
  • I took the stairs – Working in an office on the tenth floor posed a great opportunity. I took the stairs every morning. Sure, it took longer than the elevator but I burned a few extra calories in the process. When it was time to retire for the evening I also took the stairs down.
  
  
  • I asked to have my desk raised – Working while I stood gave me a little more freedom to move around as opposed to keeping my rump parked in the chair for 2-3 hours before going on break.
  
  
  • Add An Extra Day Of Training - If you are participating in a regular workout routine you can always add an extra day to your schedule. By making this change you will increase your expenditure, which will decrease the likelihood of gaining any unwanted body fat.
  
  One way I increased my activity was by going hiking every Sunday afternoon for about an hour. When it was warm enough I would go for a swim in the lake. Just adding a little more exercise can really add up over time.



• Do Not Snack At Your Desk

  
  Mindless eating is the epitome of unwanted weight gain. 99% of those around me that are overweight have some kind of snack at their desk. None of them have apples or bananas to munch on; it's always an energy dense bag of candy or chips. When you eat out of boredom you develop a bad habit of curing your boredom with food. Don't get into this habit by allowing no food at your desk.

Give these tips a shot if you find yourself chained to a desk for any substantial period of time. Unnecessary weight gain does not have to happen.

Written on 7/27/2009 by JC. JC is the author of JCDFitness, A No BS Approach To Looking Great Naked.

Photo Credit: star5112

5 Networking Tips For Shy or Introverted People

Original Post: August 6, 2009 by Rich DeMatteo

Being shy can be a networking asset, you just need to know how to use it.  Remember, the world craves balance.  If networking events were made up of entirely extroverts, they would drive themselves crazy.  Here are COTJ's 5 networking tips for shy or introverted people:

1. Utilize Social Media – Begin networking first on Linkedin, Facebook, Myspace, or any web 2.0 destination that connects you to people with similar interests.  Start building up your contacts/friends list, and build up your relationship with these people.  Once you feel comfortable, invite them to join a networking event with you.  This may help the lessen any intimidation you may feel of going it alone.  

2 . Use being shy to your advantage - People absolutely love carrying on about themselves, so provide an ear for them to let loose on, and you'll make a friend in the process.  Don't be intimidated by louder, extroverted net workers.  They need you, and they know it.  Just be yourself, be polite, listen, and sacrifice your ears over to the extroverts.

3 – Set networking goals -  Make it your mission to talk to X amount of people and/or set a goal on how many events you'll attend each month.  If nothing else, just set your mind on having fun and enjoying each event.  A positive mind set is critical.

4 – Know when to speak up -  Lay low until a question surrounding your area of expertise is brought up.  Once you feel confident, speak loud and clear.  Keep it short and to the point, and you will look like a star.  

5– Smile -  Simple right?  Not only does the upside down frown bring a look of confidence, but you'll instantly become easier to approach as well.  Heck, smiling may even force/trick you into having a good time.  Not smiling can leave a negative impression that you're intimidated, uncomfortable, uninterested (maybe the worst), tired, or just sociably awkward.  I know this is weird, but just in case you honestly don't know how to smile, click HERE TO LEARN.

What it Feels Like to Get Fired

Original Post: What it Feels Like to Get Fired:

"Today I got fired from my summer internship. Okay, so that’s a lie. I wasn’t fired. It was the last day of my internship, and I wasn’t offered a full-time job after graduation—which feels like getting fired when it was “my offer to lose.” I think I said that I was fired so I could feel like Heather Armstrong, a now-famous blogger who got fired for blogging about work. Alas, I didn’t get fired for writing about work—although that is definitely not okay—at least not while you are still working there. I got fired for a lot of other things—like being late to meetings a lot, not listening well, and being “too aggressive.”

When responding to the feedback I received, my voice shook like I would cry, but I didn’t, and I’m proud of that. Still haven’t cried. Don’t plan on it.

I’ve never been fired actually. I’ve come quite close several times. When I worked at the movie theater and grocery store in high school, my till would come up missing hundreds of dollars sometimes. My bosses repeatedly asserted that they would have fired anyone else, but they were all sure that sweet, zany Kaneisha had not stolen money from the register only to then diligently show up to work four times a week after school. I surely hadn’t stolen the money. I can just be very absent-minded at times. My customers were probably yelling, “Look!” and then pulling money out of the register when I turned my head to see what was so exciting. The managers at the movie theater and grocery store hired me, but in the end, it wasn’t a good fit.

And neither was this internship. When receiving my feedback, some of the things were spot-on, but others caught me completely by surprise. In my head as I read my feedback: “People cared about what I was doing and wanted to be included? They wanted to see my spreadsheets?! I didn’t even want to see my spreadsheets!” But then again, that’s part of why I was fired. You’ve got to take the whole job—not just the parts that you like.

Getting fired feels like getting broken up with. More than anything, you just want to hear that they really did care for you, that there really had been something special there at some point. It just didn’t work out. You’re a lovely person with a lot to offer—just not to offer this particular person breaking up with you.

Just like when getting broken up with, I eloquently expressed my thoughts and feelings to the other party, and ended the interaction as amicably as I imagined it could be. Then I promptly vented to my girl friends, my beau, my Grandma, and sought refuge in a self-help book (This time it was Think and Grow Rich). Yep, that’s the usual routine after a break-up. Or when I get fired.

Looks like it’s time to find a new relationship aka job. 10 months and counting until I graduate. I’ve decided my ultimate goal is to work for myself. Does that make me a career spinster?