Hello there! If you are new here, you might want to subscribe to the RSS feed for updates on this topic.It’s never fun to think about the awkward situations that you will run into when you reach the interviewing stage of the job application process. You never know exactly what will be asked, but you can anticipate – and sometimes that anticipation leaves you biting your nails off to say the least.
This sentiment is often true when you know that there is information on your resume that you know could come up during the interview – like why did you leave your last job? If you’re concerned that this information might be an issue, you might want to get some of the explaining over with on your resume. This way, you just may have less to explain when the time comes.
Don’t Sidestep the Issue on Your Resume
Because the reason that you left your last company is bound to pop up in the interview – and this is something you absolutely cannot lie about – it is a good idea to make mention of it in your resume if you think it is a reason that could raise eyebrows. Of course, you don’t need go into great detail because this is not what the resume is for, but by mentioning it, you can implant a bit of the detail into a hiring manager’s head before seeing you.
For instance, if you were let go from your company, there are a couple of reasons that this could have occurred. One is that you were outright terminated from your position and another is that you were laid off. If you were laid off due to downsizing because of the financial crisis, you could mention this detail in your resume. Because employers understand the gravity of the Great Recession, some will not ask any further questions.
Let Your Cover Letter Do Some Work Too
If you want to go into further detail about why you were let go from your position, you could allow your cover letter to do some of the talking as well. For instance, you could mention how much you enjoyed working for your previous employer and that you remained committed to its goal. However, due to the financial crisis and the need to downsize, you and 2,000 others were let go from their positions.
You could even go into short detail about how the experience was difficult at first but in the end it made you stronger in character. Or that it brought your family closer together, something you’ll always cherish (of course, only say something like this if it’s true). If you talk about your departure rather than sidestepping it, it could actually make an employer more interested in you, which is why it’s good to go ahead and tackle it head on.
So are you ready to pull your job search together? If so then it’s good to really think about how you’re going to approach the reason that you left your job. And always keep in mind that while it’s good to make mention of it in your resume and cover letter, it could always come up in your interview, so be prepared.
By Heather Eagar – Need a job? Be sure your resume is the best it can be. Review resume services and choose the best one for you and your situation. Do it today at http://www.ResumeLines.com
Let Your Resume Tell Why You Left Your Last Job
Water Cooler Wisdom: Day in the Life - How to Manage 4 Jobs
You may have heard the phrase, “if you want to get something done, ask a busy person.” In my experience, this is true. For instance, try eating at two restaurants – one crowded and one empty – and notice the speed of the service at each one. I guarantee that the crowded restaurant will be faster every time.
The busier you are, the more quickly you learn how to work efficiently, and you can get more tasks done in less time.
In addition to raising a two year old son and spending one day a week with him, I currently hold four jobs that I am paid for:
- Wall Street Journal columnist: My nationally syndicated career advice column, Reinvent, appears online and in print on Sundays. The column features interviews on topics and trends related to career change and reinvigoration.
- Blogger: I post on job hunting, careers, and productivity twice a week at my home blog, Water Cooler Wisdom, and weekly at the QuickBase blog and a few others. As an active participant in the blogosphere, I also read and comment on many other blogs.
- Author: For the last four years, I have written at least one business book a year. The publication of each book requires substantial promotional efforts at launch and ongoing publicity and social media engagement post-launch.
- Workplace speaker and consultant: Some organizations approach me regarding how they can help their employees succeed in their careers, and work more effectively with colleagues in other generations. I speak about these issues in house as well as at conferences and universities.
I am responsible for completing all of the responsibilities associated with these four jobs in the space of a 45 hour work week. When I worked one job in the marketing communications field, I put in about as many hours – more at times – and certainly had less work product to show for it. I’ve been able to do it through a process that has evolved over many years.
Here are some of my strategies:
Assign jobs to specific days
I have four days in which I’ve reserved the entire day to work. In order to avoid getting overwhelmed, I create a monthly schedule in which I am slated to work at just one job per day. For instance, on Monday I am responsible for writing my Wall Street Journal column and weekly blog posts.
Leave two hours per day for last minute tasks
I make sure I only schedule enough work for six hours of each day. This way, I have two hours to devote to unexpected tasks like networking calls, media interviews, and website edits. Because I don’t have a full-time assistant, I often need to complete administrative tasks related to my business during this time.
Schedule “bulky” tasks three months out
Bulky tasks are ones that require a huge chunk of time, such as attending a conference or traveling out of town for a speaking engagement. As a general rule, I plan assignments that will take me out of my regular routine for at least 24 hours several months in advance. This advance planning allows me to avoid overscheduling a particular timeframe. It also means that I occasionally have to turn out bulky opportunities that appear at the last minute. Unless they are extremely lucrative, they’re generally not worth the stress.
Adhere to generous deadlines
I am only able to write a book a year because in the contract with my publisher, I give myself the entire year. If I were to spend all my working hours researching and writing the book, I would probably be able to finish it in a few months. But because I have four jobs, this isn’t possible. Allowing myself the cushion of a year means that I only have to work on the book 1.5 days a week. Each 60,000 word manuscript develops more slowly but is also much more manageable.
Say no or go online
Getting four jobs done in 45 hours means that I sometimes have to say no to people who want me to help them with a particular task or event. I try to do one pro bono event and three informational interviews per quarter, and if a request falls outside that scope, I’ll usually say no. I might offer people the option of moving an in person event online so that I can participate that way, and when people want to network with me over lunch, I will almost always try for a phone call first.
Repurpose content
As a result of writing five books and publishing hundreds of blog posts and articles over the last few years, I have generated a substantial body of content. I keep my writing in folders organized by subject that I can readily access when the time comes. I try to retain all rights to my content so that even if a particular organization has first publication rights to it, I can re-use it after a period of time. Therefore, the work that I perform might very well be applicable to two or more of my jobs.
Prevent fall-behind by making up lost hours immediately
There are times when an unexpected doctor’s appointment, sick child, or visiting friend threaten to wreck havoc on my work schedule. When this happens, it is very easy to fall behind on the work that was supposed to be completed on that day, and this is where self-discipline comes in. Even if I’d rather watch Lost, I make up the missed time by working that evening after my son is in bed, or on a weekend afternoon I had planned to have off.
It may seem like I get a lot done in 45 hours, but I think I use every minute much better than the average corporate employee. During scheduled work time, I don’t surf the Internet, I don’t chit chat with colleagues in the kitchen, and I don’t go for Starbucks runs. Rather than just showing up in the office and letting the chips fall where they may, I plan what is to be accomplished each day very strategically.
Those of you who who work on a variety of tasks at once – how do you maximize your efficiency?
This post originally appeared on Intuit's Quickbase blog.
Blue Sky Resumes Blog: Quack Like a Duck and Other Secrets of Successful Career Change
Written by Louise Fletcher
Nicholas Lore, founder of the Rockport Institute, is a career development pioneer.
He single-handedly transformed the career coaching field, he’s been commended for excellence by 2 US Presidents, and his book “The Pathfinder’ is one of the best selling career books in US history. Over the last 29 years he’s helped over 14,000 people to make a change.
I was fortunate to spend an hour on the phone with Nick recently, and I picked his brain about the career change process. Here are the key things I learned:
Take a holistic approach to the decision
When Nick started out, career counselors all followed the same model – using very basic interest and personality tests to identify and suggest jobs that might suit you.
It was a flawed model and even now, Nick believes many career change ‘experts’ are misguided, focusing solely on one aspect such as ‘following your passion’ or ‘identifying your life purpose.’ Instead, he says, career change decision-making must be a holistic process. He points out that a passion for animals won’t necessarily translate into happiness if you take a job in an animal protection agency. You may find you don’t like your tasks, or the people, or the salary, or the hours. And what started out as a passion can quickly feel like a millstone around your neck.
That’s why Nick guides his clients through a holistic decision-making process. He likens it to detective work – identifying and interpreting clues in order to guide each person towards the right decision.
Go beyond the dream
You may think you know exactly what you want do, but Nick encourages his clients to “expand what’s possible.” He believes we tend to base our dreams about the future on what we have known in the past, and he encourages his clients to think beyond what they know and consider completely new possibilities. In the process, many find joy and self-expression in work they had not previously considered.
Be realistic
According to Nick, there are two different tracks to consider when working through a career change decision.
The first is reality: We all have constraints on what changes we can make. Perhaps you have to pay for two kids in college. Perhaps you need to stay in a certain regional location. Your talents and skills are another reality constraint – if you can’t draw, you can’t become a video game artist.
The second is what Nick calls ‘the invented world.’ By this he means the world you decide that you want to create for yourself (within the limitations of reality of course). To help people create their invented world, Nick and his staff coach them through a series of exercises designed to help them explore, research, and understand all of the many possibilities.
He also encourages people making a career change to research the reality of the positions they are considering. It’s easy to imagine only the good things about your desired role without considering the down sides. It’s also common for people to succumb to “yeah-but” thoughts that keep them from making a change.
Don’t focus on random options
Nick says one of the biggest mistakes career changers make is that they start by thinking through random options. (“Maybe I could be a psychologist” … “Perhaps I could learn to style hair” … “I wonder if I should become an accountant.”)
While this approach might result in success, it’s more likely to lead to a dead end. Instead Nick recommends developing definite clear, written statement of your specifications for happiness before you start to consider options.
This list should include both your reality constraints and your ideal “invented world.”
And as you make your choice, ask yourself ‘what will it take to get there?’ to be sure you’re willing (and able) to do what is necessary.
For example, one 40 year-old client of Nick’s decided she wanted to be a doctor, gave up her job, and went to medical school in order to make the change. That kind of commitment is only possible when you have fully thought through your decision from all possible angles.
A resume isn’t going to do the trick
A good resume is important but it can’t get you where you need to be without a creative approach.
In general, employers are looking for someone with experience in the specified field or industry. They are not looking to take a chance on someone new and untested.
This means that you can’t just apply to advertised positions and wait for the phone to ring. Instead, you need a more creative approach. Nick puts it this way: “if you want to be a duck, you need to walk, talk and fly like a duck.”
He gives the example of one client, a successful economist who realized she had an amazing gift for product design. But as a middle-aged professional, she wasn’t enthusiastic about returning to school to learn an entirely new skill set. Seeking other ways to break into her chosen field, she devised a creative solution – she set up, planned, organized and moderated a symposium on breakthrough design, held at the Smithsonian. In this way, she placed herself right into the middle of the product design field with the key players. Or as Nick put it “she beamed her way up rather than battling her way up.”
This strategy has become easier than ever with the advent of social media. Sites like LinkedIn allow you to reach out and connect with people from any industry. Services Like Twitter allow you to initiate conversation with anyone you choose. For no cost at all, you can set up a blog about your target profession and very quickly build a strong reputation.
Remember, if you want to be a duck, you have to act like one.
My conversation with Nick was inspiring. He told me that what keeps him going after 29 years is his commitment to helping people love their lives. What a great mission!
Employment Digest: Job Search Techniques – Using a Systematic Approach to Finding a Job in 90 Days
Job hunting is a challenging task even in the best of times. It becomes even more challenging when the economy is in a slump and there are fewer jobs available with more people competing for them. This requires the job hunter to become more creative and use all the tools and resources available to them in order to be more efficient and effective.
One way to increase your chances of finding a position is to take a systematic approach to looking for a job. What do I mean by a system? Well what I’m talking about is using the same techniques that professional salespeople use to sell their products. If you think about it, you are a product and the end result of your activities should be getting a contract with an employer. If you accept this premise, implementing a process to accomplish this will make it very easy. I believe I can provide you with a step-by-step process that will enable you to get a job in about 90 days. The secret is to commit to this and to adhere to the plan which incorporates a rigid schedule, specific activities and a commitment to follow through. These are the same components critical to success with any other objective you’re attempting to achieve.
I’m confident this system will work for you because it worked for my daughter Danielle who graduated college earlier this year. She was able to find her dream job within 45 days of implementing the techniques discussed in this article.
I’m a professional sales manager. By “professional” sales manager, I mean that I treat sales as a profession, not just a job. It truly is a profession which you have to train for and continually update your skills and tools if you want to be successful.
It occurred to me that finding a job is a lot like what my sales team does every day trying to sell our company’s products and services.
You have to send out a lot of information such as product literature, specification sheets and informational flyers to try to get a prospects attention. In the case of the job hunter it’s resume’s and cover letters
You need to follow up with phone calls, notes, emails and other forms of communication to open up a dialog with your prospective customers (employers.)
You are trying to make them aware of the need for your products (skills and experiences)
You need to differentiate yourself from your competitors (other job applicants)
You need to convince them that your sales claims are true (the ability to do the job)
It can be a numbers game: 100 letters and phone calls gets you 10 conversations gets you 3 interviews, gets you one job (maybe)
Success comes from 3 things: Hard Work, Timing, and Luck, with Hard Work being the most important.
So, since we were both trying to sell something, I recommend that you go to “work” and your new job is finding a job. I believe that if you do the work and follow the plan I outline below, you can close the sale (i.e., find a job.)
The general plan is:
Commit to “working” 8 hours a day. This consists of;
Working at a “temporary” job in order to pay your living expenses
Volunteering or some other activity which helps you get to know a profession, industry or specific employer which you might be interested in.
Using the “Selling Yourself Into a Job” system to find permanent employment.
Your day starts at 8:00 and ends at 5:00, 5 days a week, unless the temporary job or volunteer position requires time during evenings or on weekends. The objective is to put in a 40 hour week which includes all three of these activities.
You should try to max out the time you spend at the temporary job and volunteering. One gives you money and the other provides you with experience and exposure to potential employers.
When you’re not working or volunteering, you need to be doing the same things a sales force does every day:
Researching potential employers (we look for customers)
Visiting Job Search sites looking for tips and tricks (become a professional job seeker by educating yourself, just like you would for any other profession)
Improving your resume’ or customizing it for a specific job opportunity (we create marketing materials)
Sending out resume’s (we send out letters & brochures informing people about our business offerings)
Applying on company web sites (we respond to bid requests)
Making follow-up calls (we do this…ALOT!)
Going on interviews (we have customer or prospect meetings)
Here is where you may need additional help:
Finding information on companies and the contacts at the companies you want to apply to, using tools like Linkedin, Jigsaw, etc…
Reviewing and editing your resume’, cover letters, etc…
Providing guidance on interview techniques and business conversations.
Keeping on track with your activities, focus, and results.
Finding tips to help you manage your time and be more effective (i.e., blind copying yourself on every email you send out so you can reuse it and not have to create everything from scratch.)
Preparing interview plans and strategies (company research, timing the commute, a list of questions for the interview, etc…)
Debriefing after each interview to see how you can improve on them
The resources you need to assist with these items are readily available and will be discussed in future articles.
The plan you develop has to have a specific goal, a set of objectives and an activity schedule.
The goal is to find you a job in 90 days (accept the fact that it might take this long)
The objective is to get at least one interview a week after the first 3 weeks.
The daily activity plan was as follows:
Research and collect information on 10 target employers
Send out 10 resume’s
Apply on-line to 10 prospective employers
Make 10 follow up calls
Don’t worry if this sounds overwhelming right now. Once you begin working on this and have the research tools, a library of resume’s and cover letters and a workflow set up this will be easy. This methodology is classic Sales 101 and has been proven time and time again. It may take some time, but it will be successful.
During that first week all you need to do is to locate 10 target employers within the local area. You’ll need to find out their contact information, try to determine who you should be communicating with and do some research on their website. By the end of the week you’ll have a list of 50 companies. However you may not have all the contact information you need to apply for a position. This is not a problem. As a professional salesperson, I’ve developed a portfolio of tools that I use to identify specific contacts within an organization. I will share these with you in future articles.
On Monday of the following week begin to send out 10 resumes and apply to 10 companies online each day. You also need to research another 10 companies and add them to your list. By the third day you will have sent out 30 applications and applied online to 30 companies. You then need to begin calling the companies that you applied to two days earlier. I have put together a series of telephone scripts for you so that you’ll know what you are going to say when you get somebody on the phone.
The process needs to be repeated daily. Initially there may be little or no response from the companies you’ve contacted. However, during week 3 you should started hearing back from the prospects. Often it will be a polite email, call or letter explaining that there currently were no positions available but they’ll keep your information on file. Sometimes the employer will ask for additional information about your background, skills or experience. On a couple of occasions they may have you come in for a “group interview,” at which there may be as many as 30 applicants were in attendance. Don’t be discouraged by this. It’s part of the process.
Soon you’ll begin getting invitations for interviews. This should be encouraging, even though several of the opportunities may be for positions you’re not interested in for a variety of reasons, including location, the industry, company or specific position. However you should go on every interview to either genuinely apply for the position or to practice and refine your interview skills.
By week 5 it should become apparent that the program is beginning to pay off. By this time you’ll have contacted over 150 companies, followed up with most of them and begin getting call backs and interview requests on a regular basis. I believe that this is a result of what I called the “cow patty” theory. By putting enough information about yourself out into the local business community, people will start to “step” in the patties and will begin to respond.
I believe you will be successful at reaching your goal of finding a job using the Selling Yourself Into a Job” system for the following reasons:
The structure of the process provides a framework within which the job search could be executed in a regular and systematic way.
There were specific goals, objectives and processes which drive the process and will keep you focused.
Specific activities were required every day which keep you accountable.
A structured, repeatable process made the tasks easier the more they are done. This reduces the time required to do the tasks which should encourage you to complete them.
Getting results in only a few weeks will motivate you to continue to execute the plan.
You will become more comfortable and confident when you do things that you’ve done before and are familiar with. There will be a noticeable change in your communication skills and confidence level several weeks into the process.
The resources I’ve located and which can be used during the process will help keep you focused and will provide good advice and tips on creating resume’s, writing cover letters, developing phone scripts and improving your interview behaviors
I firmly believe that if this process can work for anybody. The key elements are;
The process needs to be treated like a job. Your job is to find a job.
There’s a definitive process. You wake up every morning knowing exactly what you need be doing in terms of your job hunting process.
Locate additional resources which will help you in this process. Web sites, on-line resources, tips and tricks related to your job search.
The more you do the process, the more repetitive it is, the easier it’s going to be, and the better you’re going to become at it.
I hope you’ve found this information helpful in your job search process. I will publish additional articles about the specifics of this system. The information I’ll provide will include:
Resume’ and Cover Letter Tips
Resources for Reaching Prospective Employers
Where to find Information on Job Hunting Tips and Tricks
Telephone Scripts you can use to get through “Gate Keepers” and increase your level of Confidence when calling a Prospective Employer
How to Prepare for an Interview
Follow-up Techniques
If you have specific questions or would like to discuss my Selling Yourself Into a Job” system in more detail, please feel free to contact me at the following email address: William.Swansen@gmail.com
Bill Swansen is a Sales and Marketing Executive with thirty years of industry experience. Bill has sold hundreds of millions of dollars worth of products and services to companies ranging from small and medium businesses to Fortune 50 companies. He has written several articles on selling and sales techniques and is now applying these same skills and experiences towards helping recent college graduates find their first career position.
7 Ways Your Resume is Just as Boring as Everyone Else’s
The economy seems to be picking up a little, and more and more job seekers are coming to us and letting us know about internal opportunities within their organization that they would like to apply to. But even as more opportunities open up, the competition is as strong—or stronger than ever before. Here are seven ways your resume isn’t quite cutting it. So take it out, brush it off, and let’s kick it up a notch.
It’s still sporting that outdated objective.
If your resume is utilizing an objective, you really should trash it and start all over with a fresh, powerful introduction that incorporates a personal branding statement. A tailored career summary and polished personal branding statement will catch the employer’s attention and give him or her the best information up front—the information he or she needs to make a decision to call you to schedule an interview.
The design/format is generic or elementary for your professional level and experience.
There is a strategy behind resume formatting and design. If you are an executive, yet you are using an entry level resume format, you will look unprofessional and under-qualified.
It’s missing important keywords
Omit keywords and the software system scanning your resume can’t find you. The recruiter giving your resume a quick once-over is looking for specific keywords as well. Leave them out and you’ll be left out of the interview process.
Generic and/or vague statements.
Avoid using the same old terminology that everyone else uses in their resumes. Yes, we know you can problem solve. But instead of telling me you’re a problem solver, show me the result of a problem you solved.
Soft skills vs. hard skills
And the championship goes to … hard skills. I used to be a full-time recruiter, and I used Monster and CareerBuilder to search for candidates. Not once did I ever enter the search terms: great communicator, excellent verbal skills, detail-oriented. These are universal statements that millions use to describe themselves. Give me something tangible and relevant to the position I am trying to fill.
Duties and responsibilities
Instead of wasting valuable real estate on your resume providing me with a rundown of your job description (the same one I’ve read a million times as a hiring manager), show me what you achieved, what you accomplished, and what you contributed in the past. WOW me with something other than the predictable, mundane job description. I want to know the challenges you faced in your previous roles, how you addressed them, and the results you obtained. This makes you different from everyone else. No two people will have the exact same experiences. Your experiences are what make you outshine your competition—USE THEM TO YOUR ADVANTAGE.
Are you passive or active?
Using terminology that is passive is boring and lacks action. Instead of using phrases like ‘served as’, ‘duties included’, ‘promoted to’, ‘worked with’ … choose strong action verbs. Action verbs do just what they say: they convey action and, ultimately, results. The hiring manager is interested in results you can provide about what you did along the way. Choose terms like: Launched, Catapulted, Spearheaded, and Pioneered. These terms tell me something. They show me the action you took and captivate my attention so that I want to read on to discover the results you achieved.
Your resume needs to do two things: It needs to capture the hiring manager’s attention—and it needs to motivate him or her to pick up the phone and call you for an interview. If you look and sound like everyone else, you have no competitive advantage. And therefore, you’ve provided the HR person with zero motivation to pick up the phone, call you, and schedule an interview. Stop creating a ‘same old, same old’ resume that looks and feels just like everyone else’s. Start today by adding some variety and focusing on your accomplishments.
View professional resume samples or submit your resume via e-mail to info@greatresumesfast.com for a free resume analysis.
Guest Expert:Jessica Holbrook is an expert resume writer, career and personal branding strategist, author, speaker and President/CEO of Great Resumes Fast. She creates high-impact, best-in-class, resumes and cover letters that win interviews. For a free resume analysis visit http://www.greatresumesfast.com/ or for a free phone consultation call 1.877.875.7706.
How to get hired by the best employers you've never heard of
via www.examiner.com
Personal Branding Blog: Metrics to Measure Your Personal Brand
How well branded are you? One way to find out is to use metrics – something you can measure against.
The metrics below don’t necessarily measure how effective your personal brand is (go to a personal branding consultant for that), but they do measure your online visibility and engagement.
1. Do a Google search for a leader in your field. Try searching for their name, plus:
- [First Last] +blog
- [First Last] +article
- [First Last] +author
This gives you an idea of how your content creation efforts stack up against theirs. It also shows what they’re writing about, and where they’re doing it. You may want to piggyback off their efforts if they’re publishing on popular niche sites you haven’t heard of.
Next, do same thing for your name and compare your results. How well are you doing? If they have twenty more blog posts under their belt, set out to bridge the gap. Also, where are they showing up that you aren’t?
2. Use grading tools to measure your engagement.
- If you use Twitter, measure your Klout score. Compare it to an industry leader’s score.
- If you have a website, measure your website grade with WebsiteGrader. Compare it to an industry leader’s grade.
- Calculate your Google Grade. Compare it to an industry leader’s Google grade.
3. Set goals for yourself. Now that you have tangible metrics to measure against, it’s time to set goals.
You may want to set a goal like:
- I will post one new article on a website in my field every week
- I will comment on two blog posts in my field every week
- I will read the latest bestseller in my field and write a review on Amazon.com once a month
Start small and work your way up. It’s easy to gain momentum if you set concrete, achievable goals. The more you start achieving smaller goals, the more you’ll be motivated to continue onto bigger goals. Start getting out there in front of people in your field and demonstrating your value in a memorable way!
Author:
Pete Kistler is a leading Online Reputation Management expert for Generation Y, a top 5 finalist for Entrepreneur Magazine’s College Entrepreneur of 2009, one of the Top 30 Definitive Personal Branding Experts on Twitter, a widely read career development blogger, and a Judge for the 2009 Personal Brand Awards. Pete manages strategic vision for Brand‐Yourself.com, the first online reputation management platform for job applicants, named one of the Top 100 Most Innovative College Startups in the U.S.
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