There is a lot of talk these days about how job seekers can "market themselves" and "build a personal brand" and, a phrase I often use, "communicate their value proposition." All of this can sound intimidating when you're faced with finding a job in a tough job market. Believe me I know - I've been there. I've been thinking about this a lot after seeing a really great concert last week. The artist in question is a young Scottish singer-songwriter who is currently touring the US. His name is Paolo Nutini and his music is hard to describe because his latest album is an eclectic mix of reggae, bluegrass, acoustic folky stuff, a little bit of rock ... And as a performer, he's even harder to sum up.

He's not fashionably dressed. He's a terrible dancer. He spends most of the show hunched over in an odd posture, and he rarely makes eye contact with the audience - in fact he spent most of his New York concert with his eyes closed. So weird is his performance style that one woman mistakenly thought he had been drinking. I overheard her telling her friend 'I would have enjoyed it a lot better if he hadn't been so drunk.' And yet the show was magnetic! It was the most fun I've had at a concert in a long, long time. Why? I think it's because the music and the performance was just absolutely 100% authentic. Paolo was completely in tune with his songs and he and his band exuded joy.
That joy was magnified by an audience that felt the authenticity and returned it. More and more I am working on capturing this spirit when working with my clients.

When I first started resume writing, I did it like everyone else. I wrote resumes the way I saw everyone else do it. My resumes were good, but could have come from 10 other resume writing services. But now that's not the case. Because instead of trying to squeeze my clients' histories into a template, I am focusing on their individuality. On what makes them authentically different from everyone else. And, having identified their unique personal value, I'm structuring the resume to fully communicate it. It makes my job much more fun than it used to be, and results in resumes that can't help but stand out from the rest. If you're currently looking for work, take a long look at your resume and cover letters and see if they capture what's uniquely 'you.'

Article by, Louise Fletcher and courtesy of CareerHub.com. The Career Hub blog connects job seekers with experts in career counseling, resume writing, personal branding and recruiting.

Posted by Candice Arnold on July 27, 2009 at 9:43 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

I love my local bookstore. Walking down each aisle, I look at one book after another, usually only stopping to review those books that catch my eye, either because of the title or because of the cover picture or a graphic that piques my interest.

While there are certain books I seek out, because of my own interests based on subject matter important to me, all the books I walk past have the potential to wind up in my library.

There is no such thing as a quick trip to the bookstore for me.

Once a book calls to me from the shelf to the extent that I stop to look closer, it has only one chance at securing its place on one of my bookshelves. And that one chance is determined by how I feel about it after reading the synopsis on the cover.

This may seem a little short-sighted to some of you. And admittedly, I have probably put back many a good book based on this method, but I gave those books the same opportunity as the ones I did take home. It's not my fault they didn't pull me in. I wanted to like them or I never would have picked them up in the first place. They simply did not give me enough information, or the right kind of information to deserve the time commitment I must make to complete the entire tome.

So it is with the cover letter, or the 'un-cover' letter, more aptly.

A busy manager looking to fill a post in his organization will have to sift through many resumes in his search for the right candidate. So that cover letter better stop him in his tracks or there is a good chance the resume will remain on the shelf, eventually finding its way to the bargain bin, and ultimately to the trash bin. Continue reading ...

Article by Jacqui Barrett-Poindexter, one of only 26 Master Resume Writers (MRW) in the world, who has a B.A. in Writing and is owner of Career Trend, a career strategy and writing firm serving a global market. Jacqui composes career positioning documents that land interviews for forward-thinking executives and professionals, unearthing and translating their 'value into words.' Connect with her on LinkedIn - http://www.linkedin.com/in/jacquibarrett. Follow her on Twitter - @ValueIntoWords

Posted by Candice Arnold on July 22, 2009 at 10:53 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

"Steel is an alloy consisting mostly of iron, with a carbon content between 0.2% and 2.14% by weight (C: 110 - 10Fe), depending on grade," according to Wikipedia's definition.

Steel begins its life as iron ore. Once the ore is mined, oxygen is removed, and the ore is combined with a preferred chemical partner such as carbon.

This process is known as smelting.

I'm sharing this information with you because of the car that sat in front of me at the bank window recently.

The car itself wasn't very old, and already the back end had been caved in by, either, a tailgater who wanted to find out how much of his own car would fit in the backseat of this one, or the inadvertent chance meeting with "tree-that-appears-out of-nowhere-while-I-was-in-reverse-looking-out-of-my-back-window-rearview-mirror-and-both-side-rearview-mirrors-all-at-the-same-time-an-aircraft-ground-traffic-flagman-was-guiding-me-out-of-my-driveway" tree. You know the one.

Anyway, it occurred to me that the steel that had been exposed by the paint and primer that had been chipped away during the accident, was already beginning to rust.

So, here you have a product that is used for everything from bed frames to space shuttle parts because of its strength and ability to be molded into so many different shapes and sizes. A material so vital and so flexible that without it I would have to say we would have few if any of the products that we take for granted on a daily basis. Bridges that take us across great chasms, automobiles that get us from point A to point B in relative comfort and speed, the machinery that protects our nation, the cutlery we use to feed ourselves, and the list goes on and on.

Yet, without a layer of primer, the air itself will destroy this amazing discovery. And of course a paint color of your choice aids in protecting as well as giving the steel-made product an appeal unmatched by, say, painted plastic.

How like our own career paths steel is. Continue reading ...

Article by Jacqui Barrett-Poindexter, one of only 26 Master Resume Writers (MRW) in the world, who has a B.A. in Writing and is owner of Career Trend, a career strategy and writing firm serving a global market. Jacqui composes career positioning documents that land interviews for forward-thinking executives and professionals, unearthing and translating their 'value into words.' Connect with her on LinkedIn - http://www.linkedin.com/in/jacquibarrett. Follow her on Twitter - @ValueIntoWords

Posted by Candice Arnold on July 21, 2009 at 1:49 PM | Leave a Comment (0)

Normally I tend to write blog posts that attempt to be positive and informative. This is not one of those posts so if that is what you are looking for you should probably skip this one because it's a bit of a rant.

Do you remember that line in the movie, "Pretty Woman," when Richard Gere, driving his friend's Lotus, gets lost in Hollywood and asks a prostitute, played by Julia Roberts, for directions? She told him it would cost $20 for directions. He was shocked and outraged by the high price for directions and asked Julia Roberts how she could charge him just to point him in the right direction. Her response was, "Well, I ain't the one who is lost now am I?" Sometimes that is what I feel like saying to potential clients who try to negotiate a lower resume writing fee, question what I charge to write a resume, or just plain lie about the amount of experience they have. I feel like many people just don't understand the skill and time it takes to create a great resume and, therefore, undervalue the price of a really good writer.

I have had it with clients and/or potential clients who misrepresent the amount of experience they have in order to qualify for a lower resume rewriting fee. It's ridiculous, disrespectful, and rude. Don't they realize that I am going to figure it out once I start interviewing them?

I have a current client who initially told me that he had less than 20 years of work experience and since his old resume had his work experience beginning in 1994, I believed him. The fee I currently charge for someone with less than 20 years of work experience is $375. I found out, once he had paid me and I began work on his resume, that he graduated college in 1982 but he just doesn't list his work experience prior to 1994 on his resume. Had this client been honest with me he would have paid between $500 and $650 for the resume because that is what I charge for someone with that much experience.

The problem with this particular client is that he is taking up a lot of my time as do most clients with a lot of experience. Whether a new client believes it or not at the outset of the process, the more experience you have the more there is to discuss. It doesn't matter if you include all of your work experience on your resume or not -- inevitably the past comes up in conversation and takes up more of my time. Furthermore, clients with more experience also have more revisions than clients with fewer years of work experience. I would imagine this is because the longer you have been in the workplace the more opinions you have which is why I charge more to write resumes for people with more experience.

I have many terrific clients but there are also those like the one I mention in this post who seem to think that I owe them work at no charge. Or maybe they think my time isn't valuable. I really don't know what they think but I am getting fed up with folks who attempt to take advantage of my generosity. Once I agree to work with a client I give 110% to make sure that he/she looks like a rockstar on the resume no matter how long it takes or how many conversations we need to have to clarify information. I don't think it's too much to ask that clients pay for the time I spend working on their behalf.

I go out of my way to give free advice to people whom I know cannot afford to pay for a resume and/or who are connected to individuals in my network simply because I have always felt that if you are kind to others it will come back to you in a positive way. Sometimes that is true but there are some people really seem to go out of their way to take advantage of those who are kind to them and it leaves a very bad taste in my mouth.

Writing is a skill and resume writing is a particular niche within the writing field. Just because you are a good technical writer or journalist doesn't mean you are a good resume writer. There are a lot of resume writing services in the world but very few are particularly good at it. I have a lot of respect for a very few resume writers like Barbara Safani, Louise Fletcher, and Susan Ireland.

Anyone who really knows how to write a resume knows that it takes more than a pretty format and a list of key words to create a compelling document that will be noticed by recruiters and hiring managers.

If you hire a resume writer just remember that it's hard work and nothing is for free. I don't owe you anything just because you don't feel like paying the full fee. If you want a discount or a cheap product please take your business someplace else. If you want a great resume and you are willing to pay for it I am happy to help you but please don't lie to me or take advantage of my good nature.

To paraphrase Julia Roberts: just remember, I am not the one who's lost.

Article by Liz Handlin and courtesy of Ultimate Resumes

Posted by Candice Arnold on July 21, 2009 at 7:23 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

I have recently heard about some really interesting online job search resources and tools that I thought might be helpful to job seekers.

15 Second Pitch is a free website that guides you through the creation of a 500 word pitch for you/ your services. I think this is a great tool for any job seeker because you need to have your elevator pitch ready whenever someone asks you why they should hire you. I heard about this tool from Susan Ireland and posted my 500 word pitch in the comments section of her blog as did many other people if you want to see what others' pitches look like.

Alliance Q is a job board created by and for large corporations. Don't put your resume on Monster if you want to work for ADP, Hewitt, or Avery Denison to name a few. Post your resume on Alliance Q instead.

I recently met a CPA/VP Finance job seeker who swears by RiteSite as a job search tool. I gave it a cursory glance but don't know much about the site. One thing he liked about it was that you can create resumes without your name on it that are searchable by recruiters so if you don't want your employer to know you are looking you can get your resume posted anonymously.

Liz Ryan recently wrote a post on Yahoo! Savvy Networker and I wish I had written it myself. She listed some key phrases to NOT include on your resume. And these are:

• 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

And finally, I want to address Video Resumes which haven't really taken off but some companies pitch to job seekers. While I can appreciate the benefits of a video resume for some people I can't imagine busy recruiters taking the time to load and watch a bunch of videos when its faster to just skim resumes. Also I read an interesting article about the legal pitfalls of video resumes which makes it pretty clear that if recruiters at large corporations listen to their attorneys they won't be watching video resumes to make hiring decisions.

Article by Liz Handlin and courtesy of Ultimate Resumes

Posted by Candice Arnold on July 16, 2009 at 2:43 PM | Leave a Comment (0)

A Job Search Style Makeover for Men

We've all heard about the importance of first impressions, and this is especially true during a job search when competition is fierce. Your appearance, resume and even the way you search for a job could be preventing you from getting the interviews and job offers you deserve. If you're concerned your job search is at a standstill because you appear to be too old, it's time for a job search style makeover.

Refresh Your Resume

Retro might be cool in some fashion or design realms, but it's not a good look for your resume. "Nothing communicates 'out-of-touch' more clearly than a resume that looks old-fashioned," explains Louise Fletcher, president of Blue Sky Resumes, a former Monster contributor and a career expert with 15 years of HR experience.

"Age discrimination isn't actually about age," says Fletcher. "It's about all the things that are erroneously assumed to go along with being older, such as being out of touch, less technologically aware and less energetic than a younger person."

Fletcher says the resume is a chance for you to show you're not any of those things. Here are some tips:

Trim early experiences, such as jobs older than 10 to 15 years.

• Include links to social networking profiles, such as LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter or Plaxo. Set up such profiles to be highly professional, not personal.
• Add information about hobbies if they are sports-related.
• Consider removing graduation dates.
• Review resume samples written by professional resume writers to see the latest style trends.

The resume shouldn't chronicle everything you've ever done. "Show that you are an invigorated job candidate who's not even close to peaking in your career," says Cliff Flamer, a professional resume writer and executive director of BrightSide Resumes. Flamer suggests illustrating that you've been keeping your skills refreshed, such as through certification courses, ongoing study, volunteer work and membership in professional organizations.

The key is relevancy. Focus on the qualifications that are most important to the job you're pursuing while underplaying older or irrelevant experiences.

Use Technology to Your Advantage

If you're mailing resumes through the US Postal Service and waiting for the phone to ring, you could be in for a long job search. "Older men need to understand that job searching doesn't work the way it used to," says Fletcher. Hiring managers are likely to source for candidates online using job boards like Monster.com, search engines and social networking sites.

"The best advice I can give any job seeker is to build a strong and professional online presence," says Fletcher. "Be on social networking sites, connect with as many people as you can, and -- if you have a talent for writing -- consider starting a blog and/or writing articles about your expertise." Also, your resume should be ready to go in email format, and you need to be well-versed on how to send documents and communicate via email.

Not only will using modern job search methods help you get noticed, but employers will see you are in tune with the latest technologies and tools.

Update Your Look

Now that your foot is in the door for a job interview, it's time for a style check. What message is your image conveying?

Joseph Rosenfeld, a San Jose-based image consultant and owner of JosephRosenfeld.com, says there's nothing wrong with showing signs of aging, but older men can create a style that is contemporary. "If a man hasn't been shopping for awhile, his clothes will look dated, and then he looks dated," says Rosenfeld, who has been providing style advice to men for more than eight years. He advises men to select a suit that looks sophisticated, fits well, flatters the body shape and is age-appropriate.

Also, pay attention to your hair. If the style is unkempt or has not been updated in awhile, go to a hair stylist, advises Rosenfeld. And what about gray hair? It comes down to personal preference. "If the job seeker wanted to revive a more youthful look, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend coloring hair," says Rosenfeld.

The ultimate confidence-booster is a focus on physical fitness. "When you walk in an interview and your endorphins are running high because you're staying active, you exude a youthfulness and an energy that people want to access," explains Rosenfeld. Staying fit can also influence your mental acuity, increasing the odds of a successful interview.

Remember that your experience and skills are of value to employers. The key is to get invited to interviews to give yourself the chance to shine. Your updated look and career marketing materials can help you do just that.

Article by, Kim Isaacs , director of ResumePower.com and author of The Career Change Resume book, and courtesy of ResumePower blog..

Posted by Candice Arnold on July 10, 2009 at 6:48 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

Written By Jimmy Sweeney
Author of the new, Amazing Cover Letter Creator

Every job seeker wants to land an interview that leads to a job.

A unique cover letter can make that happen.

Here's how:

Let the hiring manager know what you can do. Toot your horn a bit--without blowing him or her away! Run-of-the-mill cover letters waste a lot of space with meaningless phrases meant to impress the hiring manager. Example: I am enclosing, forthwith, a resume of my professional experience that lays out in detail the positions I've held with various companies, etc., etc. The result? Such letters land in the waste basket.

But you can move to the front of the line by getting right to the point--showing what you can do for the employer now. After the usual greeting and opening paragraph of your cover letter, where you introduce yourself to the hiring manager, grab his or her attention with a paragraph like this: (Change details to fit your specialty and target market.)

I have an A.A. degree from Longwood College with an emphasis
in sales and marketing. I'm eager to show you how I can expand
your southwest territory, bring in new clients, and take care of
existing ones with first-class customer service. I am committed to
putting great books in the hands of thoughtful readers and will do
all I can to make that happen.

If so, I hope you will give me an opportunity to put all of these traits into
practice, just as I've done successfully over the past eight years while living in Anytown, Texas and employed with Lawton Textbook Company.
Ready and Eager

Every hiring manager hopes to find that one job seeker who fits the open position perfectly. It could be you, but he or she will not recognize you unless you step to the front of the line with a cover letter that showcases your ability and your willingness to do a first-class job. By highlighting your talent and skills, the employer will have to look twice, for you are leaving no doubt that you have studied the company, the available job, and matched up the requirements with your unique abilities.

KEEP IN MIND: Hiring managers are as eager to fill job openings as you are ready to step into one of them when the opportunity arises. You can help make that happen by inserting a paragraph into your one-of-a-kind cover letter that shows with clear wording that you have what it takes and are therefore, an ideal fit.

Then get ready. Set your mark. And go as soon as you hear the phone ring with the hiring manager calling to schedule an interview for the job you're eager to fill.

Jimmy Sweeney is the president of CareerJimmy and author of the brand new, "Amazing Cover Letter Creator." Jimmy is also the author of several career related books and writes a monthly article titled, "Job Search Secrets."

Visit our friends at Amazing Cover Letters for your "instant" cover letter today. "In just 3 1/2 minutes you will have an amazing cover letter guaranteed to cut through YOUR competition like a hot knife through butter!"

Posted by Candice Arnold on July 2, 2009 at 3:11 PM | Leave a Comment (0)

Written By Jimmy Sweeney
Author of the brand new, Amazing Resume Creator

Many job seekers ask if they should include volunteer work as part of their job resumes when seeking new employment. It's a question worth looking at. Some employers are only interested in seeing the nuts-and-bolts details that show the what and where of your employment history.

Others want to see what you do in your spare time. They're not referring here to a round of golf on Saturday morning but rather what you do for the community as a volunteer. Perhaps you donate a few hours each week to a homeless shelter for men or you're part of a literacy program for immigrants or you provide meals for the elderly.

List your previous employment first--over the last ten or so years.

EMPLOYMENT HISTORY:

2000-2007 Assistant Sales Director, Acme Manufacturing, Inc.
Austin, TX

2007-2008 American University, Earned an M.A. in Sales and Marketing

Then create a spot on your resume for whatever volunteer work you've done or are now doing. Example:

VOLUNTEER WORK:

2000-2004 Led nature hikes for local Boys' Club. Organized annual barbecue to raise funds for the organization.

2004-2008 Assistant director of annual Thank You Picnic For Seniors. Here the community acknowledges our elderly for their contributions of time, wisdom, and volunteer hours to our citizens.

When you are called for an interview and further questions arise about your resume you'll be free to talk more fully about your volunteer work. You can show the hiring manager how community service on the part of employees adds to the company's credibility with residents, and is also a form of unpaid publicity for the organization's products and services.

When it comes to your resume, show the full spectrum of your experience--from work to volunteer service. Hiring managers will more likely consider you for the position they want to fill because you've been honest, forthright, and generous. Who wouldn't want to hire such a person?

Jimmy Sweeney is the president of CareerJimmy and author of the brand new, "Amazing Resume Creator." Jimmy is also the author of several career related books and writes a monthly article titled, "Job Search Secrets."

Visit our friends at Amazing Resume Creator for your "instant" resume today. In just 10 minutes flat you will have an amazing resume guaranteed to land you more hot job interviews next week.

Posted by Candice Arnold on July 2, 2009 at 3:06 PM | Leave a Comment (0)

Once you embark upon a job search your resume, perhaps previously gathering dust in a file drawer, will become the most important document you own. Job seekers have a tendency to show everyone they know a copy of their resume; many of them seem to weigh each opinion equally and continuously edit the resume based on the most recent "great advice" they have been given.

It seems like everyone has an opinion about what you need to do to create a good resume. In fact, if you do a quick Google search you will find that there is no shortage of resume writers in this country. If you look in your local yellow pages you will also probably find "resume writers" who a really typists who can format information for you. So, whose opinion counts when it comes to resumes? How do you know if you are getting good advice or not?

First of all if you are going to ask for advice on your resume you need to make sure you know what questions to ask. Are you asking for input on the formatting and general appearance? Do you want input on the content and appropriateness of the language used to describe your jobs? Or do you want to know if the resume does a good job of selling your unique skills and accomplishments? If you just ask someone, no matter how knowledgeable they are, "what do you think of my resume?" you aren't asking the most useful question. Make sure to ask very specific questions in order to elicit the most specific and helpful responses.

If I were going to ask for an opinion on my resume one of the most important criteria would be the knowledge, education, and qualifications of the person whom I asked to review the document. Here are a few thoughts on whom I would recommend that you ask and whom you should not ask for opinions on your resume.

Good Sources of Resume Critiques:

Hiring Manager in your field or desired employer. These can be some of the best people from whom to get feedback on your resume. These are the people who will make the final decision about whether or not they want to consider asking you to join their team. Their feedback on content is especially helpful. You will find that hiring managers are most interested in reading about your specific skills and accomplishments in areas that affect their bottom line. If that information isn't in your resume you need to do some edits.

Human Resource Professionals (in-house recruiters) in your field. These are the ultimate resume reviewers because they read, screen, and decide the fate of hundreds (sometimes thousands) of resumes every day. They want to see clearly written information about your jobs and accomplishments that is formatted in an easy-to-read but not overly fancy manner. They need to be able to rapidly assess whether or not its worthwhile to screen you for possible interviews with the hiring manager.

Elite Retained Recruiters: If I were going to ask for an opinion on my resume the first person I would ask would be one of the few really top recruiters I know. Some of the best recruiters in the country are well educated, have been in the business for years, and are trusted partners of their Fortune 500 and/or Private Equity backed clients. These recruiters are the best of the best and they know exactly what they and their clients want to see and how they want to see it presented on a resume. In my opinion these people offer some of the best resume feedback you can get.

NOT So Good Sources of Resume Feedback:

Your spouse. Unless your spouse has unique knowledge of the recruiting/hiring industry it is good to get an outside opinion on the overall content and look of the resume. On the other hand, your spouse or significant other can be very helpful in reminding you of key accomplishments or projects that you have forgotten about but should be listed on your resume. Use your spouse's knowledge and expertise wisely.

Junior Level Contingency Recruiters: "Contingency" recruiters get paid only if they fill a position within a client company. Many contingency recruiting firms will literally hire just about anyone with a pulse because they are paying them 100% commission; if they fail they get fired and if they make money for the company they can stay. These people often get no special training and are not required to have any particular level of industry knowledge, education, or background for the job other than a willingness to relentlessly cold call any company that might have a job opening they can try to fill. If you have a friend who just started a recruiting job they may not have really learned what hiring managers want to see in resumes yet. Weigh their resume feedback carefully before making changes.

Employees of your dream employer who don't know what you do and don't work in the area in which you are seeking employment. Just because you have a friend at Dell (for example) does not mean that he/she knows anything about resumes, your unique background, the department you seek to become employed by, or how to you should present yourself on paper. However, you should absolutely network with anyone you know at your dream employer - you just may not want to change your resume based on his/her feedback. Again, weigh feedback carefully before starting to edit.

Large resume writing companies that employ junior writers and who ask you to fill out comprehensive surveys. Resumes are personal. They are the ultimate marketing material for the most important product in the world: You. The experience, education, and background of the resume writer you choose to assist you is what matters most if you are going to pay someone to help you write your resume. A good resume rewrite involves in depth conversations between you and whom ever is creating the document for you. No surveys or questionnaires are needed.

Resumes should be clearly written, simply formatted, and should describe each of your jobs and accomplishments along with relevant dates. You should list your education, board memberships, volunteer positions, patents, publications, media appearances, and anything else that appropriately demonstrates that you are a star at what you do. Keep it simple and remember that this document only has to do one thing for you: market your skills in such a way that you get an interview. Once it lands you the interview the new "most important" document will become the paycheck you receive from your fabulous new job!

Article by Liz Handlin and courtesy of Ultimate Resumes

Posted by Candice Arnold on July 1, 2009 at 4:59 PM | Leave a Comment (0)