4 Ways To Combat Age Bias On The Job Market - Page 2

Author: Catey Hill


If you're over 55 and job hunting, you already know it's tough out there. Unemployed older workers are spending far longer looking for work than their younger counterparts. The latest data from the Labor Department shows that laid-off workers 55 and older spent an average of 35 weeks looking for work, compared with 30 weeks for 25 to 54 year-olds.

One reason experts say older professionals are having trouble: age bias on the part of employers. Roughly 25% of employers said they were reluctant to hire older workers, according to a 2006 survey by the Center on Aging and Work at Boston College. A 2007 study by the National Bureau of Economic Research found that after looking at only a resume, employers discriminated against women they perceived to be 50 or older. Job seekers and career experts say the trend has become worse since the recession began.

To combat age discrimination -- an incident in which a job applicant or employee is treated less favorably in any realm of employment (from hiring all the way to job termination) because of their age -- older professionals need to “come up with a plan to change the employer’s focus,” says Phil Rosenberg, president of reCareered, a career coaching service and web site. The biases potential employers might have include a belief that older workers aren't tech-savvy, have lower energy levels, demand too much money, or are harder to train than younger workers. And then there are the subtle biases that wouldn't stand up in court but still hurt, like the oft-heard term about experienced professionals interviewing for jobs: overqualified.

Here are four ways to turn recruiter perception around during the hiring process – and before it starts.

Revise your resume

By altering the emphasis and structure of a resume, job seekers can shift the focus from their age to their experience, achievements and skills, says Sherri Thomas, founder of Career Coaching 360. Highlight achievements in a measurable way: List the percentage increase in revenue that your department achieved under your watch, for example. This signals to employers that you are results-driven and motivated.

Also, listing every job isn’t mandatory. “It is fine to limit what experience you include on your resume,” certified career coach Hallie Crawford says. When applying to managerial jobs, list the past 15 years of experience, 10 years for a job that requires a fair amount of technical skill and five years for a very high-tech job. This takes emphasis away from your age and can also help combat the “overqualified” stereotype. Most employers are wise to the trick of leaving college graduation dates off a resume, says Crawford, so don't do it. And don’t leave experience dates off either. But, it's ok to, say, put that education line all the way down at the bottom of the document.

Link up at LinkedIn

Rather than sift through a barrage of HR-generated resumes, many hiring managers search for hires themselves, and LinkedIn is one of the first places they say they look. Make sure you have a robust LinkedIn profile with keywords that target the types of jobs you're looking for, and your connections list should include younger professionals -- not just your peers. This “helps reinforce the point that you are comfortable working alongside people junior to you,” says Tim Driver, the founder and chief executive of RetirementJobs.com. If you don’t have many young people in your network, consider joining a LinkedIn group for your industry and make connections that way.

Once you're well established on the site, try skirting HR altogether. Ask someone you know to put you in touch with the person making hiring decisions. The larger your network – online or off – the more likely you are to have a personal connection to the job you want.

Highlight “older worker perks” in an interview

Young workers may have their faults, too, often including a lack of professionalism and mediocre critical thinking skills. That's a boon for experienced professionals who can emphasize reliability, professionalism, level-headedness and other strengths that come with years of experience. Tell a story about how you achieved certain results at a job (like increasing sales by a certain amount), and incorporate references — true ones — that show you professionally managed your team, dilligently worked toward the goal and dealt with roadblocks even-handedly.

Driver also recommends highlighting the duration of your employment, which can help you stand out from younger workers. Recruiting a new employee can cost more than one-third of their annual salary, according to Driver. “As companies are under more pressure to reduce their cost per hire, people who stick with their jobs for a longer time -- like many older workers do -- are a big asset,” he says.

Look for older-worker-friendly employers

Companies that have an older customer base are especially interested in hiring older workers who can connect with clients, says Driver. RetirementJobs.com, which ranks employers according to how friendly they are to hiring older workers, says that Robert Half International (RHI: 26.00, +0.61, +2.40%), Travelers Insurance (TRV: 52.10, +0.11, +0.21%), FreshMarket and Staples (SPLS: 20.92, +0.27, +1.30%) all have good records of hiring and retaining older workers.

AARP offers a list of companies that are friendly to the 50-plus set, and SimplyHired.com offers a job search feature that lets you search by 50-plus friendly employers. Rosenberg says that, as might be expected, more technology-focused companies and industries, where change is continuous, tend to be less open to older workers. But firms in health care, education and financial services tend to embrace the over-50 crowd.

Original Source: SmartMoney.com

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Help For The Long-Term Unemployed

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Which Are More Effective In A Resume? Paragraphs vs Bullets - Page 2

Why Aren’t Paragraphs Effective Anymore?

As much as you want to believe otherwise, most employers/HR reps/recruiters aren’t reading your whole resume. And most aren’t reading your cover letter at all (see: http://recareered.blogspot.com/2009/12/is-your-cover-letter-obsolete-tradition.html).

On average, a resume reader spends 15 seconds reviewing a resume ... more for the resumes they are interested in, and want to interview. But the interview/non-interview decision is made in 15 seconds on average (see: http://recareered.blogspot.com/2010/02/10-ways-to-manage-your-resume-real.html).

How well do you think the human eye can pick up details from a paragraph in 15 seconds?

... It doesn’t.

If It’s Not Effective, Why Do Such A High Percentage Of Candidates Still Use Paragraphs?

Most candidates’ entire body of knowledge of job search was gained when they graduated college (or grad school) - when they searched for their first job out of school. In most years, the job market was strong enough that candidates didn’t have to be very savvy to stumble upon a good job - there were more jobs than candidates. Even prior recessions didn’t last that long, plus there were enough pockets of strong, growth (technology, finance, real estate) to allow easy paths for displaced workers to start over.

Most candidates don’t have to search for a job very often, so they’re naturally not experts in searching for a job. Most people use techniques that they are used to, what’s traditional, what worked the last time, and what everyone else is doing. Even this might work in a good job market - but not today.

Today, not only do we have a tough job market, but we have 50,000 internet job boards. This drastically increases the competition for jobs (even in a good market), because it’s now so easy to apply for a job, the opportunity cost drops to nearly zero - we can easily apply for 100 jobs or more in a day, just by clicking submit. You don’t even have to be qualified to apply, hoping “maybe you’ll get lucky”.

This caused employers to start getting flooded with resumes beginning in 2000, so they had to find a better way to handle the thousands of applicants some employers get for a single position. In order to make this volume manageable and also to comply with some new Federal labor laws, companies began using Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) to pre-screen resumes in a giant database. Now companies and recruiters could only actually look at the top 2-3% that came closest to their search criteria, based on Google-like searches.

HR staff and recruiters began being “graded” internally by a metric called “fill rate” - how quickly they could hire an acceptable candidate for a specific job. So HR and recruiting staff were being managed to find acceptable candidates quickly, rather than the best candidates.

So naturally, wanting to keep their jobs, HR staff and recruiters began working efficiently ... scanning most resumes visually.

In 2007, we started into the worst job market in our lifetimes and now have 6 unemployed for every job opening (plus the employed passive candidates who are also competing for the same jobs).

With this sort of competition, with ATS’, HR staff and recruiters focusing on efficiency, and just the physiology of how humans process information, paragraphs no longer work well to present information that reviewers can “see”.

What To Use Instead Of Paragraphs - Bullets that scream “Hire Me!”

OK, I’ll admit, that it’s not easy to say create a bullet that says “Hire Me!”. It’s especially tough to do if you don't write many resumes - when many experienced resume writers don’t even do this well. I've got some pointers to help.

Here are 5 ways to create bullets points that hiring managers remember:

1. Keep Under 2 Lines: The human eye doesn’t pick up detail well in bullets over 2 lines. They start to look like paragraphs.


2. Understand WIFT: Understand What’s In it For Them (WIFT), or what the reader cares about. The reader wants to know if you’ve solved similar problems to the ones they face today and what results those solutions provided. Your reader wants to know how much money (or benefit) you are likely to produce for them as an employer. Your reader really doesn’t care about WIFM (What’s In it For Me - the candidate). See http://recareered.blogspot.com/2010/03/job-seekers-tell-your-readers-wift.html .


3. Research to understand: Research is critical in order for a resume to get noticed. Going beyond the publicly available information allows a candidate to truly understand what the company/department/hiring manager’s most important problems, issues, and goals are. Talking to people within the company as part of your research allows you to understand and use the unique language, terminology, and jargon common to the company in your resume. This gives an immediate impression that you “fit in”. See: http://recareered.blogspot.com/2010/07/4-killer-ways-to-use-research.html .


4. Show Accomplishments: Most candidates, especially those over 40, stress responsibilities in their resume. Your future employer cares more about accomplishments and how much profit (or benefit) you brought to your past employer. If you are over 40, and stress responsibility in your resume, you’re unknowingly encouraging ageism. See: http://recareered.blogspot.com/2010/04/experience-vs-accomplishments.html .


5. Selective Bolding: Instead of bolding titles, companies, or 33% of the page, use bolding very sparsely, just to guide the human eye. Bold only keywords from your research, job description, and the solutions you’ve provided to company problems - so these keywords grab the readers’ attention during a 15 second scan. See: http://recareered.blogspot.com/2010/07/is-your-resume-over-bold.html .

Readers- especially HR reps, recruiters, and hiring managers: Any other ideas about using bullets to catch the reader’s attention in 15 seconds?

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7 Ways To Find Job Opportunities Using Your Target List - Page 2

Top 7 Ways To Leverage Your Target List:

1. Linkedin: Connect to employees of your target company through Linkedin. The closer to your target department/area/decision maker the better. Don’t send the standard Linkedin request (“I'd like to add you to my professional network on LinkedIn.”), many won’t accept standard Linkedin requests from those they don’t know personally - others may get offended and mark that they don’t know you (Linkedin’s term for spam - too many of these, and you’ll be asked to go home). Instead, write a custom connection request letter, complimenting on blogs, tweets, LI updates, or LI group posts they may have made. At the very least, mention that you’re researching company X to consider if you’d like to work there, and would like this person’s insight.


2. Networking events: To gain an understanding of which events are most likely to yield results with your target companies ask the following questions:
   
   • What organizations does your target company sponsor?
   • What charity events?
   • What networking or industry organizations does this company (or department) participate in?
   
   How do you find out? Ask people in your Linkedin network, study Linkedin profiles of company employees, study tweets and blogs of company employees. Look at the company’s press releases. All of these can give information about which organizations the company supports.


3. Ask your network: But ask the right question. Ideally, you’re seeking someone in a specific area of a company. And realistically, you’re not looking for a job ... you’re looking for people within the company to talk to - If you’re smart, you’re probably not going to ask these people for a job (unless you’ve gotten lucky and been referred to the hiring manager). Instead, ask to be introduced to people who can help you learn more about company X. See: http://recareered.blogspot.com/2010/08/bringing-your-resume-to-informational.html for more details.


4. Linkedin Company Follow: Linkedin Company follow is a great way to keep abreast of company news, company new hires, people leaving the company (good source of info), and job openings advertised on Linkedin. See http://recareered.blogspot.com/2010/04/linkedin-company-follow-helps-job.html to learn how to use Linkedin Company Follow to gain contacts and information on your target companies.


5. Search job boards: But don’t apply through them. Search the job boards for information ... The types of people the companies advertise for gives signals to the problems they are facing. New Executives build their own teams, numerous customer service ads may mean the company needs accounting or marketing help. An ad for a Controller with significant process improvement experience signals that the company is looking for people to help cut costs ... in other departments as well. See some more ideas at: http://recareered.blogspot.com/2010/05/3-ways-to-leverage-job-boards-and.html.


6. Twitter: Now that many Linkedin profiles display Twitter links, follow everyone you can from your target companies on Twitter. Use some of the many search tools on twitter for company mentions, and for other employees. Follow as many employees as you can, especially those in or close to departments you’re targeting. Twitter can be a great listening device, but can also be a way to start a conversation, discussion and the beginnings of a business relationship by making positive comments on Tweets by employees of your target companies.


7. Don’t rely on employees to “refer” you: Most companies today (other than really small ones) employ employee referral bonus programs, as a way to address government labor law compliance. These employee referral bonus programs aren’t as beneficial to candidates as you may think. Here’s some ideas about how to work referrals: http://recareered.blogspot.com/2010/05/how-employee-referral-bonus-programs.html.

Readers - please share your best practices about how to use target lists to gain more job opportunities and learn more inside information about target companies.

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Who’s Hiring - Top employers week of 9-27-10 - Page 3

Job Openings Added This Week - 9/27/10:

The business service, telecommunications, retail, health care and banking verticals are the top industries with new job postings this week based on a survey of the nation’s leading job advertisements added during the past seven days for the week of 9/20/10.

Business service led new hiring advertisements this week as IBM, Deloitte, KPMG, SAIC and CSC were included in the top job advertisers this week. Telecommunications was next as AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile were in the top firms adding advertisements for new hires this week.

Retail also added as Macy’s, Ross Stores, Sears, Kmart, Pilot, Nordstrom and Carquest Auto Parts posted new ads this week. Health care was also hiring as HCR ManorCare, Community Health Systems, Kaiser Permanente, Aurora Health Care, HCA Healthcare, DaVita, Genesis Healthcare, Brookdale Senior Living, UnitedHealth, Apria Healthcare, Kindred Healthcare and Rotech Healthcare advertised for staff this week.

Banking companies rounded out the list as Wells Fargo and Citizens Financial were in the top new advertisements this week.

Job Openings added this week by direct advertisers - Week of 9/27/10 (Recruiters & Staffing Companies not included):

1. IBM
2. AT&T
3. Macy's
4. Ross Stores
5. HCR ManorCare
6. Verizon Wireless
7. Sears
8. Wells Fargo
9. Kmart Corporation
10. Community Health Systems
11. Kaiser Permanente
12. Marriott International
13. T-Mobile
14. Pilot Travel Centers
15. Deloitte
16. Citizens Financial Group
17. Nordstrom
18. The Hertz Corporation
19. UPS
20. Aurora Health Care
21. KPMG
22. Bridgestone - Firestone
23. HCA Healthcare
24. DaVita
25. Lowe's
26. Genesis Healthcare
27. SAIC
28. Chrysler - Mopar
29. Brookdale Senior Living
30. UnitedHealth Group
31. Apria Healthcare
32. Snap-on Tools
33. Hilton Hotels
34. CARQUEST Auto Parts
35. Computer Sciences Corporation (CSC)
36. Kindred Healthcare
37. PDS Technical Services
38. Alpine Access
39. Columbia University
40. Rotech Healthcare

Sources: CareerBuilder, Monster, Indeed, SimplyHired, HotJobs, Google. Excluded: Recruiters, Staffing firms, Training, Franchise, and Work-from-home opportunities.

Readers – If you know of employers announcing significant hiring plans, or employers actively adding large numbers of employees, please comment below to add to this list.

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Who's Hiring - Top employers week of 9-20-10
Who's Firing - Layoffs week ended 9-24-10

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Who’s Hiring - Top employers week of 9-27-10 - Page 2

Total Job Openings week of 9/27/10:

Business Service firms led hiring companies as IBM, Deloitte, KPMG, SAIC and CSC were actively staffing. Hospitality companies remained top hiring firms as Pizza Hut, Marriott, Applebee’s and Cracker Barrel continued heavy job advertisements.

Telecommunications was next with AT&T and Verizon still staffing actively. Health care continues in a strong recruiting mode as HCR ManorCare, Kaiser Permanente, UnitedHealth, Gentiva Health Services, Community Health Systems, DaVita, HCA Healthcare and Genesis Healthcare were top job advertisers.

Retail continues hiring growth as Macy’s, Sears, Kmart, Blockbuster (just filed for bankruptcy), JCPenney, Ross Stores, Lowe’s, Murphy USA, Toys “R” Us and Pilot were in the top hiring firms. Banking stayed in the top employer list as Bank of America, Wells Fargo, JPMorganChase, Citizens Financial and PNC were heavily hiring.

Based on surveys of US job advertisements in the top job board aggregators, the following companies searched for the most job openings as of 9/27/10:

Total Job Openings by direct advertisers (Recruiters & Staffing Companies not included):

1. IBM
2. Pizza Hut
3. AT&T
4. HCR ManorCare
5. Macy's
6. Kaiser Permanente
7. Bank of America
8. Sears
9. Kmart
10. Verizon Wireless
11. Wells Fargo
12. General Dynamics
13. JPMorgan Chase
14. Blockbuster
15. JCPenney
16. Ross Stores
17. Deloitte
18. UnitedHealth Group
19. Gentiva Health Services
20. Boston Market
21. KPMG LLP
22. Marriott
23. Citizens Financial Group
24. UPS
25. PNC
26. HP
27. Community Health Systems
28. DaVita
29. HCA Healthcare
30. Genesis Healthcare
31. Lowe's
32. SAIC
33. Computer Sciences Corporation (CSC)
34. Murphy USA
35. Toys "R" Us
36. Applebee's
37. Cracker Barrel Old Country Store
38. Pilot Travel Centers
39. U.S. Army
40. Snap-on Tools

( Continued ... Top job openings added this week )

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Who’s Firing - Layoffs week ended 9-24-10 - Page 2

Top Layoffs week ended 9-24:

Job cuts were down for the past four weeks as less than 40 organizations announced layoffs of over 30 or more employees - this is about 60% of the pace most weeks of 2010.

Technology topped the list, as Siemens IT Solutions announced over 4,200 worldwide layoffs. Pharma came in second as Abbott is cutting 3,000 staff worldwide and Bristol-Meyers Squibb announced it’s cutting 840 worldwide positions.

Government was next as New York State announced it's trimming 2,000 positions statewide. Aerospace company Cessna is cutting 700 workers, while Hawker Beechcraft is laying off 350 employees, both from their respective Wichita KS facilities.

Banking rounded out the list as Bank of America announced up to 400 layoffs in various US locations.

Inclusion on this listing doesn’t mean the entire industry is down, as some from the same sectors appeared on the “Who’s Hiring” article published 9/20/10.

Job seekers: You might want to look in greener pastures than these companies.

Organizations announcing or rumored layoffs for the week ended 9/24/10:

• Siemens IT Solutions and Services, Various Worldwide (4,200)
• Abbott Laboratories, Various Worldwide (3,000)
• New York State, Various NY (2,000)
• Bristol-Myers Squibb, Various Worldwide (~ 840)
• Cessna Aircraft, Wichita KS (700)
• Bank of America, Various US (< 400)
• Hawker Beechcraft, Wichita KS (350)
• Mental Health Services, Baton Rouge LA (250)
• Ford Motor Company, Indianapolis IN (249)
• UC Berkeley's Operational Excellence campaign, Berkeley CA (200)
• Waldbaum's, West Hartford CT (195)
• Sea Ray, Palm Coast FL (170)
• Ericsson, Boulder CO (150)
• AT&T, New Haven CT & Reynoldsburg OH (246)
• Dillards, Coral Springs FL and Miami FL (128)
• City of Spokane WA (120)
• Broome County, Ninghamton NY (115)
• City of Fort Worth TX (102)
• Chevron Corp, Richmond CA (100)
• Lenoir Memorial Hospital, Kinston NC (100)
• Orion Technology, Anniston AL (94)
• Equistar Chemicals, Newton Square PA (93)
• Hamilton County, Cincinnati OH (85)
• Old Vineyard Behavioral Health Services, Winston-Salem NC (80+)
• StarTek, Greeley CO (76)
• Children’s Hospital and Health System, Milwaukee WI (75)
• Cumberland Heights Dependency Treatment Center, Nashville TN (63)
• DMI Furniture, Huntingburg IN (62)
• Grocery Haulers, Bronx NY (61)
• Lockheed Martin, Herndon VA (59)
• John Deere Seeding Group, Valley City N.D (55)
• State of Pennsylvania, Various PA (50)
• DC Entertainment, NYC NY (< 50)
• City of Salamanca NY (49)
• Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Cambridge MA (~45)
• Ocean Bank, Miami FL (38)
• Nortel Networks, Nashville TN (35)
• Coldwell Banker Devonshire Realty, Jacksonville FL (31)

Source: Google, Twitter, AllPinkSlips.com, Telonu.com, TechCrunch.com, CoStar.com, Gawker, Screwedd.com, Recessionwire.com

Readers – If you know of employers announcing significant layoff plans, or employers reducing large numbers of employees, please comment below to add to this list.

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Would You Rather Do Your Taxes Than Write Your Resume? Page 2

So job seekers have a task that they rarely do, feel they’re not very good at, the rules have dramatically changed in the past few years, everyone has a different opinion (usually conflicting), and it’s a task you feel guilty about not being comfortable with – because it’s writing about yourself!

So what do you do? Of course you could hire someone to write it for you, but you’ll still need something to start with. Here’s some help:

1. Schedule a day to write: Plan nothing else that day, so you’ll have time to procrastinate, and still get the job done. Choose someplace quiet – get a babysitter if you have to and go someplace else. Exercise first, to get the blood flowing, and the endorphins humming. And have a fresh pot of coffee. If you don’t have a laptop, arrange out of house activities for the kids, so you’ll have the house to yourself.


2. Use a template to start: There are resume templates everywhere, from the major job boards to alumni sites, or just Google resume template. Don’t sweat it which template to use. This will be a draft, and you’ll change it many times.


3. It’s not final: Don’t try to write a final copy when you are starting. Your resume is an iterative process. Even for a draft, you’ll want to have a process of writing then reviewing….a few times. You’re bound to find things to change for at least 3 review, minimum.


4. Take a break: After you’ve done a first draft, take a break. Go for a walk, or a run, or just get away from your resume. Take an hour, clear your head, and come back fresh to do a critical read and edit.


5. Have others review: It’s next to impossible to write a good resume without a third party reviewer. The reviewer will read it from a readers’ perspective, a difficult viewpoint for the subject of the resume…you.


6. Don’t worry about conflicting information: Plan on it, you’ll get conflicting advice – it’s going to happen. When you get conflicting information on your resume, I suggest you thank the person for their input, and make your choice of who’s advice makes sense for you. After all, it’s your resume at the end of the day.


7. Spelling, grammar, format, tabs, margins, fonts all matter: You only get two chances to be perfect in your life – when you’re born, and on your resume. You’ll be competing with hundreds, or thousands of other applicants for a single opening. Why would a HR reviewer or hiring manager choose an imperfect resume, when they see almost limitless numbers of perfect ones?


8. Don’t settle: Don’t settle for ok, good, or good enough for your resume. With the amount of competition you’ll face, your resume has to be stellar, exemplary….because your competition is. Hiring managers see only the top 2-3 % of resumes. So good enough just isn’t good enough anymore.


9. Stop procrastinating: I know you dread this…everyone does. I feel your pain. Now gut up and start.

So…what are you waiting for? Get typing!

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Should I Send Pre-Interview Letters & Resume To Each Interviewer? Page 2

Reader D.S. asked:

“I've been through two rounds of phone interviews for a senior management position at an international organization.

I have face-to-face interviews scheduled where I will be meeting individually with the hiring manager and four other HR leaders. In preparing for the interviews, I have managed to ascertain the areas of focus for each interviewer. Since I know their emphasis, I have considered writing a cover letter to each interviewer addressing my skills and experiences specific to their areas of interest.

I would present the cover letter with a copy of my resume and job description specific summary of qualifications at the interview. My thought process is that we will have limited time in the interview process, and I want them to have a personalized take away which not only demonstrates my attention to detail, but gives them references for any questions they may have regarding my qualifications following the interview.

Is this a good strategy, or will it possibly be perceived as ‘too much’?”

D.S., First of all ... congratulations for trying to go the extra mile to differentiate yourself.

But there are more effective ways to accomplish your goal.

If you know the areas of focus for each manager, you have some powerful information - you know each manager’s problem.

Even if sending a pre-letter worked (it usually doesn’t - I’ll explain why), you’re telling each interviewer why you’re a good fit. You’ve probably already done this in phone interviews already and hopefully your resume addresses your qualifications. Do you think that telling them again will make them more convinced that you’re the right guy for the job?

How do you make decisions about who you hire or what you buy? Are you more likely to decide to buy a product because a salesman told you that it would satisfied your needs?

... or because the salesman allowed you to realize on your own that the product satisfied your needs?

You can do the same thing in an interview, but not by clubbing your interviewers over the head with your qualifications another time through what’s essentially a sales letter. Instead of telling them you’re the right person for the job, could you guide them to make that realization themselves?

Which do you think would be make a more powerful impact?

You’ve got the information you need to do this ... you know their areas of focus, their interests, their problems. Why not ask questions to draw out their focus, interests, and problems? Once the interviewer has stated their area of focus (which you already know), it can be a very powerful response to answer something like “What a coincidence, I helped my prior employer solve a problem just like that, saving them $X bazillion dollars. Here’s how I ... “.

For the next interviewer, ask separate questions to draw out that specific interviewer’s focus, so you can be surprised ( :) ) that you also helped your past employer solve a similar problem. And so on ...

In this way, when the interviewers meet, they aren’t talking about your qualifications, because you steered the conversation beyond simple qualifications. Instead, the interviewers are talking about how you can solve immediate problems, make impact, and make each manager’s life easier because you’ve already been the cure for each manager’s pain.

If the company has done heavy phone screening, then you can assume that most every candidate they interview is qualified. Few of these candidates will be able to demonstrate that they can make a fast impact on the business. The few that do have a name - they’re called finalists.

Why the pre-interview letters don’t work well? Here’s why:

1. Many candidates: The people interviewing you are interviewing a number of candidates, and have reviewed a number of resumes. Especially if you’ve never spoken with them before, it’s likely they won’t recognize your name as the person on their interview schedule next week. There’s a good chance that your name won’t be recognized, your letter won’t be read, and your email will just be forwarded to HR - so they can put your resume in the company database. Isn’t it already there?


2. Many emails: They get hundreds of emails per day and have learned how to delegate emails so they can accomplish something with their day. Where do managers delegate resumes? To HR. Isn’t it already there?


3. Communication: Does each manager know the names of the people they are interviewing with? Or just that they have to block out time on their calendar for interviews?

Even if these managers are incredibly aware, have gotten great communication, and have photographic memories, consider how you’ll be more effective:

Slamming them over the head with your qualifications?

or

Having them discuss their problems, so you can solve them?


Recruiters and employers - Who would you rather hire for your team?

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Why Would You Send A One Page Resume? Page 2

Why did single page resumes become popular in the first place?

As a job seeker, why are you sometimes advised to use a single page resume? Because they used to help candidates ... about 10 years ago.

When paper or faxed resumes were the norm, if a job seekers could cram all the important parts of a resume onto a single sheet of paper, more of your history was likely to be seen by the reader. In a 15 second scan of a sheet of paper, the reader picks up details on the first page - it requires the reader to spend more time and read the back pages to pick up later detail.

Also, when paper resumes were the norm, your resume could be more generalized - it was expected to be general, because you took it to Kinkos’s to have it printed ... on paper. It couldn’t be specific to the employer, because you printed a few hundred copies. You used a cover letter to make it specific back in the day



It worked ... then.

When resumes were written on paper ...

... and dinosaurs roamed the earth.



But just like many things in job search - things changed. So did resumes.

As job boards proliferated it changed resumes in these ways:

• Resumes were mainly distributed digitally
• Resumes were now mainly read on screen, not paper
• Digital resumes were more easily customized than paper, so customization became expected
• Employers were flooded with resumes, as many as 10-30 times more than before, as the opportunity cost of sending a resume dropped to zero
• Employers implemented Applicant Tracking Systems to digitally pre-screen resumes for keywords

How does this effect resume length?

Now employer-specific keywords and resume customization are more important than length in most cases (No, that doesn’t mean I recommend 10 page resumes). Here’s what that means to a candidate:

1. More than 5 or 3: If you’ve been working for more than 5 years, or in more than 3 jobs - how can you present information specific to an opportunity/employer in just a page?


2. Sweet spot reduced to 1/2 the first page: Now that resumes are read on screen, you’ve got to make an impression in the top half of the first page (above the fold) to get the reader to continue. Once your resume is more than 1/2 of a page in length, the reader has to scroll to see even the entire first page. Once your resume has conquered reader inertia, having the reader to continue to scroll to page 2 doesn’t risk the information being ignored, as it does with a paper resume.


3. Employer-specific customization: With ATS key word pre-screening, customization is now more important than length. How can you hit the employer’s key words in just one page? Or are you hoping that the words on your page magically happen to match the words searched for?


4. Ageism: To a company that uses technology to pre-screen resumes, submitting a resume that doesn’t take advantage of the system is assumed not to “get it”. Single page resumes are typically (but not always) submitted by candidates over 40. Either that or by rookies (if you’re a rookie, applying for a rookie job, see exceptions below).

There are some exceptions, where single page resumes make sense:

1. Rookies: People early in their career don’t have enough interesting detail to make a solid second page. This isn’t a contradiction from the over 40 comment above. Single page early in your career works - it stops working well after about 5 years of experience or about 3 jobs. Employers expect single page rookie resumes.


2. Candidates who already have changed careers: If you began your career as an accountant but your last job was starting over as a lion tamer (and you want to continue running away with the circus), you’ll want to emphasize your lion taming skills, rather than your skills to balance the books. Since your earlier accounting career will be irrelevant to most lion tamer employers, you can just list the earlier jobs without detail. Unless, of course, you taught lions how to work a calculator.


3. Mailed or faxed resumes: If requested by the company to mail or fax resumes, then the paper rules apply, and a single page resume may make sense. If the employer gives a website or email, always use that. Sending a resume by mail won’t stand out - it will almost always still get sent to HR, unless it’s first misplaced or thrown out.

Do you still think a single page resume makes sense?

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August 2010 Employment Trends Show Slight Uptick - Page 3

Growth by Metro Area:

Indeed.com publishes a monthly report of where the jobs are, giving insights into which job market is strongest and which is weakest. Indeed's job market survey shows slightly increased job advertising activity, demonstrating very slow growth.

Indeed's August 2010 survey of job advertisements show the job market is strongest in Washington DC, NYC NY, San Jose CA and Baltimore MD. Washington has been at the top of the list for a while, as federal government spending remains high. San Jose gained last month, after dropping a few spots a few months ago, while Baltimore dropped a spot. The remainder of the 10 top job markets are geographically in the Northeast, North Central, and Northwest US (plus Austin): Hartford CT, Cleveland OH, Seattle WA, Boston MA, Austin TX, Milwaukee WI all share a 1:2 ratio. In addition, Denver CO, Richmond VA, and St. Paul MN are also at 1:2 ratio of unemployed to job advertisements.

I remain shocked that we’re still talking about Cleveland and Milwaukee as two hot spots of the job market? It’s about as likely as the Cubs winning the World Series (or even making the playoffs).

At the opposite end of the spectrum is Los Angeles CA (#48, 1:7), Detroit MI (#49, 1:8) and Miami FL (#50, 1:8). Florida has the unfortunate distinction of having 3 of the worst 10 job markets - Orlando (#42, 1:4) Jacksonville (#43, 1:4) and Miami (#50, 1:8). California continues to have 3 of the worst 10 job markets - Sacramento (#45, 1:5), Riverside (#47, 1:7), and Los Angeles (#48, 1:7).

Some of these ratios improved slightly last month, while others fell. New Orleans increased 7 spots (after dropping 10 spots in July and 13 spots in June) as the fishing industry started to recover from oil spill related job losses, while Memphis TN picked up 7 spots, Houston TX picked up 6 spots, Atlanta GA picked up 6 spots, and Birmingham AL picked up 5 spots. This indicates that job growth continues to be spotty - we are starting to see some growth in some selected places, but it typically hasn’t been sustainable in multiple months. The ratios are improving in markets overall but improving slowly.

Chart source: Indeed.com Blog

SimplyHired: Job Competition by Metro Area

SimplyHired publishes it’s data a month later, so their most recent figures are from July 2010. SimplyHired also looks at job competition including mid-sized metro areas.

SimplyHired listed the best 5 Metro areas as: Burlington VT/Plattsburgh NY, Paducah KY/Cape Girardeau MO/Harrisburg IL, El Paso TX/Las Cruces NM, Omaha NE, and Des Moines IA/Aimes IA.

The website listed the 5 worst job markets as: Fresno CA/Visalia CA, Harlingen TX/Weslaco TX/Brownsville TX/McAllen TX, Youngstown OH, Las Vegas NV and Detroit MI.

Best and Worst Metros for Job Seekers - July 2010

Chart Source: SimplyHired.com

To summarize the findings of these reports, we're seeing continued slight job growth suggesting a slow recovery remains tentative and inconsistent. The effects of census jobs are over and won’t have an effect on future hiring.

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July 2010 Employment Trends Ends Flat
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August 2010 Employment Trends Show Slight Uptick - Page 2

The good news behind this is private sector jobs increased 763K year to date, led by the health care industry that added 259K employees and temp firms have added of 392K workers since September 2009.

Job growth still was inconsistent, effecting some cities, industries and job functions more than others. Some job markets remain in the dumper - Miami, Detroit held flat but Los Angeles dropped 2 spots - all three remain in deep trouble with up to a 1:8 (Los Angeles was 1:7) ratio of unemployed workers to job advertisements.

Growth by Function:

Indeed tracks employment trends by industry each month. Indeed's August 2010 trend by industry survey shows growth in all fields, except health care. While health care shows the least growth from last year at 17% compared to August 2009, there were over twice the number of health care openings (819K) than retail (408K) the next closest industry. The greatest changes were in transportation (a humongous 119%), manufacturing (67%), media/newspaper (65%) and retail (55%).

Chart source: Indeed.com Blog

( Continued ... Growth by Metro Area )

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Who’s Hiring - Top employers week of 9-20-10 - Page 3

Job Openings Added This Week - 9/20/10:

The business service, hospitality, telecommunications, health care and banking verticals are the top industries with new job postings this week based on a survey of the nation’s leading job advertisements added during the past seven days for the week of 9/20/10.

Business service led new hiring advertisements this week as IBM, Deloitte, Booz Allen and SAIC were included in the top job advertisers this week. Hospitality was next as Pizza Hut, Marriott and Hilton were some of the top companies adding new advertisements this week.

Telecommunications also added as AT&T and Verizon were in the top 10 firms adding advertisements for new hires this week. Health care was also hiring as Kaiser Permanente, HCR ManorCare, Ageis Therapies, UnitedHealth, Amedisys, Genesis Healthcare and Community Health Systems advertised for staff this week.

Banking companies rounded out the list as Wells Fargo, JPMorgan Chase, Citi, PNC and Bank of America were in the top new advertisements this week.

Job Openings added this week by direct advertisers - Week of 9/20/10 (Recruiters & Staffing Companies not included):

1. IBM
2. Pizza Hut
3. AT&T
4. Kaiser Permanente
5. Wells Fargo
6. HCR ManorCare
7. Kmart
8. JPMorgan Chase
9. Murphy Oil
10. Verizon Wireless.
11. Sears
12. Citigroup
13. UnitedHealth Group
14. Pilot Travel Centers
15. Deloitte
16. Murphy Oil
17. C.R. England
18. SAIC
19. Raytheon
20. Booz Allen Hamilton
21. Macy's
22. KinderCare Learning Centers
23. Northrop Grumman
24. PNC
25. Lowe's
26. Research In Motion
27. Genesis Rehabilitation
28. Marriott
29. Bank of America
30. HP
31. Walmart
32. Snap-on Tools
33. Hgi Healthcare
34. Hilton Hotels
35. CARQUEST Auto Parts
36. UPS
37. Bed Bath and Beyond
38. UHS - Edinburg Regional
39. Columbia University
40. PDS Technical Services

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Who's Hiring - Top employers week of 9-13-10
Who's Firing - Layoffs week ended 9-10-10

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Who’s Hiring - Top employers week of 9-20-10 - Page 2

Total Job Openings week of 9/20/10:

Business Service firms led hiring companies as IBM, Deloitte, Booz Allen and CSC were actively staffing. Hospitality companies remained top hiring firms as Pizza Hut, Marriott, Applebee’s and Cracker Barrel continued heavy job advertisements.

Telecommunications was next with AT&T and Verizon still staffing actively. Banking stayed in the top employer list as Bank of America, Wells Fargo and JPMorgan Chase were heavily hiring.

Health care continues in a strong recruiting mode as Kaiser Permanente, HCR ManorCare, UnitedHealth, Amedisys, Gentiva Healthcare, Genesis Healthcare, Community Health Systems, DaVita and HCA Healthcare were top job advertisers. Retail continues hiring growth as Sears, Macy’s, Kmart, JCPenney, Lowe’s, Murphy USA, Toys “R” Us and Pilot were in the top hiring firms.

Based on surveys of US job advertisements in the top job board aggregators, the following companies searched for the most job openings as of 9/20/10:

Total Job Openings by direct advertisers (Recruiters & Staffing Companies not included):

1. IBM
2. Pizza Hut
3. AT&T
4. Bank of America
5. Kaiser Permanente
6. HCR ManorCare
7. Wells Fargo
8. Sears
9. JPMorgan Chase
10. Verizon
11. Macy's
12. H&R Block
13. General Dynamics
14. Kmart
15. Deloitte
16. UnitedHealth Group
17. Amedisys
18. Northrop Grumman
19. Gentiva
20. Booz Allen Hamilton
21. HP
22. Marriott
23. JCPenney
24. Lowe's
25. Genesis Healthcare
26. Community Health Systems
27. DaVita
28. HCA Healthcare
29. Murphy USA
30. Computer Sciences Corporation (CSC)
31. U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
32. Toys "R" Us
33. Applebee's
34. Microsoft
35. Cracker Barrel Old Country Store
36. Pilot Travel Centers
37. Chrysler - Mopar
38. U.S. Army
39. PDS Technical Services
40. Snap-on Tools

( Continued ... Top job openings added this week )

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Who’s Firing - Layoffs week ended 9-17-10

Top Layoffs week ended 9-17:

Job cuts were down for the past four weeks as less than 50 organizations announced layoffs of over 30 or more employees - this is about 2/3 of the pace most weeks of 2010.

Transportation topped the list, as FedEx services announced over 1,700 layoffs affecting its employees at various US locations while Boeing trimmed 400 employees throughout the US.. Biotech came in second as Genzyme is cutting 1,000 staff from its Cambridge MA operations.

Technology was next as Dell announced 975 layoffs at two NC facilities. Hospitality company Mohegan Sun is cutting 475 workers due to lower tourist attendance and stays, while the Las Vegas Plaza Hotel is laying off 400 employees.

Retail rounded out the list as A & P announced 416 layoffs from 4 Connecticut locations, while Rite-Aid cut 388 workers from its Rome NY operations.

Inclusion on this listing doesn’t mean the entire industry is down, as some from the same sectors appeared on the “Who’s Hiring” article published 9/13/10.

Job seekers: You might want to look in greener pastures than these companies.

Organizations announcing or rumored layoffs for the week ended 9/17/10:

• FedEx Corp, Various US (1,700)
• Genzyme Corp, Cambridge MA (1,000)
• Dell, Kernersville NC and Winston-Salem NC (975)
• Mohegan Sun, Uncasville CT (475)
• The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Co, Branford CT, Middletown CT, Old Lyme CT, Mystic CT (416)
• Plaza Hotel, Las Vegas NV (400+)
• Boeing, Various US (400)
• Sara Lee Corp, Various US (390)
• Rite Aid Corporation, Rome NY (388)
• Thermo Fisher Scientific, Dubuque IA (350)
• Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, Lebanon NH (300)
• Community Bankers Trust, Various VA, MD, GA (290)
• Los Angeles Community Redevelopment Agency, Los Angeles CA (270)
• Baylor College of Medicine, Houston TX (216)
• International Automotive Components (IAC), Greencastle IN (202)
• Con-Way, Portland OR (200)
• North Memorial Hospital, Robbinsdale MN (200)
• North Dallas Holdings LLC - Regency Hospital, Carrollton TX (155)
• North Texas Tollway Authority, Various TX (140)
• Jacobs Engineering, Clear Lake CA (129)
• Boston Medical Center, Boston MA (119)
• Georgia-Pacific, Roxboro NC (118)
• Peter Cooper Village, New York NY (115)
• Freedom Financial Network LLC, Sacramento CA (120)
• City of Pontiac MI (104)
• Apex Tool Group, Hanover MD (100+)
• Dallas County Constable's office, Dallas TX (~ 100)
• ACS Xerox Co. Atlanta GA (93)
• Chromalloy Gas Turbine Corporation, Carson City NV (91)
• Sitel, Longview TX (90)
• Crothall Services Group, West Palm Beach FL (79)
• Federal-Mogul, Boyertown PA (73)
• The Chicago Transit Authority, Chicago IL (70)
• Eastman Kodak Co, New York NY (67)
• Cruise West, Seattle WA (65)
• Aerospace Testing Alliance, Tullahoma TN (64)
• American Cast Iron Pipe Co, Birmingham AL (59)
• Field Museum, Chicago IL (50)
• Miami Herald, Miami FL (49)
• The Men's Wearhouse, Fife WA (42)
• Victaulic, Forks Township PA (42)
• Akron Police Department, Akron OH (40)
• Sangamon County, Springfield IL (37)
• Realtime Worlds, Boulder CO (33)
• Chula Vista Police Department, Chula Vista CA (< 33)
• TAMKO Building Products, Phillipsburg KS (32)

Source: Google, Twitter, AllPinkSlips.com, Telonu.com, TechCrunch.com, CoStar.com, Gawker, Screwedd.com, Recessionwire.com

Readers – If you know of employers announcing significant layoff plans, or employers reducing large numbers of employees, please comment below to add to this list.

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Who Needs Generalists Anymore? Page 2

Remember, back in the day, when employers wanted generalists? Well rounded employees that could adapt to anything? It's all changed - Here's why:

From 2000-2001, a “perfect storm” of events all combined to change employer demands for subject matter expertise.

Consider this…during that time period, all of the following happened:

• The majority of resumes were delivered online


• CareerBuilder, Monster dramatically increased membership of job seekers


• Numerous other job boards grew in popularity


• The majority of company web sites now housed expanded Career sections. The majority of large and mid-sized companies were listing all of their jobs on their websites.


• Advertised jobs were now thousands of resumes for each position


• Proliferation of inexpensive home internet connections


• Reasonably priced Applicant Tracking Systems were implemented to manage the flood of resumes companies were receiving electronically


• Hiring of consultants for small projects became widely popularized, as timely project completion became mission critical


• Companies were careful not to add headcount during a recession.


• The distinction between employees and contractors became blurred as more subject matter experts chose to work as independent consultants


• Subject matter experts were suddenly available due to a recession

This perfect storm of events allowed Hiring Managers to micro-target multiple criteria in job searches, allowing them to search for subject matter expertise.

And since a post 9/11 recession was underway, there was a great deal of specialized talent available.

So why did Hiring Managers begin to favor subject matter experts?

... Because they could.

And Hiring Managers over the past 9 years now have gotten used to and expect Subject Matter Expertise.

But strangely enough, most job seekers haven’t gotten used to living in a Subject Matter Expert world. Most still describe themselves as generalists, and write resumes to look like they can do all things for all people.

But as Seth comments …“When choice is limited, I want a generalist. When selection is difficult, a jack of all trades is just fine. But whenever possible, please bring me a brilliant specialist.”

Bet Seth in the end, why did you cave? You added a PS the next day, stroking the generalists in your audience who complained, and gave the irrelevant reference that Leonardo was a generalist. By today's standards, Leonardo is a generalist, but back in the 15th Century, he would be considered a Subject Matter Expert, the best in the world in science - science would not evolve to develop more granular specialties for more than 100 years. Then again, people like daVinci just don’t come around every day, and in today’s world how many employers' could afford Leonardo’s salary or hourly rate? Hiring Leonardo would be similar to hiring Bill Gates.

So which do you want to be today … a generalist, or a specialist?

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7 Ways to Discover - Who Do I Want to Be? Page 2

Here’s 7 tips to help you discover who you want to be:

1. Set Broad Goals: Set broad goals for Work/Life Balance, material and family goals, knowledge and experience goals, before you set income, title, or company goals.


2. Ask: Ask yourself what you enjoy, what you are best at, what your challenges are. Ask your peers, ask your network, ask coaches, ask interviewers, ask employers. Ask industry forums and Question/Answer sites (See http://recareered.blogspot.com/2008/04/do-what-you-love-love-what-you-do.html). Ask everybody.


3. Listen: Really listen. Remember that listening to this type of advice may be difficult. You may hear things you don’t want to (but need to) hear. You may get advice that conflicts with the personal view you have of yourself. Listen to the marketplace, via job ads, industry forums, question/answer sites. The more people you ask, the more conflicting advice you’ll get. But listen to your gut and to your close personal advisors…together decide who’s right, and who gives advice that makes sense.


4. Question: Ask Why.


5. Research: Research the marketplace. See which skills are the most in demand. SimplyHired offers a great tool for this, which I reviewed here http://recareered.blogspot.com/2008/04/ditch-your-crystal-ball-try-hiring.html


6. Match: Match your skills with what’s in demand in the marketplace based on your research. For more information, see my earlier article http://recareered.blogspot.com/2008/03/which-subject-matter-am-i-expert-at.html Match your skills with your non work demands and needs for work vs life tradeoffs.


7. Embrace Change: Change is good. Change is personal growth and progress. Change brings unplanned opportunity and serendipity. If you embrace change with a positive attitude and visualize your goals, you can’t help but reach your goals. Just remember, that in your journey to reach your goals…they often change as you grow and change personally. See: http://recareered.blogspot.com/2009/11/step-out-of-your-comfort-zone.html

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Help For The Long-Term Unemployed - Page 2

Author: Catey Hill


More than six months ago, Naomi Bishop was laid off from her job as a social media strategist when her former employer closed its Seattle office. She’s kept busy with freelance consulting work, but the months without full-time employment are starting to take a toll. “With each passing day, I worry that I am becoming less employable,” she says.

She’s right to worry. Prospective employers don’t like to see big gaps on a resume. Still, Bishop has plenty of company. The long-term unemployment rate hit an all-time high this year -- in May, 46% of unemployed people had been out of work for six months or more, according to the Labor Department. Today, 6.2 million (42%) of unemployed people fall into this group. During the recession in the early 1980s, only about 25% of the unemployed had been out of work for six months or more.

For job-seekers, long-term unemployment can have severe consequences. In addition to the impact on a worker’s ability earn and save money, being out of the workforce can impact job skills, increase the likelihood of unhappiness and anxiety, and heighten the probability that a worker will drop out of the workforce altogether, economists say.

“People who have been unemployed for a while have the hard task of staying upbeat and positive,” says Marc Dorio, an executive coach and author of “The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Career Advancement,” adding that "some employers might not view that long unemployment in the best light." Nonetheless, the long-term unemployed can still find a job if they know how and where to look, he says. Here’s what to do.

Fill in employment gaps

If you’ve been busy during your unemployment, show it. If you’re using relevant skills for volunteer work, or to build a blog or a house, put it on your resume. And if you haven’t been doing those things, what’s stopping you? Volunteer at an organization that might have work for you related to your field, says Phil Rosenberg, President of reCareered, a career coaching service and web site. Not only will it keep you sharp and motivated, it can give you a foot in the door if a job opens up there or be a valuable networking opportunity. At the very least, it’s good for your resume.

Cast a wider net

If you have been looking for months, it may be time to expand your job search. Apply for jobs even if you think you’re overqualified. Try new arenas for job postings -- Indeed.com and SimplyHired.com, both of which aggregate job listings, are helpful starting points. Find companies that you might want to work for and send a letter to the person who would be your boss if you worked there, Dorio says. Discuss how your skills and experience would benefit the company and ask the person to keep you in mind for future positions.

Reimagine your skills

According to a recent CareerBuilder survey, 51% of workers who had been laid off in the last year and landed new jobs said they found work in a different area than where they were previously employed. Unemployed workers who want to make a switch should look at industries or employers that are hiring and ask themselves how their skills might apply to these jobs, Dorio says.

Sign up with a temp agency

Employers are increasingly hiring for contract and temp work, career coaches say. Even if you would prefer a full-time job, you may want to consider a temporary or contract position. You can (and probably want to) keep looking for a full-time job, says Hallie Crawford, a certified career coach, but some temps and contractors eventually get hired into full-time positions.

Stay positive

Keeping your spirits up during a protracted job search can be a struggle, but it’s important to try. “It comes across in job interviews, talking to contacts and in your overall demeanor,” says Allison Nawoj a communications manager at CareerBuilder. For help, consider joining an online job search or unemployed support group or reaching out to your family and friends.

Original Source: SmartMoney.com

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Related Articles:
Why Doesn’t HR (Recruiters & Hiring Managers) Follow Up?
When The Job Ad Says Don't Call

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Source: http://reCareered.blogspot.com

Should I Include My Address On My Resume? - Page 2

Last week, one of my clients, R.R. asked me:

”Should I include my address on my resume? I heard at a community career center that it’s a bad idea ... “

R.R. was concerned about the risk of identity theft, a common concern today. However, she is also looking for a real estate job and had a number of years of experience in a specific neighborhood of a major metropolitan city. Additionally, she has an incredible amount of community, volunteer, and non-profit leadership experience with organizations located in the same local community.

So R.R.’s address is very important information to her job search, isn’t it? Not including her address limits her ability to be found by neighborhood - because her resume can’t be found in a search by address or zip.

In the case of applying for an out-of-town position and if you don’t have a local address to use, leaving your address off of your resume won’t matter. Employers will likely assume that you’re an out of town candidate - if that’s a deal killer, it won’t matter if your address was excluded or your out-of-town address is included.

While R.R. has a specific circumstance, it applies to many job seekers who are searching for a job within their own city. With the high number of candidates in the market today, employers and recruiters often give preference to local candidates - sometimes going as far as making geography a pre-screening criteria, so they only consider locals. Choosing an out-of-town candidate is an additional risk for an employer - a risk that the candidate won’t move, can’t sell their house, or they (or their family) won’t like the new location. If there are many local candidates who meet hiring criteria, why take on the additional risk?

But what’s the risk of including your address on your resume? What’s the risk of including other personal information?

Unfortunately, anyone with a computer and a credit card can get incredible amounts of personal information on just about anyone these days - including family, credit and legal history. This is regardless of whether you include your address on your resume or not ... including your address won’t increase or decrease this risk.

But excluding your address from your resume can result in employers not considering you for a position that you’re otherwise well qualified to do.

What information should you avoid disclosing? There’s still information that you’ll want to avoid including on your resume or posting on job boards. For instance, it’s probably not the best idea to disclose your Social Security Number. In past years, many job seekers included their SSN on their resume - it’s seldom disclosed on resumes today, due to concerns over identity theft.

Many staffing firms require Social Security Numbers prior to submitting candidates, because the staffing firm is responsible for submitting tax information and verifying citizenship/visa status to the government. These are legitimate uses and reputable staffing firms provide safeguards to protect candidates’ personal data.

As for your address - it’s a personal choice but if your goal is finding a new job, you take on more risk that you won’t even be considered for a local position if you decline to show that you’re local. In a better job market, it may not make such a difference ... but in today’s market, a candidate needs every advantage they can get.

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Why Doesn’t HR (Recruiters & Hiring Managers) Follow Up?
When The Job Ad Says Don't Call

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Source: http://reCareered.blogspot.com

Who’s Hiring - Top employers week of 9-13-10 - Page 3

Job Openings Added This Week - 9/13/10:

The hospitality, business service, retail, telecommunications and banking verticals are the top industries with new job postings this week based on a survey of the nation’s leading job advertisements added during the past seven days for the week of 9/13/10.

Hospitality led new hiring advertisements this week as Pizza Hut, Marriott and Hilton were some of the top companies adding new advertisements this week. Business service was next as IBM, EMC, Booz Allen, ADP and Deloitte were included in the top job advertisers this week.

Retail made a resurgence this week as JC Penny, Sears, Radio Shack, Blockbuster, Kmart, Macy’s, Lowe’s, Walmart, Halloween City, CarQuest and CVS/Caremark added new advertisements for employees this week. Telecommunications added as AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile and Target Mobile were in the top firms adding advertisements for new hires this week.

Banking companies rounded out the list as Wells Fargo was in the top new advertisers this week.

Job Openings added this week by direct advertisers - Week of 9/13/10 (Recruiters & Staffing Companies not included):

1. Pizza Hut
2. IBM
3. JCPenney
4. Sears
5. AT&T
6. EMC
7. Wells Fargo
8. RadioShack
9. Verizon Wireless
10. Blockbuster
11. Kmart
12. Kaiser Permanente
13. Genesis Healthcare
14. HCR ManorCare
15. Golden Living Centers
16. Booz Allen Hamilton
17. T-Mobile
18. Northrup Grumman
19. Macy's
20. Fresenius Medical Care
21. Lowe's
22. ADP
23. Edward Jones
24. Walmart
25. Marriott
26. Halloween City
27. Deloitte
28. Snap-on Tools
29. HP
30. Terminix
31. Ashland Inc
32. Community Health Systems
33. Target Mobile
34. GE
35. TruGree
36. Walt Disney
37. CarQuest Auto Parts
38. Hilton Hotels
39. CVS Caremark
40. CareOne

Sources: CareerBuilder, Monster, Indeed, SimplyHired, HotJobs, Google. Excluded: Recruiters, Staffing firms, Training, Franchise, and Work-from-home opportunities.

Readers – If you know of employers announcing significant hiring plans, or employers actively adding large numbers of employees, please comment below to add to this list.

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Related Articles:
Who's Hiring - Top employers week of 9-7-10
Who's Firing - Layoffs week ended 9-10-10

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Source: http://reCareered.blogspot.com