Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Differentiate Your Resume With a Winning Strategy: Fishing and Response Resumes

The majority of candidates, executive though staff, write resumes and apply to jobs in roughly the same way…writing a cover letter to focus a static resume.

I’ve written in previous articles to “Stop Writing Cover Letters, and You’ll Get More Interviews”, and described why cover letters are an obsolete tradition in today’s job search. In the 15 seconds the average hiring manager spends making an interview/no interview decision…most hiring managers make their decision based on a resume – not a cover letter. In a recent Linkedin poll, over 80% of hiring managers stated that they read resumes first.

Yet, the majority of candidates mistakenly use a cover letter to demonstrate why they are perfect for a position.

There’s a better way to stand out and differentiate yourself from the thousands of other candidates competing against you. Instead of customizing a cover letter, why not customize your resume? I use a two step process for my clients: 1) Fishing Resumes; and 2) Response Resumes.

Fishing Resume

I recommend that my clients create a couple (no more than 3) Fishing Resumes, each built around a specific Subject Matter Expertise. I use a Fishing Resume to send when you don’t know who the company is (to a blind ad, to a recruiter, to your network without a specific company in mind). A Fishing Resume is a template, with a few important features:
  1. Branding Statement
  2. Value Statements
  3. Skills Inventory
The Branding Statement: A Branding Statement is a crystal clear, very concise single line statement that instantly tells the reader:

What job are you applying for?
What very specific business problem do you solve better than anyone else?

Your Branding Statement should instantly clarify the first impression you want to build with the reader. It should grab her attention, and encourage further reading.

Value Statements: The bullet points within your work experience are the features and benefits that provide proof of your branding statement, and demonstrate you meet the hiring manager’s needs. Most of your competitors will create bullet points that list their responsibilities. However, you can differentiate yourself by creating bullets that feature your accomplishments. Effective bullets pass the reader’s “so what?” test, by showing how each bullet has created shareholder value (generated revenue, cut costs, increased profits).

Skills Inventory: A strong skills inventory demonstrates your broad and general skills, without branding you as a generalist. Most of the executives I talk to admit that they look for specific skills, rather than general skills, in top management resumes….yet most executives still brand themselves and consider themselves as generalists.

I coach my clients to build an extensive skills inventory at the end of their resume. I like to use a 3 column format, of 30-50 three word sound bytes (double that if you’re in technology) including technology skills, functional skills, industry skills, management/leadership skills, and soft skills. Bonuses of a well written skills inventory are that you have a chance to match the changed criteria (in the time between writing a job description and filling it) and you have a chance to meet the “nice to haves” (the criteria that never makes a job description, yet is often the single factor that separates the top candidate from the rest of the pack).


Response Resume

When you know the company you are sending your resume to, you can get so much more information about the company. Do some research on the target company BEFORE you send your resume. Most of your competitors don’t research until interview preparation, so pre-resume research can give you a huge advantage. True, you won’t be able to send as many resumes, but you’ll have a much better response rate – you’ll target your resume specifically to the target company’s needs.

How should you customize your resume to differentiate yourself?

1) Create the impression of the “Perfect Candidate”: As you research the target company as yourself…What are the company’s Goals? Problems? Roadblocks? Challenges? Next, create bullet points demonstrating how you’ve already reached these goals, and already solved the company’s problems. Make sure that each bullet also passes the hiring manager’s “So What?” test, by listing the shareholder value you created by solving these problems and meeting the target company’s goals.

2) Resume Search Optimization: The majority of times your resume will be pre-screened by a database looking for keywords – even if you sent the resume to a friend at the company (ever hear of employee referral bonuses?). You can improve your chances of being seen by anticipating the keywords that a company or recruiter is likely searching for – there are usually 5 – 10 keywords/phrases in the job description or ad. Include these keywords/phrases verbatim within the context of your bullet points.

Practice this approach for a few weeks, and watch your response rate soar!

Executives exploring Career Change: For a free 30 minute resume consultation, or career advice for executives, email your resume confidentially to reCareered (phil.reCareered@gmail.com), and we'll schedule a time to talk.

Staff, Managers, Entrepreneurs, and career changers outside the US: Send your resume to phil.reCareered@gmail.com to enroll in a free group teleseminar "Accelerate Your Job Search - tools you can use".

Monday, September 28, 2009

Who's Firing? Layoffs week ending 9/28/09

Who's Firing is a weekly survey of organizations announcing (or rumoring) layoffs. Not only is this valuable for job seekers, but for business analysts, corporate strategists, marketers, salespeople, investment analysts, financial advisers, and others who are interested in companies that are contracting.

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

Layoffs announced and rumored this week were in the Government, Technology, Healthcare, Telecommunications, Manufacturing, Engineering, Financial Services, Publishing, Government, Aerospace, Pharmaceuticals, Insurance, and Telecommunication sectors.

Inclusion on this listing doesn’t mean the entire industry is down, as many from the same sector appeared on the Who’s Hiring? article on 9/25/09. It is interesting to note that while Federal hiring is on the rise, a number of State and Local governments are facing cutbacks.

Organizations announcing or rumored layoffs week ended 9/28/09:
  • King County, WA (Government) - 376
  • MediaRing (Technology) - 50
  • Zounds (Healthcare) - 150
  • NY Administration for Children’s Services (Government) – 38
  • Lake County IN (Government) - 150
  • Emory University (Education) - 27
  • Greenheck Fan Corporation (Manufacturing) – 70
  • Johnson Controls (Engineering) – 300
  • City of Bromfield, CO (Government) - unknown
  • Citigroup (Financial Services) – est 2,000
  • Wells Fargo, Wilkesboro NC (Financial Services) - 70
  • CQ-Roll Call Group (Publishing) – 44
  • Rexam Packaging, Hamlet NC (Manufacturing) - 220
  • Beaumont Hospital (Health Care) - 353
  • BAE Systems (Manufacturing) – 200
  • Buckhorn (Manufacturing) – 88
  • UBS Wealth Management (Financial Services) - 200
  • Wyeth (Pharmaceuticals) – unknown
  • Pfizer (Pharmaceuticals) - unknown
  • Prett & Whitney (Aerospace) – 1,000
  • Manitowoc County WI (Government) – 34
  • Wellpoint (Insurance) - unknown
  • Tyco Telecommunication (Telecommunication) - unknown
  • City of Salinas, CA (Government) – 61
  • Harley Davidson, York County, PA (Manufacturing) – 70+
  • Akron, Inc (Technology) – unknown
  • Coviden (Healthcare) – 70
  • Nortel (Technology) – 400
Sources: Google.com, Twitter.com, Telonu.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.

Executives exploring Career Change: For a free 30 minute resume consultation, or career advice for executives, email your resume confidentially to reCareered (phil.reCareered@gmail.com), and we'll schedule a time to talk.

Staff, Managers, Entrepreneurs, and career changers outside the US: Send your resume to phil.reCareered@gmail.com to enroll in a free group teleseminar "Accelerate Your Job Search - tools you can use".

Friday, September 25, 2009

Who’s Hiring? Week of 9/25/09

Who's Hiring is a weekly survey of companies showing the highest hiring activity. Not only is this valuable for job seekers, but for business analysts, corporate strategists, marketers, salespeople, investment analysts, financial advisers, and others who are interested in companies experiencing growth. Despite the recession, these companies are all expanding.

Total Job Openings:
The Telecommunications, Banking, Business Services, Health Care, and Retail verticals are the top industries currently hiring based on a survey of active job advertisements from the nations’ top job boards.

Based on surveys of US job advertisements in the top job boards and aggregators, the following companies added the most job openings:

Total Job Openings by direct advertisers (Recruiters & Staffing Companies Not Included):
  1. AT&T
  2. JPMorgan Chase
  3. Deloitte
  4. Sears, Roebuck and Co.
  5. Gentiva Health Services
  6. Blockbuster
  7. Kmart
  8. Verizon Wireless
  9. Northrop Grumman
  10. General Dynamics
  11. Raytheon
  12. McDonald's
  13. IBM
  14. Macy's
  15. UnitedHealth Group
  16. Marriott
  17. RadioShack
  18. Murphy USA
  19. Advantage Sales and Marketing
  20. CIA
  21. Toys "R" Us
  22. Allied Barton Security Services
  23. T-Mobile
  24. US Army
  25. Avon
  26. Sun Microsystems
  27. Snap-on Tools
  28. Army National Guard
  29. Quest Diagnostics
  30. Aflac
  31. Woodforest Bank
  32. Combined Insurance
  33. Fifth Third Bank
  34. EMC Corp.
  35. Fresenius Medical Care
  36. Kaiser Permanente
  37. Navy

Job Openings Added This Week:

The Telecommunications, Banking, Retail, Health Care, and Engineering verticals are the top industries currently hiring based on a survey of active job advertisements from the nations’ top job boards.

Job Openings Added this week by direct advertisers (Recruiters & Staffing companies not included):
  1. AT&T
  2. JPMorgan Chase
  3. Sears
  4. UnitedHealth Group
  5. Kaiser Permanente
  6. Siemens
  7. Deloitte
  8. Verizon Wireless
  9. Raytheon
  10. Northrop Grumman
  11. Kmart
  12. Advantage Sales and Marketing, LLC
  13. Army National Guard
  14. General Dynamics
  15. Kindred Healthcare
  16. RadioShack
  17. UnitedHealth Group
  18. Crossmark
  19. Marriott
  20. Federal Government Jobs
  21. Sun Microsystems
  22. Macy's
  23. IBM
  24. Medtronic
  25. Macy's
  26. Global M.A.R.S
  27. ACS (Affiliated Computer Services)
  28. Combined Insurance
  29. EMC Corp.
  30. Snap-on Tools
  31. Quest Diagnostics
  32. Avon
  33. Fifth Third Bank
  34. HSBC
  35. New York Army National Guard

Top Hiring Cities based on CareerBuilder ads:
  1. New York
  2. Chicago
  3. Houston
  4. Dallas
  5. Phoenix
  6. Atlanta
  7. Los Angeles
  8. Philadelphia
  9. Indianapolis
  10. Washington DC
  11. Cincinnati
  12. Charlotte
  13. Columbus OH
  14. Baltimore
  15. Kansas City
  16. San Antonio
  17. Miami
  18. Orlando
  19. Louisville
  20. Nashville
  21. Boston
  22. Columbia SC
  23. Denver
  24. Seattle
  25. San Diego

Sources: CareerBuilder, Indeed, SimplyHired, HotJobs, Google. Monster does not list ads by company or city. 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.

Executives exploring Career Change: For a free 30 minute resume consultation, or career advice for executives, email your resume confidentially to reCareered (phil.reCareered@gmail.com), and we'll schedule a time to talk.

Staff, Managers, Entrepreneurs, and career changers outside the US: Send your resume to phil.reCareered@gmail.com to enroll in a free group teleseminar "Accelerate Your Job Search - tools you can use".

Thursday, September 3, 2009

Start Developing Good Networking Karma!


Kirsten Gauthier-Newbury of Marylhurst University Career Services Blog quoted an earlier article in her blogpost "Start Developing Good Networking Karma!"

What does networking mean to you? Are you someone who feels compelled to “sell” yourself at every event, business card in hand, despite it feeling inauthentic? Do you think that building ones network means schmoozing ones way to a new job? Do you believe networking is taking advantage of others to find your next opportunity? Does the idea of attending events with the sole purpose of promoting yourself make you sweat? It’s time to shift your perspective!

At its very core, networking is about building relationships, and every relationship requires give and take. It’s not just about getting what you need but helping others get what they need. What if you decided that the next event you attend, you go with the sole intention of finding someone else to help? Despite whatever difficult circumstances you find yourself in these days, I challenge you to give of yourself, without expecting something in return, and you will surely reap rewards if you trust the process. Remaining detached from any particular outcome is not always easy, but it is required to build good networking karma.

Phil Rosenberg, in his blog ReCareered, sums up this idea perfectly in his post “Achieve Enlightenment through Networking Karma”. He emphasizes

“…job seekers are more effective if they stop searching for a job, and start searching for problems to solve. Networking works the same way. If you search for problems you can solve at networking events, you do more than collect cards, you build a fan base.

It’s time to release that networking pressure valve and see what good you can do for those around you. If you’re ready for a different approach that will energize your search, check out this interesting upcoming local event presented by Imagine Your Reality, where the idea of “networking is creating meaningful and helpful relationships where everyone wins.”

Trackback: http://marylhurstcareerservices.wordpress.com/2009/09/03/start-developing-good-networking-karma/


Executives exploring Career Change: For a free 30 minute resume consultation, or career advice for executives, email your resume confidentially to reCareered (phil.reCareered@gmail.com), and we'll schedule a time to talk.

Staff, Managers, Entrepreneurs, and career changers outside the US: Send your resume to phil.reCareered@gmail.com to enroll in a free group teleseminar "Accelerate Your Job Search - tools you can use".