Resumes – What not to do…..

AUTHOR: David M. Young

Last week I identified numerous questions that I receive from candidates when we discuss their resume and the job search process. As we dive deeper on resumes, let’s first identify what you should not do on your resume.

 

The Don’ts of resumes!

• Never Lie or “stretch the truth”.   Don’t “tweak” dates or titles on your resume to hide the fact that you have been unemployed, switched jobs frequently, or that you held low-level positions. If a prospective employer conducts a background check and discovers that you lied, you will be eliminated immediately from consideration
• Don’t send a resume that contains miss-spellings. If you cannot take the time to proofread your resume, then you are not going to take the time to do your job well.
• Don’t include reasons why you are no longer at a company. I see resumes that will have an employer name, position title and then “company downsized, company was acquired, division was severed, “laid off”, left for better opportunity, left for career opportunity, spouse moved, etc. People indicate that they are asked why they left a company and to save explanation will include this on the resume. That is what you do not want to do. If this is a question, you want to have the chance to have a discussion. Someone is obviously interested, then that is great as you may get an interview. An objective of a resume is to get an interview. If you answer a question that has not been asked, you might get eliminated without ever having a chance to demonstrate why you are great for the job.
• Don’t include references. References belong at a later stage of the interview process. Have a separate page listing your references that you keep with you and can provide if asked during an interview.
• Don’t leave out the locations of your past jobs (city and state). Employers expect this information but many resumes do not include it.
• Don’t use expressions like “Duties included” or “Responsible for”. This is job description language, not “home run” resume language. It sounds like you understand how to just “get by” and do the job. This language is not what you’ll see on the future organizational leader’s resume that will improve the role and find new ways to do the job.
• Don’t attach extra papers to your resume. This means do not include transcripts, letters of recommendation or awards, or past performance reviews. Yes, I have seen all of these added to a resume. If needed, you will be asked for these at the appropriate time and then you can provide them. Additionally, sometimes confidential information is included on extra papers and you do not know who might see this information or who might be handed your resume.
• Don’t provide personal information. Personal information does not belong on a resume. International resumes may need some of this, but you will know based on the specific organizations instructions and should only include for that specific resume submittal. Information on your marital status, age, race, family, height, age, date of birth, social security number, names of former supervisors, picture of yourself, salary information, or potentially controversial information such as church affiliation or political affiliations should not be provided unless asked and generally is done so on a job application outside of the resume.
• Don’t use justified or centered text blocks; they put inconsistent spaces between words. Make your paragraphs left justified, or “flush left”.
• Don’t highlight skills and job activities that you do not want to do, even if they represent great strength. Why describe how great your typing skills are if you do not want to type. Or why discuss how great you are at PowerPoint presentations if you do not want to present PowerPoint presentations. These are simple examples that provide clarification of this point. Instead, you can note this skill or strength, but spend time discussing your strengths on the roles you want to take on.
• Don’t repeat the same action words throughout your resume. Instead of using the verb “led” over and over (I have seen this recently), pull out the thesaurus and mix in terms like accelerated, established, and reengineered.
• Don’t use more detail than needed to convey your accomplishments. Dense, paragraph sized bulled points are tough to read. A great rule of thumb is to limit each bullet point to one to two lines of text with three to five accomplishments for each position.
• Don’t make your resume a list of your job duties…make it a list of your accomplishments. Integrate your responsibilities into your descriptions of your accomplishments.
• Don’t use clichéd adjectives like dynamic or self-starting. Let the details of your resume convince the employer that you have these qualities.

Yes, this is a long list of don’ts. As you review them, many probably seem like common sense to you. But as I speak with folks who are working on resumes, there seems to always be one or two of the above “don’ts” that they have not thought about, or don’t agree with based purely on always violating this “don’t”. I can explain in much more detail on the above, but just as in a resume I have tried to be as brief and precise as possible while still stating my point.

When writing your resume, always think of your audience. Why do you have a resume? To get a job, and the first step is to get an interview. How does your resume get you an interview? It does this by being a professional, polished, clear, and accurate representation of your work accomplishments and ability.

Resumes – Do I need one?

TITLE: Resumes – Do I need one

AUTHOR: David M. Young

Previously we discussed the “Don’ts” of resumes. This makes the assumption that you have a resume or are writing a resume. With today’s technology, I have been asked if someone needs a resume. Keep in mind, this may come from person who has settled into their career and has not updated their resume in many years or the recent college grad who is very technology savy or social media aware.

The tenured professional asked if they really needed to spend time on a resume because they felt that their extensive network would reveal their next job. They had a copy of their internal organizational resume and had “tweaked” that as their own. But, this person had felt speaking with a recruiter such as myself might be beneficial.

I was asked by a recent college graduate who had created an online version of their brief work history combined utilizing a highly interactive website why I felt I needed a piece of paper. They did not want to hand a person a piece of paper because they knew if someone looked at their site, they would be impressed.

 

Although there may be some merit to both discussions, to compete in today’s professional atmosphere, a resume is a “must have”. Yes, it may be through your network that you will find your next position, or it may be that someone see’s that recent college grads online work and wants to hire them. But even in these instances, most likely, the Human Resources department will require a resume on file. This after thought could still make or break obtaining the position. If it is poor, someone not emotionally involved may step in.

I have also had candidates focus on their “linkedin” profiles. They then will print this as their resume (or even in a newer format). Yes, it is fine to make sure your linked profile and your resume are in sync, but if your resume is a scaled down version of your linkedin profile, a hiring entity may wonder why you have elected to “leave”information out of your resume since in their eyes, the resume is your “master file” that respresents you.

For those not so social media savvy individuals, do not worry. Personal social media pages have not replaced the resume. But, for those who are active on social media, you MUST know what is representing you online. You may think that you have password protected or made private something that may not be in your best interest with a prospective employer. But as technology so rapidly changes, you never know who is in your network, or what tools allow someone to see your every move.

So do you need a resume? YES! At the end of the day, that piece of paper will be placed next to someone else’s resume and you want to make sure that how it represents you will make you stand out. Most likely, it may be next to the resume of a person with exactly the same years of experience and same skills. So you should focus on the details of the resume to make sure you stand out.

Your Resume and the Job Search

AUTHOR: David M. Young

Over the next several weeks, we are going to discuss resumes. This is not a small subject when it pertains to your job search. Your resume is a reflection of you, your work history, and most importantly, what you can bring to the table to add value to your future employer. Even if you are sharing your resume with friends, make sure you have a high bar as your target on presenting yourself. Friends know you and a great resume will Wow them and only serve to increase their desire to be a lead generator in your job search. Of course, in cases where you are giving a resume to someone you don’t know, then they will make judgments on your career, capabilities, and value based purely on the written word in your resume.

So where do we start? As you begin to develop, refine, market, distribute, apply, and present your resume, what are the questions you will uncover?

• Do I need a resume?
• How long should it be?
• What makes my resume stand out if I post it online?
• What do I include and what should I not include?
• What are Power words and are they necessary?
• What is an online resume?
• Should I post my resume on Social Network sites (Linked-In)?
• Is there a difference between my online resume and my “hard copy” resume?
• Does formatting matter in today’s electronic age?
• Is a cover letter necessary?
• Should I put references on my resume…Nobody does?
• What are common miscues on resumes?
• What is a “CV” and is it different from a resume?
• Are there “types” of resumes? (executive, management, general, sales, broad)
• Should I have multiple versions of my resume?
• Does formatting matter?
• Is a professional resume writer worth it?
• How do I address employment gaps during times when I was searching for a job?
• How far back should I go on my resume?
• I’m 60 years old, how can I make sure my age is not an issue?
• Should I have links to my facebook and twitter accounts?
• Should I have a URL (Website) that is my resume?
• Should I have business cards that are generic and have my name and title aspirations?
• Do I need a personal marketing plan?
• Does volunteer work help your resume and should I include it?

 

Resumes can be an exhaustive topic when it comes to your job search. We will cover the above questions and much more. The bottom line, your resume does matter…it is a reflection of your career, so spend time working it and make it count. Stay tuned as we break down the resume….

EMail – The components of an email during the Job Search

Author: David M. Young

Email Alias (Address)

• Your email address should contain your name, and when possible be your full name “JohnDoe@gmail.com”.   “Bigeater@gmail.com, or “Scoutmaster@hotmail.com” are not appropriate. This is an excellent way to not be viewed as professional or to raise questions about your focus.
• It is fine and encouraged to create an email address that may only be used for the job search. You can create an email that may begin with the year and your name i.e. 2009DavidYoung@ or something like this. Regardless, when the employer is searching for your email in their email file…a clear alias/address will assist them and make it easier for them.

 

CC (Carbon Copy use)

• Don’t use CC to copy your message to everyone possible. In the employment search, if you are sending an email to more than one specific person, you lose any personal touch and could appear lazy. Group thank-you emails must not be used. Likewise, questions for multiple people should be handled directly.
• Unnecessary messages are annoying. If you are sending an email and you CC someone, ask yourself is you should be addressing them in the email. If not, then ask if you should be copying them.
• When responding to an email, do not automatically respond to all recipients. Assume your email could be forwarded to anyone. Hitting “reply all” could unintentionally send your email to more than your intended audience.

 

BCC (Blind Carbon Copy) –

• Use BCC when addressing a message that will go to a large group of people who do not necessarily know each other. You may be sending an email to your network where there is already a personal relationship.
• Be careful on sending to a large group…your email could be treated as spam.
• Do not broadcast someone’s email without their permission. Just as it is not polite to give out someone’s phone number without their knowledge, protect their email. If ever sending a message to multiple people, use your address in the TO field and then put each person’s email in the BCC field. That way, each recipient will only see your email address.

 

Subject Line

• Make your Subject line clear, concise, and meaningful to the recipient.
• Good subject lines will include the position and your name. I.e. “David Young – Resume and application for Project Manager Position T11-09” or “Follow-up to meeting at Tallowood on July 16”.
• Do not leave the subject line blank. You have enabled the receiver to ignore or delete your email.
• Subject lines with “Urgent”, “Read This”, ”For your consideration”, and “Information” are meaningless.

 

Salutation

• Dear ???? If you do not know who will be reading the email that you are asked to send, then use “Dear Sir or Madam”. Don’t use Dear Sir or Dear Madam only as it suggests bias on your part. 9 times out of 10, if you don’t know who you are sending an email to, you should not be sending an email. Do research to find out who gets the email, call them, and personalize your email. Be careful if you decide to use “Dear Hiring Manager”. It is strongly discouraged. This appears as a form letter. How do you feel when you get form letters?
• Do not misspell a persons name….EVER. You know the impression it makes if you get something and your name is misspelled. If you are not sure, then do your research and do not send until you know how to spell their name. You may have to call the company and ask the individual answering the phone.
• For job search emails, use formal names as you would in a formal letter. Dear Mr. Young is acceptable. Never assume a women’s marital status, instead send it to “Ms.”   In business communication do not use Miss or Mrs.
• Uncertain about gender, then do your research. You can call the organization and state “I’m writing a letter to Chris Johnson. I apologize, but I have not met Chris Johnson in person and I want to properly address Chris as Ms. or Mr. Can you advise me?

 

Content

• Run Spell check and pay attention to grammar (Standard business letter writing grammar rules should be followed ).
• Do not have a one sided conversation. Respect their time and be clear. Catching up on the family or weather can be done in person or is done in personal letters. This should not be done in business email.
• Use standard rules that are used for cover letters.
• Always use business writing style and follow standard business writing rules and etiquette.
• State why you are writing…”I’m applying for the project manager role in your engineering department.”
• Provide brief information about yourself and your related experience.
• Identify the requested action as a result of your email.
• Do not write as if you are on the phone…”Hi, I am John Doe. I hope you are having a great day?”
• Stay away from idioms. Use concise language and avoid run on sentences. If you have a run on, chances are your point is being lost.

 

Font and upper/lower case use

• Avoid dark backgrounds with light lettering. Your colors on your pc may not be consistent with what is displayed to the receiver. Stick with black font on white background.
• Do not use all capitals. It is the electronic equivalent of shouting and is not received well
• Very large fonts can appear as shouting.
• Do not use all lower case letters.
• Avoid Fonts that are highly customized and may be hard to read.
• For job searches, do not use colored letters, bolding, and italics. You can do this in your resume, but not in the email.

Signature line/signature block

• At a minimum, Include your name and telephone number at the bottom of the email. Preferably, include your mailing address as well on job search emails.
• Include your email as well. If someone forwards your email, the email address may not show up on the forwarded email. You want to make sure anyone who wants to email you has the information to do so.
• Avoid sayings, questions, and spiritual statements on any job search email you send.
• Avoid graphics in your signature and the email itself. Graphics can clog up email and make it slow to open your email. Better safe than sorry.

 

Attachments

• Minimize the number of attachments on your emails. The less clicks the better. If you have a cover letter and a resume, the employer may only open one document. If so, make it your resume and make the email your cover letter.   (Unless the employer has instructed you to send multiple documents.)
• Do not name your resume file “resume.doc” or anything else generic. It should include your name and the contents of the document. i.e. “John Doe Resume”. Employers receive numerous resumes and you want them to be able to find yours.
• Do not send a virus infected resume. If you do not have current and updated anti-virus software, send your resume to an online email account (hotmail, gmail, and others will automatically scan attachments when you down load them) before sending to the prospective employer.
• Send in MS Word or in RTF format. MS Works or older versions may not be readable by a prospective employer. PDF Files are readable by most recipients, but numerous companies do not have PDF software and will not permit their employees to download free readers.
• Do not send a content empty email that forces the user to open the attachment. Include a brief summary in your email telling why you are writing and what the attachments are.

 

EMail – Email Pointers and the Job Search

Author: David M. Young

Email is an important part of the job search. In many instances, it has replaced the “hand written” note. It should never completely replace a personal note. But, as mentioned in a previous blog, you get an A for a thank you note, and you get an A+ when it is hand written. In the event that you need to email a thank you note, or you are engaged with an organization via email, the following list is a “quick hit” list of pointers every job searcher should follow.

 

1. CHECK YOUR SPELLING
2. If you need an immediate response, do not send as “URGENT”, rather pick up the phone and call. (It may be faster and easier for the person to retrieve a voice message, especially when off site.)
3. Keep messages short and focused
4. Check your email daily and respond promptly to messages. If an immediate response is requested, use the phone and then follow up with email on the results of your response (“I left a voice message”, “as we discussed when we spoke today”, etc…)
5. Do not write anything you would not say in public
6. Angry email should be avoided
7. As a courtesy to your recipient, include your name, email, and telephone number at the bottom of your email
8. Avoid sending to large numbers of people unless you have a serious reason to do so
9. Do not overuse Reply to All
10. Be clear and concise
11. Answer all questions, and pre-empt further questions while maintaining brevity, but don’t anticipate questions…you want to speak with someone verbally in the job search…More on this in a later blog post…
12. Use proper spelling, grammar & punctuation
13. Make it personal
14. Use templates for frequently used responses
15. Answer swiftly (within 24 – 48 hours if not much sooner)
16. Do not attach unnecessary files
17. Use proper structure & layout
18. Do not use backgrounds
19. Do not use irregular font (Receiver may not have fonts that are not standard/default fonts)
20. Avoid motivational/spiritual sayings in your signature
21. No tweeter links (reference to your tweeter address)
22. Avoid graphics in your signature (buttons linking to your linked-in profile, buttons to your facebook profile, etc) unless your audience is technically proficient
23. Do not overuse the high priority option
24. Do not write in all capital letters
25. Avoid “texting” language, abbreviations, and emoticons (i.e. J)
26. Do not leave out the message chain/thread
27. Read the email before your send it
28. Ask someone else to read the email to make sure it makes sense
29. Use cc: field sparingly
30. Mass mailings > use the bcc: field
31. Did I say to check your spelling?
32. Be careful formatting –   It is always good to send it to yourself first to make sure that it is formatted correctly
33. Avoid rich text and HTML messages (if you are not sure what this is…you are fine)
34. Do not forward chain letters
35. Do not request delivery and read receipts
36. Do not ask to recall a message (Once sent, it is gone. Your recipient will see botht he email and the recall)
37. Do not copy a message or attachment without permission
38. Do not use email to discuss confidential information… use the phone
39. Use a meaningful and specific subject line
40. Use active instead of passive
41. Avoid using URGENT and IMPORTANT
42. Avoid long sentences
43. Do not send or forward emails containing libelous, defamatory, offensive, racist or obscene remarks
44. Keep you language gender neutral
45. Do not reply to spam