By Karen Gore, Co-Founder and Co-Owner Virtual Business Associates and Virtual HR Associates

In this continuing series of articles, we strive to provide the reader with simple and easy ways to follow steps in finding a job.  If you are easily offended by the truth, step away from the monitor now…. I don’t pull any punches in my articles …this is about getting you a job.

Over the last 23 years of recruiting and hiring thousands of people which required reading their resumes, there are some basics in finding a job that remain a constant.   I would like to share some of these with you in this article.  You are receiving for free, what I normally charge good money for….enjoy.

The resume is your calling card, marketing and sales tool.  It’s what makes someone want to ask you in for an interview.

What does it say about you and what you have achieved?

The resume is most important when starting your job search.  Have five people read it before you EVER send it out.  Ask them to read it for understanding, grammar, spelling and flow.  Remember this is your marketing tool, what does it say about YOU?  So many times I have read resumes from very talented people that tell me nothing about them, only what their job duties were. 

Would you be interested in test driving or buying a new car based on an advertisement that said “this car has an engine and four tires”?  NO!  Why not?  You would buy it because all cars have an engine and four tires!  An advertisement that states this car “has all the features you need and want at a great price, including superior gas mileage, cool sun roof”, etc., those things you might want in a car, would make you want to check it out…right?  The same is true for a winning resume….what are your “special” features, skills, knowledge, or talents that set you apart from the dozens, if not, hundreds of resumes received. 

Have the five people looking at your resume, ask themselves this question and have them answer truthfully, based on JUST the RESUME: Would they call you in for an interview?  If yes, as them what in the RESUME trigger this reaction?  If no, ask them what in the RESUME triggered this reaction?   Don’t take it personal if the answer is no, see it as a learning experience and start over on the resume.

When I am working with a client on building their resume, there is a series of questions I ask, one of them is:  “What did you do in this position that makes you stand out from others in this position”.  This will take some hard analysis on your part, go back to what you did or are doing in your job.  No, not the job description stuff you read when you were hired or applied for the job.  What we are looking for here are the achievements and contributions you are making to the company or organization that are NOT in the job description.

Think about it in this light, if all you have to offer me as an employer, are the very same abilities that every other person who has had the same/similar job, why should I hire you over someone else?  By answering this question with point by point contributions to your employer, you have earned my interest in you as a candidate.  As examples of what makes for good achievements:

Sale person – Increased overall sales revenue by XX% year over year. Or successfully landed a renewal contract with a previously dissatisfied customer by providing outstanding customer service.

Technology person – successfully produced code that passed QA without bugs, on time and under budget. OR critical to the development of the XYZ product launched successfully on time and under budget.

Executive Assistant – responsible for reducing the cost of business meetings and travel by 30% through development of vendor relationships, research of services and creative problem solving. OR successfully managed a $500K project full cycle that allowed for increased productivity of senior managers and support staff.

I know what you are going to say, “I did not have the opportunity to do these types of things”.  Really?  Let’s examine the sales person’s bullet statements first.  The job of any sales person is to sell.  Most sales jobs come with sales quotas, meet them or you lose your job.  So, if you are doing a good job and have met or beat your quota, why are you not bragging about it?  Keeping customers happy and getting them to renew contracts or come back to the store and buy more is part of the job.  Mostly likely you do this on a daily basis….so tell me about it.

The craziest thing on resumes from people looking for a sales job is NO NUMBERS.  How can a reader know if you are any good, if there are not sales numbers?  Tell me about your achieving and exceeding your annual sales quotas.  It is so easy to do, 2008 achieved 103% of quota, 2009 achieved 100% of quota, 2010 and so on.  If you missed your quota one year, but met it every other year, so be it, the other numbers of meeting or surpassing in other years tell me you can do the job.

For many people, especially women, bragging is hard.  We have been taught most of our lives that is not polite or good manners to do so.  Well that does not apply in the job market.  Other cultures competing for YOUR job have been trained from birth that bragging is a must to achieve success.  Now don’t confuse lying with hooting your own horn or bragging, on a resume.  Lying is never a good idea.  Pointing out your skills, talents and knowledge is a GREAT idea.

“Getting Your Resume Read by a Recruiter or Hiring Manager”

By Karen Gore

Executive Recruiter/Founder of Virtual HR Associates

VirtualHRAssoc.com

Alternatively, as I prefer to tell people “What to do to never have your resume looked at by a recruiter”.  Few things make a recruiter or hiring manager turn away from a resume in an email faster than these “habits” detailed below:

1.  YOU DON’T TELL ME WHICH JOB YOU’RE APPLYING FOR – Put the JOB TITLE in the SUBJECT LINE! Generally, recruiters are working on filling at least three to four positions at a time, sometimes up to twenty.  We do not have the time to open up each resume to decide which job you are qualified or applying for.  Several hundred a day come into our email inboxes. 

 2.   YOU DON’T GIVE ME A REASON TO CONSIDER YOU – Tell us why you are qualified for this position.  This does not mean some very generic language that you can use for a dozen different positions.  Spend some time looking at the job description, highlight how you meet or exceed the requirements. A few well-written sentences are all that is needed. Let us know you actually read the job description.

3.  WHY DON’T YOU PROVIDE RELEVANT INFORMATION? – If the job description request experience in a type of industry (i.e. semiconductors or over the counter healthcare) and you have this experience, make sure the industry is listed!  Work with me here, recruiters do not know what every company in the world does, nor do we have time to look this up!

4.  MAKE SURE I UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU MEAN – When a job description uses industry standard jargon, use this in your resume.  However, be sure that the recruiter understands what it is, so you might be wise to spell it out a bit. We search on terms, skills, word phrases and dozens of other items looking for resumes.  Do not use jargon that is company specific only; every company has terms they like to use.  Remember the general business world does not know nor understand what your last/current employers jargon means.   

5.  DON’T MAKE IT HARD TO ACCESS YOUR RESUME – Avoid emailing through job boards if possible (i.e. monster, dice, etc).  These sites are great but the emails they generate can make extra work for a recruiter.  Example – when you email through Monster the recruiter has to click on the attached link.  Now if we want to download the resume in word, we have to purchase the rights to access this.  You lose out when we cannot download a resume. Less work for you means more work for me – not a winning equation.  Sending your resume directly is better, plus you can add comments about why you are qualified (see # 2).

 6.  DO NOT put a job description in your resume - tell us what you did that is different from the person sitting next to you.  What are your achievements, what sets you apart from the pack, why should I spend time interviewing you?  The resume is a sales and marketing tool and you are the product being sold.  Think about a product you buy, let’s say toothpaste.  Did you pick the brand because it said it cleans your teeth?  All brands of toothpaste do this.  So what made you pick this brand?  Whitens teeth, removes plaque?  Well the same is true for candidates, why should you be the one picked out of the pack to interview?

 7.  USE INDUSTRY STANDARD TERMS – Use market general titles even if the company used funky ones.  Example: Director of Happiness.  Huh?  How about Director of Customer Service – now we know what your job involved. Remember we search on titles and terms.  (See #4)

 8.  SPELLING AND GRAMMAR COUNT – Spell check your resume and have two other people read it over.  Ask if the information makes sense to them.  Think of this as the most important essay you’ve ever written.

 9.  DO NOT use off brand software for your resume – This is the one that drives me nuts.  Most companies and recruiters can open MS Word (doc) or pdf (Adobe) file.  Always save in an earlier version, not everyone is cutting edge on their software products.  If it cannot be opened, it cannot be read – we will not tell you if that happens.

Remember, when is come to resumes, funky is not good.

I knew a bully for many years who delighted in bullying me into things they wanted to do or they wanted me to do or things they wanted to do against my wishes.  If you have found yourself in a same or similar situation, which could be one that involves a female or a male, the first thing I want you to do is stop feeling bad about yourself. The definition of a bully is someone who tears down someone else in order to feel better about themselves. You’re a victim, not an idiot. When I researched this phenomenon I found, of all the information I read, it was a kid’s website that gave the best adivce about bullies, go to Dealing with Bullies on the Kid’s Health Website and read what is there.  Yes, it’s a kid’s website and it’s geared toward kids but in reality the same principals apply to adults and I think it’s actually easier to relate to!  Bullies, the unfortunate souls in our world, are always going to be with us and by the very fact of their existence they will have to have victims, however, recently, through a great deal of counseling and coaching, I have been learning how to resist my bully and his pushy ways. This clip from actor Jeffrey Donovan from the hit show Burn Notice  wonderfully outlines the process you need to follow to defeat them and I wanted to share this with all of you in case you are suffering under the same oppression I am.  If it’s outside the work place in a more personal venue, use emails and keep them!  Emails are legal documents that can be used in court!  Also, if you have a video camera and you know you’re going to be meeting up with your bully, set it up where it’s unnoticed and video your exchanges.  Also, keep track of phone calls made to you if they are harassing you on the phone.  Share your story with others, cooroboration is key. 

In the meantime, good luck with the bully you’re dealing with and wish me luck with mine!

By Karen Gore

For most of us that have hit that wonderful stage in our lives known as over 40, looking for a new job can be a bit scary.  In the past, we have been able to network with friends and found the next position quickly or replied to a handful of ads and Bingo – interviews and offers.

Today the rules have changed on us and the job market is very tight.  Companies want to cut costs so are looking for the “young and hungry” which really means in recruiting language will work cheaper than an experienced person will.  This falsely held idea states that somehow a person with half the work experience, business savvy and in many cases work ethic will do the same high quality job of an older worker for less money. And companies wonder why they are losing money or customers.

So you’re in the job market – how do you compete with this?  Here are some ideas how not just to outmaneuver the age issue, but how to stand apart from the sea of other resumes being received each day for any job opening.

Your experience is worth something, so market it that way.  Women over 40, generally we’re discouraged from being assertive, which was seen as being “aggressive” and not “lady like”.  The two behaviors are very different.  The other issue we have to overcome is learning that “tooting our own horn” or a mild form of bragging is a good thing when looking for a job.   You have worked hard getting where you are in your career, so brag about it on your resume.  Men are masters at this.

One of the best ways to learn this skill is to actually see what someone else has done who was successful in landing a position similar to what you are looking for.  The internet is the greatest tool for helping you learn this lesson.  One of my favorite tools for finding successful people’s resumes is LinkedIn.com, a must for any professional in any field. This is a free networking site that is being used heavily by the over 40 group.

Prior to posting any of your information, for public view, search for other people within your field countrywide; really take a look at what they are putting on their profiles.  When you read their write-ups do they make you go “wow”?  If so, most likely you have a winner as a “mentor” on how to write your resume.  Print out four or five of these “winners”.  You now have a template for what you should be putting into your resume.  Look at the wording: how did they  list their achievements and what made you go “wow” about their experiences?  The idea is not to copy what they have done but to use the style, exchanging your achievements for theirs.

Now you need to get down to work and build your resume.  The goal is to stand out from others, by highlighting your skills, knowledge and most important achievements.  Time and time again, I have reviewed resumes that read like a job description rather than a testament to what the person has done, and what they bring to the table of any future employer.  Resumes are your brag sheet, it is meant to be a tool that whets the appetite of the hiring manager so they want to learn more about your abilities by calling you in for an interview.  A resume is a marketing and sales tool rolled into one.

More to the point think about advertisements that grab your attention.  Do ads just have a dry listing of the features, or do they make you want the product/service by selling what it will do for you?  They make you think it will make you sexier, healthier, slimmer or whatever the desired result of the product/service is.  Resumes should do the same thing for your background and experiences with hiring managers or recruiters.  You want them to want you and your skills.

The goal of the resume is two-fold for someone over 40, especially if you are in your 50’s; look younger, yet highly experienced at the same time. Below are some simple tips on what NOT to do.

1.)    Do not put your date of graduation on a resume.

2.)    Do not put your marital status, how many children, status of health, height, weight or any other personal information.

3.)    Do not list dates on job older than 10 years.  After the ten year mark, only list the title, company and a line or two about achievements.

4.)    If you have had a lot of jobs over the last fifteen or more years, only list one or two prior to the ten year cut off.  Most employers do not see these as valuable.

5.)    Do not list what your job duties were, i.e. filing documents, answering the phone, make sales calls.

6.)    Do not list references or put “References upon Request”.  This is a given.

Some tips on what you SHOULD put on your resume:

1.)    If you have worked for several well know companies, such as IBM, Microsoft, Proctor & Gamble, etc, list the company first.  The next line down should be the title of the job.  This is true for regionally well known companies.

2.)    Use market recognized titles, such as Manager, Sales or Senior Engineer.  Companies like to sometime use titles that mean something to them but have no recognition in the job market, such as Head Headhunter.  You would use Director or Vice President, Recruiting.  This makes finding your resume easier for recruiters.  I will discuss this in more depth in my next article.

3.)    The first thing after the company worked for, job title and dates should be a sentence about what the company does.  Example:  Maker of hydraulic parts for the aerospace industry, third largest in the country.

4.)    Use bullet points to briefly list YOUR achievements and awards.

5.)    Keep it brief and to the point, you do not have to use full sentences in a resume.

6.)    List all degrees you earned, at what college or university.  If you did not graduate, still list that you attended and what major you were studying. Example: University of Phoenix Majored in Business.

7.)    Briefly list community service work and volunteer work.  Suggest that they do not show religious, political or ethnic interests.

In my next article we will explore how to build a job capturing resume in more detail.  Until then, best wishes on the job search.

Karen Gore has over 20 years of experience in business operations, human resources, recruiting and entrepreneurship.  She is recognized as an expert in her field, and has helped hundreds of people find the right job and make better business decisions.  You are invited to visit her site at www.VirtualHRAssociates.com.