Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Tips for Editing your Resume

Your resume is your potential employer’s first impression of you. It's amazing what a well-written and nicely presented resume can do for your job search. Before you send your resume to potential employers, follow this checklist to make sure you're sending out the best possible represenation of yourself. More than likely, an assistant or human resources professional will quickly scan your resume. If your resume doesn’t grab their attention in those few moments, they probably won’t be calling you. It’s sad, but it’s true.

1. Grammar, spelling, punctuation - Use the grammar and spell check function, then print it out and read the document word for word. Spell checker does not pick up on words spelled incorrectly when you type a real (i.e., you meant to type "manager" and accidentally typed "manger".) It's also good to have at least one other person proof read your resume before sending it to the masses. He (or she) may find something you didn't.

2. Capitalization - Use proper capitalization rules. If you don't know them, use a reference guide such as the Gregg Reference Manual.

3. Punctuation - Check for proper use of commas and semi-colons. Again, if you are unsure, refer to the Gregg Reference Manual.

4. Run-on sentences / Incomplete sentences - Check to make sure you do not have run-ons that are hard to read. On the flip side, check to make sure you have completed a thought.

5. Consistency - You must be consistent with your number usage (dates, money, numbers), plurals, and abbreviations. For example, don't list one date as 8/2004 and then list another date as 3/15/2004. Also, be aware of listing software consistently (abbreviation use). MS Word and Microsoft Outlook are both correct, but not consistent. Many managers like to see at minimum the month and year for start and end dates of employment. Just listing the year tends to open a red flag that you may have a potential gap in your employment that you're trying to hide.

6. Education section - When you have a degree, list only the year that you obtained your degree. When you list your dates, (i.e.: 9/1998 to 1/2002) many resume-scanning systems will not recognize that you obtained a degree, only that you attended college for a period of time.

7. Ampersands - Ampersands (&) do not belong on a resume. There are a few exceptions. One exception is a well-known company name (AT&T). Another exception is well-known industry terms (P&L).

8. Hyperlinks - All e-mail and web addresses that you list need to be deactivated in your resume. To do this in MS Word, highlight the link, go to the "Insert" drop down menu, scroll down to and click "Hyperlink", and on the lower left-had side of this screen there should be a little button that says "Remove link", when you find it, give it a little click and voila! Alternatively, you can highlight the link, right click on it, and scroll down to "remove link" to deactivate the link.

9. Abbreviations - Be careful with using the corporate lingo from a previous employer in your resume. It does not translate well from company to company and usually has a completely different meaning. If you do need to use a corporate abbreviation, spell it out first and then identify what the abbreviation is. i.e., Semiconductor Product Sector (SPS).

Monday, March 9, 2009

Your Resume

After looking at hundreds of resumes everyday, I find the ones that standout as stellar resumes include the following:

  • Contact Information. A lot of people continue to only list their home phone number. If you have a cell phone, include it on your resume so we don't begin the phone tag cycle. Include your email too - if I reach a voicemail, I always follow up in an email. More and more, I'm also seeing LinkedIn profiles. I think this is a great advertisement for a candidate if they have a lot of good candid recommendations. If you have a website with work samples, it should also be listed in the contact information. However, if you use My Space or Facebook for personal use, I don't recommend adding this to your contact information in your resume. You want people to 'see' into your world, but not on the first date if you know what I mean.
  • Professional Summary. This should be a synopsis of your overall experience and qualifications. If you don't include a lot of good information here, I won't read into the rest of the resume and go on to the next person. If you have expertise in an industry make sure you list it in your summary. The summary can be a small paragraph or a few sentences with bullets of your career achievements. If you specialize in an area, it should be included in the summary. Any technical expertise should also be listed in this section.
  • Technical Skills. This can be it's own section or a sub-section of Professional Summary. This section should include all of the technical skills you've acquired and have working knowledge. On really technical resumes, I've seen the technical section broken out by software, hardware, database, etc. If you're not a technical person I would not recommend going into the same depth of detail.
  • Detailed Positions. Make sure you have the company name, location, dates of employment (start month / start year to end month / end year - employers will want to see any gaps in employment), your title. You should provide a very brief description of the company, the department you worked in, and your role. Specific accomplishments should be listed as bullets. When you include an accomplishment, it should list what you achieved, how you achieved it and why it was significant to the project / company.
  • Education. Include the school, degree and year graduated. You should include if you've received any honors in this section. Also include any post graduate education and any certificates you may have received.
  • Professional Affiliations. Include only active organizations you are involved in.
  • Volunteer / Awards. Include organizations you dedicate your time to.
Proofread your resume. This is sometimes your only shot and you want to make sure words are spelled correctly, you have correct pronunciation, and grammar. Have a couple of people review it before you send it out and start applying for jobs.

Good luck!

Sunday, March 8, 2009

On the Market - Now What Do I Do?

Got the pink slip, contract ended, re-entering the job market or just plain want to leave the old for the new? Well, don't fret. There are some things you can personally do to take charge of your destiny. If you find yourself on the job market during this recession, remember the following:
  • Stay positive. Keeping an upbeat attitude will help you move forward. Your demeanor shows through on an interview and with the people you interact. No one wants to work with a Debbie Downer and surely won't hire people with a negative personality. If you need to hit the gym for an hour, place happy post it quotes everywhere, or have an hour meeting with a trained professional use it to vent out your frustrations then Do It. Find and keep your outlet that helps you stay happy. Remember, if you lost your job it is only a crossroad. Take the best from your last position and try to apply it to what you're looking for in the next. Take the worst from your last position and leave it at the company you just left.
  • Get your resume ready. Use the job boards and post it on the main boards. Also, find the niche boards that fit your specialty and post it there as well. If you apply for a job or are working with recruiters on finding your next gig, please take their advice and if they recommend changes to your resume, make the changes. You're going against a lot of competition today and want to make your one marketing tool stand out. Think of the 700 people that recently applied for a janitorial position for a school in Ohio. Who do you think is going to land an interview? The people who's resumes stood out for the job. If you background and experience can lead you in a few directions on your next position, have different versions of your resume handy.
  • References. Get in touch with at least 5 people you've worked with before and make sure it's ok with them to use them as a reference. If you've worked at more than one company and you worked at your last company for less than 5 years, get references from prior places of employment too. Always get a prior manager. Depending on the role your interviewing for will also depend on the type of reference you'll need. If you're going into a customer facing role, a prior customer would be a great reference. If you're heading into an upper management role, prior upper management (i.e., peer, prior manager) would be another great type of reference. Letters of recommendation are good too, but be careful with them as they are not always geared to the specific job role your applying for.
  • Social Media. Hopefully, you've already established a presence. If you haven't join LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook. Get re-connected with people. Give them an eye into who you are. If you have a specialty niche, join a board and post to the forums. Act the expert you are. When you get to know some of the regulars, let them know you're actively looking. You never know if someone is looking or if they have a heads up on a job.
  • Networking Groups. Find your local groups in town and find out when they are having events. Sign up and go to them.