Month: August 2015

There is a veritable plethora of interview clichés that people say.  One I hear again just the other day is “to be completely honest.”

Anyone want to guess what my first thought is when I hear this?  Depending on my mood I have one of a few.  I have to resist saying one of the following statements:

• Oh, I don’t want that… lie to me.
• So, you haven’t been honest so far?
• Define completely.
• Wait, say that again.

I know that after saying many people immediately recognize the idiocy in the statement.  I am not saying they are an idiot but that phrase is.  I know it is because I have said it and right after the words come out of my mouth I think… you so idiot.

If you find yourself saying “to be completely honest” a lot, stop it!  No really, stop it!

The Man

I think self awareness is probably the most important thing towards being a champion.
Billie Jean King

 

There are a few basic types of resumes:

• Chronological
• Reverse Chronological
• Functional
• Combination
• Targeted

I will cover each of these in future posts in detail but the worst one to use is the functional resume.  Keep in mind that this is my opinion.  I have heard some recruiters say they like this type of resume but in my experience they are the exception rather than the rule.

The functional resume has sections that look something like this:

SKILLS SUMMARY

LEADERSHIP

• Trusted with greater responsibility that job level.
• Promoted to Branch Manager in three months.
• Accomplish tasks with minimal supervision.

INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION

• High EQ with the ability to adapt to any situation.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Social media experience including leveraging cross-platform marketing.

Lisa Rangel said it best in an on-line executive resume training session:  “when a recruiter sees a functional resume their first thought is what are you hiding?”  So if you are trying to hide something, then a functional resume is the way to go.  Again, not all recruiters feel this way but the majority of us do.

The Man

If you fall, I’ll be there.
Floor

I rarely see this but it is worth mentioning.  The other day I received a resume with no dates on it.  Seriously, no dates of employment.  Not even years!  Did I mention we do drug test cause you must be HIGH if you think I will call someone with no dates.

Years only are bad enough.  If I see 2014 – 2015 I read it as 12/31/2014 – 1/1/2015.  Call me a cynic if you want but you really do need to put dates on your resume.  I don’t think you need to put the actual date but I need month and year for each position.

Now when it comes to education you need to judge for yourself if it will help you.  The date of your graduation usually tells people how old you are.  Again, this could be good or bad.

The Man

Growing old is compulsory, growing up is optional.
Bob Monkhouse

About 30% of the resumes I see have a Skills section.  This may be of benefit if they relate to the position you are applying for.  Personally I like a Summary of Qualifications at the top of the page but that is my opinion.

The main issue is that most people include their skills even if they do not relate to the position.  This is one of the biggest pains in the keister of the job search.  You should take the time to tweak your resume for each position each time you apply.  Yes, I know the online application already takes an hour, now I want you to spend another 30 minutes to an hour changing your resume.  OK, you don’t have to, unless you want to increase your odds of actually getting a call back this time.

If you are applying for a Director level position but you include “10 Key” under you skills section I will probably stop reading.  Why?  Because 10 Key speaks to a lower level position.  Also, be sure that if you include “attention to detail” that you don’t have ANY spelling or grammatical mistakes on your resume.  Speaking of that, I would leave “detail oriented” off your resume and come up with a quantifiable way to show that skill.  Maybe something like “99% accuracy rate on…”

Keep in mind that there is not just ONE right way to do a resume, but there are definitely quite a few wrong ways.

The Man

Spelling is difficoult chalanging hard.
Unknown

Please do not make your resume a reading comprehension test!  Paragraphs are good in a cover letter and can be used sparingly in a resume but you really need to call out the important stuff, which usually means a bulleted list.  For instance, take a look at the following examples:

Reading Comprehension Test:

In this position I was promoted three times. I also maintained confidentiality of bank records and client information while coordinating daily cash reconciliation at a high volume location.  I maintained balancing record with 99% rate of accuracy.  Processed monthly Vault and ATM audits with a zero error rate.  Maintained friendly and professional customer interactions.  Opened bank accounts and investment accounts for customers with complete Patriot Act knowledge.  Executed wire transfers, stop payments, foreign currency exchanges and account transfers.  Answered telephone inquiries on banking products including checking, savings, loans and lines of credit.  Advised clients on mortgage, educational and personal loans.

Scan it:

• Maintained confidentiality of bank records and client information.
• Zero processing error rate on monthly Vault and ATM audits.
• 99% balancing record accuracy while coordinating daily cash reconciliation at a high-volume location.
• Executed wire transfers, stop payments, foreign currency exchanges and account transfers.
• Answered telephone inquiries on banking products including checking, savings, loans and lines of credit.
• Advised clients on mortgage, educational and personal loans.
• Maintained friendly and professional customer interactions.
• Opened bank accounts and investment accounts for customers with complete Patriot Act knowledge.

I don’t know about you but the second one sure it a lot easier to read and pull out facts about you.

The Man

Let’s eat grandma!  Let’s eat, grandma!
Punctuation saves lives!

One of the best things you can do is to create FOMO in anything you do, including your job search.  Think of it as if you are pitching an Angel Investor on your start-up, you.  Listen to this episode of StartUP from Gimlet.

Many candidates are like Alex when he was talking with Chris Sacca.  They fumble around with their pitch or what many call your “elevator speech.”  You need to write this out and practice it.  You never know when you need to or be able to use it, so be ready.

How to create FOMO:

Be unforgettable, in a good way.  You want the people that meet you to remember you.

Professionalism.  You can be casual and professional at the same time.

Limited availability.  Be sure you ask them about their timeline for the interview process / filling the position.  If the recruiter asks you about your timeline that is a buying sign.

Show interest.  This is a tricky one.  You don’t want to pull the “you don’t mean crap to me” thing you do in dating where you ignore someone to make someone interested but you don’t want to be a stalker either.

Get EVERYONE on your side.  Remember, be nice to everyone you meet.  Many a receptionist or admin assistant has swayed a hiring manager’s decision.

Persistence.  Stay with it.  Don’t forget to follow up with people.  Be sure to do what you tell them you will do.

Keep in mind that your job search is a marathon, not a sprint race.

The Man

My work is a very serious game.
M. C. Escher

One thing that I think a lot of people miss in the job search process is that they need to continue to grow professionally and personal while searching for a job.  One question that we regularly ask is “How do you improve?”  You need to be able to speak to what you are reading, what podcast you listen to or how you network to stay on top of your field.

Look at it this way, if you are not getting better than you are getting left behind.  You need to have something that you do to stay up with trends in your industry or profession.  Not sure what to read?  Stop by your public library or check out Amazon.  Don’t like reading? Try audio books or podcasts.  Here is my shortlist:

• Work Rules!
• Do Great Things
• 99% Invisible
• Start Up – Gimlet
• Planet Money
• Unbelievable?
• Pop Culture Happy Hour
• Invisibilia
• Freakonomics Radio
• TED Radio Hour
• How To Do Everything

The other thing this will do is make you better at small talk, AKA networking.

The Man

Great minds discuss ideas.  Average minds discuss events.  Small discuss people.
Eleanor Roosevelt

One of the things I have noticed of late is that most people are caught in a conundrum wrapped in an enigma.  How bad is job hopping?  The short answer is “it depends.”

A lot of it depends on why you left each of your past positions and how long we want you in the position we are recruiting for.  Believe it or not, some companies still want their people to stick around.  While others are OK with and may even want their people to leave every 2-5 years.

If your resume looks like you have been playing spin-the-bottle with jobs then you may have some work to do.  One thing is to put why you left each position.  Keep it positive, “Because my boss was a jerk” is not a valid reason.  If you have job-hopped a lot you will probably need to work a little harder to make things happen.

It is like going out on a date with someone only to find out that they only date people for three months and then they dump them.  Would you really put a lot of effort into that relationship if wanted to find someone to marry?

The Man

If you don’t want anyone to find out, don’t do it.
Chinese Proverb

Feedback in the interview process is great right?  Maybe, it all depends on how you react to it.  One of the things I tell clients to do is to ask for feedback during and after the interview process.   This can be helpful for a few reasons, if they are willing to share.  Many do not because they are either worried of getting sued or they want to avoid an argument.  Yes, candidates do argue with recruiters and / or hiring managers.  Here are a couple of reasons you might hear with a suggestion on how to handle them:

We really need someone with more experience.  Ask if they have any lower level positions that could lead to this position or what type of position you would be qualified for.

You are overqualified.  What they really mean is that you won’t stay in that position.  You will either quit or immediately start looking at other opportunities.  You can either try to reassure them that this is the position you want and why, or you can ask if there are any other positions that they feel you would be a better match for.

We don’t feel that you are a good fit.  Ask if there is something specifically that they feel is an issue and / or if they know of a different position or department that may be a better fit.

The short answer is that if they give you ANY reason you should do a couple of things.

• Don’t dismiss their feedback, even if you think it is stupid.
• If you disagree it is OK to have a rebuttal that starts something like “I can understand your concern with that but…”
• Stay positive and don’t get angry.
• Still follow-up with a thank you email and work on staying in touch.

Even if they won’t hire you maybe they can become a resource for you. I have on more than one occasion helped out people outside of work.  Smart recruiters are also looking to expand their networks and you want to stay in touch with them.

The Man

If someone doesn’t hire you, then you are unqualified.  It is impossible to be unqualified and overqualified at the same time.
Al Pollard

I have often times said that an idiot can do most jobs, it is when things go wrong that you find out what people are made of.  I am not saying that you should make something go wrong but if it does you need to know how to handle it.  One of the best podcasts available, 99% Invisible, did an episode on this issue, Children of the Magenta.  If you do not prepare for the worst then things can go REALLY wrong.

I am not saying that a bad interview is as bad as a plane crash but for the candidate, it can be life altering.  I have previously hired 1% of candidates that applied.  So if a candidate had a mishap in the interview that has a big impact on them and the recruiter.

You get to the interview and realize you left your jacket at home.  You have done your homework and you know they expect a suit.  Do you turn around and arrive late or keep going?  Keep going!  Now I am not saying that you should lie, but you definitely don’t want to ignore it.  You can either tell them up front that you were halfway to their office when you realized that you left it hanging in hallway or you could tell them about how you spilled gas on it that morning on the way in.  Your call but don’t act like you don’t realize it’s an issue.

You notice a mistake on your resume while sitting in the lobby.  Tell them upfront if and when they ask for your resume.  You don’t have to be self deprecating but when they ask “How are you doing today?” just say something like “I was great till I just noticed a mistake on my resume…”  Tell them what it is and move on, don’t dwell on it.

You get the feeling that the interview is ending way too quickly.  It depends on how you handle feedback.  If you can handle negative feedback well then when they ask if you have questions you can say “I know we have only had about 15 minutes together but do you feel I could be a good match for the position and your company?”  If they voice any concerns be sure to handle them correctly.

On your way home you you start wondering if you did your best.  Be sure to write thank you emails to everyone you interviewed with.  You did get their contact information, right?

Your nerves start getting the best of you.  Take a breath and just admit that you are a bit nervous then move on.

Just remember, things happen.  All you can do is your best and learn from any mistakes you make.

The Man

Doing a common thing uncommonly well brings success.
Henry John Heinz