Career Talk JDR

Archive for the ‘Career Advice’ Category

When jobs were plentiful and skilled workers were at a premium, you could expect a recruiter or hiring official to study each resume, willing to make whatever mental leap necessary to deem the candidate a fit for the job. Today, hiring officials believe there are enough resources on the market that they do not need to settle for anything less than the perfect candidate. Budgets are tight, and by golly they expect the most bang from every buck. The price for finding this perfect specimen is sifting through a mountain of resumes. To do this, recruiters and hiring officials must shift into rapid elimination mode, allowing each resume only a brief glance to prove itself worthy of the short list.

The three most important aspects of the resume: Emphasis, Emphasis, Emphasis.

Okay, here’s the situation. I’m a recruiter and I’m advertising a systems architect position for one of my clients.  I have a desk full of job orders to fill and more under- and overqualified candidates than I can possibly interview in a month’s time, and they’re steadily coming in by the droves. My ad requests candidates to first submit a resume. If you are qualified, I will contact you. And you can bet I will because I need to fill this position before my competition scoops me.

When I started twenty years ago as a programmer, I read every book and article I could find on resume writing.  Over the past five years, I’ve had the privilege to recruit hundreds of IT professionals, reviewing no less than 65 resumes a day.  I look back at some of the advice I read and have only one word: nonsense!  

Resume experts have leveled forests with how-to books.  They have many different theories on resume writing, most subjective, some contrary to others, but all designed to sell books.  To be sure, no single book fits all when you consider the different professions, industries, and employee grade levels from clerk to CEO.  What’s good for one profession might not apply to another.  

We found this article posted on www.blog.careers.org and we thought it gave good information regarding a widely unknown threat- identity theft related to online career searching. 

(Original Article Source:  http://EzineArticles.com/)

While identity theft is nothing new, the Web has opened up whole new world of opportunity for identity thieves.

According to the FBI, identity theft is the top online fraud. The U.S. Federal Trade Commission says that identity theft is its number one source of consumer complaints – 42 percent of all complaints, in 2001.

There are tons of self-help books and tests to determine which career you are most suited for.  Personally, I still like “What Color Is Your Parachute,” which has been a New York Times bestseller each time it has been updated and revised.  There is also a pretty cool quiz you can take:  http://quiz.ivillage.co.uk/uk_work/tests/career.htm

A well written thank you note is a common courtesy and an appropriate follow-up to every interview.  Consider this step to be an important contact with your prospective employer, as well as, an additional presentation of your skills.  If your interview was set up through a recruiter, ask that person for the email information of all of the interviewers you spoke with.  If you are on a direct interview, it is a good practice to get business cards before you leave so that you will have sufficient follow-up information.  Content is crucial beyond the standard “thank you for your time”.  Each note should be uniquely written for each interviewer, referencing something that transpired in the interview.  Reiterate why you are uniquely qualified for their opportunity. 

Many truly great Technology Leaders and Executives find themselves in the job market unexpectedly and sometimes, have not actively sought a position in a long time.  However, getting interviewed and hired is all about distinguishing oneself and engaging the audience.  If you become downsized and unexpectedly find yourself “in transition” and looking for a new opportunity, it is time to reverse the interview process and become an interviewee!

Most interviewers hiring for permanent positions have a series of questions designed to hear how you present yourself and how you would be perceived by executives and peers in their organization.  Here are some of the basic questions we see most often:

Give me a brief overview of yourself and why we should hire you and/or tell me about yourself:

How many voice messages have not been returned because you could not understand the message?  How many because they rambled on and on and on…?  Please think about what you are going to say before the beep. 

In today’s economy, it is more important than ever to have people return your calls.  If you want a call back, why would you speak like a snail trying to move through quicksand when leaving your name and then, speak like someone on the highway trying to break the sound barrier when leaving your telephone number? 

During tough economic times, obtaining a good job can be more difficult than ever.  There are more people than usual looking for work and there are fewer jobs.  So how do you ensure that you will make it through the tough times?  Here are some tips for finding a position and other things that you can do to help make it through and keep yourself marketable.

·         Drop any unnecessary expenses immediately.  You can probably survive without getting your nails done or going out to dinner every night of the week, and cutting down on these things will be a big help in getting by on less money until you have found a job.