In the last couple of weeks I’ve had at least half-a-dozen friends call me or write me looking for work.
My brother-in-law has been out of work for nearly 18 months after a stellar career working in management for a few Fortune 500 companies. He was outsourced and downsized.
Another friend has been in banking (not selling mortgages) for the last 20 years and he also has recently found himself out of work.
Another said he’d do anything – but he couldn’t make less than $11.00 per hour.
Scary times indeed.
So I’m not sure why, but they asked me for help – I’m sure they are asking everyone so there’s no ego stroke here – but they are all certainly feeling the crunch.
I’ve talked to them and looked at their resumes – and here’s where I need your feedback and thoughts… I don’t know if I’m right or wrong…
What do you think about this advice???
- I don’t care if you aren’t into the whole Facebook, Linked-In, social networking thing. You MUST get on and participate. This is how people are communicating now – and if you aren’t on and involved, at least to the point of understanding, you are old. And old isn’t good…
- You have the ability to choose what you share and don’t share – you don’t need to make an idiot of yourself and share the “behind-the-scenes” you…
- This means don’t share too much! Many organizations are using social media as a means to pre-screen. Don’t shoot yourself in the foot before you even get started!
- You have an incredible opportunity to reconnect with people you haven’t spoken to in years – but they were and likely still will be your friends – and because of that they’ll want to help. You have no idea how many people you really know after being in the world for 20 to 40 years!
- You have the ability to choose what you share and don’t share – you don’t need to make an idiot of yourself and share the “behind-the-scenes” you…
- Let’s talk RESUMES!
- Your resume intro needs to sell the crap out of why I want to interview you – not why I want to hire you…
- You need to explain who you are and what you can do for me and the company
- As an employer or someone hiring I want to know that:
- You are a quick study – you learn and pick things up fast
- You are agile and able to move and adapt to changes in circumstances and situations
- You won’t require me to babysit you all the time
- You get along with others and will do what you can to lift those around you
- You will do everything you can to make my job easier – or allow me to focus more on my job and shine
- You will do everything humanly possible to add to the bottom line of the company – because companies exist to serve and make money for the owners and/or the shareholders
- As an employer or someone hiring I want to know that:
- You need to explain who you are and what you can do for me and the company
- Your resume needs to be SHORT!
- When I was hiring, I didn’t want to look through 3-5 pages to figure out whether or not I wanted to invest the time to meet with a person.
I wanted to invest 60 seconds to see if they were able to explain why I’d want to meet them – and then I’d see if they could dazzle me in person – because that’s what really mattered. - Keep it to a page, sell the interview not the hire and dazzle them in person…
- When I was hiring, I didn’t want to look through 3-5 pages to figure out whether or not I wanted to invest the time to meet with a person.
- Your resume needs to be less about all the blah-blah-blah crap that you’ve done and more about results… Because results matter…
- You can add a link to a URL or mention a C.V. or curriculum vitae being available if they want to read more
- References should be “Available Upon Request” ONLY!
- Start blogging…. You’ve been doing what you do for 10, 15 or 20 years… You’ve got lots of experience, diverse experience. You’ve got stories to tell about your successes and your failures. This is an opportunity to share beyond a resume. You can explain how you dealt with certain people, reacted in certain situations and how you overcame challenges. Include pictures, flow charts, steps, etc.
- Your resume intro needs to sell the crap out of why I want to interview you – not why I want to hire you…
OK, I’m off my holly-hobby horse for now…
What do you think about this advice? Am I right or am I wrong?
Please share your feedback…. Write comments. Invite others to participate in this post as well.
Also, please include in your comments whether or not you are hired, looking for work or someone who hires people…
I think if there’s enough feedback – it could really be of value to those who are looking for work…
Finally, Feeling Down? Here are some other things you can do…
If you are out of work it’s easy to get low… It stinks – I’ve been there and the feeling of uselessness can wear heavy on your mind, your heart and your soul…
You need to keep your head up… If you need a confidence boost, here’s a simple exercise that’s helped me…
REVISIT THE PAST…
Start at the earliest point in your career that you can remember.
Take an inventory of the things you’ve learned, the people you’ve met, the things you’ve accomplished. One by one, write them all down – and read them.
You’ll be ABSOLUTELY AMAZED at all the things you’ve accomplished.
It’s just so easy to forget and let that stuff go – but these are the experiences that you have that make you valuable….
Thanks,
John
John Kirker started his first internet software development company in 1994. Since he has been involved in over 800 web-projects working with the who's-who of modern day business.
{ 10 comments… read them below or add one }
Good stuff John! I too have been out of work for 9 months….outsourced and downsized.
Hi John,
I think your comments are right on. Here are a couple of additional thoughts.
Specifically for your business John, perhaps a one-page resume works, but for many industries, two pages (no more) is acceptable. Don’t go back more than ten years in your resume experience. It dates you and as fast as things are moving now, much of what you did more than ten years ago is probably obsolete by now anyway.
If you have accomplishments that you MUST include that go back further, list them under “Other Relevant Experience”.
If you’ve been out of work for 18 months or more, really take a look at whether your former job category will EVER revive. If not, then it’s time to begin looking in another direction – perhaps consulting or starting a business.
And for your friend who doesn’t want to make less than $11/hour – it depends on the job. He MIGHT consider how many new people he has the opportunity to meet and talk to in particular positions that could include someone who has a really great opportunity for him that he might otherwise miss.
And yes, you MUST be on social media these days. And engaging people in what you are up to, not just hiding out.
It stinks Jim… I’m going to do a post tomorrow about a friend of mine who just hired an offshore MBA who speaks perfect English and will work PST hours for $350 a month… I can see how he’d be tempted…but…
Great feedback Sue… Thank you for contributing… Someday soon we’ll have to get together again for lunch…
Your resume must be thought of as MARKETING! Marketing yourself. You’ve touched on good points related to the resume itself so I’ll comment on how to get your resume put to the top of the pile amongst the other thousands of resumes. It’s no different than opening your mail over a trash can. Junk mail goes in the trash…those peices that look important or appear to have come from a real human being go in the A pile to get opened. So how your resume winds up on the desk of the hiring sales manager is an art….the ART of out of the box marketing.
First thing to consider in this new economy…”Tried and True Methods Don’t Work!”
This is one of the best things I’ve ever discovered as it relates to standing out from the crowd…”Take your resume and pack it inside a paper Starbucks coffee cup. Pack that inside a box not bigger than the cup and send it second day air. Sure it may be a little more expensive than clicking the email send button or licking a stamp but lets face it if those methods worked why aren’t more people getting hired and why haven’t you landed any interviews yet? 30 minutes after you’ve received delivery confirmation, call the hiring manager up and introduce yourself. If you’ve done your homework you’ll have this persons contact information and direct line…YES YOU CAN GET ACCESS TO THIS STUFF IF YOU KNOW WHERE TO GO! This concept is known in the marketing world as “Lumpy Mail” and using a delivery service will undoubtedly get your resume on the top of the pile, on the desk of and grab the attention of the hiring manager. You’ll certainly stand out from the crowd.
To learn more about the developer of these stealth job hunting strategies check out this New York Post Article:
http://www.nypost.com/p/news/business/jobs/outside_the_box_Z1dQwDhdft8fxLUJWkKjQL/0
Something else to consider in the face of a job loss…”sometimes things happen for a reason…losing a job is no doubt a difficult thing to face…perhaps your life is headed a totally different unexpected direction that will reveal itself to you as a reason to never give up on your hopes and dreams…life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it!
Great article John. As a former hiring manager, your post is right on. Now, facing an uncertain future (actually, I am certain to lose my job, I just don’t know when), I have been forced to face down my own career mortality. So, I have started my own business. It will take me a while to start up, but I am using my last few months at my current job to get myself off the ground. This is a tough market and I don’t want to worry about my resume getting lost in the shuffle!
John,
I have been out of work for the past 8 1/2 mos. Thank you for this great advice on networking and resume appearance. If there is anything I could add to those of you who are out of work, it would be to stay positive. When interviewing, be yourself – you don’t want to come across as being desperate for work simply for the sake of needing a job. These are definitely tough times that we are in and remind yourself that you are not alone. The competition in job searching has become much more fierce given the rise in the unemployment rate. Take John’s advice on networking with your friends, former co-workers and contacts on Facebook, LinkedIn and other networking sites. You have a higher chance of being offered a position through someone you know or by a friend of a friend than you do by applying blindly.
I can’t begin to tell you how many positions I have applied for blindly through company website online application processes and never being offered an interview or anything other than an automated response at best. Do your homework, find the hiring manager and contact them directly. This is where Brian Beckner’s advice comes in which is right on the money when he says, “Tried and True Methods Don’t Work” in this economy. Brian, thank you for reminding me of this and for the great resume tips – I definitely plan on putting your advice into action.
The toughest part in my opinion is getting the interview. Once your foot is in the door, sell yourself. The last piece of advice I would give is to never be afraid to take 2 steps back in your career in order to take 5 steps forward. I have done it and it paid off in dividends.
Now it is time for me to get back to practicing what I am preaching.
Joe
People need to take the time to format and organize their resume well. I see resumes from college graduates that are a complete mess. As someone who prepares business development materials and proposals all day, my whole day is filled with formatting documents. When I review resumes, I expect the same professional details. I don’t know how many times I have been tempted to message an applicant and tell them to have someone else reformat their resume for them if they can’t do it themselves. At the very least, they should have someone review it for spelling and grammatical errors. Professional e-mail addresses are a must! I received a resume recently for an opening that requires a 4 year degree, he has a 4 year degree alright but his e-mail address is “surferboy”. Also, I’ve noticed an increase in e-mails which don’t include a resume but more like a brief narrative of qualifications. I’m sorry but those automatically get dumped…if you want the job, you’re going to have to follow instructions right off the bat and my primary request is to “submit your RESUME” via e-mail. It’s also NOT OKAY to call me if my advert specifically states “no phone calls regarding this job posting”.
Great idea to blog about this!
I forgot to add….submit your resume as a .pdf file, especially if you don’t want me to see how badly formatted it is (I’ve often wondered how long it takes to hit the space bar 30 times, five times over to get those dates of employment to line up properly to the right…ayeeeeee…my OCD kicks in when I see that!).
This is all excellent advice – especially the part about results – RESULTS are what count and what most employees have never been taught to focus on. Those who survive this economic decline are going to be the people who know that it is NOT about punching a timeclock or how much time you spend – it is about what results you can deliver.
Personally, I don’t believe the best goal is to get another J.O.B. (Just Over Broke) – jobs are for those who really don’t want to learn to deliver results and there aren’t going to be many that pay much of anything any more.
There are tons of opportunities to learn to deliver results for small businesses that will earn those sharp enough to learn them a good living and create a better world for all of us. Businesses need to reach us and we need to find the best small local and online businesses.
I found your blog through Dennis Edell and wouldn’t have followed you or found your site if this post didn’t happen to be the top Tweet at the time I visited. He sent me a heads up on chat that said, “if you haven’t already met @Tweetmatix – his bio seems right up your alley”.
He was right. We have a collaboration of bloggers supporting each others efforts and improving our best practices. Perhaps you would like to join us? Drop me an email and I’ll send details.