“Dumb Down” Your Resume?

There was an article in the Wall Street Journal recently, titled:
The New Resume: Dumb and Dumber with a subtitle of:
Job Seekers Play Down Their Credentials to Avoid Looking Overqualified

The story was about people that took graduate degrees, years of experience, or titles off their resumes that made them appear ‘overqualified’ for jobs to which they were applying.

Does that work? and… Is that a good idea?

Two very different questions, and in my opinion, with two very different answers.

Most people would agree that it’s a bad idea to add credentials to a resume that aren’t true. Adding a degree, an inflated title, a company, or certification that you don’t have is both wrong and potential career suicide.  Not too long ago the CEO of Texas Instruments was famously dismissed from his position when it was discovered he didn’t actually have a degree that he listed on his resume. The truth may be discovered in a pre-employment background check, or it may be discovered a year after you’ve been in the job. Either way, it won’t be a positive outcome when it happens. Perhaps the truth will never be discovered. What will your life be like in the meantime, waiting and wondering?

When excluding relevant information from your resume, it is also deceiving the employer in order to get a job. A quote in the Wall Street Journal article from a recruiter is dead on:

"How do I know I can trust them later down the road if there's something on their résumé they decided to take off so they could have a better chance at getting that job?"

If the employer would not have hired you because you’re overqualified, they are not going to be pleased later to find out that they now have an overqualified employee… that deceived them. The reasons they did not want an overqualified employee in the first place haven’t likely changed and now they feel they have an employee they’re not sure they can trust.

Companies often have legitimate reasons for not wanting to hire someone with more experience or qualifications than the role requires, such as:

• Statistically, the employee is much more likely to jump ship if a more appropriate opportunity arises.
• The employee is less likely to feel fulfilled or challenged in their position, leading to complacency.
• They are less likely to be ‘coachable’ in company processes or procedures
• There is a higher likelihood of an employee with an “I’m better than this” attitude

If the company feels that way to begin with, it’s not likely to be a satisfying place for you to work. Yes, it may be tougher and take more effort to find a position that is more appropriate to your qualifications. However, it will also much more likely be the better situation for both you and the company.

All that said… I do believe it’s acceptable to downplay your qualifications on your resume.  If you have a PhD and you’re applying for a Sales position, you don’t have to put your degree at the top of your resume in bold font. Listing the information in a normal font at the end of your resume is fine. If you’ve had 25 years of experience and you’re applying for a position that requires 10, include details of your positions for the last 10 years and then only have a line that states something like: Additional related experience 1984 – 1999.

You are acknowledging your past and not trying to deceive them, you are just presenting your experience in a way most appropriate for the position you’re applying to.

As in every area in life: Honesty is the best policy!
Go out and find the position most appropriate for you!

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Footnote:

Thank you for visiting The Wise Job Search. I truly appreciate your interest. If you like the material here and would like to help keep it viable, please peruse and visit book recommendations, and other resources posted throughout the site. Best wishes on your continued search, and feedback is always welcome!

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What to do when you don’t know what to do!

What should you do when you don’t know what to do next in your job search?

Everyone runs into that predicament sooner or later. You’ve been diligently networking, following up on leads, proactively calling company contacts, asking for and getting informational interviews, and yet nothing seems to be materializing yet. Maintaining a positive attitude in your job search is hard enough, feeling like you don’t know what to do next makes it even more difficult. So what now? 

Here are a few suggestions to re-jump start your job search process:

• Reconnect with every networking contact you haven’t spoken to in over a month.
• Ask EVERY networking contact-“If you were in my situation, who would you talk to?”
• Create a new list of EVERYONE you know, check to see if you’ve connected with all of them about your job search.
• Have you explored multiple local job networking groups?
• Have you explored resources at your State Workforce Center?
• Have you checked out all appropriate local professional / trade groups or associations?
• Re-connect with companies that filled applicable positions 2 or 3 months ago
  (sometimes new hires don’t work out).

Most important, however… Are you still doing all the things you were doing earlier in your search? Often, as time goes on, many job seekers will begin cutting corners. They send out resumes and don’t call the company proactively as they may have done earlier in their search. They stop attending networking groups. They slow down in seeking new networking contacts, or don’t pursue every lead they hear of.  It’s easy to let things slide when you haven’t had success yet and you begin getting weary of the process. However, you don’t know when or where the right lead will come from, and you may miss it if you don’t check them all out!

A job search can be a trying time. Keep it fresh and keep doing all the things that will ultimately bring your new opportunity!

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Footnote:

Thank you for visiting The Wise Job Search. I truly appreciate your interest. If you like the material here and would like to help keep it viable, please peruse and visit book recommendations, and other resources posted throughout the site. Best wishes on your continued search, and feedback is always welcome!

Read more!

I can’t get a job because…

There is hardly a job seeker that can’t give you a really “good” reason why their situation is worse than most and they can’t get a job because of it.  Certainly there are challenges that many people face that may make it more difficult, but most people over estimate how large those challenges are. Also, there is almost no challenge that can’t be overcome with the right attitude, approach, and determination.

I regularly hear people tell me that they can’t get a job because:

• I’m too old and face age discrimination.
• I’m too young and companies are hiring older more experienced people.
• I don’t have a degree.
• I’m over qualified with my graduate degree.
• They are only hiring men.
• They are only hiring women.
• I have physical restrictions.
• Companies want more experience with a particular skill.
• Companies don’t want much experience these days.
• I have too many jobs on my resume.
• I’ve been at one company too long.
• Companies are only hiring consultants.
• Companies are focused on diversity, and I’m not “diverse”.
• I’m a minority and face discrimination.
• It’s a “Good Old Boys” network, and I’m not a “Good Old Boy”.
• …and many, many more.

The reality is, depending on the company, each of those things may be true. AND depending on the company, none of those things are true. 

After 23 years in the executive search business, I can honestly tell you that many of the traditional barriers that used to be common, are all but gone.  “Conventional Wisdom” about age, or race, disability, or sex discrimination just don’t exist anywhere near where they used to even 10 or 20 years ago.  Certainly there are instances where it occurs, however, they are isolated and rare.  Most people that are convinced that they are being singled out though, “find” discrimination, or negative business reasons everywhere.

In fact, for almost any person that gives a reason why they cannot get hired, you can find another person with the same circumstances that got a job.  It may take more effort. It may take a different approach. However, the biggest stumbling block to getting a job is often the mindset of the seeker. 

As in anyone’s job search, they can benefit by some good search tips:

• Call company contacts instead of applying online and waiting.
• Network, Network, Network!
• Follow up regularly – persistence pays.
• Pursue all leads, you don’t know where the right job will come from.
• Put in enough daily time and effort – treat your search like a full-time job.
• Be prepared – in introductions, interviews, phone calls, follow ups, etc.
• Keep a positive attitude!

Most people don’t treat their job hunt like a full-time job, and so their search drags on much longer than necessary.  When the job doesn’t come in the timeframe they’d like, it’s easier to blame it on other circumstances. 

Plan your work, and work your plan and the right situation will come!

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Footnote:

Thank you for visiting The Wise Job Search. I truly appreciate your interest. If you like the material here and would like to help keep it viable, please peruse and visit book recommendations, and other resources posted throughout the site. Best wishes on your continued search, and feedback is always welcome!

Read more!

Are You Ready???

You just got laid off from your job (Ouch!), and getting ready to begin a new job search. Are you ready? What should you do first, and what tools will you need?

Most people jump in, sending out resumes or contacting people unprepared. Usually they are ineffective, and sometime set themselves up to do real damage. Get yourself organized and make a plan before you begin and your efforts will be much more fruitful.

Here are 13 tools and tips to consider if you’re just starting out, or already well into your process. You’ll need each of these:

1. Calendar – You’ll obviously need to keep track of scheduled interviews and meetings. But just as important, you need to schedule your time each day and each week to make phone calls, to do company research, to tweak your resume for each job, to re-connect with people you spoke to days or weeks ago. Without actively blocking off specific times to do the things that aren’t ‘mandatory’, very little of those activities get done. Use Outlook, or some other electronic calendar, or use a desk calendar, or ‘Franklin’ type planner.
   

2. Task Lists – In addition to your calendar, be sure to keep a great task list going to make sure to remind yourself of all the things you need to get to. Thank you notes; create list of people to call; follow-up call with ‘John Smith at ABC Co’; etc. It’s important to keep your running list of things to do, or they won’t get done! Outlook has an excellent Tasks function, or you may have another, or a legal pad can be just as functional, but if you’re not writing it down, things WILL get forgotten.
   

3. Accomplishments List – Just as important as keeping track of what you need to do, is keeping track of what you’ve done! Maintaining a positive attitude while job hunting can be tough. It’s easy to get to the end of a day or a week and be discouraged that you still don’t have a new job. It’s also easy to forget what you’ve done, and feel as if you’ve hardly done anything at all. If, however, you can look at your “Accomplishments” list and see that you did have 20 conversations with new contacts this week, and had 3 informational interviews, and found 15 possible new leads, and discovered 12 new companies to pursue… you can feel satisfied that you’re doing the things necessary and it just becomes a matter of time until the offer happens.
   

4. Your ‘Treasure Chest’ – It’s critical to take the time to think of and write down EVERYONE you know! Most people never realize how many people they know until they actually think it through and write them all down. Most of us have far more potentially helpful contacts than we realize. Imagine something like the diagram at the right to ‘map out’ all your contacts. The blue boxes can be memory joggers like ‘All the people at my previous job’; ‘Softball team’; ‘Friends at church’; ‘Professional Associations’; ‘Service acquaintances’ (barber, accountant, hair stylist, etc); ‘Health Club acquaintances’; and so on. Then fill in all the names you can think of. Don’t exclude ANYONE (I know someone who got their job lead from an 85 year old grandmother at church), you never know where your best leads will come from! In order to network effectively, you have to have a comprehensive list of people to contact to start with. Your objective with each one of those contacts is not just “do you know of a job”, but “who else do you know that would be worthwhile for me to talk to?” and “If you were in my situation, who would you contact?”
   

5. Tracking Tools – Eight weeks into your job search, someone you meet says “Hey, you ought to talk to Bob Johnson, he’s in your field, and he’s probably one of the best networked guys I know!” Outstanding! Those are the people you want to talk to! You get his number you call him up, give him a 30 second initial introduction and ask if he can meet with you over a cup of coffee. He replies, “Umm, you must not remember, but we spoke a month ago already.” DOH!!! After having talked to dozens of people in the last couple of months, you just plain forgot you had already connected with him. A follow up call may have been very appropriate, but not treating it like an initial introduction. If you don’t have some mechanism to keep track of who you’ve talked to, when, and something about the conversation, this scenario is bound to happen. You must have some way of keeping track of your conversations, where you’ve sent your resume, what follow up calls you’ve made, what recruiters you’re working with, etc. There are some excellent online tools available to do this, like JibberJobber. Regardless of what you use, online, a spreadsheet or paper, make sure you have a system that works for you.
   

6. Your Resume – Many people simply take the resume they used the last time they looked for a job and add additional information for their most recent position. Regardless of how good your last resume was, I guarantee it’s not the best for you now. You’ve since gained more experience, new accomplishments, and maybe different objectives. Furthermore, the market may look at resumes differently in your field now than it did last time. Create a ‘new and improved’ resume now. It needs to have relevant accomplishments, skills, and keywords. Furthermore, create multiple versions for different situations you may pursue, and each one needs to be tweaked for EVERY position you apply to so that it’s most effective for that particular role. Take the time to get it right, also keeping in mind that your resume is a constant work in progress. There is never a “final” version.
   

7. LinkedIn – Is your LinkedIn profile up to snuff? LinkedIn is probably THE most powerful tool online to find contacts and to be found. In order for anyone to find you though, your profile need to have all the appropriate keywords that they are likely to use to find someone like you. Once they find you, they need to be impressed enough to actually want to contact you. Does your profile have a professional picture? Is there an effective summary that makes it clear what you do and what sets you apart? Is your contact information accessible for anyone to be able to reach you easily? Is your profile compelling?
   

8. Study up! – Most people are not professional job seekers! There are skills, and strategies, and techniques that can help you tremendously if you know what they are. This site, and a multitude of others offer great tips and information. There are excellent books as well (check some of my favorites from Amazon in the right margin). Some of my favorite career sites are listed here also.
   

9. Gather Your Resources – Find out what resources are available to you. Check your area for job networking groups, many churches offer excellent opportunities. Explore your state job service offerings, many states have excellent materials, resources, free seminars, and exclusive job listings. Find others that are also looking for jobs and create your own accountability group. Get together once a week to report what each of you has accomplished in your search the previous week and bring leads for each other (it’s important to set ground rules in advance that no one can complain, everyone should leave meetings encouraged, not discouraged). Seek out relevant professional associations or trade associations where you might be able to find leads and ideas.
   

10. Business Cards – You meet someone, talk to them about your job search, and five minutes after you leave they realize they may have a lead for you. How will they reach you? Have business cards printed with your contact information and a short description. Make sure you give one to EVERYONE you meet.
    

11. Your ‘Elevator Speech’ – When you meet someone new, and you only have a short time with them, how do you tell them what you do and what you’re looking for in a way they understand and is compelling. Are you prepared? Are you practiced? You must have it… read “What The Heck Is An Elevator Speech?” for more help.
    

12. Phone – Most people never think about their phone. They put the number on their resume, and hand it out on their cards, and never think about what happens when someone actually calls. Do you have a house full of children that answer the phone with “Who’s this?!?” Or who may answer the phone well, but don’t give you the message, or erase it from the answering machine? Is your answering machine outgoing message one you’d be proud of with a potential employer? If you give your cell phone number, do you answer it while you’re in line at the grocery store? Be sure you’re prepared for THE call, and maybe get another phone line if necessary.
    

13. Scripts – When you call networking contacts, or a job lead… do you know exactly what you’re going to say? Or do you ‘wing it’. Professional sales people use scripts! Even great experienced salespeople. Job hunting is SALES. If you write out scripts, practice them, and use them in your phone calls, for your meetings, and for your interview questions, you will be FAR better and more effective than talking off the top of your head. Take the time to think through, write, and practice scripts. The payoff will be enormous!

There are other things that can help you be better prepared as well. However, if you consider these before firing off scores of resumes, your job search will be MUCH more effective!

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Footnote:

Thank you for visiting The Wise Job Search. I truly appreciate your interest. If you like the material here and would like to help keep it viable, please peruse and visit book recommendations, and other resources posted throughout the site. Best wishes on your continued search, and feedback is always welcome!

Read more!

Five Best Ways to Use Twitter for Your Job Search!

Twitter can be a tremendous, fast moving tool in your Job Search Toolbox. Here are 5 ways to get the most out of it.

1. Follow and read job search experts. The amount of excellent ideas, tips, leads, news, informative articles, and best practices going by all day long is amazing. Use Twellow’s directory for Employment > Career > Job Search to find excellent people to follow. You’ll find outstanding advice that applies to your situation… guaranteed.

2. Search for posted positions. Use Twitter’s search function to look for #jobs, or TwitterJobSearch to find a wealth of open positions that aren’t necessarily posted on job boards or company sites. Also search #splits for positions that recruiters use to split open searches with other recruiters. New positions are posted with excellent companies, large and small, every minute of every day. Get them in real time, early, and often.

3. Follow and read people in your field or industry. Industry chatter is incredible. News items, rumors, and trends get discussed daily. You can become much better versed in your field by ‘listening’. It can provide you with new and valuable information that can make you a better candidate in the interview process. Use Twellow to find appropriate people to follow.

4. Engage! Get in conversations with people. Ask questions, offer help, ReTweet (re-post) good information you see. Make sure to proofread everything you Tweet, and keep everything professional. Offering opinions about politics (unless you’re looking for a job in politics), or talking about your weekend at the bar will alienate half the people you want to connect to. Don’t sound discouraged or be a spreader of bad news. Keep your conversations focused on your area of expertise, or job search topics, and keep them positive.

5. Connect with people at your target companies. Many companies have an official presence on Twitter and post positions. There are also obviously many people on Twitter on their own that work at companies you many have an interest in. Professionally, ask questions, ask for referrals, offer information, and seek advice.

The reputation you build on Twitter, just like the image you create on any other site will either help or hurt your chances of finding the right position. Be positive, be professional, be helpful, be inquisitive, be engaging, be honest, and have fun!

Consistency is important. If you only Tweet once or twice per day, it won’t be enough for anyone to get to know you. Manage your time carefully, but do spend some time to build credibility and relationships. There are few places online where you can find so much information and develop so many contacts 24/7!

Use Twitter for your job search… it’s unlike anything else!

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Footnote:

Thank you for visiting The Wise Job Search. I truly appreciate your interest. If you like the material here and would like to help keep it viable, please peruse and visit book recommendations, and other resources posted throughout the site. Best wishes on your continued search, and feedback is always welcome!

Read more!

Mother’s Day and Your Job Search!

This Sunday is Mother’s Day! What in the world does that have to do with your job search?

A LOT… maybe. It may depend on what you do with it. You may be trying to leave your current job right now and are looking for a new one, or you may be unemployed and looking for a new position. For most people that’s a stressful time and that stress often comes out in less than ideal ways. How are you treating the people important to you?

Maybe you’re neglecting, or acting out toward your mother, or the mother of your children. Strained personal relationships add to your job search stress and that often comes out in how you present yourself to others. Mother’s Day can be a day to make sure your relationships are on track!

Make sure the mothers in your life know how you appreciate them. I know I appreciate mine!

I have been incredibly blessed to be married to an exceptional wife and mother. I’m sure there are other wives out there that evoke the same levels of love, admiration, and respect from their husbands, but I don’t know who.

We homeschool our kids. Really, my wife does while I try to earn a living and pay some bills. Day after day she is a:

• Master Teacher
• Solomon-like Referee
• Biblical Mentor
• Gentle Attitude Coach
• Gifted Counselor
• Understanding Supervisor
• Exceptional Housekeeper
• and 5-Star Chef

Additionally, to me she is:

• A Most Trusted Confidant
• Most cherished friend
• The one who replenishes my confidence
• A fount of encouragement
• The joy of my available time
• My prayer partner
• The beauty of our home
• and the object of my greatest desires

Particularly over the last year, I have fully come to appreciate that I cannot become who I want to be, without her being who she is.

I completely understand that many people do not have a relationship in their lives as supporting to them as mine has been. I’ve been extraordinarily blessed. However, I also know that most of the relationships in our lives can be improved if we take the 1st, and maybe 2nd, and maybe 3rd steps to improve them.

I’ve learned that whether it’s an employment relationship, marriage, or friendship there are always two sides to every story.

See your story through your wife’s, mother’s, or other strained relationship’s eyes this weekend and take those first steps. The benefits to your life… and maybe for your job search can be tremendous!

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Being ‘Pleasantly Persistent’!

“I sent in a resume…” or “I had an interview… over a week ago and haven’t heard anything.  Should I call to follow-up?” or “How much is too much when calling or emailing to follow-up?”

I get asked this question in one form or another regularly, and my standard answer is: “It pays to be ‘Pleasantly Persistent’!”

What’s that? It’s connecting multiple times in a way that draws them to you rather than giving them the urge to get a restraining order against a perceived ‘Stalker’!  It’s staying in touch and building rapport, as opposed to creating an image of needy desperation.

In most telemarketing sales, it usually takes multiple calls to make a sale.  Generally:
5% of sales are made in a 1st call
15% of sales are made in a 2nd call
80% of sales are made in a 3rd, 4th, or 5th call!

The old adage: “If at first you don’t succeed, try and try again!” definitely applies in your job search as well.

How do you make multiple calls that build rather than damage a relationship? Think about how you might prefer to hear from someone. Here are some suggested tips:

• Be upbeat, friendly, light hearted, and cheerful.
  
  
• Be professional.
  
  
• Be respectful… ask: “Do you have just a minute, or did I catch you at a bad time?”
  
  
• Be BRIEF! Don’t ramble on, get to the point.
  
  
• Be Prepared! Have a script so you don’t run off course.
  
  
• Leave a well prepared voicemail if you don’t catch them.
  
  
• Don’t leave multiple voicemail’s between conversations.
  
  
• Alternate voicemails and emails between times you actually speak with them.
  
  
• Try calling at different times of the day to catch them at their phone.
  
  
• Ask them when they would recommend you follow-up.
  
  
• Let them know you will follow-up again:
  ”I’ll check back next week to see where the process is at that point and whether I can provide any additional information that might be helpful for you then”
  
  
• Make sure you do follow up when you said you would!
  
  
• In each call, give them one more BRIEF reason that you are a strong fit for the position based on THEIR criteria that they’ve mentioned in the job description or interview.

If done cheerfully and professionally, these calls show your interest in the position, your follow through, and your initiative. However, set realistic expectations. In the market right now, it’s not unusual for companies to take much longer to complete their selection process for deciding who to interview and for the interview process itself.  In most cases they have to evaluate far more candidates than they did a year ago.  So if you’re sending a resume on Monday and they haven’t contacted you by Wednesday, it’s not personal.  They most likely simply have not had enough time to look at all the submittals yet.  Call them toward the end of the week, and every 4 to 7 days afterward, but ask them for a timeframe that would be best.  If they say 3-weeks, call again in two!

Now, more than ever, if you’re only doing what everyone else does (i.e. wait for their call), you will have a very LONG job search. 

In order to get noticed, you must be willing to leave your comfort zone and show more initiative… be ‘Pleasantly Persistent’!

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Footnote:

Thank you for visiting The Wise Job Search. I truly appreciate your interest. If you like the material here and would like to help keep it viable, please peruse and visit book recommendations, and other resources posted throughout the site. Best wishes on your continued search, and feedback is always welcome!

Read more!

Give Before You Get!

Two of the most difficult things for most people in their job search:
Maintain a PMA (Positive Mental Attitude), and Networking.

One tool to help with both of those issues: Volunteering!

Particularly in today’s economy, there is a tremendous need for volunteers in all kinds of excellent service organizations.  With a little digging, you can find opportunities to do virtually anything that interests you, that can serve others in a tremendous way.  You should find ways to serve for the benefit of the recipients, but the benefits to you in your job search can be huge as well!

When you’re serving others:

• It’s difficult to feel sorry for yourself. You often witness even greater difficulties than your own, and it helps you put your own problems in perspective.
  
  
• It gives you a sense of worth to be able to help.  Often, in a job search, people become unsure of their own value.  Serving others is a good reminder that you can do good.
  
  
• You gain a sense of accomplishment.  Helping someone else is an achievement.
  
  
• You stay engaged with people rather than ‘holed up’ at home.  That helps your attitude and your communication skills which can atrophy without constant use.
  
  
• You often receive expressions of gratitude, which are great morale boosters.
  
  
• You often are getting to know new people and building relationships which expand your network and can lead you to more prospects.
  
  
• You gain more confidence in meeting and relating to people you don’t know – a great way to develop your networking skills.
  
  
• You become needed. That is a great feeling when you’re unemployed.
  
  
• You never know who you will meet!  You may find connections and opportunities you never expected.
  
  
• It’s the right thing to do, and everyone feels better when they’re doing something good.

One job seeker I coached not long ago applied this wholeheartedly.  She certainly did all the normal things she needed to do to find a job, but she also sought out and helped in a wide variety of volunteer opportunities at her church, at company events, and at various service organizations.

She heard of one large company in town doing an employee food drive.  She contacted the company to say she was interested in helping in some way and whether there might be an opportunity to get involved.  They were glad for the help, and gave her a chance to help load the truck with all the donated foods.  While working throughout the day, she got a chance to meet and work with a number of the company’s employees, who would ask who she was and what she did.  One of the people she worked with was a Director of a functional area that was in her work experience.  After some discussion while handing off boxes of food, she was asked to come in for an interview for a potential opening.  Doing good, networking, feeling good, and an interview!  Not bad!

Organizations like The Salvation Army, The Red Cross, Habitat For Humanity, United Way, churches and many, many others are always looking for volunteer help.  Either for a one time commitment or event, or for on-going needs they may have.   They give you the benefit of helping others, but they are also a tremendous opportunity to feel good about yourself, and work alongside others that may be leads!  Everyone you meet or work along side may be either a valuable direct contact, or may know of someone else that can help.

No one should feel like they can’t serve.  There is a need out there for you regardless of your own circumstances.  This weekend I witnessed someone that gave several bags of groceries to someone else in need.  The giver was in need themselves, and really didn’t have ‘surplus’ cash to help in that way.  However, they felt called to be a blessing to someone that had even less.

You will never be a failure when you’re serving someone else!  Get out and volunteer!

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Footnote:

Thank you for visiting The Wise Job Search. I truly appreciate your interest. If you like the material here and would like to help keep it viable, please peruse and visit book recommendations, and other resources posted throughout the site. Best wishes on your continued search, and feedback is always welcome!

Read more!