By Heather Eagar
Are you highly skilled in your profession, yet seeking a job that for which you are probably overqualified? It is never bad to come into a position already encompassing a boatload of skills. However, some employers are intimidated by applicants who they feel are overqualified, which means you may have your work cut out for you.
If you know you have high qualifications, but think this could stand in the way of the job you want, you can use your cover letter to change minds. Let's look at some ways you can get this done ...
Explain Your Motivation
If you've been in a top position for many years, you may feel that it is time to lower your level of stress and get back to the basics of your profession. For example, you may have been the director of a non-profit for many years, working diligently to write grants and develop initiatives to bring money into your organization. However, the strenuous lifestyle has left you ready to step into a smaller role as a non-profit event coordinator, something that will offer time to relax and be with your family.
While this is good motivation, an unknowing organization only seeing your background might question your decision to downgrade. So when writing your cover letter, it's good to focus on how taking this step will offer fulfillment in your career - and life. Many hiring managers will understand your motivation, and appreciate you bringing your advanced knowledge to the table.
Remember that Your Experience is a Plus
By being overqualified, you're coming with an overwhelming amount of experience - something the organization or company can truly benefit from. So when writing your cover letter, try to stay away from any verbiage that makes your level of experience sound like a handicap. Instead, try explaining some of the ways that your experience can enhance their mission. Take some time to research what they are striving for then incorporate your skills and advanced knowledge in a way that can present thought-provoking ideas for making a difference.
For example, you can explain how as coordinator you would like to create events to entertain disadvantaged children, or bring in business professionals to help homeless individuals prepare for the work world. It's no secret that your expansive experience gives you a wide and beneficial perspective. But letting them know that your only agenda is using that experience to enhance their goals could positively affect whether you're considered for the job.
Let Them Know You're Not Going Anywhere
When writing your cover letter, it's good to assure the employer you're not going anywhere. Some hiring managers may fear that with your experience they may fall victim to an employee "hit and run." That is, you may depart prematurely if you get bored. Even worse, you might ask for money outside of their budget, or suffer from a superiority complex. None of these behaviors are desired by employers. But by highlighting your commitment to all previous jobs, you can express that they have nothing to worry about.
Remember, being overqualified for a job is not the end of the world. So by focusing on your passion in your cover letter, you can overshadow any doubts prospective employers may have regarding your sincerity, and possibly secure that position you want.
Heather Eagar is a former professional resume writer and is passionate about providing working professionals with current, reliable and effective job search tools and information. Compare the top resume service in the industry at http://www.resumelines.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Heather_Eagar
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Should I Tell Resume and CV Lies?
By Catherine Z Jones
In today's world, the search for employment is extremely competitive. So how do you present yourself most favorably to a potential employer? Some people think the simplest way to present yourself in the best light is to lie on your CV or resume.
Studies show that up to seventy-five percent of all CVs and resumes reviewed contained some type of deception in them. Many people think that it is alright to exaggerate the truth or state an outright lie when looking for employment. Most feel that an employer is too busy to check all the facts and they will get away with falsifying information.
The largest group of people that submit CVs and resumes containing false information is women in their thirties. They make up at least thirty-three percent with young men in their twenties coming up a close second.
So why tell resume and CV lies? Many people feel that almost everybody does it to make a better impression than others competing for the same position. However, if they are discovered they run the risk of losing out on being hired. Also they run the risk of ruining their reputation and future job opportunities.
Not only are we dealing with a moral issue, we are dealing with a legal issue as well.
Should an employer find out about misleading information found in a resume, CV, or application form before a person is formally hired, they have the right by law to withdraw the offer of a job.
If the deception is found out after a person is already working for an employer, then the employer can dismiss the person. If that employer is listed as a reference, they can state the deception as a reason of termination, potentially ruining chances of being hired by another employer.
What kind of information is most commonly falsified? Most often a resume or CV will have dates of employment that have been exaggerated so that it looks like a person was with an employer for longer than they actually were. Sometimes dates are exaggerated so that gaps in employment are wiped out or decreased for whatever reason. Salaries are often disclosed to be up to thirty-five percent more than what was actually received.
More serious false information involves stating or producing phony degrees. Unscrupulous people can find and even produce false documents that are very official looking, giving a potential employer the impression that the person has received higher education when in reality, the person may have only attended a few courses or worse yet, never even attended the institution in question. This is a serious offense and could result in conviction and time in prison.
The bottom line is that if you do not know how to represent yourself in a positive light, ask a professional resume or CV writer to write a resume for you.
Or another option is to speak with someone that you admire and ask them how they wrote up their CV or resume. Telling resume and CV lies, or lying on your job application form should be avoided so that you do not have to worry about defending yourself or you employment if the misleading information is discovered.
There's more information on resume and CV lies here and advice on getting a professional resume or CV writer to write a resume for you.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Catherine_Z_Jones
In today's world, the search for employment is extremely competitive. So how do you present yourself most favorably to a potential employer? Some people think the simplest way to present yourself in the best light is to lie on your CV or resume.
Studies show that up to seventy-five percent of all CVs and resumes reviewed contained some type of deception in them. Many people think that it is alright to exaggerate the truth or state an outright lie when looking for employment. Most feel that an employer is too busy to check all the facts and they will get away with falsifying information.
The largest group of people that submit CVs and resumes containing false information is women in their thirties. They make up at least thirty-three percent with young men in their twenties coming up a close second.
So why tell resume and CV lies? Many people feel that almost everybody does it to make a better impression than others competing for the same position. However, if they are discovered they run the risk of losing out on being hired. Also they run the risk of ruining their reputation and future job opportunities.
Not only are we dealing with a moral issue, we are dealing with a legal issue as well.
Should an employer find out about misleading information found in a resume, CV, or application form before a person is formally hired, they have the right by law to withdraw the offer of a job.
If the deception is found out after a person is already working for an employer, then the employer can dismiss the person. If that employer is listed as a reference, they can state the deception as a reason of termination, potentially ruining chances of being hired by another employer.
What kind of information is most commonly falsified? Most often a resume or CV will have dates of employment that have been exaggerated so that it looks like a person was with an employer for longer than they actually were. Sometimes dates are exaggerated so that gaps in employment are wiped out or decreased for whatever reason. Salaries are often disclosed to be up to thirty-five percent more than what was actually received.
More serious false information involves stating or producing phony degrees. Unscrupulous people can find and even produce false documents that are very official looking, giving a potential employer the impression that the person has received higher education when in reality, the person may have only attended a few courses or worse yet, never even attended the institution in question. This is a serious offense and could result in conviction and time in prison.
The bottom line is that if you do not know how to represent yourself in a positive light, ask a professional resume or CV writer to write a resume for you.
Or another option is to speak with someone that you admire and ask them how they wrote up their CV or resume. Telling resume and CV lies, or lying on your job application form should be avoided so that you do not have to worry about defending yourself or you employment if the misleading information is discovered.
There's more information on resume and CV lies here and advice on getting a professional resume or CV writer to write a resume for you.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Catherine_Z_Jones
Five Things You Should Never Put in Your Resume
By Tom McBroom
So much has been written about what you should include in your resume that it's easy to overlook the things you should not put in your resume. These can send your resume to the trash can just as fast as the things you omit.
Here are five things to never put in your resume.
One
Any statement about a "job objective" or "career objective".
I know this is completely counterintuitive and contradicts much of what you've read about how to write a good resume, but hear me out. I've been a hiring manager for over 25 years at several Fortune 500 corporations and have interviewed and hired hundreds of people in my career.
My advice to you is don't bother putting an objective on your resume - it's meaningless to the hiring manager who will be reading your resume and simply takes up space without contributing anything. Instead, focus your efforts on customizing your resume for the specific job to which you're applying.
Read the job description in the job posting. Pay attention to the experience and qualifications they are seeking and highlight those things in your resume. What the hiring manager wants to read is how good a fit you will be for their job opening, not what your general "objective" is for a job. Including a job objective will not help and may very well hurt your resume. Your time is better spent tailoring your resume for each job.
Two
The date you graduated from college.
By all means, include the fact that you did graduate, the school you attended, and any honors you received. But leave your graduation date off. If it's too far in the past, you may be stereotyped as being too old. If it's too recent, you may be stereotyped as being too young. Yes, questions about age can't be asked in an interview and age discrimination is illegal, but let's face it: if you give a big clue about your age in your resume you run the risk of being typecast.
It's better to sell your experience and accomplishments and take age out of the equation.
Three
Personal information such as hobbies, how you like to spend you time, etc.
The hiring manager only wants to know about your education, experience and accomplishments as they relate to the job for which you're interviewing. Personal information adds nothing to your resume and you run the risk of stating something that the hiring manager doesn't like. For example, if you state that you're an avid hunter and the hiring manager is into animal rights, you are sunk before you even leave the dock.
Four
Experience that isn't backed up with accomplishments.
Yes, the hiring manager wants to know you have the specific experience the job requires. But simply listing your experience without also giving example of accomplishments that show that the experience was successful puts you into the same league as all the other mediocre applicants.
It's one thing to say that you have five years of marketing experience. It's quite another thing to say you have five years experience at XYZ company and increased sales in your territory by thirty percent. Which statement do you think will lead to an interview?
Five
Page three and any page after that.
Your resume should never be more than two pages. And it should only be two pages if you have more than ten years of experience at more than three employers. Then, it's okay to have a second page, but never more.
Actually, the hiring manager will almost always make a decision as to if your resume warrants an interview after the first page, usually after the first half of the first page. If you can't convince me you are the right person for the job in two pages or less, I won't be convinced by the third or fourth page and in fact will probably not read that far. I'll usually have dozens of resumes to read and long resumes are absolute deal killers.
Force yourself to make your resume no longer than two pages, preferably one. Your resume will be much more focused and powerful.
Tom McBroom has been a Hiring Manager for over 25 years and manages the website http://www.job-search-steps.com, which is dedicated to helping you find a job quickly. Visit his site for complete information about conducting a job search, writing resumes and cover letters, and interviewing.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Tom_McBroom
So much has been written about what you should include in your resume that it's easy to overlook the things you should not put in your resume. These can send your resume to the trash can just as fast as the things you omit.
Here are five things to never put in your resume.
One
Any statement about a "job objective" or "career objective".
I know this is completely counterintuitive and contradicts much of what you've read about how to write a good resume, but hear me out. I've been a hiring manager for over 25 years at several Fortune 500 corporations and have interviewed and hired hundreds of people in my career.
My advice to you is don't bother putting an objective on your resume - it's meaningless to the hiring manager who will be reading your resume and simply takes up space without contributing anything. Instead, focus your efforts on customizing your resume for the specific job to which you're applying.
Read the job description in the job posting. Pay attention to the experience and qualifications they are seeking and highlight those things in your resume. What the hiring manager wants to read is how good a fit you will be for their job opening, not what your general "objective" is for a job. Including a job objective will not help and may very well hurt your resume. Your time is better spent tailoring your resume for each job.
Two
The date you graduated from college.
By all means, include the fact that you did graduate, the school you attended, and any honors you received. But leave your graduation date off. If it's too far in the past, you may be stereotyped as being too old. If it's too recent, you may be stereotyped as being too young. Yes, questions about age can't be asked in an interview and age discrimination is illegal, but let's face it: if you give a big clue about your age in your resume you run the risk of being typecast.
It's better to sell your experience and accomplishments and take age out of the equation.
Three
Personal information such as hobbies, how you like to spend you time, etc.
The hiring manager only wants to know about your education, experience and accomplishments as they relate to the job for which you're interviewing. Personal information adds nothing to your resume and you run the risk of stating something that the hiring manager doesn't like. For example, if you state that you're an avid hunter and the hiring manager is into animal rights, you are sunk before you even leave the dock.
Four
Experience that isn't backed up with accomplishments.
Yes, the hiring manager wants to know you have the specific experience the job requires. But simply listing your experience without also giving example of accomplishments that show that the experience was successful puts you into the same league as all the other mediocre applicants.
It's one thing to say that you have five years of marketing experience. It's quite another thing to say you have five years experience at XYZ company and increased sales in your territory by thirty percent. Which statement do you think will lead to an interview?
Five
Page three and any page after that.
Your resume should never be more than two pages. And it should only be two pages if you have more than ten years of experience at more than three employers. Then, it's okay to have a second page, but never more.
Actually, the hiring manager will almost always make a decision as to if your resume warrants an interview after the first page, usually after the first half of the first page. If you can't convince me you are the right person for the job in two pages or less, I won't be convinced by the third or fourth page and in fact will probably not read that far. I'll usually have dozens of resumes to read and long resumes are absolute deal killers.
Force yourself to make your resume no longer than two pages, preferably one. Your resume will be much more focused and powerful.
Tom McBroom has been a Hiring Manager for over 25 years and manages the website http://www.job-search-steps.com, which is dedicated to helping you find a job quickly. Visit his site for complete information about conducting a job search, writing resumes and cover letters, and interviewing.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Tom_McBroom
Lonely Resumes
By Judi Perkins
Several times each week I receive resumes. Well, that's obvious, of course I do. It's one of the things I do: fix resumes. But these resumes just land in my inbox. There's no note of explanation, no introduction, no polite request to look at it and see what I think, no paragraph on the problem. Just....the resume.
My point isn't, "If you're going to send me your resume, don't do that." I'm not an employer, so I don't care. I just email back and ask if they wanted me to look at it or what. Sometimes it's one of those resume blasting services and somehow I got on their list. That means some person has paid good money to have their resume blasted all over the place to who know who and who knows where.
But the employers, now that's a different story. They're deleting the email. The same people who wouldn't dream of sending their resume by snail mail without a cover letter, will do exactly that by email.
A cover letter is a courtesy. It's also a sales piece. So it should introduce you and it should sell you according to the requirements of the job.
Why doesn't the resume get read anyway? Just to see if there's something meaty in there? Because not sending a cover letter is rude. It's egotistical. It's assumptive. It's very impersonal. That's for starters. Not sending a cover letter becomes a qualifier for screening out. No cover letter = delete email. It makes the resume a moot point.
From the company's point of view, anyone who would skip a fundamentally, basic step as not sending a cover letter is lacking in good judgment and basic protocol. Even a poorly written cover letter is, at least, a cover letter. It won't get you far, but it will at least get your resume a glance.
I take that back. For very entry level positions, this isn't necessarily true. For minimum wage jobs, this isn't true. For anything else, it's true. And the higher up you go, the more egregious it is to send a lonely resume.
The other reason lonely resumes end up in my inbox is because someone paid money to a resume blasting service. How did I get on their list? Obviously the service isn't qualifying its recipients. I do something with finding people jobs, so they send it to me. If I'm getting it, who else is getting it that isn't interested and doesn't care? Good money for no results.
Besides, getting a job isn't about you. It's about what the company wants and whether or not you fit that profile. That means the company can focus on themselves to the exclusion of you, but you can't focus on yourself to the exclusion of the company. Companies looking to hire need to be wooed - like a prospective partner. Blasted resumes - usually email spam or fax spam, by the way - are about as impersonal as you can get.
For those companies who subscribe to a service like that, you want to ask yourself, how particular are they? How urgent could that hire possibly be? The deal sounds good to you, but what's in it for the company? If you owned a company would you give attention to whatever came through one of those resume blasting companies?
None of those firms are worth what they ask you to pay. Don't be fooled by the numbers and think the odds are in your favor. Instead, do your due diligence on companies that are hiring. Research the company, pay attention to the ad, use its requirements and phrases in your cover letter, and don't send a lonely resume.
Prior to starting Find the Perfect Job, Judi was a search consultant for 20 years in the contingency and retained markets. She now teaches job seekers how to find their perfect job through renegade methods that entail doing the opposite of the traditional methods. Understanding of the psychology of the process, coupled with increased awareness, results in the excitement of a rewarding job instead of increasing frustration and despair as months continue to pass with no results. Sign up for her free newsletter and learn how to take control of your job search: http://www.findtheperfectjob.com and submit questions for the next teleseminar at http://www.askfindtheperfectjob.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Judi_Perkins
Several times each week I receive resumes. Well, that's obvious, of course I do. It's one of the things I do: fix resumes. But these resumes just land in my inbox. There's no note of explanation, no introduction, no polite request to look at it and see what I think, no paragraph on the problem. Just....the resume.
My point isn't, "If you're going to send me your resume, don't do that." I'm not an employer, so I don't care. I just email back and ask if they wanted me to look at it or what. Sometimes it's one of those resume blasting services and somehow I got on their list. That means some person has paid good money to have their resume blasted all over the place to who know who and who knows where.
But the employers, now that's a different story. They're deleting the email. The same people who wouldn't dream of sending their resume by snail mail without a cover letter, will do exactly that by email.
A cover letter is a courtesy. It's also a sales piece. So it should introduce you and it should sell you according to the requirements of the job.
Why doesn't the resume get read anyway? Just to see if there's something meaty in there? Because not sending a cover letter is rude. It's egotistical. It's assumptive. It's very impersonal. That's for starters. Not sending a cover letter becomes a qualifier for screening out. No cover letter = delete email. It makes the resume a moot point.
From the company's point of view, anyone who would skip a fundamentally, basic step as not sending a cover letter is lacking in good judgment and basic protocol. Even a poorly written cover letter is, at least, a cover letter. It won't get you far, but it will at least get your resume a glance.
I take that back. For very entry level positions, this isn't necessarily true. For minimum wage jobs, this isn't true. For anything else, it's true. And the higher up you go, the more egregious it is to send a lonely resume.
The other reason lonely resumes end up in my inbox is because someone paid money to a resume blasting service. How did I get on their list? Obviously the service isn't qualifying its recipients. I do something with finding people jobs, so they send it to me. If I'm getting it, who else is getting it that isn't interested and doesn't care? Good money for no results.
Besides, getting a job isn't about you. It's about what the company wants and whether or not you fit that profile. That means the company can focus on themselves to the exclusion of you, but you can't focus on yourself to the exclusion of the company. Companies looking to hire need to be wooed - like a prospective partner. Blasted resumes - usually email spam or fax spam, by the way - are about as impersonal as you can get.
For those companies who subscribe to a service like that, you want to ask yourself, how particular are they? How urgent could that hire possibly be? The deal sounds good to you, but what's in it for the company? If you owned a company would you give attention to whatever came through one of those resume blasting companies?
None of those firms are worth what they ask you to pay. Don't be fooled by the numbers and think the odds are in your favor. Instead, do your due diligence on companies that are hiring. Research the company, pay attention to the ad, use its requirements and phrases in your cover letter, and don't send a lonely resume.
Prior to starting Find the Perfect Job, Judi was a search consultant for 20 years in the contingency and retained markets. She now teaches job seekers how to find their perfect job through renegade methods that entail doing the opposite of the traditional methods. Understanding of the psychology of the process, coupled with increased awareness, results in the excitement of a rewarding job instead of increasing frustration and despair as months continue to pass with no results. Sign up for her free newsletter and learn how to take control of your job search: http://www.findtheperfectjob.com and submit questions for the next teleseminar at http://www.askfindtheperfectjob.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Judi_Perkins
Why to Avoid Resume Distribution Services
By Judi Perkins
Resume distribution services are the biggest scam going. But they're seductive, aren't they? Only fifty bucks to reach thousands and thousands of recruiters and employers! How can you miss? Easily. What the blaster services have going for them is that potential customers, like you, respond to their marketing from your purely assumptive point of view, rather than applying logic or viewing it from the recipient's.
To you, the odds sound tough to miss. Thousands? If even a few hundred respond, think of all the interviews you'll have! You've also assumed that the service has done their homework, carefully researching the validity of each address. And perhaps even that they've forged relationships with these recruiters and employers, who are each, in turn, eagerly awaiting the next "blast" of resumes from the service. Fallacy, fallacy, fallacy.
The email addresses aren't qualified. Usually they've been harvested, even if it's from a legitimate source like The Kennedy Guide to Executive Recruiters. Consequently a large percentage bounce back, and for those addresses that are legitimate, your resume is viewed as spam, and more often than not, simply deleted.
Let's start with a look at the Kennedy Guide, an extremely valuable tool, and one, by the way, that you can find in the reference section of any library, or purchase on line access to for $60.00. Got that? For about the same price, you can have the real thing and not the imitation. And even so, you need the most recent edition because the info in it goes out of date quickly.
Additionally, I know one retained search firm that put a general catch-all email address in there. They received so many resumes from it - many from blasting services - that every day or so, they just deleted the entire inbox. Better you use the guide for the other wealth of information it provides, and call them to qualify their specialties and geographical area of concentration. You can get the guide here: www.kennedyinfo.com. It's absolutely worth the $60.00 online access price.
Employers who are actively hiring, receive enough unqualified resumes from their ads for specific positions without having to take the time to look at ones that come through a blind service for which they didn't pay. These companies already know that those resumes have nothing to do with their business or their hiring needs of the moment, 99% of the time. For the other 1%, it's not worth bothering to look.
Recruiting firms too, receive massive amounts of resumes each week. And while many firms cover multiple industries and disciplines, their data base is still probably 75% unusable. I know; I was a recruiter for 20 years and was at several firms, both contingency and retained. While it's possible that some firms download the resumes from services, they simply go right into the database. If you're thinking the recruiters actually see them and study them when they arrive, you're wrong.
As a further example, because of my URL and email address, I'm on the list of many of these services. So a few times per week, I get these resumes. I'm not a recruiter. I don't collect them, send them, or have any interest in them, unless they're my client, and my clients are job seekers, not employers. So if I'm fooled enough to open the email, once I see what it is, I delete it.
Faxing your resume is no different. Fax spam is almost as insidious as email spam. Roofing companies, mortgage refinancing firms, stock tips, local restaurant menus, it goes on and on. Who looks at the fax spam? It's usually tossed right in the trash with nary a glance, unless, perhaps, you're standing there waiting for a fax.
This is what you're paying for. Your resume is being sent to addresses that aren't valid and aren't qualified. It's being send to, and received by, people who didn't ask for it, don't look at it, and don't care. If it still sounds too good to be true, remember what your mom told you when you were a kid: if it's too good to be true, it probably is. File resume distribution services under that heading.
Prior to starting Find the Perfect Job, Judi was a search consultant for 20 years in the contingency and retained markets. She now teaches job seekers how to find their perfect job through renegade methods that entail doing the opposite of the traditional methods. Understanding of the psychology of the process, coupled with increased awareness, results in the excitement of a rewarding job instead of increasing frustration and despair as months continue to pass with no results. Sign up for her free newsletter and learn how to take control of your job search: http://www.findtheperfectjob.com and submit questions for the next teleseminar at http://www.askfindtheperfectjob.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Judi_Perkins
Resume distribution services are the biggest scam going. But they're seductive, aren't they? Only fifty bucks to reach thousands and thousands of recruiters and employers! How can you miss? Easily. What the blaster services have going for them is that potential customers, like you, respond to their marketing from your purely assumptive point of view, rather than applying logic or viewing it from the recipient's.
To you, the odds sound tough to miss. Thousands? If even a few hundred respond, think of all the interviews you'll have! You've also assumed that the service has done their homework, carefully researching the validity of each address. And perhaps even that they've forged relationships with these recruiters and employers, who are each, in turn, eagerly awaiting the next "blast" of resumes from the service. Fallacy, fallacy, fallacy.
The email addresses aren't qualified. Usually they've been harvested, even if it's from a legitimate source like The Kennedy Guide to Executive Recruiters. Consequently a large percentage bounce back, and for those addresses that are legitimate, your resume is viewed as spam, and more often than not, simply deleted.
Let's start with a look at the Kennedy Guide, an extremely valuable tool, and one, by the way, that you can find in the reference section of any library, or purchase on line access to for $60.00. Got that? For about the same price, you can have the real thing and not the imitation. And even so, you need the most recent edition because the info in it goes out of date quickly.
Additionally, I know one retained search firm that put a general catch-all email address in there. They received so many resumes from it - many from blasting services - that every day or so, they just deleted the entire inbox. Better you use the guide for the other wealth of information it provides, and call them to qualify their specialties and geographical area of concentration. You can get the guide here: www.kennedyinfo.com. It's absolutely worth the $60.00 online access price.
Employers who are actively hiring, receive enough unqualified resumes from their ads for specific positions without having to take the time to look at ones that come through a blind service for which they didn't pay. These companies already know that those resumes have nothing to do with their business or their hiring needs of the moment, 99% of the time. For the other 1%, it's not worth bothering to look.
Recruiting firms too, receive massive amounts of resumes each week. And while many firms cover multiple industries and disciplines, their data base is still probably 75% unusable. I know; I was a recruiter for 20 years and was at several firms, both contingency and retained. While it's possible that some firms download the resumes from services, they simply go right into the database. If you're thinking the recruiters actually see them and study them when they arrive, you're wrong.
As a further example, because of my URL and email address, I'm on the list of many of these services. So a few times per week, I get these resumes. I'm not a recruiter. I don't collect them, send them, or have any interest in them, unless they're my client, and my clients are job seekers, not employers. So if I'm fooled enough to open the email, once I see what it is, I delete it.
Faxing your resume is no different. Fax spam is almost as insidious as email spam. Roofing companies, mortgage refinancing firms, stock tips, local restaurant menus, it goes on and on. Who looks at the fax spam? It's usually tossed right in the trash with nary a glance, unless, perhaps, you're standing there waiting for a fax.
This is what you're paying for. Your resume is being sent to addresses that aren't valid and aren't qualified. It's being send to, and received by, people who didn't ask for it, don't look at it, and don't care. If it still sounds too good to be true, remember what your mom told you when you were a kid: if it's too good to be true, it probably is. File resume distribution services under that heading.
Prior to starting Find the Perfect Job, Judi was a search consultant for 20 years in the contingency and retained markets. She now teaches job seekers how to find their perfect job through renegade methods that entail doing the opposite of the traditional methods. Understanding of the psychology of the process, coupled with increased awareness, results in the excitement of a rewarding job instead of increasing frustration and despair as months continue to pass with no results. Sign up for her free newsletter and learn how to take control of your job search: http://www.findtheperfectjob.com and submit questions for the next teleseminar at http://www.askfindtheperfectjob.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Judi_Perkins
Why Resume Objectives Are Dead
By Judi Perkins
The resume objective is dead. Objectives are either too limiting, because they're written very specifically, or they're bland and generic. When your resume should sell you why compromise your sales pitch? A Profile or a Summary, essentially the same thing, has much more impact, because properly done, it heightens the potential employer's interest.
Although they're more difficult to write, your resume is your marketing brochure. An objective fails because it's about what you want, and marketing is about what the buyer wants, not the seller. The profile describes the product - you - and gives the hiring authority an idea of why you'd be beneficial to the company.
Here's an example of an objective limiting in both title and function:
* Director of Marketing with fifteen years experience creating, developing and implementing revenue-producing marketing campaigns.
The title needs to go. Leaving the function in there is fine, if marketing is the only goal. But if you're going to be applying for a similar position, you risk shooting yourself in the foot. A company won't hire someone focused on marketing when they want a person in public relations.
When you subtract the limitations and add the benefit to the employer, you've not only changed the objective to a profile, but you've dramatically increased the chances of being invited to interview:
* Seasoned team leader with proven ability to quickly understand the needs of the market and create strategic marketing plans. Experienced in successfully defining and executing profitable nation-wide marketing strategies. Adept at consistently increasing growth and enhancing company profits while developing brand awareness and recognition.
The following objective is not only limiting, it's generic, egotistical and uses job speak:
* To obtain a challenging position with a market leader that utilizes my experience in sales, account management, and product understanding.
For a hiring authority, the whole paragraph is a turn off. Would someone admit to wanting an unchallenging position? And how does one define a market leader? What if the company is a smart, growing one like Avis and busy trying harder? It also leaves the employer thinking, "So what? What's in it for me?" An even worse objective is this:
* A position in Financial Management.
Traditionally the objective was used for very targeted job searches. But remember a resume is a marketing piece. So even in these instances the statements should imply how hiring you will have a positive impact on the company. For that reason, the following example is slightly better than the previous examples:
* Pharmaceutical sales rep with extensive background and excellent history of closing sales seeking opportunity as same to increase sales in an existing territory or develop new territory to its fullest profit potential
Even so, it can be enhanced by inserting two additional sentences and a lead-in phrase so it reads like this:
* Top producing pharmaceutical sales rep with extensive background and excellent history of closing sales. Skilled at interacting and working with people, and in understanding human behavior. Comfortable with asking questions, listening and building rapport. Seeking opportunity as same to increase sales in an existing territory or develop new territory to its fullest profit potential.
Now, not only does the paragraph tell the hiring authority how this person will be an asset to his sales team, but the lead-in phrase will catch his attention, perhaps immediately differentiating this sales rep from others applying. The added sentences provide clues as to the rep's personality and why he's a top producer. After all, not all successful sales people have identical personalities. Then put the title of the position you want above it - you can vary that with the ad.
The paragraph at the top of your resume isn't there because it's supposed to be. It's there because it's a valuable chance to entice the hiring authority into reading the remainder of your resume. If your summary doesn't whet his appetite, why would he think the rest of your resume will?
Prior to starting Find the Perfect Job, Judi was a search consultant for 20 years in the contingency and retained markets. She now teaches job seekers how to find their perfect job through renegade methods that entail doing the opposite of the traditional methods. Understanding of the psychology of the process, coupled with increased awareness, results in the excitement of a rewarding job instead of increasing frustration and despair as months continue to pass with no results. Sign up for her free newsletter and learn how to take control of your job search: http://www.findtheperfectjob.com and submit questions for the next teleseminar at http://www.askfindtheperfectjob.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Judi_Perkins
The resume objective is dead. Objectives are either too limiting, because they're written very specifically, or they're bland and generic. When your resume should sell you why compromise your sales pitch? A Profile or a Summary, essentially the same thing, has much more impact, because properly done, it heightens the potential employer's interest.
Although they're more difficult to write, your resume is your marketing brochure. An objective fails because it's about what you want, and marketing is about what the buyer wants, not the seller. The profile describes the product - you - and gives the hiring authority an idea of why you'd be beneficial to the company.
Here's an example of an objective limiting in both title and function:
* Director of Marketing with fifteen years experience creating, developing and implementing revenue-producing marketing campaigns.
The title needs to go. Leaving the function in there is fine, if marketing is the only goal. But if you're going to be applying for a similar position, you risk shooting yourself in the foot. A company won't hire someone focused on marketing when they want a person in public relations.
When you subtract the limitations and add the benefit to the employer, you've not only changed the objective to a profile, but you've dramatically increased the chances of being invited to interview:
* Seasoned team leader with proven ability to quickly understand the needs of the market and create strategic marketing plans. Experienced in successfully defining and executing profitable nation-wide marketing strategies. Adept at consistently increasing growth and enhancing company profits while developing brand awareness and recognition.
The following objective is not only limiting, it's generic, egotistical and uses job speak:
* To obtain a challenging position with a market leader that utilizes my experience in sales, account management, and product understanding.
For a hiring authority, the whole paragraph is a turn off. Would someone admit to wanting an unchallenging position? And how does one define a market leader? What if the company is a smart, growing one like Avis and busy trying harder? It also leaves the employer thinking, "So what? What's in it for me?" An even worse objective is this:
* A position in Financial Management.
Traditionally the objective was used for very targeted job searches. But remember a resume is a marketing piece. So even in these instances the statements should imply how hiring you will have a positive impact on the company. For that reason, the following example is slightly better than the previous examples:
* Pharmaceutical sales rep with extensive background and excellent history of closing sales seeking opportunity as same to increase sales in an existing territory or develop new territory to its fullest profit potential
Even so, it can be enhanced by inserting two additional sentences and a lead-in phrase so it reads like this:
* Top producing pharmaceutical sales rep with extensive background and excellent history of closing sales. Skilled at interacting and working with people, and in understanding human behavior. Comfortable with asking questions, listening and building rapport. Seeking opportunity as same to increase sales in an existing territory or develop new territory to its fullest profit potential.
Now, not only does the paragraph tell the hiring authority how this person will be an asset to his sales team, but the lead-in phrase will catch his attention, perhaps immediately differentiating this sales rep from others applying. The added sentences provide clues as to the rep's personality and why he's a top producer. After all, not all successful sales people have identical personalities. Then put the title of the position you want above it - you can vary that with the ad.
The paragraph at the top of your resume isn't there because it's supposed to be. It's there because it's a valuable chance to entice the hiring authority into reading the remainder of your resume. If your summary doesn't whet his appetite, why would he think the rest of your resume will?
Prior to starting Find the Perfect Job, Judi was a search consultant for 20 years in the contingency and retained markets. She now teaches job seekers how to find their perfect job through renegade methods that entail doing the opposite of the traditional methods. Understanding of the psychology of the process, coupled with increased awareness, results in the excitement of a rewarding job instead of increasing frustration and despair as months continue to pass with no results. Sign up for her free newsletter and learn how to take control of your job search: http://www.findtheperfectjob.com and submit questions for the next teleseminar at http://www.askfindtheperfectjob.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Judi_Perkins
Resume Tips For Military Spouses
By Krista Wells
My friends came over for the weekend and brought two small gifts for my kids. One gift was a small stuffed animal and a book, the other a small puzzle; but what stood out was the presentation! Clear cellophane wrap around the book and beautifully tied rawhide ribbons tied in a bow that was so beautiful I didn't even want to open it, or at least I wanted to somehow save it for re-gifting purposes. Presentation does make a difference! So I keep this in mind when I am looking at clients resumes. I like a resume printed on a good quality printer with no smudging, thick ecru paper, and if you are delivering it via email no italics and I like a little white space. If you are delivering the resume in person to a company or passing it along at a networking event, make sure you have a fresh manicure and a good haircut to boot. Clients often want to know a savvy way of combining their chaotic work history and how to package the gifts they have obtained throughout their military lifestyle. Should they go for "spouse-friendly employers" or hide the fact that they are a spouse on the run; they remember the hiring managers making comments on why they should or should not hire a candidate. Consider these tips as you go after the job of your dreams and remember that the law of attraction also applies to resumes, so regardless of my tips, if you love your resume others may love it as well!
1. Looks matter.
First impressions count so make your resume pretty! Consider limiting any bold or italic font as it often looks messy if the resume is scanned; better yet, try creating a clean PDF version of your resume as well so that it can be submitted to jobs electronically and not lose its professional appearance. Hiring managers are turned off by hard to pronounce names so if you have a difficult name put a nickname in parenthesis next to it for the job hunt-they can learn how to pronounce Vandana after you are hired. If you have an equally exquisite email address, consider changing that too. While friends may enjoying sending email to lovemymilitaryman@aol.com consider revamping the email listed on your resume to your initials or your first and last name and the internet provider; it will appear much more professional. You never know if a hiring manager is spying on MySpace or judging your personal address. In addition, make sure your home and cell phone voice mails are short, professional, and clear while you are job hunting.
2. Don't play hard to get:
You don't want a potential employer to call your house and be scared off by your sarcastic recording. Bottom line, make sure that you include a correct name, email, and mobile phone number that you can access at all times. Try to send resumes when you will have time to interview as well. If you are working full time, taking night classes, and about to have a baby you may not be free for potential interviews, and if a company calls you to come in and you postpone the date, another candidate may be hired on the spot just because they show up first. Perhaps postponing sending the resume until your summer holiday or three months postpartum will up your chances of being picked.
3. Making up for lost time:
Spouses often struggle with the proverbial gaps in their resume. Stop worrying about it so much and just think of what you did during that time that would still be worth listing. When you have a career gap it is ok to include those part-time extra jobs you took just to earn some money, and remember to word them as professionally as you can and include transferable skills such as customer relations or multitasking so your future employer sees some benefit to the work. You can also fill a gap with any volunteer work or schooling that may have been completed, especially if it is relevant to the job you are after. If you do have a lengthy gap in your resume try filling the gap with a few bullets rather than a lengthy explanation in a cover letter that should be focused solely on your strengths. If the gap is so big that you can't even fill half a page, then go take an intro to computer class and volunteer at organizations associated with the type of work you want to do, join some professional organizations or attend a conference so you have something current to brag about.
4. Boldly define benefits:
Job selection experts are not mind readers so don't assume they will understand military-spouse jargon; make sure your resume is clear and to the point. Write the resume with the company's needs in the forefront of your mind rather than highlighting what you are seeking. Resumes are not job descriptions of what you did, but rather a personal press release that displays accomplishments in clear succinct bullets highlighting your strengths, your transferable skills, and past contributions that will cause you to stand out and pique their interest rather than a recap your entire employment history. Companies should be able to quickly see your credentials and spot highlights that make you a good match for their company.
5. Size doesn't matter:
While one really good page is better than two so-so pages, don't cut back or start shrinking text to comply. Remember that short and sweet is all you need; and I say go for the trendier "profile" instead of a generic objective (description of the job you are after). The company knows the objective if you are applying for a job and a profile summarizes your selling points. One page resumes are back in style so consider moving some of those accomplishments to the cover letter and pairing down the resume content to look more like a sales brochure than a dissertation. In addition to choosing a clean simple typeface, have your resume professionally edited, and avoid any jargon. Keep in mind that a positive tone and active first-person tense reads more attractively.
6. Don't fake it:
Some spouses hire a fancy resume writer that rewords what they have done in old jobs to percentages and dollar signs of what they have accomplished, but then get stumped during interviews when they are quizzed on their own resume. Don't list that you are an expert at databases if you have never worked with one. And instead of scattering resume buzz words and clichés throughout, make the resume authentic. First think of your top strengths and then use a strong verb that describes where you really excel rather than what looks good on paper. Not only will your confidence shine through, but once you are hired for the job it will end up being a much better match than if you exaggerate in your resume and end up being placed in a job that requires the "attention to detail" work you abhor.
7. Peeking isn't cheating:
Go have a coffee at the library or local bookstore and peek at the resume book section. Do an online search, or better yet ask friends who are in good jobs if you can use their resume as an idea template. I am not saying to plagiarize a resume manual word for word, but as you read others' resumes it may "remind you" that you also were awarded something that slipped your mind. It can even be useful to go back to your old employee handbook that describes your past job description to help jog your memory about your skills and successes. As long as your ideas come from enough different sources and really resonate with who you are, it isn't cheating.
8. Tell your friends to brag:
As with everything else in military life, it never hurts to be over prepared. When you go to an interview bring a few extra copies of your resume in case you need to pass it along for a second interview-you never know. If you wrote "references available upon request" make sure that you actually have references and have a pre-typed one pager of these references and their contact information ready and on hand. Don't forget to let folks know you have used them as a reference so they don't blow your cover and say "Sara who" when a future employer actually calls.
9. Don't assume:
Don't assume the hiring manager knows how you are connected. If you know someone in the organization well, include your "contact" in the cover letter's first paragraph. Some spouses assume that an employer knows they are proficient at the computer or that they have references available upon request. It never hurts to include all relevant job skills. Another assumption people make is that the human resource professional reviewing your resume knows all the jargon associated with each job. You want to stay away from abbreviations and jargon no matter how common you think the word is.
10. Show off your stuff:
A beautiful resume that stays on your computer isn't going to get you that job. Contact all the military-spouse job resources and post your polished resume. In addition, print some extra copies and bring them with you so as you network you can pass them out. Try traditional job-search sites as well and don't be afraid to put yourself out there. You have to kiss a lot of frogs before you find your prince, and the same goes for job hunting. Buy some nice folders and place a few resumes in them to drop off at your idea organizations. If an organization isn't hiring, ask them if they can keep your resume on file just in case something opens up.
Now let's get started!
• Write down everything you have done in the past about your work history from your first job until now. Include relevant volunteer work, seminars, and training you have received, and next to each item list the skills you acquired, such as answered a 5-line phone, presented to a group of 50, brought in X number of dollars in revenue, etc.
• Create a skeleton resume with the main content you want to share with potential employers, and then save this as "resume skeleton" on your computer; and then you may want to create two different resumes for the two directions you are headed. For example, one resume may include all your military volunteer work and be terrific for applying for that perfect position with a spouse-friendly employer, and the other resume may look more corporate and include only your work history, a P.O. box, and that "great" corporate contact in the cover letter.
• Have mentors (outside the military) review your resume and give you honest feedback. Consider the resources available to you on base or e-mail me at Krista@militaryspousecoach.com to schedule a resume consultation, which includes editing, discussing your resume, and lots of support, coaching you to take the next step in your career!
Krista Wells is a professional career coach; she ensures that her military spouse clients consistently reap the benefits of her proven expertise in dealing career and life transitions. Through powerful support and encouragement, her clients achieve greater balance and fulfillment, and embrace military life with passion! Visit http://www.militaryspousecoach.com today!
Please visit The Military Spouse Coach ® at http://www.militaryspousecoach.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Krista_Wells
My friends came over for the weekend and brought two small gifts for my kids. One gift was a small stuffed animal and a book, the other a small puzzle; but what stood out was the presentation! Clear cellophane wrap around the book and beautifully tied rawhide ribbons tied in a bow that was so beautiful I didn't even want to open it, or at least I wanted to somehow save it for re-gifting purposes. Presentation does make a difference! So I keep this in mind when I am looking at clients resumes. I like a resume printed on a good quality printer with no smudging, thick ecru paper, and if you are delivering it via email no italics and I like a little white space. If you are delivering the resume in person to a company or passing it along at a networking event, make sure you have a fresh manicure and a good haircut to boot. Clients often want to know a savvy way of combining their chaotic work history and how to package the gifts they have obtained throughout their military lifestyle. Should they go for "spouse-friendly employers" or hide the fact that they are a spouse on the run; they remember the hiring managers making comments on why they should or should not hire a candidate. Consider these tips as you go after the job of your dreams and remember that the law of attraction also applies to resumes, so regardless of my tips, if you love your resume others may love it as well!
1. Looks matter.
First impressions count so make your resume pretty! Consider limiting any bold or italic font as it often looks messy if the resume is scanned; better yet, try creating a clean PDF version of your resume as well so that it can be submitted to jobs electronically and not lose its professional appearance. Hiring managers are turned off by hard to pronounce names so if you have a difficult name put a nickname in parenthesis next to it for the job hunt-they can learn how to pronounce Vandana after you are hired. If you have an equally exquisite email address, consider changing that too. While friends may enjoying sending email to lovemymilitaryman@aol.com consider revamping the email listed on your resume to your initials or your first and last name and the internet provider; it will appear much more professional. You never know if a hiring manager is spying on MySpace or judging your personal address. In addition, make sure your home and cell phone voice mails are short, professional, and clear while you are job hunting.
2. Don't play hard to get:
You don't want a potential employer to call your house and be scared off by your sarcastic recording. Bottom line, make sure that you include a correct name, email, and mobile phone number that you can access at all times. Try to send resumes when you will have time to interview as well. If you are working full time, taking night classes, and about to have a baby you may not be free for potential interviews, and if a company calls you to come in and you postpone the date, another candidate may be hired on the spot just because they show up first. Perhaps postponing sending the resume until your summer holiday or three months postpartum will up your chances of being picked.
3. Making up for lost time:
Spouses often struggle with the proverbial gaps in their resume. Stop worrying about it so much and just think of what you did during that time that would still be worth listing. When you have a career gap it is ok to include those part-time extra jobs you took just to earn some money, and remember to word them as professionally as you can and include transferable skills such as customer relations or multitasking so your future employer sees some benefit to the work. You can also fill a gap with any volunteer work or schooling that may have been completed, especially if it is relevant to the job you are after. If you do have a lengthy gap in your resume try filling the gap with a few bullets rather than a lengthy explanation in a cover letter that should be focused solely on your strengths. If the gap is so big that you can't even fill half a page, then go take an intro to computer class and volunteer at organizations associated with the type of work you want to do, join some professional organizations or attend a conference so you have something current to brag about.
4. Boldly define benefits:
Job selection experts are not mind readers so don't assume they will understand military-spouse jargon; make sure your resume is clear and to the point. Write the resume with the company's needs in the forefront of your mind rather than highlighting what you are seeking. Resumes are not job descriptions of what you did, but rather a personal press release that displays accomplishments in clear succinct bullets highlighting your strengths, your transferable skills, and past contributions that will cause you to stand out and pique their interest rather than a recap your entire employment history. Companies should be able to quickly see your credentials and spot highlights that make you a good match for their company.
5. Size doesn't matter:
While one really good page is better than two so-so pages, don't cut back or start shrinking text to comply. Remember that short and sweet is all you need; and I say go for the trendier "profile" instead of a generic objective (description of the job you are after). The company knows the objective if you are applying for a job and a profile summarizes your selling points. One page resumes are back in style so consider moving some of those accomplishments to the cover letter and pairing down the resume content to look more like a sales brochure than a dissertation. In addition to choosing a clean simple typeface, have your resume professionally edited, and avoid any jargon. Keep in mind that a positive tone and active first-person tense reads more attractively.
6. Don't fake it:
Some spouses hire a fancy resume writer that rewords what they have done in old jobs to percentages and dollar signs of what they have accomplished, but then get stumped during interviews when they are quizzed on their own resume. Don't list that you are an expert at databases if you have never worked with one. And instead of scattering resume buzz words and clichés throughout, make the resume authentic. First think of your top strengths and then use a strong verb that describes where you really excel rather than what looks good on paper. Not only will your confidence shine through, but once you are hired for the job it will end up being a much better match than if you exaggerate in your resume and end up being placed in a job that requires the "attention to detail" work you abhor.
7. Peeking isn't cheating:
Go have a coffee at the library or local bookstore and peek at the resume book section. Do an online search, or better yet ask friends who are in good jobs if you can use their resume as an idea template. I am not saying to plagiarize a resume manual word for word, but as you read others' resumes it may "remind you" that you also were awarded something that slipped your mind. It can even be useful to go back to your old employee handbook that describes your past job description to help jog your memory about your skills and successes. As long as your ideas come from enough different sources and really resonate with who you are, it isn't cheating.
8. Tell your friends to brag:
As with everything else in military life, it never hurts to be over prepared. When you go to an interview bring a few extra copies of your resume in case you need to pass it along for a second interview-you never know. If you wrote "references available upon request" make sure that you actually have references and have a pre-typed one pager of these references and their contact information ready and on hand. Don't forget to let folks know you have used them as a reference so they don't blow your cover and say "Sara who" when a future employer actually calls.
9. Don't assume:
Don't assume the hiring manager knows how you are connected. If you know someone in the organization well, include your "contact" in the cover letter's first paragraph. Some spouses assume that an employer knows they are proficient at the computer or that they have references available upon request. It never hurts to include all relevant job skills. Another assumption people make is that the human resource professional reviewing your resume knows all the jargon associated with each job. You want to stay away from abbreviations and jargon no matter how common you think the word is.
10. Show off your stuff:
A beautiful resume that stays on your computer isn't going to get you that job. Contact all the military-spouse job resources and post your polished resume. In addition, print some extra copies and bring them with you so as you network you can pass them out. Try traditional job-search sites as well and don't be afraid to put yourself out there. You have to kiss a lot of frogs before you find your prince, and the same goes for job hunting. Buy some nice folders and place a few resumes in them to drop off at your idea organizations. If an organization isn't hiring, ask them if they can keep your resume on file just in case something opens up.
Now let's get started!
• Write down everything you have done in the past about your work history from your first job until now. Include relevant volunteer work, seminars, and training you have received, and next to each item list the skills you acquired, such as answered a 5-line phone, presented to a group of 50, brought in X number of dollars in revenue, etc.
• Create a skeleton resume with the main content you want to share with potential employers, and then save this as "resume skeleton" on your computer; and then you may want to create two different resumes for the two directions you are headed. For example, one resume may include all your military volunteer work and be terrific for applying for that perfect position with a spouse-friendly employer, and the other resume may look more corporate and include only your work history, a P.O. box, and that "great" corporate contact in the cover letter.
• Have mentors (outside the military) review your resume and give you honest feedback. Consider the resources available to you on base or e-mail me at Krista@militaryspousecoach.com to schedule a resume consultation, which includes editing, discussing your resume, and lots of support, coaching you to take the next step in your career!
Krista Wells is a professional career coach; she ensures that her military spouse clients consistently reap the benefits of her proven expertise in dealing career and life transitions. Through powerful support and encouragement, her clients achieve greater balance and fulfillment, and embrace military life with passion! Visit http://www.militaryspousecoach.com today!
Please visit The Military Spouse Coach ® at http://www.militaryspousecoach.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Krista_Wells
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