Open Letter to Job Seekers from a Recruiter (my response)

Open Letter to Job Seekers from a Recruiter (my response) Last week I read Mary Faulkners post, An Open Letter to Job Seekers. I thought it was going to be a scathing response telling job seekers to not whine so much, and not make their jobs harder. Instead it was more of an apology, and a here is what I have to deal with message.  It was pretty nice.  Thanks, Mary, for sharing that. The problem I have is that in my experience, no recruiters were like what you describe.  Most of the time what I got from recruiters was crickets. Ignored. Nothing. Not even an email confirmation It was like dealing with an entity that didnt exist. Or, someone who didnt give a rip about me. I get that perhaps you (I say this generically to recruiters, not specifically to Mary) might want to help people, and that you care about people. But when you give me NO response, no feedback, no leads, no nothing, and this happens dozens and dozens of time, Im left confused. You see, Im already in a tailspin this job search is something new for me I dont quite understand it. I think Ive had a pretty cool career, and my resume explains most (but not all) of my awesomeness.  Well, I *thought* that day after day of the job search wears on you. No responses from recruiters, wasting time on job boards, trying to network, etc.  And getting nowhere. Day after day, feeling like Im going backwards, as the threat of money runs out, or my ability to pay for my mortgage slipping away. Scary. Lonely. Confusing. I want to meet recruiters like you, but my experience with recruiters was on the other side of the spectrum. I respect that you are human, and have feelings. I understand that you have process and system problems, and work challenges. But somehow I think that you are the experienced one in our relationship, and you know whats going on, and you can help me make less mistakes. I assumed that we had a relationship.  I assume that you have a grip on your job, and are professional, and will act as a professional. I just dont feel it, or see it, on my side. I want to, but that hasnt been my experience (yet). Open Letter to Job Seekers from a Recruiter (my response) Last week I read Mary Faulkners post, An Open Letter to Job Seekers. I thought it was going to be a scathing response telling job seekers to not whine so much, and not make their jobs harder. Instead it was more of an apology, and a here is what I have to deal with message.  It was pretty nice.  Thanks, Mary, for sharing that. The problem I have is that in my experience, no recruiters were like what you describe.  Most of the time what I got from recruiters was crickets. Ignored. Nothing. Not even an email confirmation It was like dealing with an entity that didnt exist. Or, someone who didnt give a rip about me. I get that perhaps you (I say this generically to recruiters, not specifically to Mary) might want to help people, and that you care about people. But when you give me NO response, no feedback, no leads, no nothing, and this happens dozens and dozens of time, Im left confused. You see, Im already in a tailspin this job search is something new for me I dont quite understand it. I think Ive had a pretty cool career, and my resume explains most (but not all) of my awesomeness.  Well, I *thought* that day after day of the job search wears on you. No responses from recruiters, wasting time on job boards, trying to network, etc.  And getting nowhere. Day after day, feeling like Im going backwards, as the threat of money runs out, or my ability to pay for my mortgage slipping away. Scary. Lonely. Confusing. I want to meet recruiters like you, but my experience with recruiters was on the other side of the spectrum. I respect that you are human, and have feelings. I understand that you have process and system problems, and work challenges. But somehow I think that you are the experienced one in our relationship, and you know whats going on, and you can help me make less mistakes. I assumed that we had a relationship.  I assume that you have a grip on your job, and are professional, and will act as a professional. I just dont feel it, or see it, on my side. I want to, but that hasnt been my experience (yet).

Resume Writing Rules For Consulting Professionals

Resume Writing Rules For Consulting ProfessionalsResume writing rules for consulting professionals may differ from those for an entry-level position. These rules are actually a guideline, rather than hard and fast rules. These rules will serve as a checklist for the purposes of narrowing down the possibility of a particular job opening to one's specific skillset. It will help to be familiar with these tips as you begin your search for the best possible job for you.Resume writing rules for consulting professionals are based on the fact that there are many people in the world who are looking for the same job and who do not know how to find it. This is especially true in the field of management consulting, where thousands of people will apply for one single job opening. Thus, for the most part, there are plenty of openings that are available but very few people who apply for them. As such, the quality of the applications will be a prime factor in the hiring process. You can begin to det ermine this by reading through the job posting.In addition to the skills required, you will want to take some time to consider what the skills of each candidate are, so you can tailor your resume to their specific needs. For example, the person who has extensive experience in customer service may be able to use a slightly different layout for the skills they have. Similarly, those who are from countries where English is not the primary language may benefit from using a different format. It is important to write your resume as if it is a brochure that the hiring manager is reviewing.Be sure to include all of the necessary information on your resume. This will be helpful for the review as well as when it is time to make contact with the hiring manager or the client. Many times, having the information right on the cover page of the resume is enough to land the prospective employer.The next tip for resume writing for consultants is to have a list of three or four reasons why the employe r should hire you. This may sound a little strange, but having good qualifications and an in-depth understanding of the position is enough. You should focus on the skills that the job requires. The most important thing is to have enough skills to get the job done and that the offer will be worth it.One final note about resume writing for consultants is to be sure to include what other accomplishments are in the area you are applying for. There is nothing wrong with having several things under the 'accomplishments' heading. They are useful to show the potential employer you can handle any given situation. It will also allow them to see that you are professional and can perform under pressure.Resume writing rules for consulting professionals are very important. However, they are not written in stone. Use them as a guide in order to determine whether or not a position is right for you. That way, you can narrow down your options to the one best match for you.Consulting professionals wil l still have to prove themselves to a company if they are hired. However, the hiring manager will see that you put in the time and effort to look for the perfect job opportunity.

How to Tailor Your Resume for a Specific Role

How to Tailor Your Resume for a Specific Role When it comes to applying for jobs, sending out the same generic resume to every single employer will get you no where. Different roles require different skills and experience, meaning  whats valued for one job may not  necessarily be valued for another; so its important that you tailor your resume so that it  highlights the most relevant information  when applying for the job. If you have the perfect experience for a particular role, but its hiding at the bottom of your resume, or even  missed off  all together, your application is  likely  to get overlooked. Employers want to know what you can do for them and how your experience will benefit you in that  specific role. So by accentuating your most relevant qualities, you boost your chance of getting noticed and invited for an interview. This doesnt mean that you need to write your resume from scratch each time you apply for a job. You can keep your  basic resume as an  outline and then make the required alterations, so that it is tailored for particular job requirements. Here are a few simple ways you can do this. 1) Put together a core resume Create a basic outline for your resume, including every  skill/experience from your career and background. Break it down into categories including  work history, education, training, skills, etc. It doesnt matter how long it is, as you will use this to pull the relevant information from when putting together a customised  resume. 2) Read the job description thoroughly Read the job description a few times until you are certain that you understand the requirements of the job and havent missed anything important. Once you know what the hiring manger is looking for in a candidate, you can then tailor your resume to highlight  the qualities that they are asking for in your own experience. 3) Make a list of your relevant experience and accomplishments While reading the job description make a list of all of your relevant attributes, matching up all the requirements they ask for in the job description with your personal experience and skill-set. For each point that they ask for, try to link it to your own achievements. The experiences dont need to come from previous jobs, as skills learnt from volunteer work, hobbies, education, etc. can  also be relevant. 4) Identify keywords Quite often your resume will be screened using software that identifies keywords throughout the document. To ensure that your resume gets read by an actual human, rather than getting discarded by a computer at the initial hurdle, its important that you include the correct keywords and phrases. Identify the keywords used in the job description and make a note to include them in your resume where possible. 5) Create your tailored resume Now you have identified all of your previous experience and skills that are most significant for the role you are applying for, you can now produce your customised resume.  Refer back to the core resume that you put together at the beginning and make any necessary changes to make sure that the relevant attributes are the most prominent and you have made use of the keywords. Its best to keep your resume short and to the point, so try to remove any experience that isnt particularly important for the role you are applying for and elaborate on some of the most applicable content. [Image Credit: Shutterstock]

Getting credit for your ideas is overrated

Getting credit for your ideas is overrated Your success at work is dependent on your accomplishments, not your ideas. So can everyone please stop being so petty about whose ideas are whose? A very small number of you are strategists and inventors. For you, your ideas make or break your career. So dont bother reading the rest of this column. For the rest of you, face the music: You are not paid to come up with ideas. You are paid to execute them. So lets say youre a marketing manager and you have a great idea to spam the whole world to get them to buy soap. Spamming is not an innovation, and selling soap has been done before, too. The person who is a genius will be the person who can make a spam campaign work. That would require direct mail expertise, figuring out which product is most likely to sell, setting up fulfillment capabilities. Lets say the spam campaign is a success. Whos the genius? The person with the idea to spam or the person who actually increased soap sales? Let me tell you something, in this economy, few companies can afford an ideas guy. Companies are hiring people who generate revenue: executors. Look, Im not saying the world doesnt need ideas. Ideas are great. And in the perfect world, everyone gets credit for the ideas they have. But the world isnt perfect, and people steal ideas at work. And while we fight off large imperfections like fake (Enron) companies, race discrimination and massive layoffs, getting credit for an idea is pretty small peanuts. Yet still, I hear people complain about a stolen idea as if it was their first-born child. And sometimes I think maybe it was. Maybe the people who worry about a stolen idea the most are the people who have the fewest ideas. Ask yourself if your problem is not really thievery but scarcity. If you dont have a lot of ideas to begin with then you shouldnt bother trying to be known for your ideas. Its not who you are. Most people who complain about stolen ideas peg their boss as the culprit. If youre in this category ask yourself this question: Is your job in jeopardy because your boss thinks you have no good ideas? In that case you probably need to start documenting your ideas on paper. But I have news for you: your boss probably doesnt like you if she recognizes you so little as to steal your brilliance and accuse you of lacking ideas. In that case, you can grovel for credit, but you should probably try to find a job working for someone else. And heres a tip for when youre looking for that next job: Dont bother listing your great ideas on your resume. No one cares. Employers want to see resumes with quantified accomplishments. Replace thought of opening a new sales channel to opened a sales channel and increased revenue x%. Maybe your boss steals just a few ideas, but is generally a good boss. In that case, ignore her ethical transgression. You have a limited number of times you can tell your boss she is bothering you. Use those times for instances when you will make more money. If your bonus is tied to having an original idea, then by all means, point out the idea that your boss stole so that you can collect your money. But if the only thing that a stolen idea harms is your ego, then get over it. Besides, the best way to get a promotion is to make your boss love you. And you can make your boss love you by making her feel smart. If your boss feels smart it doesnt mean that she thinks you are not smart. Dont be so insecure. It should be enough that you know that you have good ideas.

What Can Professional Resume Writing Services Do For You?

What Can Professional Resume Writing Services Do For You?Professional resume writing services are usually employed to prepare a resume for an individual that is looking for employment. Usually, these services offer to write the resume for a fee, although some companies may do this work for free or for a small fee. If you are hiring an outside company to write your resume, it is very important to get a good resume writer.The resume writer should be able to provide you with samples of previous work they have done on the subject of your qualification, your individual skills and interests, your work history, and the reasons why you are the ideal candidate for the job. They will also give you tips on what type of resume to use. They should help you develop a career strategy and should also be able to provide suggestions on how to proceed. The resume should be comprehensive and should outline all of your accomplishments.A professional resume writing service is perfect for people who have r ecently graduated or who are in the early stages of their careers. It will allow them to showcase their skills and qualifications. The writer will be able to see your overall qualifications and identify which of your skills and abilities are most needed in the job.Most professionals in the business world know that an effective resume will demonstrate how much you have accomplished in the past, as well as how much potential you possess. These services can create resumes for you that include details about past positions. They can give you suggestions on how to best improve your skills for the job you are seeking.It is a lot easier to apply for a job when you already have a certain level of experience and knowledge about the current position. As a result, it is a good idea to get some sort of resume writing service for the purpose of a career change. A professional will be able to identify your strengths and weaknesses and how to highlight these within the resume that you will eventual ly present to a prospective employer.It is important to get a professional resume written for you, no matter what your circumstances are at the moment. Once you have used the services of one, you will understand how important it is to maintain a professional looking resume. It is also possible to use professional resume writing services to update your existing resume, if you wish to provide a bit of competition.These services will help you identify areas that need to be improved upon and what kind of career will give you the best opportunity for advancement in your current job. With that information, you will be able to decide whether or not to use a different writing style for your new resume. This will also allow you to revise it in order to make it more in keeping with the skills and experience you possess.A professional resume writing service can also assist you in improving your interviewing skills by helping you prepare for interviews. Since so many candidates apply for the sa me job, you can learn valuable techniques that will give you an edge over the rest of the competition. The resume is the first impression that a potential employer gets of you, so using the services of a professional will not only increase your chances of getting the job, but also give you the professional look that you want for yourself.

The one thing you should always ask the interviewer at the end - Sterling Career Concepts

The one thing you should always ask the interviewer at the end The one thing you should always ask the interviewer at the end Ask What the Next Step Is. You’re finishing the interview. The interviewer asks if you have any questions. You ask a couple questions you had prepared ahead of time. As you shake hands when youre about to leave, thank the interviewer for his or her time. Tell them you’re very interested in the position and then ask what the next step is! “Is there anything else you need from me at this point? What’s the next step? Can I follow up with you next week if I haven’t heard back from you? Would you prefer I call or send you an email?”

Thinking about a career change Heres what to consider

Thinking about a career change Heres what to consider Thinking about a career change? Heres what to consider When considering your next career change, remember that your résumé doesn’t define you: You aren’t required to look for a job in your current industry or even know what occupation you want to move into before starting your search. Today’s job seekers have access to postings from all sorts of companies with the click of a mouse â€" or a tap on your smartphone â€" on websites like Indeed.com. Using technology allows you to easily explore different career opportunities to find the right spot for you. You’re not alone in your thirst for a career move: Recent research by the Indeed Hiring Lab found that 81.5 percent of employed job seekers explore occupations other than their current one, and less than half search for a new job in the same category as their current job. By doing a little extra exploration online, you may learn that your “perfect match” was a job you didn’t even know existed. It’s normal to look around, and if you’re thinking about a career transition, here are some things to think about. Occupations to consider Tara Sinclair, economist at Indeed, recommends healthcare. “People in healthcare appear very satisfied with their career choices â€" even those in the lower-salary support positions are surprisingly keen to stay in their chosen occupations,” she said. “Plus, there are many opportunities in all sorts of healthcare fields, with relatively few job seekers currently considering moving into healthcare.” Other obvious choices include computer and math-based careers, but there are also many opportunities in business and financial sectors. If you’re currently in working in the food industry or in personal care, you’re definitely not alone in considering other options. Based on other job seekers’ searches on Indeed.com, you should research administrative or sales positions. Be strategic Although exploring and applying to different jobs during your search might be a good path for you, try to avoid “random acts of application.” Don’t send your résumé to every job opening in your city. Instead, be strategic and thoughtful about your applications. If your skills could apply to two different paths, consider creating two résumés, each one emphasizing your most relevant skills for a specific job type. As you shop online for a new career, try entering keywords reflecting your skills rather than job titles to find hidden opportunities. Then, as you read through the job descriptions, ask yourself, “Is this me?” Sometimes you find your perfect job and realize you may not yet be qualified for it â€" don’t let that discourage you. Instead, think of your search as a dartboard: your dream job is the bullseye, but you should also consider applying to jobs in the circles around the center to broaden your search. A bit of flexibility in the initial steps of your job search could result in a great new career for 2015.