Posted By Amanda Collins on October 22, 2009

Recently I had to turn away a would-be client who didn’t know what she wants to be when she grows up. I find this is a particular challenge in today’s economy – no matter if the person is 25 or 55. Where will you make money? What job will still be there in a few years? In a down economy, many people start to question their chosen career path. Is it time for you to start thinking about what you’re going to do when you grow up?

Talk to people who are doing something you admire
Does one of your friends or colleagues do something that you think sounds really cool? How about sitting down with that person over a cup of coffee and asking him / her about it? If you’re targeting a specific position, try LinkedIn. Find a person in that company or with that job title and contact him / her to chat. People love to talk about themselves! You’re not asking for a job or anything; you’re simply learning a little more about what that profession entails. This is called an informational interview.

Volunteer
Is there a way you can “try on” a new job? Most people are happy to have some free help – especially in this economy – and would welcome your gift of time. This will give you the opportunity to learn about a new profession or working with certain types of people – a bit of a test run, if you will.

Take a continuing education course
How about a class in the area you’re considering working? Community colleges now seem to be targeting non-traditional audiences and will offer classes on career-oriented topics. At about $50 per credit, it’s a pretty inexpensive option to learn more about a potential career path.

So do some research to get a sense of what you want to do next. Without a clear goal, you can’t create a fantastic résumé – general résumés just don’t cut it anymore. Then your résumé will truly market you for that position and get you ready for growing up … unless you’re living in Neverland, and there’s nothing wrong with that.

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Posted By Amanda Collins on September 10, 2009

I’ve been writing résumés since 1996, and at that point they were little more than prettified job applications with little or no focus on differentiating the client. They were a series of lists saying what you did at each job. And they all started with objectives. In essence, they were about applicants.

Today, résumés are no longer past-oriented; they are very much targeted to the reader and future-oriented. Far from the days of lists, the best résumés today highlight your value proposition and accomplishments you’ve had across your career to paint a picture to the reader and let them know how you can make their business better. The driving factor behind résumés is WIIFM: what’s in it for me? – meaning what’s in it for the employer.

If your résumé starts with an objective, doesn’t have a summary / profile, and you’re not sure what accomplishments really are, you’re likely not hitting the right note with HR managers and recruiters. Remember that you need to market yourself as the expert, the one candidate they cannot afford to pass up. If you do that, you’ll likely see a turnaround in your responses to your job-search efforts.

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Posted By Amanda Collins on September 9, 2009

As much as I would love to believe that a well-written résumé is all you need to secure your dream job, I know that it takes a strategic marketing effort to get your name out there and create that next opportunity. When you’re looking for a job, that effort becomes your small business that you are running – but it doesn’t have to be as a sole entrepreneur!

There are many online resources for ramping up a great job search: LinkedIn, TheLadders.com, HireFlyer, and many others. When you find a position or company that’s of interest to you, put out feelers on LinkedIn and ask your friends. It’s amazing how many people we all know – and we forget that one of our connections may know just the right person to help open a door.

Also, if you are in a larger city, there are likely networking events and in-person resources for job seekers. Check with your local library, chambers of commerce, and community colleges to see if they host mixers that get together job seekers and employers. They may also have classes and seminars on how to interview, network, and share your story.

Of course, a résumé is integral to a successful job search, but it’s not the end-all, be-all. As part of my service to clients, I encourage you to connect to me on LinkedIn and Facebook to create your future – and find a great job!

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Posted By Amanda Collins on September 8, 2009

It may come as a surprise to you that many of my clients are marketing professionals, whose job it is to package and sell products. Through a résumé, you are packaging and marketing yourself, but even successful professionals may find it challenging to know what to include and omit while drawing attention to the vital skills and accomplishments that relate to the position at hand. In fact, my own résumé is missing many of the vital components I insist are included in those I write for clients!

When someone else looks at your résumé, what picture is it painting? Does it put you in a “suit” or “jogging pants”? Too often, I review résumés of executive-level candidates that make them come across as entry-level with no ability to lead or make a difference.

Take a look at your career-marketing documents again. Are they just okay, or are they positioning you to be in the “yes” pile of this very competitive landscape?

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Posted By Amanda Collins on August 4, 2009

On the majority of résumés I see, people are missing a key component – the summary. As a marketing document, your résumé needs to sell you in a matter of seconds, and your summary will speak volumes about you. So make sure you grab readers’ attention immediately with an amazing summary that really showcases the value you offer and makes employers want to pick up the phone.

Although it is the first part of the résumé the reader sees, I write the summary last. I like to get a full sense of accomplishments and themes before I head up to write the summary. It’s kind of like trying to write the back cover of a book before the book itself is complete. I look at themes to get keywords out of experiences and accomplishments. Things like Product Management, Cost Controls, Operational Streamlining, and Systems Architecture are areas that may stand out when I reread the rest of the résumé. Someone told me today he heard of a colleague saying he optimizes your résumé as the SEO Résumé Writer. Well, all good writers should be doing that, so don’t be fooled. You do it too by adding those keywords.

Then, as I’m looking at accomplishments and the keywords I’ve culled, I start to see the picture of the individual. It also helps to have clients answer the question, “Why should an employer hire you?” That’s the crux of the summary, really. If you can’t share that in 30 seconds or less, you’re headed to the “no” pile. So think about it. What do you bring? Why are you the best candidate?

Too many clients will tell me they’re nice people or reliable, the soft skills you might have said in an interview 10 years ago. While it’s great to be the person in the office everyone likes, it’s more substantial to share some back-able, quantifiable results you can bring. Think about what you do. Are you the best marketing person, who has successfully expanded brand recognition through your initiatives? Do you create solutions for clients following development of a relationship?

Another trick is to look at the job description. They give you the answers right there, so use them! If the job write-up says they want someone with a demonstrated track record in supply chain management and channel development, make sure you write a sentence about that in your summary and add those words into your keywords section. No need to reinvent the wheel. Most companies are sifting through résumés with a scanning system, so the more words you use in your résumé from the ad, the better your chances of being found.

While there is an art to creating an eye-catching summary, these hints should get you started on the right track. Try to stay objective about yourself and look at your accomplishments from a new viewpoint so you can brag a little!

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Posted By Amanda Collins on July 27, 2009

Chad Graham, a reporter with The Arizona Republic, did a feature story in yesterday’s CareerBuilder section about hiring a résumé coach. Luckily, it’s online in his blog: http://www.azcentral.com/members/Blog/AzJobTawk/58749

Members of the Résumé Writers Council of Arizona are featured, The Grammar Doctor among them! Good article. Thanks Chad!

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Posted By Amanda Collins on July 26, 2009

Recently, a recurring topic about résumés concerns the concept of “dumbing down” one’s information. In fact, a client recently asked me to do that for his résumé. Then, when I was being interviewed for a radio show, I heard it again. As I mentioned there, I can certainly understand the concern and reasoning behind the tactic, but that doesn’t mean it’s the best idea.

Most people are considering dumbing down their résumés because they’re scared. These are 50+ candidates with a depth of experience who have been laid off or need to re-career and feel the pressure to find a job – any job – in a hurry. When coming from a six-figure income, you might feel as if you’ll not find another comparable-paying position in this economy. While that may certainly be true, keep your options open. Look at what’s out there and keep a résumé that is focused on your long-term goal. If you need to dumb down another version for a lower-level position, be careful.

It’s easiest to change job titles when you have owned the company. This is actually a standard marketing tactic to make your experience sound more in line with the position you’re targeting. I have often changed a past job title to be more descriptive. For instance, “owner” says a whole lot without being specific – and may raise questions about your loyalty as an employee, etc. But a title like “operations manager” or “marketing director” is true and disguises the fact that you were the big cheese. It’s also very descriptive and may be more in line with what you want in your next position.

It’s easy to become fearful when you’ve been unemployed for a few months, but don’t undersell yourself just to get a job. If you need money, a part-time retail position may hold you over until you can find your next great opportunity. Don’t sell yourself short! Acting from a place of fear will only bring more fear. Stay positive, stay focused, and keep your options open.

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Posted By Amanda Collins on July 20, 2009

Today, I was one of the featured guests on “Career Launch with Jane & Al” on Voice America, speaking about résumés. It was an hour-long show with a ton of hints and suggestions. The MP3 is a little long to post up to this site, but please visit their site to listen to this – and all! – of their shows. We discussed the value of hiring a professional to help you with your résumé and job search. I invite you to take a listen to learn more!

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Posted By Amanda Collins on June 30, 2009

If you haven’t written a résumé in a while, you probably don’t have any accomplishments on your document. That used to be the case, that a résumé was basically a fancy job application. However, in this competitive market, it’s more important than ever to demonstrate WIIFM: What’s in it for Me? – meaning for the employer. Your summary and accomplishments will showcase these points.

Great accomplishments are CAR statements: Challenge, Action, Result. Consider how you made things better at previous positions. Look at increasing revenue, saving money, improving customer service, or increasing efficiencies. Did you create / execute systems and processes? Of course, quantitative statements are best, but many professions can’t track numbers, so that’s okay too.

Sales people have no issue coming up with numbers, but remember that just saying “Increased sales 25% in six months” isn’t saying a whole lot. I could tell you all day I’m 6′ with long blonde hair, but if I don’t have a picture to back it up, I’m just making pie-in-the-sky statements (I’m really 5′4″ with short brown hair). When you write accomplishments, share the way you ended up with that result. That way, the reader is more likely to see you in the new company: “Wow, Joe increased sales 25% by implementing an employee appreciation program. I’ve been considering doing that. I need to call him in and ask him about that.”

My basic rule of thumb is one accomplishment per year worked, but don’t have 10 accomplishments if you were at a position 10 years – that’s overkill. Highlight your “key” accomplishments. Remember that a résumé is a marketing piece designed to showcase your best attributes so an employer will be left wanting more – and need to call you for an interview.

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Posted By Amanda Collins on June 18, 2009

Some people use the terms résumé and CV interchangeably, but the truth is they’re not quite the same. CVs are used almost exclusively outside of the U.S. where employers are expected to share more about themselves and their personalities, so that’s very different. In the States, however, the differences are pretty clear.

CV: Curriculum Vitae
If you just look at what CV means, you get a better view into what’s included. CVs are typically reserved for folks in academia or the medical field because they include speaking engagements and publications, as well as additional information such as professional memberships and community involvement. For a university president, a CV can be 10 pages or more because it’s highlighting a depth of experience that may span a few decades. CVs tell a story.

Résumé
A résumé is a more standard introduction when looking for a job.They are between one and three pages and span only 10-15 years in depth. Résumés are succinct, acting as a marketing piece to highlight only the great things you’ve done that relate to that position. Additional information may be included as appropriate, but it’s also okay to allude to publications and speaking engagements, then include an addendum with the additional information.

So, unless you’re living outside the U.S., the terms CV and résumé shouldn’t be used interchangeably because they’re very different documents.

Questions about creating your résumé for the American market? http://www.grammardocs.com/resumes/

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