AdAge posted a piece a few weeks ago, written by Paul Gumbinner, that discussed the importance of telling a story with your resume. Gumbinner said recruiters and hiring managers should be able, in a glance, to determine who you are, what your career path has been, and where it's going to taking you. Or, as I like to say, your resume should adhere to the 10-second rule. (No, this does not mean that one should be able to eat it if it falls on the floor.) It does mean, that you've got about 10 seconds to make an impression with it. So, you gotta make sure it incorporates "the three C's" — it's clear, concise and compelling. That means it's got to be chock-full of achievements!
Gumbinner went on to say that the jobs you take should be a direct reflection of what you want to accomplish with your career. "You need to determine what experiences you wish to have in order to achieve your personal goals…The worst decision you can make is to leave a job for title or money."
Interesting. Don't most of us do exactly that? I'd say that the majority of us are looking to advance our careers, which means we... Read more
Tagged 'job search' 
Is it Kosher to Omit Jobs From Your Resume?
The Top 10 Things Interviewers do to Piss You Off and What You Can Do About It!
My posts are designed to point out common mistakes job seekers make while interviewing and suggest ways to avoid these missteps. A few months back, one reader sent me a comment asking "why don't you write a piece about how INTERVIEWERS can do a better job?" This, along with countless stories shared by job seekers regarding how poorly they have been treated by recruiters and hiring managers, encouraged me to write this rant. So, without further adieu, the following are the top 10 gripes you have all shared with me over the past several months regarding your "adventures" in job searching.
#1: Failure to Get Back in Touch after Multiple Interviews
Hands down this is the leading complaint that I hear from candidates heavily searching for jobs. You go in for three or four interviews, all seems to go well, and then, BAM, nobody's returning your calls. It could be that the company had a hiring freeze, budgets were cut, or there were layoffs. It could be that they decided to go with someone else. Whatever the reason, there's really no excuse. Someone should have the courtesy to call you back and let you know that you didn't get the job or... Read more
How to Get the Upper Hand in Salary Negotiations
You're on your 3rd round of interviews. All is going smoothly and you and the hiring manager are hitting it off. There's one topic, though, that has not been broached. Salary. You think to yourself: "What if the number I throw out is too high and I talk myself out of a job? Or, what if it's too low and I sell myself short?"
How do you successfully negotiate a salary without feeling so vulnerable?
There's really only one answer. YOU need to take control over the negotiations. When a job opens up, the base salary is most often a range of possibilities, depending on the qualifications of the person who is interviewing for the position. If an ad network, for example, is looking to hire an AE, the base hiring range might fall somewhere between $110K and $150K. As the candidate (job seeker), you probably are unsure what the range is, which puts you at a disadvantage. This does not have to be the case.
Before you start your job search, come up with a salary range that's going to work for you. Jobs are few and far between right now, so many of you are willing to be flexible in your... Read more
The "How To" on Answering Closed- and Open-Ended Interview Questions
There are two types of questions asked on an interview: open-ended and close-ended. The key to answering both is to make sure you answer fully, positively and that you always leave room for options.
An open-ended question starts with who, what, where, when, why, or how. "How did you positively effect change in your department?" "What would you say are your greatest skills?" Hiring managers ask these questions because they want to know more about you without having to do all the talking. This is your time to speak. Answer each question as thoroughly as possible, stay focused, and try not to ramble. Remember to capitalize upon your strengths and/or accomplishments.
Here's a sample interview question: "When and why did you decide to go into advertising sales?" And a sample response: "I have been working as a sales assistant for a year, reporting to the Ad Director. All the sales people were in and out of his office on a regular basis and told me how much they loved their jobs. The nice thing about sales is that it allows you to be out and about. I don't think I would enjoy sitting behind a desk all day. I also think that... Read more
Things NOT to Put in Your Resume
YAHOO! published a posting today entitled " 10 Boilerplate Phrases That Kill Resumes," written by Liz Ryan. In it, the writer, who is a career professional, asserts that, with today's changed job market, job seekers need to change the way they go about writing resumes. She suggests adding a human voice and throws out this as an example:
"I'm a Marketing Researcher who's driven by curiosity about why people buy what they do. At XYZ Industries, I used consumer surveys and online-forum analysis to uncover the reasons why consumers chose our competitors over us; our sales grew twenty percent over the next six months as a result. I'm equally at home on sales calls or analyzing data in seclusion, and up to speed on traditional and new-millennium research tools and approaches. I'm fanatical about understanding our marketplace better every day, week and month -- and have helped my employers' brands grow dramatically as a result."
Liz has got one thing right in her approach. Her style sure does break the mold when it comes to resumes. But, if I received a resume like this, it would hit the can before I could say "ishkabibble." Let's take a closer look, shall we?
Liz opens... Read more
