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Turning the Dial – 5 Ways Your Resume Gets Read or Rejected

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ResumeBits

Think about a time where you had a song or a type of song stuck in your head – and all you had at your disposal was a radio. You turn the radio on and you start spinning the dial (or clicking the seek/find button). Some stations you sail by, others you only briefly pause to listen more before heading to the next one.

When your resume is first reviewed, it happens very quickly. For insights to why your resume may get overlooked, let’s look at why you don’t stop on some radio stations.

  1. Too much static. Much like a radio station, if you have too much static to sift through (static being too much irrelevant info that doesn’t pertain to the job that you are applying to), the hiring manager might keep clicking to the next resume.  To save yourself from this fate, cut the filler and make sure…

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quote for today

Strengths – What Makes Your Heart Sing?

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The quote below is from John C. Maxwell’s The 17 Indisputable Laws of Teamwork.

quote for today

Discovering what you are made for is tricky.  But I love the first point here. Rely on your experience.  Taking a good inventory of YOU is the first step to figuring out what will make your heart sing and also what makes your heart sink.

One of the inventories I’ve used is the Strengths Finder assessment – you can find it here:

Strengths Finder 2.0 (purchase a new copy of the book to be sure to have an access code).

My first introduction to strengths assessments was through this book by Marcus Buckingham and it is still also a favorite (also be sure to have a new copy of book to ensure having a test code): Now, Discover Your Strengths.

Here’s an example of one of my strengths and a small summary:

strengths assessment result

Marie Forleo has a great video about the value of these types of assessments to – as she puts it – discover your special gifts (even if you don’t think you have any):

Another assessment I found recently, that gives you a decent  sneak peek at your “Fascination Advantage” before getting the option to pay for the full interpretation of results (even the preview is quite helpful!).

HowToFascinate.com/You & use the code ICONSHARE

Here’s an example of my results (which get drilled down even farther):my results fascinator

You can see from these examples that even one assessment can give you powerful tools to use to understand and especially COMMUNICATE what makes you unique and valuable.  It’s like having your own personal advertising agency – one that helps you craft your own unique marketing pitch.  

Doug Mayes

Ask a Career Coach: Doug Mayes

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Starting today, and occurring occasionally, I’ll be sharing interviews with career coaches and human resource professionals – showcasing insights they have on getting a job in today’s marketplace.  Today I spent some time speaking with Doug Mayes, North Carolina State MBA, Career Management Center, Assistant Director and Career Coach.  He has a great gift for boiling down what matters in a job search and has often influenced my approach for helping job seekers.

Me:  What do people need to understand about looking for a job?

Doug: I think you need to understand two big things – and these understandings are quite involved in getting to actually.

  • First and foremost you need to understand what you want out of a job.  It can be quite a process, but anybody can arrive at that through reflection and introspection and talking to other people. And sometimes through the help of a mentor or coach.
  • Chunk two is understanding what the marketplace has a need for and how you can bring your skills to bear in the marketplace in a way that is compelling and makes people take notice.

To me, if there’s any trick to  it – and I’m not sure that there is – looking for a job is an exercise in communication.  It is a matter of how you understand your value and communicate it in a way that resonates with the audience you’re speaking to.

Me: What do recruiters want from a candidate?

Doug: To speak in the most broad of terms, they want people who can help them solve the problems they face in their business.  You can usually put those problems in a couple of buckets.

  • The first bucket or problem is growing the business and making more money.
  • Problem number two is often saving time or the limiting of money spent poorly — growth in efficiency.

How can we make more money and how can we do it in a more efficient way?  People offer that value in a thousand different ways, but most business problems roll up in to one of those two things.

Me: Why should people reach out to a career coach?

Doug: A good coach can help you in a variety of ways.  I think that they can help you reach clarity about which path you want to go down.  And that’s hard, because most smart people can do a variety of things. So to have the sounding board, somebody who can listen and stimulate some thought – that’s a great reason to talk to a coach.

Another reason to talk to a coach is for inspiration and motivation when you feel demoralized by the mechanical process of finding a job.  I can’t think of any kind of system that is set up to grind on people more than that system – and there are better ways to do it, and that is some of the value that a good coach brings.

The third reason to reach out to a coach is when you are trying to navigate the decision of weighing job offers.  Often a good coach can help you walk through the pros and cons and give you permission to make the decision that you wanted to make in the first place.

Me: Why are you a career coach?

Doug: We spend a tremendous amount of our lives at work. And if people can find a way to find meaningful work for them as they define it for themselves.  This is not about me prescribing something.  This is about a journey that at the end of it – you come up with a more fulfilling life.  I think if more people did that, the world would be better.  I was lucky in that, I have a gift of being able to listen to people and understand where they are coming from and help them reframe their situation in such a way that they look at their lives differently.  I want to help people and I want to help them craft a better life for themselves.  And I can do that in this setting; all day, every day.

Me: What is your favorite business book?

Doug: This is a tough question for me, because I generally don’t read very many business books.  My inspirations often come from other places (like biographical works and the news).  But, I like studying the context in which business happens.  I have  a sociology degree and love economics and I love the environment that business is in.  I think Malcolm Gladwell gives us some pretty interesting things to think about. Outliers is an interesting book, because it teaches us to look at the environment we grow up in – it is about the context of success. So it is a discussion of all of the many things that have to line up in order for a person to be successful.

Check in for more interviews soon or reach out if you have a professional you’d like to suggest for an interview. – ResumeBits@yahoo.com

turning the dial

Turning the Dial – 5 Ways Your Resume Gets Read or Rejected

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Think about a time where you had a song or a type of song stuck in your head – and all you had at your disposal was a radio. You turn the radio on and you start spinning the dial (or clicking the seek/find button). Some stations you sail by, others you only briefly pause to listen more before heading to the next one.

When your resume is first reviewed, it happens very quickly. For insights to why your resume may get overlooked, let’s look at why you don’t stop on some radio stations.

  1. Too much static. Much like a radio station, if you have too much static to sift through (static being too much irrelevant info that doesn’t pertain to the job that you are applying to), the hiring manager might keep clicking to the next resume.  To save yourself from this fate, cut the filler and make sure you customize your resume to fit the position.
  2. Can’t tell what it is.  Is it a commercial jingle?  Is it country music?  Is it rock-n-roll?  You really can’t tell so you keep moving down the dial.  A recruiter will not keep reading your resume if you are unclear.  The unclear resume is full of vague words, and might have puzzling changes in career path with nothing giving the recruiter a picture of where you are going.  To help clarify your resume, be sure to include a cover letter, career summary or objective statement, and be specific and descriptive in your language.  Provide the context and details a recruiter needs to make a decision in your favor.
  3. The song is putting you to sleep. If you get drowsy reading your resume, chances are someone else will too.  If you have trouble creating interesting bullet points, research how to make them more compelling or reach out to a resume writer or creative colleague for help.
  4. Intro is too long – don’t feel like waiting to figure out if this is something I want to listen to.  (Side note:  This happened to me this morning listening to Pandora.  The Cure’s song “Pictures of You” has an unbelievably long intro.) If it takes too long before a recruiter gets to the most important part of your resume, they probably won’t ever get to it.  Make sure the most important information is right at the top third of your resume.  Don’t waste too much space on your name and contact info.  Format them clearly, but compactly and get to what the recruiter needs to know to pick you.
  5. It isn’t what you are looking for. If recruiter is looking for someone with more experience – or a different type of experience, they will go on to the next candidate. Make sure you read the job posting carefully for what they expect candidates to have in terms of experience and credentials.  If you don’t meet these requirements, consider finding a different position to apply to, or know that you’ll have to make a clear case for why you are suitable for the position (if you are).
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Cover Letters, Objective Statements, & References – In or Out?

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I get asked questions like these frequently:

  • Do I need to write a cover letter?
  • Do I need to have an objective statement?
  • Does anyone ever call references?

I’m going to answer these in one big, sweeping answer and then we’ll drill down and see what that means in terms of each individual question.  Sound good?

Rule of thumb:  Everything in your resume or in your full application package needs to matter.  Everything should be relevant to the position you are applying to and in some way speak to your skills fit, culture fit, or motivation to work at that company and in that role.  Anything that doesn’t fit that rule of thumb, can be omitted.  

Breaking the rule of thumb down:

Do I need to write a cover letter?

I give you a qualified “Yes”.  Keep in mind, a bad cover letter might do more harm than good.  A good cover letter fits within the rule of thumb (see above) perfectly.  If you are helping to illustrate any or all three big points: skills fit, culture, fit and motivation – and – if you are highlighting information that isn’t included or could be overlooked in your resume.  Don’t repeat your resume or provide information that wouldn’t be crucial to the hiring manager.  If you are tempted to use a form letter you’ve found online or only make a small variation to a template – don’t bother.  Recruiters can smell a template from a mile away.  Keep your information genuine and helpful.

Do I need an objective statement?

This is very much the same answer as the one I gave for the cover letter.  If it helps frame your resume well or gives new information that wouldn’t make sense in another section – include it.  An objective statement should be very specific to the company and position you are applying for – or maybe exist more as a “career summary” statement.  Include one of these especially if you’ve changed careers or a recruiter might have trouble making sense of your resume without a solid anchor at the beginning.

Does anyone ever call references?

Yes.  Recruiters call references, but usually not at the beginning of their recruitment process.  This is why you can leave them off your resume if you choose (unless specifically requested in a job posting).  Recruiters will ask for references if they need them and you haven’t included them on your resume.  If you leave references off, have them ready anyway.  Additionally, you do not need to include the words “references available upon request”.  This is a given.

rainy

5 Job Seeking Activities for When You Aren’t Feeling It

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There’s going to be days where you are ON.  You are ready to make connections and put yourself out there – even if you are nervous.

And then there’s those off days.  You gave it all the rest of the week, you had a setback that bummed you out, or something just isn’t working.  You need a plan to keep momentum going even when you aren’t going.  Here’s some ideas:

  1. Source.  Look up jobs to apply to tomorrow (or even all next week).  I am a fan of sourcing separately from applying – it is more efficient.  The only thing required when you’re sourcing is to answer “yes”or “no” when searching through job descriptions. You can throw the yes’s into a google doc or just email them to yourself with the day you plan to apply to them in the subject or body of the email. If you have a low energy start the next day, you’ll appreciate having what you need to do already laid out for you
  2. Read.  Read trade publications, a leadership book, or sift through some good business articles that relate to what you do.  Make an effort to develop yourself professionally.
  3. Share resources.  Found a blog, tweet, book, or job that you think somebody else should know about?  Nothing gets my energy up like giving somebody else a boost.  Try it.  Givers gain.
  4. Organize.  Create a spreadsheet to help keep track of what you’ve done or what you plan on doing this week.  Not a spreadsheet fan?  Consider putting it all in a calendar (either paper or digital).  It’s such a lifesaver to keep track of what you are doing.  You get a realistic picture of your efforts, you have a record to refer to when you get contacted for interviews (what was that job anyway?), and you’ll get more done with a plan.  Schedule it, do it. Repeat.
  5. Thank someone.  Go to your stack of thank you cards (note – good idea to have them because folks are always doing something worth thanks) and start writing.  Whether it’s someone who’s helping you with your job search, someone who needs praise for work above and beyond the call of duty, or a kind note to a friend – gratitude will charge you up.  There’s not a person on the planet that doesn’t appreciate your sincere expression of thanks.

Bonus Idea #6 – write your own list of things you like to do when your energy is low and keep it as a guide for you when a slump hits.  On a rainy day, I’m always grateful to find I’ve left myself a to do list.

A modern resume.

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Wonderful infographic created by Colorado Technical University http://online.coloradotech.edu/ @ctuniversity

To Achieve

Here’s some tips that might help you or inspire you when writing your resume!

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