Tag Archives: Job Search

By Jewel Bracy DiMaio

By the time you’ve ascended to the executive level, years have added up and achievements have accumulated. The task of harnessing a lengthy career trajectory into a two-page resume can seem daunting, particularly at the CEO, CFO, SVP, Director, or similarly senior level. Yet it must be done in a way that tells a story which is all at once logical, cohesive, and illuminating.

“Illuminating” is what we’re going to focus on. The No. 3 success element for your executive resume is this: make sure to tell an illuminating story.

There’s much more on the #3 factor, plus all top 5 success elements for your executive CV in our webinar, “How to Write a Perfect Resume.” Following is an introductory how-to guide:

First of all, what are we illuminating? Your expertise? No. Your accomplishments? No.  Of course we emphasize and highlight those points, but that’s not what I’m talking about here and now. Your executive resume is supposed to shine a light on you: who you are, what your passion is, and how you’re going to use that passion to deliver value to your next employer.

So what does this mean? Go above and beyond in your executive resume by considering the following questions: 1) What it is about you that makes you consistently excellent at what you do? 2) What do you do that other people on similar levels in similar roles don’t do?  3) How are you known professionally, as a person who can come into an organization and definitely accomplish what?

Encapsulating your expertise, accomplishments, and achievements into a story should prove to be significantly better than merely listing the facts, figures, and dollar values, and expecting the reader to determine what your main message is.

There are additional questions to explore; these are a few intended to get your wheels turning about who you really are, and the story you really want to tell. Find out more in our webinar, “How To Write A Perfect Resume.” The webcast teaches you the right things to do in your specific situation, and how to leverage your masterful executive resume for the most effective job search.

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Jewel Bracy DeMaio, CPRW, ACRW, CEIP, specializes in executive resume development, with work published in numerous resume books in the last 15 years. If you are an executive with lengthy history, strong expertise, and many achievements, Ms. DeMaio can express your authentic story so employers take notice. Get your complimentary resume and job search BluePrint, and custom quote today: http://www.APerfectResume.com

By Meghan M. Biro

10 Tips: Managing The Year Of Diminished Career Expectations

There are lots of people writing about how to do resumes or manage a job search, but not too many who are willing to admit there’s an elephant in the living room. But there is, and I’m going to give you a few tips on how to deal with it.

The elephant is your job – the one you’re in and want out of, or the job you’re considering taking to get away from the one you have. Chances are it’s not the job you want, or the one you trained for or think you deserve. It pays the bills, but it doesn’t get you excited. It doesn’t use all your skills. The workplace culture or environment leaves something to be desired. Maybe the commute is killing you and the person in the next cube eats sardines every day for lunch. Maybe you don’t even have a cube.

Welcome to the new job reality: diminished expectations.

We all want a great job but until the economy turns around, a good-enough job will have to do. But no one can afford to treat a job as though it’s just ‘good enough.’ To survive – both in the job and in your head – you’ll have to bring your A game every day. Even if it is a B- job.

Here are some tips for managing in a time of diminished expectations:

• Use positive affirmations to get yourself through the day. This sounds hippy-dippy but it works. Think positively. Tell yourself a positive story about your job, and it will be survivable.
• Teach yourself one new skill a month. If you’re not challenged intellectually you probably have spare cycles. Study statistical analysis – it will come in handy when making charts, and it also requires analytical thinking. Teach yourself Excel or Powerpoint – the real skills, not just 101. Set up a website.
• Start blogging. Writing things down makes them easier to process and brings insight. You can rant, but it’s more productive to write about a positive aspect of your job, or the day.
• Polish your resume. Do this once a month. Frequent updates to online profiles make you more attractive as a candidate.
• Help a co-worker. Perhaps one of your colleagues could use help with a task. Maybe it’s something you’re interested or skilled in. Either way you get karma points.
• Think about what you really want to do when you grow up. Examine your life, your decisions, your failures to decide, your current status. Be unflinching. This will prepare you for the next tip.
• Write a job description for your dream job. Then read your resume and look for the disconnects. Now you have new tasks and a new goal.
• Network with people who have the job you want. If you’ve done the two bullets above you’ll be better positioned to make this pay off.
• Seek out a career coach to help you examine – and possibly reset – your expectations. Maybe you’re way off. Maybe you weren’t an A student but thought you could bluff through to a big job. Not in this economy, and maybe never again. Be prepared to revise your life plan, at least the short-term version.
• Do something for someone else. There’s huge satisfaction in helping others. Volunteer and you will become thankful.

Meghan M. Biro, founder of TalentCulture, is a serial entrepreneur and globally recognized career expert in talent acquisition and creative personal and corporate branding. Meghan has conducted more than 300 successful career searches for clients ranging from Fortune 500s to the most innovative software start-up companies. Meghan is also a new media strategist who enjoys accelerating collaborative business and community goals. When not recruiting, blogging, and innovating, she manages a dynamic coaching practice to empower corporate leaders, mid-level managers, software technologists, and recent college graduates. Meghan is a member of the National Association of Personnel Services (NAPS), The Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM) and several entrepreneurial organizations. She serves on the Alumni Council for Greens Farms Academy, acting as a career mentor to high school and college students. Founder and co-host of “#TChat, The World of Work,” a long-running, weekly Twitter chat and radio show, Meghan’s ideas have appeared on Forbes, CBS Moneywatch and she blogs regularly at Monster, The 12 Most, Ragan’s HR Communication and several additional online destinations of note.

The Glassdoor Team is a small yet seasoned group of individuals looking to provide greater transparency into one of the most important aspects of our lives – our jobs. Contributions to the blog are designed to present a unique perspective on current events, offer commentary on the inside workings on specific jobs at a multitude of companies, and provide details on the latest happenings from within Glassdoor.

By Kevin W. Grossman

Tell a story, keep it real and make your business case.

“If there are employment gaps or stints shorter than a year, screen ‘em out.” “Why?” I asked.

“Because that means there are deficiencies, problems and/or they’re flaky job jumpers and can’t be trusted. We’ve got clients to service with viable candidates with continuous work, and that means at least one year per job,” the client services manager answered.

I frowned. “But, what if our matching software identifies them as viable candidates? Shouldn’t we still keep them in the short list?”

“No, screen ‘em out.”  “But that doesn’t make good business sense until they’re at least moved along the funnel and at least phone screened.”

The manager laughed. “Are you serious?”  Yes, I thought. I am.

That was almost 12 years ago when I worked briefly as an internal sourcer and recruiter for a recruiting software and services company.

I thought it was unfortunate then just I think it unfortunate now how we still hold these gaps and job hops against job applicants, especially those who have been out of full-time work for any length of time, even if they’ve cobbled together part-time or project work just to stay alive. (The contingent workforce is on the rise.)

Sure there were 120,000 jobs added last month, which seems like a job market that’s simmering, but 8.6% unemployment barely makes for an electric hotplate. Another 315,000 walked away from their job searches last month.

Or maybe there are those of you, like me, who’ve walked away from full-time jobs and experimented with entrepreneurial endeavors and self-employment and contract work, and may even continue to do so. Then begins the riddling of your resume with slight disfigurements that can be quite misleading. Wait, did I say resume? I meant your portable online profile.  Remember, I want the resume to die.

Here’s my advice to you job seekers who have any or all of the above in your work history:

Tell a story, keep it real and make your business case.

I mean, I can’t help you with backward employers whose HR pros, recruiters and/or hiring managers don’t look beyond the bullets on the paper, but you can still help yourself in the telling. I’ve been a writer throughout all previous professional incarnations, and still am, and although I’m learning every day, I understand a little about the mojo of good story.

For starters, do you know that section in your LinkedIn profile titled “Summary”? That’s an opportunity for you to do more than just say I’ve done blah, blah and blah, because that’s one of the first things folks scan when they’re looking at your profile, besides your picture. (And yes, it could be your “summary” atop your resume, if you insist.)

Use the professional “Summary” sections across all your online networks to immediately highlight:

• Your career objective/s and/or what you love to do.
• How your previous and current experience validates your career objective/s.
• Your results and accomplishments and how they could benefit a future employer, partner and/or investor (hey, you never know) even if you’re not “in the market.”
• Your personal interests and how those round out your world as well as for a future employer, partner and/or investor.

I’m working on mine even as I write this article. Write economically but make sure not to be too vague; specificity and the right keywords are critical for you to be found and get read. Use your voice and keep it real.

It’s really a never-ending story, one that you should review and revise regularly at least every few months to ensure you’re making your business case.

Because no one’s going to make it for you.

Kevin W. Grossman is the Chief Marketplace Evangelist at Fisher Vista, LLC and HRmarketer.com where he leads the strategic HR B2B marketing and business development initiatives. Kevin is also founder of Marcom HRsay, an HR B2B blog for the real world focusing on what helps the people thrive and businesses grow. Kevin has more than two decades of business experience including more than 10 years of HR marketplace experience. Kevin is a Top 25 Online Influencer in Human Resources according to HR Examiner as well as a prolific “HR business” blogger since 2004 primarily on Marketing to HR and Marcom HRsay. He has authored multiple articles on HR, leadership, HR technology, talent acquisition, talent management, workplace culture and much more. He’s also a partner and collaborator of the TalentCulture community with as well as a co-founder of the online Twitter chat #TChat and #TChat Radio.

The Glassdoor Team is a small yet seasoned group of individuals looking to provide greater transparency into one of the most important aspects of our lives – our jobs. Contributions to the blog are designed to present a unique perspective on current events, offer commentary on the inside workings on specific jobs at a multitude of companies, and provide details on the latest happenings from within Glassdoor.