By Thorin Klosowski
The business world tends to
slow down a bit as the holidays come around, and The Wall Street Journal points
out that it's an excellent time to start getting your resume into places
because it will get seen by the right people.
If companies are gearing up
to hire people for the first quarter, they're looking for people right now. The
office itself is typically a bit slower, but the Wall Street Journal suggests
that's why it's an excellent time to reach out to hiring managers:
Workplaces that are open
will typically be quieter, which is an ideal time to make that connection by
phone, email or even setting up a lunch meeting, says Laurie Ruettimann, a
human-resources consultant from Raleigh, N.C. "You're not competing with
the regular rush of business. Just remember that many people work half days
during the holidays or may work from home."
If you're on the job hunt,
it's easy to relax into the holidays and wait for the new year. Instead of
waiting, get your resume in now and it might make in front of the right person
a little easier.
By Anish Majumdar
It's a situation pretty
much everyone finds themselves in at some point during their careers: sending
your resume out to scores of recruiters and/or hiring agents...and not hearing
anything back. Before you consider giving up on your ideal job, here are three
powerful tweaks you can execute that will immediately increase the amount of
attention your resume receives.
Develop a
Clear Job Target
Specificity is one of the
keys to a successful search in today's job market. Instead of going the
"one size fits all" route with regards to your resume, research open
jobs using sites like Monster and Indeed and start developing a database of
positions that interest you. While you should ideally end up with a single job
target, it's perfectly fine to conduct a job search across multiple targets.
Just be sure to develop a separate resume version for each.
Insert the EXACT TITLE
of the position you're applying for right at the start of the resume.
This will minimize the chances of
your document being mis-categorized or lost in digital limbo during the
submission process.
Develop an opening
paragraph that highlights why you'd be a great fit.
Key experience at a previous job, a
recently acquired degree or training certification, even soft skills such as
team building/leadership or managing multiple client priorities are all
examples of what might work within this section. Keep it brief, no more than
3-4 lines, and make sure it comes across as genuine.
Create a "Core
Competencies" section.
Look through the job postings you've gathered and make a list of skills
that are frequently requested (that you actually possess). Now create a section
beneath the opening paragraph that lists these skills. For example, a Marketing
specialist could have terms like Marketing Plans, Corporate
Branding/Rebranding, and Trend Tracking & Analysis within this section.
Utilize bullets to differentiate between terms and keep things tidy.
Structure Your
Work History to Support Career Goals
At its core, a resume is a
personal marketing document. While most jobseekers know to leave off negative
information such as why they were let go at a particular job or other workplace
conflicts, it's the savvy ones that understand the importance of emphasizing
and de-emphasizing positions within the "Professional Experience"
section to support their career goals. Ask yourself the following questions to
determine the optimal layout of this section:
Is the position directly
relevant to the job I'm after? If so, begin the position with a few lines describing
unique responsibilities, followed by a "Key Accomplishments" or
similar section offering bulleted accomplishments. This approach provides the
necessary context and really makes an impact visually.
Can I use the position
to highlight soft skills or a unique aspect of my background? Many jobs that aren't directly
related to what you're presently after can still hold value in these 2 areas.
Use the same approach as above but make sure these positions take up less space
within the document.
Is the position a
liability? If you
took on a role that was a significant step down in terms of responsibilities,
salary, etc. or simply didn't work out, then it's worth considering leaving off
entirely. As long as it doesn't create a major time gap within the resume, then
simply skip to the next position. If it does, then briefly encapsulate the
position within 1-2 lines and move on.
Eliminate Red
Flags
One of the most frequent
reasons resumes get rejected is due to "red flags" that pop up during
the evaluation process. Here's the thing: being upfront about a potential
vulnerability gives you the opportunity to control it, whereas ignoring it
basically guarantees that it's going to be perceived as a negative. Here are
the major causes of red flags and how you can keep them from becoming a barrier
to your candidacy:
Lack of a clear link
between stated career goal and work history. It's important to use the opening paragraph you
developed in step #1 as a kind of running theme within your resume. Make sure
that the skills and attributes mentioned here are expanded upon throughout your
work history, particularly with regards to recent jobs you've held. Don't be
afraid to be a little redundant if necessary. A clear link is crucial to
establishing credibility during the hiring process.
Significant time gaps in
your work history.
While a gap of a few months between jobs won't raise any eyebrows, anything
over 6 months needs to be addressed. Create a "Career Note" of a few
lines and place it directly within your work history, between the 2 positions
in question. Examples of information to include here can range from managing
family responsibilities and fulfilling a personal life goal to taking an advanced
training course or exploring new career avenues. Just make it clear that you
weren't sitting around doing nothing.
Lack of necessary
education and/or training. If you're currently obtaining a degree or advanced training in a
particular area, don't wait until graduation to leverage it within your resume!
Simply add the words "In Progress" as well as the anticipated
graduation/completion date when listing it within the "Education"
section and you should be good to go.
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