Sex and Your Job Search 2013: A Guide to Scoring Your Dream Job (9 page)

If you have further questions, I recommend you Google “job portfolios” and go from there.

7.
Other Tips:
Add your LinkedIn profile address under your cell number on your resume. I’ve seen this recently and like that it promotes transparency.

Don’t waste time on videos to promote yourself. There is a famous video resume where a guy brags about his job skills and being an expert dancer and skier, among other things. He has been made fun of millions of times on YouTube. Hiring managers don’t have time for videos, and there are way too many chances to embarrass yourself in a video resume.

In addition, try to keep your resume to one page if you have less than ten years of experience. In rare situations, I have seen very qualified new college grads who can pull off a two-page resume because they have worked a part-time job while in school, been active in student government, and have leadership experience. For someone who has that much experience coming out of university, one to two pages is fine. Generally speaking, after ten years of work experience, two to three pages are acceptable.

CONTENT SHOULD BE
THE FOCUS OF THE RESUME

What is the purpose of a conversation starter? To keep the conversation going one word at a time. What is the purpose of the first line of the resume? To get the second line of the resume read. What should you put in the resume? The history of your life in terms of work and educational experience.

Having said that, only include work and school experiences that are relevant to the
specific
job you want.
Each
resume and
cover letter should be tailored for each desired job
. Depending on the employer and type of job, you may not have to change that much on your resume when you apply to different jobs. It might come down to modifying a couple of sentences or reorganizing the order of your bullet points. Read the job posting and get as much information about the job description as you can, then tailor your experience for that. Quickly copy, print out, or take a screen capture of the job posting before it is removed, which is usually long before an interview is scheduled. Sometimes employers will give you a job description if you ask for it.

For example, if you are applying for a job as a registered nurse, do not state your objective as “Would like a student nursing internship job.” This shows sloppiness. Or if you are applying for a lifeguard job and it requires CPR, make sure to indicate your CPR training on your resume and check the CPR box on the online application. If you don’t, you will most likely be rejected.

“What should I do if I have the relevant experience required, but it was ten years ago?” is a question I hear a lot. Please mention relevant experience as early as possible. If you apply for an accounting job that requires five years of experience, but you’ve owned a fast food restaurant for the past ten years, make sure your prior accounting experience is on the first page of the resume.

Make it crystal clear that you are qualified. Show the HR rep what you’ve got. Provide details of why you are awesome. This is no time for modesty. Showing that you are qualified is a non-negotiable thing, like brushing your teeth before a date. Very little chance of scoring otherwise.

RESUME STARTER TOOL:
THE "DO IT" EXERCISE

The objective of the resume is to eventually hit a “home run” with the employer of your dreams. The best acronym for brainstorming your resume content is “DO IT.”

• D is for Duties of the job. What were the job requirements and responsibilities of your previous positions?

• O is for Opportunities received at work. What improvements did you make and what problems did you identify and solve?

• I is for Information or metrics, and quantifiable successes. Numbers! Did you increase sales by two million dollars or save the company five hundred thousand?

• T is for Topnotch results achieved. What are some examples of your awesome work? What were the results? Did you have any positive feedback? Did you win any awards for your work?

The DO IT Exercise is a spicy way to recall workplace successes and achievements. Read through the exercise and then ask yourself the forty questions listed below to help you remember everything you have done. Jot down those work experiences, skills, and examples you are most proud of.

To make the best use of your time, write down the answers in a blank resume template in Word or Pages. It is important to document all the details, including the dates, dollars saved or earned, specific names, time saved, and improvements. Don’t shy away from mentioning you were part of a successful team.

Going over the questions below will help you build
confidence
for the job search. In addition, coming up with accomplishments will form the basis of the stories and examples you will tell during the job interview. We’ll talk more about interview stories in Chapter 8.

You can DO IT. You may have better experiences than you think. Just fill in the blanks.

Once you have a resume draft, it will be easier to update later.

THE DO IT EXERCISE: 40 QUESTIONS

These first set of questions sound a bit like the Keeper in
Monty Python and the Holy Grail
designed them.

1.
--
What is your name?

2.
--
What is your address?

3.
--
What is your email address?

4.
--
What is your phone number?

5.
--
What is your LinkedIn profile address?

Dang, that was easy.
Now let’s look at your edu-ma-cation.

6.
--
What is your highest degree earned? Concentration? Major?

7.
--
GPA? Only include this if it is above 3.5 and you are a recent grad.

8.
--
Honors or awards? This includes scholarships received.

9.
--
Student activities and committees? Were you captain of a team or in student government? Resident Assistant in the dorm counts toward leadership and responsibility.

10.
-
Did you study abroad?

11.
-
Did you work while going to school?

12.
-
Did you do any volunteer work for an organization, including school, church, or community service? For even
one
day?

Let’s continue to professional skills.

13.
-
Have you completed any courses for work? List the subject and dates enrolled.

14.
-
Have you received any certificates at work? From where and when?

15.
-
What software do you know? Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access, Keynote, Photoshop, or other programs? Even a little bit?

16.
-
Do you know both Macs and PCs?

17.
-
Did you learn any of the above computer programs in a short amount of time for a specific project?

18.
-
Do you know how to run other equipment or machines that relate to the job desired? List the number of years of experience and if you can service and repair them.

19.
-
Are you affiliated with or a member of a professional association or society?

20.
-
Have you received an award in your field, presented, or been published?

21.
-
Do you speak any foreign languages?

22.
-
Were you in the military? List appropriate dates, rank, and honors.

How about work experience?

23.
-
What is your current job title?

24.
-
Company name?

25.
-
Dates of employment at current and former jobs?

26.
-
City and state?

27.
-
What industry are you in and/or what does the company do?

Job Duties

28.
-
What were your job duties, including specific requirements and responsibilities?

29.
-
What improvements did you make and what problems were identified and solved?

30.
-
How can you describe these accomplishments with numbers? Quantify them.

31.
-
Did you receive positive feedback, awards, or good performance evaluations?

32.
-
Were you ever recognized for outstanding customer service?

33.
-
Did you change a process for the better?

34.
-
Did you help attract new clients or expand current business?

35.
-
What special projects did you work on? What were the positive results?

36.
-
Were you on any special committees or executive teams?

37.
-
Did you implement any paperless process in an effort to be green friendly?

38.
-
Have you worked with budgets, purchasing, training, coaching, or supervision?

39.
-
Were you promoted?

40.
-
Were you given additional responsibilities?

WRITE DOWN STORIES AS THEY HAPPEN

When you are in a relationship, you keep track of your day differently. You try to remember funny experiences or amusing encounters that will make good stories for your significant other.

If there is one thing that
every
job-search expert can agree on, it’s keeping track of your accomplishments and examples of why you are awesome as they happen at work (for those currently employed) or as you remember them (for those looking for work).

Start a list in your smart phone, write your stories down on a piece of paper, or type them on your computer.

Keeping track of my stories has helped me tremendously when updating my resume. You will see things differently when you do this at work. Things you do “normally” for customer service may be considered “above and beyond” in an interview. These accomplishments could mean the difference in getting the job of your dreams and earning hundreds of thousands of extra dollars in your lifetime.

Tracking what you do during the day will also
build your confidence
and serve as a reminder for the hard work you do and the effect you have on your company. Ultimately, you should realize how good of a job you do, even if it seems like second nature. You’ll feel more confident in your ability. And your resume will write itself. You go girl… or boy!

“Got da expirence”

Three words. That’s all an applicant wrote under the resume section of an online application. And he spelled “experience” wrong. I still laugh when I think about it.

You are better than that. You are easily better than that.

APPLYING ONLINE:
SIX WAYS TO GET NOTICED

Applicant tracking systems let you apply online for the job of your dreams. Here are seven important things to note about this process.

1.
Fill in everything completely.
This includes dates of employment and job duties. Please, please, please do not copy straight from your job description or performance evaluation. This makes you sound like Jimmy from
Seinfeld
, that guy who always talked about himself in the third person. It’s an obvious move, and a lazy one. Just like on your resume, make sure you meet the qualifications of the position you are applying to.

2.
Be honest about being laid off.
Being laid off does not carry the stigma it did in the past, due to the economy. Many companies have downsized and some have shut down completely. We know. We see it everyday. Don’t be self-conscious about this.

Here are some good phrases to use if there’s room for an explanation:

• Company closed

• Due to economy

• Better opportunity

• Financial trouble