Job Seekers - How to Get Your Resume Noticed

Whether you’re looking for a job for yourself or you are a recruiter trying to place a candidate, your only goal is to get your resume noticed and ultimately get an interview. Since today’s managers are inundated with resumes, how can you make sure that happens?

Well, there are resume services out there that you can pay for, but with a little effort, you can save your money and do it yourself. If you’re a candidate looking for work, however, I would highly recommend working with a recruiter since that’s part of their job, and it’s free.

1. Make it 3 pages MAX. No manager wants to spend more than a few minutes reading a resume, and if yours takes 10 minutes, it may end up in the “I’ll get to it when I can” pile. In other words, no man’s land. If you’ve been in the working world fewer than 5 years, it should be even shorter. Remember, they don’t need to know every single thing you’ve done ever – save some things to talk about during the interview.

2. Tailor your resume for each job. I know, it’s a pain, but it makes all the difference in the world. No two jobs are exactly alike, so by changing up your resume slightly to indicate why you’re a great fit for the role gives them little reason not to contact you. And if you’re a candidate working with a recruiter who tells you to do this, stop grumbling and just do it. They know it’s a pain, too, but they’re trying to help you help yourself.

3. Be specific. Use action words that concisely describe what you’ve done. If you managed something, tell how big the project was in terms of dollars and/or people. If you were responsible for training, how many people and/or classes did you train? And just as important, what were the results of what you did? Avoid using words like “handled” or “familiar with.” Handled could mean you brought a piece of paper that discussed the topic from one desk to another. Familiar with could just mean you’ve stood next to someone who was talking about it. Be detailed but not verbose.

4. Show your accomplishments clearly. If you won awards, consistently hit or exceeded quotas, or anything else you’re proud of, make a separate section under each job specifically to point that out. Title it “Accomplishments” (creative, huh?).

5. Bold, underline or italicize key points in the resume. That way they are immediately noticed. Remaining focused while reading anything in plain text is challenging when you have a million other things on your mind. By using these features, you make the manager’s life easier, thus gaining his/her immediate affinity.

6. Visually spell/grammar check. Errors in someone’s resume indicate errors on the job. Take the time to make sure everything is spelled correctly by actually reading the resume vs. just using the spell check feature. I’ve seen a lot of words that, although they are actual words, were not meant to be used in a resume (e.g. Public Accounting vs. Pubic Accounting. ‘Nuff said).

7. Consistency is important, too. Are all the indentions/tabs consistent? Bullets? Periods at the end of some and not others? Do some of the dates use all numerals (e.g. 9/2006 – 12/2009) and some use words (e.g. April 2000 to February 2003)? It’s fine to use either, with or without abbreviations, just pick one and stick with it.

8. Speaking of dates, make sure there are no gaps in the dates on your resume. It’s okay to have a few months, but if there are 6-month+ gaps, consider adding something there to indicate why. For example, “Full-time caregiver to ailing relative 6/2005 – 2/2006.”

9. If you have moved around a lot, add “Reason for leaving:” under each job. Hopefully you have valid reasons, such as “Relocated for spouse’s job transfer” or “Company-wide layoffs.” If it was just for more money, I’d strongly suggest not putting that. The manager will just assume you’ll leave again for more money as soon as you have the opportunity. “Opportunity for career advancement and to learn new skills” sounds much better.

10. Have someone else review your resume before submitting it. Do they think it’s good? Did they understand it and feel it was visually interesting and structured? If not, try another stab at it.

I realize there are a ton of sites dedicated to how to write a good resume, so why one more? Honestly, until I no longer see typos, date gaps, and 23-page resumes (yes, you read that correctly), I will keep preaching on this topic. A person’s resume is their most critical, important written description of themselves and needs to be done with care and precision. If you just aren’t sure about yours and you have no one else to review it, feel free to send it to me as I’m happy to help. But please, take the time to review/revise it based on the above suggestions first. On behalf of recruiters and managers everywhere – thank you!

What am I? Chopped liver??

You work your tail off on a project and get it completed under time and under budget, and in response your boss tells you … well … nothing. Maybe he will next time. But wait, he didn’t the last few times and quite frankly, it’s getting a little irritating. I mean, you always do your job because that’s what you’re getting paid for, but what about when you go above and beyond? Where the heck is that pat on the back??

Employees who receive no recognition for a job well done may eventually cut back on making the extra effort. And according to U.S. Bureau of Labor statistics, the number one reason people leave their jobs is that they "don't feel appreciated." So as a manager, what can you do that won’t cost you an arm and a leg, especially in this economy? Here are some ideas that won’t break the bank:

1. Create a recognition board to publicly display names and/or photos of stellar employees.
2. Randomly hand out gift certificates ($5 – 20) to those who deserve it.
3. Allow a hard worker to leave an hour early every day for a week.
4. Leave a hand written thank you note or funny thank you greeting card on someone’s desk chair.
5. Come back from lunch with an employee’s favorite drink and/or candy bar and personally deliver it.
6. Ask the employee to be a mentor to new employees coming into their division.
7. Establish a monthly STAR award: Simply Terrific Attitude Recognition and rotate a trophy around (or something silly, like a smiley face clock).
8. Give a great employee a two-hour lunch break.
9. Stick a Post-It note on the computer monitor of a super employee saying, “I appreciate your hard work!”
10. Toss (literally) candy to people who give great ideas during meetings.
11. Send flowers to an employee’s home as a thank you.
12. Send an email to your boss praising the employee and be sure to copy the employee.
13. Give a personalized coffee cup or water bottle (http://www.designhergals.com/ is terrific and a portion goes to charity).
14. Write “I appreciate ____” on an index card, list several reasons, and post it at a hard worker’s desk.
15. Tie a “Great job!” or “Thank you!” helium balloon to the desk chair of someone putting in a lot of effort and/or time.
16. Throw a monthly/quarterly/annual party for the top 3, 5 or 10 employees.
17. In smaller offices, surprise the team for an afternoon outing to the latest hit movie, bowling alley or whirly ball center (loads of fun!).
18. Recognize exceptional employees in the company newsletter.
19. Write “Great Job, ____!” on the conference room white board right before the next team meeting.

20. Call fantastic employees into your office just to tell them thanks.

24 Hours Simply Isn’t Enough

My sister says if she could bottle time and sell it, she’d be a billionaire. I totally believe her.

Regardless of what time I get up or what time I go to bed, there are still a million things that I won’t be able to accomplish. I’m not talking about dream and goal-type accomplishments like going to Paris, performing on Broadway or climbing Mount Everest (none of which are my personal goals by the way, just ones a lot of people seem to dream).

I’m talking about little things like returning emails I’ve had in my in-box for two days, writing up an employee review that should have been done weeks ago, updating our business blog, etc. On the personal front, things like making it to the grocery store for milk, washing my son’s soccer uniform for his game tomorrow night, or returning overdue library books. I just can’t seem to get it all done in 24 hours!

So, I decided to carry around this little book I’d been meaning to read called TIME! 105 Ways to Get More Done Every Workday, by David Cottrell, president and CEO of CornerStone Leadership Institute. I figured if I didn’t have time to sit down to read it, I’d try to skim parts while waiting for my laptop to boot up or sitting at a stop light. Turns out, the book had some terrific tips, many of which you may already know, but perhaps a few you don’t. So, here are some of my favorites in no particular order:

1. Set your alarm clock 15 minutes ahead. Yes, it’s kind of like playing a practical joke on yourself, but you’ll be surprised how it can help you get going in the morning if you just wake up and pretend it’s 15 minutes later than it actually is. Just don’t run any red lights on your way to the office.

2. Plan your day. Do this before getting involved in anything – or anyone – else, especially tasks that consume a lot of time, such as answering your email. In just 20 minutes of uninterrupted time, you can accomplish the same amount of work as you can in 60 minutes of work with interruptions.

3. Limit your time on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and such. Social networking sites are great ways to keep up with your extended network of contacts, but they also extract a huge penalty on your productivity. Pay attention to how much time they take and make sure you‘re getting a good return on that investment.

4. Be decisive! Being decisive usually means, “Seize the moment!” When someone says to you, “Call me later and we’ll set an appointment,” respond by saying, “Let’s save ourselves a call and make the appointment now.” Then it’s done…and you won’t have to spend another 15 minutes on a phone call just to arrange a meeting.

5. Manage your paper and keep it moving. Move paper from your in-box to your desk, then to a To-Do file, someone else’s To-Do file, an archive file or the circular file – that’s right – the trash can. Ask yourself, “What’s the worst thing that could happen if I throw this away?” Gather what information you need from it, process the information immediately (enter business card info into your computer, clip an article from a magazine, etc.), then discard what you no longer need.

6. Keep your computer running as efficiently as possible. When your computer is running slowly, run a maintenance application to clean up your old files and to defragment and reorganize your hard drive. It will immediately increase your computer speed. Keep up with application and system upgrades and don’t neglect computer security. Nothing can ruin your day faster than a computer virus.

7. Avoid getting trapped into small talk if you work in an office environment that’s overly social. When someone approaches you, immediately ask, “What can I do for you?” This gets the visitor straight to the reason he came to you…or if he has none, it subtly gets him moving along with minimum chit-chat. And hide your candy dish – it’s a major interruption magnet.

8. Make meetings short and always start them on time. If someone comes in late, ignore them and keep going. Better yet, appoint them as the person responsible for taking the minutes. I assure you they will show up on time for the next meeting. If you’re not running the meeting, take initiative and say, “Hey, it’s 8:40. Let’s get started. I’ve got a job to go to.”

9. Rest. The more rested you are, the more you can accomplish when you work. If you’re tired, you work slower, make more mistakes, and fail to see obvious solutions. Work hard and efficiently, but try to leave your work at the office.

10. Continually ask yourself the number one time management question of all time: "What’s the best use of my time right now?"

I must say that I really enjoyed reading this book and garnering some great tips from it. I may not get to Ireland anytime soon (one of my dreams), but I do think I’ll at least have time to grab milk from the grocery store today.

To order this book, call 888-789-5323 or visit http://www.cornerstoneleadership.com/

ECC co-founder, Steve Conwell, named American Lung Association 2010 "VOLUNTEER OF THE YEAR" for the North Texas Region!