A job seeker posted this question on a LinkedIn discussion board. “How do you get by on only one resume. When I was looking for a job I rewrote/edited my resume for every different job being sure to call out everything they were looking for in the description. How do you do it any other way?”

Job seekers need to remember that you have a job title…SALES PROFESSIONAL

Once you understand that, you must start thinking like a marketing and sales professional. The first successful strategy for all sales people and marketing/sales professionals is to define your target market, understand their needs, and package your product accordingly. So the first rule of resume writing is to target an industry, understand their needs, define your strengths, and write your resume accordingly.

The next step is understanding that you are not trying to go work for every employer out there. You must identify with the overall needs of the businesses in the industry which you are targeting. Do your research and homework. Identify the key words, lingo, and gain a better understanding of what these employers require from their employees. Then create your resume.  The marketing world calls this “market research” and “product packaging.”

Next, choose your market base. Change your thinking, rather than you shopping for an employer…the employer is shopping for you. You are a product. Would you rather be found on a shelf at Wal-Mart or in a niche specialty shop where a choosier shopper is looking for something unique, and is typically willing to spend more money?

Job seekers waste a tremendous amount of time trying to change their resumes and make it match every single word in every single job announcement. If you do your homework to begin with, and identify the primary key words for a specific industry before writing your resume, why would you need to change it for every employer? To begin with, those words and qualities should already be in the resume. Another marketing phrase for this is “Branding.” Quick Quiz…What type of Kellogg’s cereal uses Tony the Tiger? Answer: Frosted Flakes…See, branding.

I’ll drive home my point. In a nut shell, you must understand your strengths and create your value proposition. What are you “selling” in your resume? You should have a targeted job goal, just as a sales person has a target market. You develop your marketing plan, go after your ideal target, and emphasize your most unique selling points that make you stand out above the competition.

Another little known fact is that when HR writes a job announcement, they write it thinking, “in a perfect world, we want an employee who has…”   Most companies know full well that they are not going to find a candidate who matches the job description exactly.  Employers are going to hire the best candidate that they can find to meet their needs. You as a job seeker have more control over your job search than you realize. You’re choosing an employer, not the other way around. Therefore, target your resume to similar companies within the same industry who have similar needs. This way, you shouldn’t need to change your resume for every single job to which you apply.

Let me make this final point. If you have multiple career targets, then you may need a couple of different versions of the resume with a slightly different angle. Think of it this way…you should never write a resume for a specific JOB; rather you should write your resume for a specific career in a targeted industry. Stop thinking JOB and think career.

Hope that helps in answering the question.

Target the resume to an industry…determine your value proposition…market yourself to YOUR IDEAL prospects.

I know that another think that frustrates job seekers is the lack of response they receive from HR. I recently encountered a situation with a client that can and will prevent potential employers from contacting you. She had an automated spam blocker and response section on her e-mail. The problem was that the ISP she was using for e-mail did not make the spam blocker user-friendly. I had to input it my information multiple times over the course of a week.

Be advised, employers will not be nearly as patient and will move on to the next candidate. Make yourself accessible. You may say, we’ll if they’re really interested, they will call. Not necessarily, if they want to communicate exclusively through e-mail then that’s how they will communicate. Don’t assume an employer will go out of their way to contact you. In this market, they won’t.

To eliminate the possibility of this, create an e-mail account exclusively for job search. I recommend Google e-mail or gmail. It has excellent spam filter settings on it, is compatible with everything, and doesn’t require an extra step. The only spam I have received on gmail are from the businesses to which I have responded.

Employers rarely send anything by snail mail anymore, so you don’t necessarily need to worry about including your home address on the resume. Including your city, sate, and zip code along with e-mail, cell phone, and possibly home phone is becoming more and more acceptable.

Another issue I tend to occasionally encounter is with voice mail messages. Job seekers, everything you put out there is noticed by employers. I’ll save social networking for another post. Think of your voice mail. Most employers are either going to e-mail you or call. If they encounter your voice mail, ensure that you give a professional presence. Rather than an automated voice mail message where they’re not sure if it’s you or not, leave a short and sweet personal voice mail message. Something like, “This is (state your name). I’m sorry that I missed your call, please be sure to leave your name, number, and a brief message and I will return your call as soon as possible.”  Don’t include messages with music in the background, or with barking dogs, laughter, children crying, or any other noise.

On home phones, leave children off of the answering machine. Again, short and sweet. If you’d like to say, this is the (last name) household, please leave a message and the appropriate family member will return your call as soon as possible.

Keep these tips in mind if you want employers to leave messages. Good luck.

I thank you for your comments regarding last week’s blog regarding building a consistent online brand. As requested, I’m trying to provide a few more ideas on the topic.

Let’s begin with the question of how do you want to brand yourself?

As a job seeker, what are you trying to stress about your expertise, experience, or accomplishments. If you’re only brand is that you are a job seeker, then there’s nothing about your brand that is distinguishing you from the millions of other currently unemployed people out there. Ask yourself, “what “uniqueness” do you want to highlight? Perhaps I should spell that “YOUniqueness” (copyright 2009, 10/26/2009).

Capture the unique brand everywhere you post online.

Just as Nike includes its classic swoosh, or Under Armour includes its intersecting “U” on every product they sell, you need to brand yourself similarly everywhere online. You could think about creating your own personal branding statement, philosophical quote, personal question, graphic, or alter ego. (Careful about creating an alter ego as you don’t want to present yourself as someone you’re not!) Regardless of what you use, connect that brand to everything you post.

Present yourself as an expert.

The expertise that you share and experience that you bring to the table is what will set you apart from the other job seekers. Business quickly learned that the internet is a powerful and relatively inexpensive marketing tool.  As a job seeker, harness the same power to sell yourself and your skill. You are a commodity and expert in your field and you should realize this.

Do you need a way to get a lot of information out? Why not start a blog? This is a great way to brand yourself and share your information too.

Join or start a public interest group on one of the social networking sites.

Ask questions on Linked In, answer questions on Linked In.

Twitter useful information on a topic.

Read articles, link to articles, and find a site for which to write articles.

If you’ll notice, I even use some of these same suggestions, and in other ways I need to take my own advice and practice it more extensively. So on that note, pick and choose which method will work best for you, because it can and will take up more time than you realize.

Assign a value to your work and experience.

As you leverage your online brand, you will be assigning a value to yourself. For example, if you’re a computer programmer and you’re only discussing basic facts that most any entry level programmer would know, what will people assume about your programming capabilities? They will assume that you know the basics and you won’t bring significant value to anyone looking for a senior level programmer. On the same note, if you’re branding yourself as a senior level programmer then you will bring more value to yourself if you discuss matters of a more senior level technical programming nature.

The same is going to be true for any industry out there. Information and knowledge are valuable. Nobody will ever be able to take away your knowledge…and you can leverage the value of your knowledge as you build your personal brand. Let’s face it, employers aren’t supposed to discriminate on the basis of your weight, race, religion, political affiliations, or evidence of a handicap. What employers discriminate on (or a less harsh phrase) base their hiring decision upon, is the value of the knowledge and experience that you will bring to the company.

Wrap Up!

So as the headline states, “Consistent Online Branding Builds Value” As you continue building your online presence to market yourself in this job market, give yourself a value. The next thing to understand is how to take that value from the virtual world and relate it to the person to person world. That will be another article.

Thanks for reading.

Just because the job market is a bit tight right now, it’s important to keep your salary demands where they should be once you start negotiating the offer. Employers who are hiring, need to hire good people. It’s important to remember, that employers know what they can pay, and they wouldn’t be talking to you if they didn’t know what you were worth.

Don’t low ball yourself, just because you think that they company can’t pay. If you feel that their offer is low, ask how much room there is to negotiate, and find out where they can negotiate. I have had numerous conversations with clients who will accept a salary at a lower level because they’re afraid to ask for more because they think the company will go to the next person. It’s important to establish your needs too.

I’ve worked with many clients who feel like they’re caught between a rock and a hard place. They’re in a position where they desperately need a job, but stuck with an offer that’s too low. Other times they consider taking a position that might not be the best opportunity, or even yet, a career demotion. Remember this, if it’s right, you’ll know it. If the job offer isn’t right, you’ll only be second guessing yourself within a matter of months.  Perhaps you won’t be able to fully dedicate yourself to the position and will continue looking for another job. You’ve got to be fair to yourself as well as the employer. In some cases, you may find yourself unemployed again within six months due to unsatisfactory performance or voluntary resignation.

Ok, so I guess you need a solution, that’s what I always try to provide. The solution here is to perform an individual assessment of your career goals, determine the hard core values and strenghts that you bring to an employer, and place a fair dollar amount on yourself. Then you assess the company’s goals, how you fit into the picture, determine if the core values of the company match yours, and see if there’s a match. I’m not trying to over simplify this, I realize that there are many things that factor in to that; it’s not a black and white issue. The point to remember is that you need to know what you are worth, set your standards, and command the salary that you require for your level of experience. In a nut shell, keep your salary demands where they should be.

Thanks for reading,

Beth Colley, Chesapeake Resume Writing Service

Thank You Notes are a crucial part to the interview process that far too many people overlook.  Writing a proper thank you note following the interview can provide a much needed boost in positioning you over another candidate for a position. Some of the most often asked questions that I receive include What do I say in a Thank You letter? and How do I send it?

Let’s start with what should you say.

1. For starters “Thank you for taking the time to interview me for the (fill in the blank) position on (fill in the date).  Hiring managers are very busy people. When they are down a person or two they may be required to pick up the slack. Their time is extremely valuable.
2. Reiterate your understanding of the requirements of the position. This shows that you have a clear understanding of their expectations.
3. Show how you can meet their expectations while providing solid examples of how you have exhibited those particular skills and knowledge in real life situations; ideally professional situations.  Career changers should list examples of how they have demonstrated these skills in other leadership scenarios.
4. Draw on a connection made during the interview. Whatever connection you were able to make during an interview, whether it was a mutual friend, a reoccuring technical problem related to the job, former employer, alma mater, interest in a sport/favorite team, social organization…whatever; just draw attention to that connection or common interest.
5. Indicate level of interest — Caution, be original. Don’t just say you are very interested in the position…indicate why you would be a strong fit for the position. Show your level of experience and interest in the position by giving valid reasons as to why you are a good fit citing company culture, business motto, work ethic, or other valid reasons for your enthusiasm.
6. Keep it Brief — there’s no clear written rule on this, but in my opinion, 8 sentences should suffice.  They already should know all about you…you are simply showing gratitude for their interest in you as a candidate.

The next question I typically encounter is, How do I send it?  With so many methods of communication available to us today, what form is the most acceptible means of communication?? 

1.  Hand-written notes win the points with more experienced (i.e. the over 50 crowd) decision-makers. That’s not to say that managers under 50 don’t appreciate the hand-written note; I’m just saying, it’s a generational thing. The feeling is, people rarely actually take time to hand-write a note today because we have conditioned ourselves to using email for business purposes. However proper and more formal etiquette tout the hand-written note as always being best. *Note* Make sure the note arrives within 1-2 business days of the interview.
2. Email thank you notes are certainly faster. If you know the decision is being made within 24-48 hours my personal feeling is that time is of the essence. A well-written thank-you email is acceptible in any case, but if time is crucial, any kind of heart-felt thankyou is better than none arriving at all.
3. What about a faxed note? In my opinion, the fax could work, but it could look sloppy or not get delivered. I would say Email rather than fax, because at least with email, you can request a read receipt and in some cases, you might get a response back.

Hopefully, these nine suggestions for Post-interview Thank You Notes have provided some kind of clarification as to the process.  As always, thanks for reading.

I had the opportunity to share some advice with job seekers on a local cable access station in my area today. The last question in the interview was what kind of advice would I give to serious job seekers. The first thing that came to mind was to tell job seekers to build their network.

Today, more than ever, we have new ways to build a professional network. Professional organizations hold regular mixers, there are coffee shops on every corner for brief one-on-one meetings, and we have numerous online opportunities through social networking. I strongly recommend building your network utilizing these tools on all fronts.

In my opinion, personal one-on-one, face-to-face networking is always the best way to go. It allows people to get a true sense of who you are, how you behave in certain circumstances, and how candid you are during a conversation. If your job search is primarily local, I would be working diligently to get out on foot and meet people face to face.

On the other hand, if you’re doing a national job search, the online social networking front is going to be just as crticial as the face-to-face. My advice though, is to reach out and create as many personal contacts as possible. Use the resources that are available to you to improve your presence. I would recommend going ahead and using that telephone and reaching out to someone on a personal level. Schedule getting to know you conference calls with people whom you can contact in your online network just as you would schedule a one-on-one meeting at your local coffee shop. Heck, share a virtual cup of coffee while you’re sitting at your desk on the telephone. If you have a reliable web cam, microphone, and internet connection, why not schedule a virtual meeting using SKYPE or another online web conferencing service?

One of the reasons the virtual networking sites have taken off is because it allows people to get a deeper sense of someone that they don’t really know. If you want to leverage your linkedin network, see if it’s possible to schedule a telephone call with someone at a company on your “A” list for career prospects. I can’t imagine someone being able to provide a strong referral for a candidate that they haven’t even had a personal conversation with. You see, there’s still a sense of safety and distance in relying on a virtual network. There is still a disconnect. Sure they are real people and contacts, and yes, they might help you, but building a network is still about building contacts and relationships. Your network is still about who you KNOW. In my opinion, it’s still easier to get to know someone through face-to-face meetings and telephone calls.

So as I wrap up this post today, please understand that I AM advocating building your personal and professional network on as many fronts as possible. What I am EMPHASIZING is that a virtual contact is still very different from a live contact. Utilize ALL the skills and communication systems available to you today to continue to build your network so that you can make it a viable network.  

In light of the “new economy” as I like to refer to things, I think that it’s time we came to a new understanding about interviewing.  In the past, interviewing has been looked at as a “sales call” with the employer taking the “Why should I hire you approach” and the prospective employee taking the “Why you should hire me” approach. 

Today, I think interviews should really be viewed in the light of making connections.  Webster’s defines connection a few different ways, but I think the ones I will focus on today are “bond, link” and “relationship in social affairs or in business.”  So if you’re trying to establish a connection with an employer you need to create a bond, link, or relationship.  This could still be looked at in the light of a sales perspective but in this case it’s a softer sales approach.

This is going to be the most valuable thing job seekers can remember as the competition for available jobs increases in the upcoming months…relationships matter and good ones are valued.  My point here is that companies are now going to be scrutinizing candidates a little differently. They’re going to be wondering more along the lines of “how will this person fit in AND what can he contribute?” When companies are only looking at one side of the picture they may not be as choosy. Now they can be choosy and can ask the question, we know he can contribute, but can he work with ______________? (named employee around the corner) 

I think at this point, it’s going to be important for me to say, “be yourself.” Is it ok to be nervous? Sure, it’s natural, and homework still needs to done on how to answer certain kinds of questions and how to master the various kinds of interviews out there, but I think it will be more important now to say the kinds of things that will help people connect with you. Let’s take this approach.

Rather than rattling off about the successful things you have done in your career, ask some business related questions. “Has there ever been  a situation where it seemed like no matter what this company did, it wasn’t going to be able to please the customer?”  Hopefully the person would say yes, and go into detail.  Then when he is done with his story you say, “Yes, I had a similar situation when I worked at ______________ (previous employer) and here’s what I did to make it work.  Even though you’re sharing different stories, you’re telling stories; typically when stories are told, connections are made; when connections are made, people bond; when people bond, they form relationships. 

We’ve all been there…You pull up to the office, walk in the door, wait a few minutes to get to the person you’re interviewing with, go into the room, sit down, and then after you sit down and unbutton your jacket, they drop the bomb…”So tell me about yourself.” Ugh, that’s not even a question, it’s a statement, and if you do interviews; quit stating it. 

Ok, here’s a little creative amunition for handling it; the only place you will read it is here. You respond with “Wow, you know, there are so many ways I could respond to that…I have 16 years of sales experience and I’ve received numerous sales performance awards, but I’m really here today to find out what the employees at “Corporate Central” value most about this company.  I’ve been doing my research and I like what I see so far, but I want to know more because I could be making a decision that could impact several people. Have you ever felt that way before? ” Whoa! 

Ok, I can’t even begin to think of how an interviewer would respond to that question because it’s most likely never been asked.  They certainly wouldn’t be looking for it. The hope would be that all the person’s guards would go down and he/she would probably go into some explanation of how they felt when they were making a similar decision about their career. That might get them talking about all of the positive things about the company which made them want to work there in the first place.  Then you can ask, “So what has made you stay?”  Whoa! You want to know about them!

Do you see what’s going on with this tactic? You’re now interviewing them, but because they are talking about themselves, they feel that you want to know stuff about them.  To keep things on track, you can certainly interject with various accomplishments and say, “you know when I worked at Company XYZ, I had to overcome this huge problem with a project…and in the end here’s what happened.  But the … that I left out of the above sentence would refer to areas where you’re making connections that have universal themes to the person who is interviewing you. We’ve all dealt with difficult projects, people, had to make last minute changes…what you’re selling isn’t terribly unique, but the fact that you’re making connections is.

Thanks for reading,

Beth Colley, Chesapeake Resume Writing Service 

With a new season, comes new strategies in job search techniques.  For seven years now, I’ve worked WITH job seekers in preparing resumes, reviewing job announcements, and providing interview tips.  I enjoy this aspect very much in terms of helping others build confidence in themselves and help them improve their ability to speak about themselves. 

Recently, I’ve started to take a little bit of a role in recruiting and it’s truly helping me understand what goes wrong with well-intended job seekers.  I’m including several observations I’ve made recently in hopes of helping others understand the “placement” side to job search.

1.  Recruiters are not specifically interested in career changers – Recruiters are hired by a company to search for and find the “ideal candidate”.  They’re not interested in making a square peg fit into a round hole.  More likely, they’re much more apt in locating a perfect 360 degree candidate fit into a perfect 360 degree hole. 

2. Recruiters are paid very well to be exclusive rather than inclusive.  Referring to the “round hole” concept, recruiters are not interested in forwarding “maybes” onto their client.  They are only interested in referring “perfect candidates” that their client will be ready to intervew and hopefully have a few choices in who they can make an offer to.

3. Job seekers submit resumes for positions in HOPE that recruiters or hiring managers will overlook the fact that the candidate is lacking required skills.  Here’s a thought, if a recipe requires beef broth as a major ingredient and you pour in chicken broth instead, is the recipe going to turn out the way you expect?  NO!? Why not? Because the recipe required beef broth and you didn’t use it.  The same prinicple applies to required skills.  If the company requires that a candidate have a Master’s degree, CPA license, and six sigma experience, then they’re not going to select someone with a Bachelor’s degree, no CPA, and no six sigma experience. 

Honestly, I’ve given advice to people to “apply anyway” you never know.  Now, having been on the “other side” I have better advice.  IF you apply, don’t get your hopes up, because you lack specific requirements for the job.  There’s a 100% chance that the resume will be tossed aside for more qualified candidates.

4. Recruiters may be networked, meaning they may work in a shared network where they can review job postings of other recruiters, send over candidates, and share the placement fee.  So, when working with recruiters, ask if there’s any way that they can “shop you around” if you’re not the candidate that they are looking for.

5. The more online job boards your resume is posted on, the less likely it is that you may get a call.  What?!  “How are people supposed to find me?” you ask.  Recruiters may see if your resume is posted on the major job boards out there to see how long you’ve been looking.  There are a couple of reasons for this:

         a. If you’ve been looking for a long time, they may reason that you’re desparate and not a good candidate.

         b. If you’re resume is posted on the job boards, the actual company they are recruiting for could have seen your resume and kept moving by now.

         c. If you’re resume is posted on the job boards, you may have already applied for a specific job with the company that they are recruiting for.  And if you’ve already applied and haven’t received a call, then the company obviously isn’t interested in you.

So how do you combat this? Post your resume anonymously on the job boards.  This is a good idea too of protecting you against identity fraud and preventing unethical recruiters from submitting your resume to companies without your knowledge.  Most recruiters are upright people who live by their reputation, but as with any industry, there are some people who live by lower standards and choose “not to play nicely with others.”  Another reason for posting anonymously is to prevent your current employer from discovering that you are looking.  Yes, some companies will do regular searches looking for new candidates, and if your resume appears on the screen, your secret is out.

 So, there you have it, Five Secrets to Working with recruiters.  I hope you find it helpful.

Ok, so you’ve made it through the first round or two of interviews and it’s time to talk salary.  How do you handle that sensitive issue.  Remember, he who states a number first is the loser.  If the company is really interested in you and is ready to talk dollars, you actually have the upper hand in the bargaining game.  A couple of tips I suggest:

1. Speak in salary ranges.  An employer may ask what you’re looking for.  Give them a range of $5-10 thousand dollars. If you want $89K, say something between $87 and $95K depending upon benefits.  Then negotiate from there.

2. When they make you an offer, don’t immediately accept it.  Ask them how much room there is for negotiation and tell them you’d like a little time to consider all of the options. Ask for a 24-48 hour window and then call back.

3. If the job offer involves a move, find out how much the relocation package is worth and if there will be any expenses on your part.  If there are going to be some expenses on your part, ask for a signing bonus, additional compensation, or a way to minimize your out-of-pocket expenses.  Remember, if your house doesn’t sell right away, it’s possible that you could be carrying 2 mortgages for some time.

4. Consider the culture of the company.  Salary and benefits aren’t everything. Don’t get me wrong, you need to earn what it takes for you to live at a certain standard, but your happiness in a job and the culture of the company is more important than any pay check that you’ll ever receive. If the company is the right fit and has what you’re looking for, then you should consider all personal and professional benefits related to working in a positive work environment.  You don’t want to be looking for a new job in two years and the company certainly doesn’t want to be conducting another recruitment in two years.

5. No matter what decision you make or what happens as part of the negotiation, be enthusiastic, appear gracious, and remain professional.  The company has done you a favor and has already possibly spent thousands of dollars recruiting you.

Job seekers usually do not think of the Holidays as the best time of the year to be conducting a job search.  While it’s true that hiring is slower during the Holiday time, most companies that have openings are looking to hire someone before the end of the year, or at least have the candidate pool narrowed down to the top two or three. Most job seekers will wait until the start of the new year to start sending out resumes which means the applicant pool, and consequently your competition is greater.  By having your resume into the circulation and at least one interview under your belt, you could have an edge over someone who waits.

It may seem better to wait and “enjoy the holidays” without having significant work responsibilities, but the pay off immediately following the holiday season can be more fruitful for those job seekers doing due diligence between Thanksgiving and New Year’s.