What Are You The Most Proud Of?

It has been a looooooong time since my last post.

A lot has happened since.

But let's delve into the topic for today.

During my almost 8 years of writing resumes for job seekers, like yourself, one thing stands out as a sore thumb.

The lack of accomplishments on a resume.

When I try to probe and question clients about their accomplishments, they have an extremely hard time coming up with the kinds of achievements I'm looking for. Quantifiable achievements.

One of the best questions I have come up with to draw out this kind of information is:

"What were you the MOST proud of in your last job?"

Ask yourself this questions and, invariably, you will arrive at achievements that are uniquely YOURS, and yours alone, for the betterment your resume.

Best,
Rita

Resume Writing Basics, Part IV

4, Use Action Verbs

Begin your sentences with action verbs for added punch and to express a sense of accomplishment.

Click here to get a list of action verbs.

Resume Writing Basics, Part III

3, Start Your Resume With A “Power Statement”

Many resume writers suggest starting a resume with an objective. I object to that (no pun intended). Objectives are useless because they are self-centered.

Here is a typical objective: “Challenging position in social services.”

My suggestion is that you start your resume with a power statement such as: “Experienced Social Worker with 10 years of proven client counseling and support background along with enthusiasm for working with children and their families.”

Whereas the objective tells the employer only what you want to do, the power statement goes further in highlighting not only the job you are seeking but also your major achievements. The power statement showcases what you can do for the company.

Resume Writing Basics, Part II

2, Spell Backwards!

It is not enough to run the word processor’s spell checker on your resume document. Proofread your resume at least 3 times, once backward (sometimes that is how you notice mistakes.)

Remember, a sloppy presentation is almost a guarantee that your resume will end up in the circular file even if you have all the qualifications in the world.

Resume Writing Basics, Part I

I'm starting a series on some resume "basics". It will have 6 posts.

Here is the first one:

1, Keep It Short

Considering that initially HR personnel only spend approximately 5-10 seconds on a resume, the shorter your resume, the most desirable it is. Aim for one page.

Of course, it is sometimes impossible to create such a short resume. You might have to include a second page because you have way too much information regarding your work experience, accomplishments, etc. In this case, make sure that you list the most relevant information within the upper half of the first page because that is the section that gets looked at first. This way, these important insights will surely be noticed.

Musings On Gross National Happiness

There is a tiny country between Tibet and India, called Bhutan. Bhutan is home to only 2.5 million people.

In 1972, the kind of Bhutan made a decision: instead of using Gross Domestic Product (GDP) as an economic yardstick, he and his viziers came up with something, called: Gross National Happiness (GNH) to measure economic prosperity.

According to the April/May, 07 issue of Prosper Magazine, "the GNH ideas have taken hold deeply in Bhutan. In a recent New York Times article, a senior office in the Ministry of Education, Thakur S. Powdyel, explained the heart of the philosophy: "The goal of life should not be limited to production, consumption, more production and more consumption. There is no necessary relationship between the level of possession and the level of well-being."

The same issue of Prosper Magazine also quotes David Cameron, the leader of Britain's Conservative Party, as saying: "Well-being can't be measured by money or traded in markets. It's about the beauty of our surroundings, the quality of our culture and, above all, the strength of our relationships. Improving our society's sense of well-being is, I believe, the central political challenge of our times."

What does it have to do you with us?

I firmly believe that we are here to do more good than just to aid the production / consumption cycle.

What is YOUR chief aim or purpose in life?

Take a few minutes to think about it!

3 Tips for Getting on the Short List of Recruiters

By Rita Fisher, CEO, Fisher Career Group

1, Clean Up Your Resume Act! No more chronological data dumps! To make your resume shine, here are 3 sweet and short tips:

• Replace the outdated job objective with an executive profile that highlights specific achievements right at the top of your resume.
• In order to showcase your specific accomplishments within each of your jobs, separate your job responsibilities from your achievements within your resume’s work history section.
• Don’t shy away from including in your resume actual quotes from superiors, clients, vendors, etc., in regards to your excellent performance. The more specific the quote, the better. Put the quotes right after your executive profile section at the top to make them stand out!

2, Send your updated, immaculate, employer-oriented and, most important, achievement-focused resume to the Big Five Recruiting Firms: Korn Ferry, Russell Reynolds, Egon Zehnder, Heidrick and Struggles, and Spencer Stuart.

You might think that sending your resume to them “cold” is a waste of time. Not so. The recruiting business is booming right now and there is a shortage of great talent so this is your chance to shine and to show up on top recruiters’ radar screens!

3, Take every possible opportunity to be seen and mingle with recruiters! Because recruiters are looking for top performers in each industry and because top performers are always almost very visible within their field of expertise, you will need to jump on every opportunity that casts you in the spotlight! Here are a few ways to get into the spotlight and become “very visible”:

• Volunteering to write articles about happenings in your field to trade magazines, association newsletter, etc.
• Giving speeches at association and industry meetings and conferences. (If you have problem with public speaking, join your local Toastmasters Club.)
• Attend trade conferences where you can seek out and mingle with recruiters. (They are usually there!)
• Take on the types of assignments at work (even small ones) where you can demonstrate your leadership abilities. For example, rescuing a project from going over budget or saving a troubled customer relationship, etc. will make you an instant “hero”. Word will spread, recruiters will take notice.

Basically: be seen and heard. And one more point: be helpful to recruiters. If you know someone who is a great match for a job you don’t qualify for, let the recruiter know. Become known as a connector! Recruiters will remember you when the time comes! You can count on that.

The 4 Deadliest Job Search Myths

By Rita Fisher, Certified Professional Resume and CEO of the Fisher Career Group

Myth #1: Using the Internet is the #1 way to find a job.
Not so. The Internet is great. For research. Not for posting on job boards and expect to be contacted tomorrow. Those days are over.

Myth #2: The Internet is useless in the job search game.
Just like some people believe that the Internet is "God" when it comes to job search, others believe that the Internet is totally useless. No, it isn't. As mentioned before, you can use the Internet for doing research on companies, job opening, salary data, relocation information, and a host of other useful tidbits to assist in your job search. What other uses does the Internet have in the job search game? Consider these:

• Social networking sites, like LinkedIn, MySpace, Friendster, Care2, Zaadz, others are great to network with likeminded (and not likeminded) professionals. Be active in these!
• Your blog is an awesome way to get the word out about your "job availability". It is also great for showcasing your writing (and marketing) abilities.
• Job boards are a great way to find out who is hiring and then you can go to the company's website for a (hopefully) much better job description and further job opening listings. Plus, the company's website will have great information as far as who to contact, etc.

Myth #3: Slap a resume together in an hour
Not so fast! It's amazing how many bad, bad resumes I see on a weekly basis! Most of them our chronological data dumps, riddled with grammatical errors and are nothing more than bare-bone listing of job duties. They don't contain any information that answers the potential employer's question: "why should we hire YOU?" Resumes - well-written resumes - take time and expertise. That is why people hire professionals like me. It's just like hiring any other professional, like an accountant, etc. We know our craft and we are good at it!

Myth #4: Throw the resume at HR and you are good to go.
Wrong. You NEVER want to send your resume to the HR director (unless you are applying for a job in the HR department.) You want to send your resume to the hiring authority. For example, if you want a job in sales, send it to the VP of Sales, etc. Good research skills come into play here. Go to the company's website to find out the hiring authority's name. If the officers are not posted there, you can still do a search on a couple of various sites or you can call the company and politely ask the receptionist this question: "May I have the name of the VP of Sales, please? I would like to mail some correspondence to that person.”