Dear Corporate Counselor:
I am a 32 year old woman who recently received my Phd in American studies. I have been a students for all these years with very little relevant work experience.
Now that I am ready for full time employment, I find that creating a resume is a very difficult process and as a result I have been getting few positive responses. What should I do?
Thursday, October 28, 2010
To Win the Job Have a Superior Interview and Follow Up
Most individuals come to an interview unprepared in a variety of ways.
An interview gives the candidate one shot to be successful...that's it. Further, you are competing with many other candidates so making a special and unique appearance and persentation could move you to the front of the line.
That is why preparation and delivery is so critical
That said, I offer the following steps to assure the greatest opportunity for your success:
Then, within 24 hours, draft a thank you letter. Remember that ths letter is way more than just a thank you. It's additional most important purpose is to state how your skill sets, experience and education match the department needs and challenges as laid out by the interviewer. Also, remember to use correct business form for your letter.
One week after mailing your thank you letter be sure to call the interviewer under the guise of "did you receive my letter?" and take the opportunity to restate your interest in the position and then ask if he or she had any additional questions. This step is rarely taken and therefore represents a powerful opportunity to segregate yourself from the other candidates. It also demonstrates some special charactar traits such as persistence and follow up both of which are highly valued in the work place. The call also sends a strong message that you are very interested in the position.
The call should be followed by a thank you note a day or so later and on and on...phone call, thank you note, phone call, thank you note. Do not stop this process untl you receive an offer or a no. To that end, be sure that your phone has an answering devise on it and that the message is business-like (not funny) during your job search.
Finally, never give up on a job you really want...never!
An interview gives the candidate one shot to be successful...that's it. Further, you are competing with many other candidates so making a special and unique appearance and persentation could move you to the front of the line.
That is why preparation and delivery is so critical
That said, I offer the following steps to assure the greatest opportunity for your success:
- Research the company as best you can using the internet and if necessary your local library. Be sure to be knowledgable about its products and services, its history, its status in its industry, the industry in general and how the company is performing in terms of market share, revenues and earnings and number of employees paying particular attention to trends (up, down or sideways).
- Learn how employees dress at the company and for the interview dress one level up for that type of job.
- Be well groomed and minimize the visibility of tatoos, nose rings, etc. If you are a more senior person, be aware of what about you speaks to your age and seek to eliminate that issue since so many companies are infatuated with youth. On your list could be the coloring of your hair and your choice of dress. Also to mitigate age issues, be particuarly energetic and engaging so that the interviewer will see you as more youthful. Also, be prepared to talk about your knowledge of computers and software to demonstrate that you are keeping up with the times.
- Bring an immediate and broad smile, eye contact (but don't stare) and a firm handshake.
- Be prepared with a list or relevant questions that you can ask.
- Be prepared to answer questions asked of you. Practice as much as is necessary so that you will be able to answer questions easily and without delay.
- Be aware that a good interview is about 50% interviewer speaking and 50% you speaking. In order for that to happen you will need to ask questions.
- Bring materials to prove what you have done....reports, performance reveiws, references, and particularly store all that in a nice binder holding these materials. You may also want to create a career notebook that includes all prior jobs with appropriate dividers that you can share during the interview. This demontrates your willingness and desire to prepare and to pay attention to detail.
- Be very careful with using humor either in the reception area or at the actual interview. It is very difficult to access the attitudes of others as regards humor and one bad joke or comment can do you in (take my word for that since I did it and suffered the consequences).
- At the end of the interview indicate why you enjoyed the experience and express your positive interest in the position whether you feel that way or not...(always keep the doors of opportunity open).
- What you learned about the company's and departments current and long term challenges
- What you observed and heard abou the interviewer him or herself.
- What you learned about the position requirements and challenges.
Then, within 24 hours, draft a thank you letter. Remember that ths letter is way more than just a thank you. It's additional most important purpose is to state how your skill sets, experience and education match the department needs and challenges as laid out by the interviewer. Also, remember to use correct business form for your letter.
One week after mailing your thank you letter be sure to call the interviewer under the guise of "did you receive my letter?" and take the opportunity to restate your interest in the position and then ask if he or she had any additional questions. This step is rarely taken and therefore represents a powerful opportunity to segregate yourself from the other candidates. It also demonstrates some special charactar traits such as persistence and follow up both of which are highly valued in the work place. The call also sends a strong message that you are very interested in the position.
The call should be followed by a thank you note a day or so later and on and on...phone call, thank you note, phone call, thank you note. Do not stop this process untl you receive an offer or a no. To that end, be sure that your phone has an answering devise on it and that the message is business-like (not funny) during your job search.
Finally, never give up on a job you really want...never!
Accepting a Job You Don't Really Want
I often disagree with the so-called experts in this field and this topic is certainly one of them.
Purists in ivory towers see the job search as some sort of academic exercise that if followed will eventually get you the job you truly want and are qualified for. The problem with this pie in the sky approach is that it eliminates the human factor such as having to eat and having to support ones self and family.
Working is all about surviving in this challenging world. It's about paying the bills and hopefully feeling good and having fun at the same time.
During my many job searches, I was often faced with the reality that a job was available for me that I was not anxious to have and no job was available that truly met my needs and desires. I called the former "insurance jobs" because like insurance they enabled me to pay the bills, keep my house, cloth the kids and keep on trucking. In the meantime, whjile working my hardest and best, I was out there during all my spare time looking for that truly special job.
The end result was that I never lost a house, always satisfied the economic needs of my wife and kids and lived a respectible and in many ways a joyous life. Who knows what would have happened if I would have waited and waited until I hit the exact target.
So here's the bottom line...when you are out of work, seek employment far and wide. That includes anwering ads for jobs that you know you can do but don't like as well as jobs you can do that you will like. Depending on the timing, you may have to accept the former but that's life. and if yoiu do your very best at that lesser job you never know where that will lead you.
Purists in ivory towers see the job search as some sort of academic exercise that if followed will eventually get you the job you truly want and are qualified for. The problem with this pie in the sky approach is that it eliminates the human factor such as having to eat and having to support ones self and family.
Working is all about surviving in this challenging world. It's about paying the bills and hopefully feeling good and having fun at the same time.
During my many job searches, I was often faced with the reality that a job was available for me that I was not anxious to have and no job was available that truly met my needs and desires. I called the former "insurance jobs" because like insurance they enabled me to pay the bills, keep my house, cloth the kids and keep on trucking. In the meantime, whjile working my hardest and best, I was out there during all my spare time looking for that truly special job.
The end result was that I never lost a house, always satisfied the economic needs of my wife and kids and lived a respectible and in many ways a joyous life. Who knows what would have happened if I would have waited and waited until I hit the exact target.
So here's the bottom line...when you are out of work, seek employment far and wide. That includes anwering ads for jobs that you know you can do but don't like as well as jobs you can do that you will like. Depending on the timing, you may have to accept the former but that's life. and if yoiu do your very best at that lesser job you never know where that will lead you.
When it Comes to Interviewing...Preparation is Key
The key to interviewing success is to be prepared and to present yourself in such a way that you will connect with the interviewer.
First a few important hints:
The interviewer will ask a number of questions. You will need to be prepared to answer these questions without any delay and without looking to the heavens for the answer. This means that you will need to prepare a list of probable questions in advance of the interiew along with appropriate and effective answers. I have accumlulated a list of over 500 questions but my top 10 favorites are below. Do not fail to be prepared to answer these questions.
Since an good interview requires a 50/50 talking split between the interviewer and you...asking questions is critical. Also, the right questions enable you to learn what you need in order to select your special strengths that will mitigate existing company or departmental challenges. The trick is to ask good questions and then listen very carefully to the responses. Below are my 10 favorites:
One final tip...be sure to look around the office of the interviewer...pictures of kids, some award or recognition, the way he or she keeps their office, etc. Be sure to make some mention of these in your thank you letter.
First a few important hints:
- Be persuasive, not argumentative
- Be concise and come to the point
- Leave personalities out of the interview
- Don't discuss past experiences unless they are directly related to the job interiew.
- Bring extra copies of your resume and cover letter and be sure that these are the same paperwork that you actually sent to this employer (Note: Since each resume and cover letter will be uniquely prepared for a particular job opportunity you will need to create a system so that you know who got what paperwork).
- Maintain eye contact but don't stare.
- Listen very carefully...the interviewer will give you hints about what is important to him/her.
- Ask brief and well prepared questions such that you will be talking about 50% of the time and the interviewer the other 50%.. Your questions are the key to your gaining control of the interview and about your finding out what the hot bottons of the interviewer may be (See below).
- Be thoroughly prepared to answer the interviewer's questions (see below).
- As the interview comes to a close (watch the interviewer's body language) ask what the next step in the hiring process might be and create your campaign timing accordingly..
The interviewer will ask a number of questions. You will need to be prepared to answer these questions without any delay and without looking to the heavens for the answer. This means that you will need to prepare a list of probable questions in advance of the interiew along with appropriate and effective answers. I have accumlulated a list of over 500 questions but my top 10 favorites are below. Do not fail to be prepared to answer these questions.
- "Tell me about yourself." This question is not asking for your life history. It is asking for information related to your recent job history, education and training. It requires a percise response that will demonstrate that you have been a productive and successful individual whose next step is to obtain employment with company conducting the interview.
- "What are your career goals...5/10 years or so?" Be well prepared to relating these goals to the interviewing company and its industry. Also be able to talk about a possible career path, promoting from within, job growth, responsibility, additional education and training as examples.
- "Why should I hire you?" This question requires that you memorize the list of strengths that you bring to the table. Examples are reliability, creativity problem solving, team player, etc and in each case be prepared to give an example.
- "What did you like most and least about your last job why?" This question required careful preparation because you could fall into the "Complaining and knocking a previous company and supervisor trap" which you should never, never do.More specifically, the interviewer is attempting to determine how you would fit in with his organization. Be sure that your response does not conflict with what the company appears to be looking for.
- "How long to you plan to stay with us?" This questions seeks to learn about your preparedness, your career plan and your attitudes about company loyalty. Tell the interviewer what he wants to hear.
- "Do you work well under pressure...give me an example?" The interviewer is looking for a YES answer and some proof that such is the case.
- 'How would you describe your personality?" Here again, the interviewer wants to know if you will fit as well as your level of confidence. You will need to choose your words carefully so as not to appear to be bragging. Be conservative but positive in your response.
- "Are you talking to other companies at this time?" Be honest. If you are, thre is no harm in saying so but be sure to indicate that you are searching diligently for the right fit and career opportunity that matches your personality and career goals.
- "If we hire you, how soon would you be able to make a contibution?" The interviewer wants to hear that you will do whatever is necessary to get up to speed rapidly (short learning curve), so tell him or her that and why you feel this is so.
- "What can you do for us that someone else can't?" This is the time for you to indicate your very special strengths and attributes...don't brag but don't be shy. Make a list of these and think about what the interviewer is likely to want to hear.
Since an good interview requires a 50/50 talking split between the interviewer and you...asking questions is critical. Also, the right questions enable you to learn what you need in order to select your special strengths that will mitigate existing company or departmental challenges. The trick is to ask good questions and then listen very carefully to the responses. Below are my 10 favorites:
- "What are the most pressing issues your company faces?"
- "What are the most pressing issues the department I will be working in faces?"
- " Exactly what sort of person are you seeking to fill this job?"
- "What do you seek as the future of this company and its industry"?
- "What is the employee turnovere in the company and department and why?"
- "What is the company's policy regarding promotions? Does the company make its best efforts to promote from within whenever possible?"
- "What do you consider the company's three most important assets and liabilities?"
- "How has the recession impacted the company and what has it done to offset the downturn in business if any?"
- "How long have you been with the company and what brought you to it in the first place?"
- "How is competition impacting the company and what has been the company's response?"
One final tip...be sure to look around the office of the interviewer...pictures of kids, some award or recognition, the way he or she keeps their office, etc. Be sure to make some mention of these in your thank you letter.
Cover Letters...Absolutely
A cover letter serves two purpose...first it presents you as professional person who knows how to create a proper business letter. Second as with most business communications, a cover letter introduces the subject at hand and seeks to motivate the reader to inspect the attachments (in this case, your resume).
That said, while there are a host of opinions about its content, I tend to go with the a one page, five short paragraph approach as follows:
#1 Paragraph: this known as the attention getter paragraph or the hook. It should be created to immediately interest the reader so that he or she will proceed down the page.
#2: This paragraph indicates why you are writing...i.e.: What you want (like a particular job).
#3: This paragraph explains why your background and education are exactly what is needed to fill the given position.
#4: This paragraph provides proof that what you stated in #3 above is accurate and reasonable. Comments about school, a degree or a particularly appropriate business experience are examples.
#5: This final paragraph should indicate your interest in exploring what appears to be an exceptional job opportunity and that you will be contacting the company in10 days to assure receipt and resolve any questions that might have arisen.
Be aware that the last paragraph is not just there for show. In other words, if you said you will call in 10 days then don't fail to do just that and...it's not all that difficult. Call and ask for the person who is getting the resumes for the xyz job and then tell them that you are calling just to assure that your paperwork has been received. Once you receive a yes answer, then you can ask if there are any questions that you can answer. What is all this about? It's about getting your name out there and its about being accountiable right from the get-go. Note: Whenever you speak to a person at a hiring company be sure to follow up with a short note or e-mail thanking them and restating your interest in their organization and position.
This alone will establish your specialness, setting you apart from all your competition.
That said, while there are a host of opinions about its content, I tend to go with the a one page, five short paragraph approach as follows:
#1 Paragraph: this known as the attention getter paragraph or the hook. It should be created to immediately interest the reader so that he or she will proceed down the page.
#2: This paragraph indicates why you are writing...i.e.: What you want (like a particular job).
#3: This paragraph explains why your background and education are exactly what is needed to fill the given position.
#4: This paragraph provides proof that what you stated in #3 above is accurate and reasonable. Comments about school, a degree or a particularly appropriate business experience are examples.
#5: This final paragraph should indicate your interest in exploring what appears to be an exceptional job opportunity and that you will be contacting the company in10 days to assure receipt and resolve any questions that might have arisen.
Be aware that the last paragraph is not just there for show. In other words, if you said you will call in 10 days then don't fail to do just that and...it's not all that difficult. Call and ask for the person who is getting the resumes for the xyz job and then tell them that you are calling just to assure that your paperwork has been received. Once you receive a yes answer, then you can ask if there are any questions that you can answer. What is all this about? It's about getting your name out there and its about being accountiable right from the get-go. Note: Whenever you speak to a person at a hiring company be sure to follow up with a short note or e-mail thanking them and restating your interest in their organization and position.
This alone will establish your specialness, setting you apart from all your competition.
Resumes and Honesty
Let's begin by understanding what a resume is not and is. Understanding that will be critical to you success.
A resume is NOT an detailed and accurate history of your education and your business and life experiences...surprised?
A resume is a MARKETING TOOL that should be designed to achieve the goal of obtaining an interview, period.
Now does that mean that you should invent your resume just so it will match the job you are seeking? The answer is a simple NO. That said, what you the job seeker need to do is to select those items out of your education, career and life history that best support your candidacy for a given position and eliminate all irrelevant and negative items.
For example, let's say that you have had numerous jobs with varying lengths of employment over a 20 year period. In that case, only 10 or so years should be reflected. No matter your age, in general 10 years is the most you should show.
Another example of an inappropriate listing of past jobs is to show a particular job from which you were fired just because you were proud of the work you had done..forget it! If the job doesn't show you off in the best light then it should not be included. Yes, you may have a time gap to explain but that is a far better alternative than having to deal with a termination. Some would argue to just leave it on the list and and provide a good explanation but that is not what I have found to work best.
Speaking of time gaps on your resume, if you have had many jobs, some with realtively short employment periods, then begin by eliminating the starting and ending months and years of employment. Instead just show the years..From-To. Given this type of presentation, the employer will not be able to differentiate between two years of employment and two days of employment and as a result is not likely to cause problems during the intitial review of your resume. There are other ways to fill significant employment gaps as well such as child birth, a family illness or education for example. Using these reasons is appropriate and should not set off any alarms. There are many more creative ideas as well.
Again, your resume must not contain any information or lack thereof that would cause the reader to place your paperwork in the NO PILE. Your paperwork must be well presented always including a cover letter and containing exactly what the employer is seeking. If you are able to do that, then your paperwork will most likely be placed in the YES PILE for further review by the hiring manager. So far...you win!
Also, be aware that every company listed on your resume is fair game to the employer meaning that he/she can call for references whether on your reference list or not so for gosh sakes, don't list any one of these puppies and then admonish the employer not to call them. That is sure resume death.
The key word here is flexibility. By that I mean that if you resume is not yielding somewhere around a 40%-50% positive hit rate it suggests that something about your paperwork is causing a problem and thus needs to be changed. Don't be stuborn or be limited by "Pride of Authorship" or by how much you may have paid for professional help, for the special paper or for your hours of effort. Review the guidelines I have presented and with an open mind, determine if you are on or off the target and then FIX IT. You will see a marked improvement starting from your very next mailing.
One final thought...if you are feeling a tad uncomfortable about "spinning your resume to your own benefit", please be aware that the company you will be interviewing with is likely doing the very same thing. As an example, the company will not readily share its employee turnover rate or how difficult the work environment might be, the status of sales revenue and profit (if a privately owned company) and its progress and plans related to cost containment and quality and a host of other facts that might turn you away from them. What to remember here is that a company may want you as much or more than you want them and two can indeed "play the game". In other words both you and the company will be putting their best foot forward in order to impress the other not unlike a first date. Some might call this dishonest but I am suggesting that such is the way of life so get in the game and win.
A resume is NOT an detailed and accurate history of your education and your business and life experiences...surprised?
A resume is a MARKETING TOOL that should be designed to achieve the goal of obtaining an interview, period.
Now does that mean that you should invent your resume just so it will match the job you are seeking? The answer is a simple NO. That said, what you the job seeker need to do is to select those items out of your education, career and life history that best support your candidacy for a given position and eliminate all irrelevant and negative items.
For example, let's say that you have had numerous jobs with varying lengths of employment over a 20 year period. In that case, only 10 or so years should be reflected. No matter your age, in general 10 years is the most you should show.
Another example of an inappropriate listing of past jobs is to show a particular job from which you were fired just because you were proud of the work you had done..forget it! If the job doesn't show you off in the best light then it should not be included. Yes, you may have a time gap to explain but that is a far better alternative than having to deal with a termination. Some would argue to just leave it on the list and and provide a good explanation but that is not what I have found to work best.
Speaking of time gaps on your resume, if you have had many jobs, some with realtively short employment periods, then begin by eliminating the starting and ending months and years of employment. Instead just show the years..From-To. Given this type of presentation, the employer will not be able to differentiate between two years of employment and two days of employment and as a result is not likely to cause problems during the intitial review of your resume. There are other ways to fill significant employment gaps as well such as child birth, a family illness or education for example. Using these reasons is appropriate and should not set off any alarms. There are many more creative ideas as well.
Again, your resume must not contain any information or lack thereof that would cause the reader to place your paperwork in the NO PILE. Your paperwork must be well presented always including a cover letter and containing exactly what the employer is seeking. If you are able to do that, then your paperwork will most likely be placed in the YES PILE for further review by the hiring manager. So far...you win!
Also, be aware that every company listed on your resume is fair game to the employer meaning that he/she can call for references whether on your reference list or not so for gosh sakes, don't list any one of these puppies and then admonish the employer not to call them. That is sure resume death.
The key word here is flexibility. By that I mean that if you resume is not yielding somewhere around a 40%-50% positive hit rate it suggests that something about your paperwork is causing a problem and thus needs to be changed. Don't be stuborn or be limited by "Pride of Authorship" or by how much you may have paid for professional help, for the special paper or for your hours of effort. Review the guidelines I have presented and with an open mind, determine if you are on or off the target and then FIX IT. You will see a marked improvement starting from your very next mailing.
One final thought...if you are feeling a tad uncomfortable about "spinning your resume to your own benefit", please be aware that the company you will be interviewing with is likely doing the very same thing. As an example, the company will not readily share its employee turnover rate or how difficult the work environment might be, the status of sales revenue and profit (if a privately owned company) and its progress and plans related to cost containment and quality and a host of other facts that might turn you away from them. What to remember here is that a company may want you as much or more than you want them and two can indeed "play the game". In other words both you and the company will be putting their best foot forward in order to impress the other not unlike a first date. Some might call this dishonest but I am suggesting that such is the way of life so get in the game and win.
What is a Perfect Resume?
Many people spend hours crafting their resumes and cover letters. Others use professional resume writers.
When they find that they are not getting enough if any positive responses they tend to blame the tight job market, the "ignorant employers" or the world in general.
Here's the way it really is: If the resume and cover letter package is not getting a high percentage of positive responses, then it is flawed in some way and needs to be changed.
Forget about the money and time you invested. Forget about the pride of authorship...just fix it.
Think about these five things:
1. Does the resume and cover letter match the job opportunity?
2. Is there anything on the resume that is not relevant to the job opportunity?
3. Does the resume contain any information that would be perceived as negative?
4. Is the resume and cover letter format presented in a professional manner, putting your best foot forward?
5. Does the verbiage on your resume and cover letter suggest that you have done the research on the target company?
If you are able to accomplish the above 5 items, I guarantee you that your positive response rate will exceed 40%.
When they find that they are not getting enough if any positive responses they tend to blame the tight job market, the "ignorant employers" or the world in general.
Here's the way it really is: If the resume and cover letter package is not getting a high percentage of positive responses, then it is flawed in some way and needs to be changed.
Forget about the money and time you invested. Forget about the pride of authorship...just fix it.
Think about these five things:
1. Does the resume and cover letter match the job opportunity?
2. Is there anything on the resume that is not relevant to the job opportunity?
3. Does the resume contain any information that would be perceived as negative?
4. Is the resume and cover letter format presented in a professional manner, putting your best foot forward?
5. Does the verbiage on your resume and cover letter suggest that you have done the research on the target company?
If you are able to accomplish the above 5 items, I guarantee you that your positive response rate will exceed 40%.
Job Searchers Have No Clue
Over my 43 years of joyously working in corporate America, I have reviewed thousands of resumes and cover letters most of which hit the trash can within 15 seconds for a variety of reasons.
Likewise, I have interviewed hundreds of seemingly qualified individuals most of whom were ill prepared for the interview.
Finally, on a personal level, I have succeeded in obtaining numereous middle and upper middle management jobs and as a result have gained expertise in the art and science of the job search.
If you are frustrated and discouraged over your the lack of success in finding the job you want or any job for that matter, consider contacting me and we can get to work. Please note that my services are FREE and I will share my phone number after a few back and forths on this blog.
Likewise, I have interviewed hundreds of seemingly qualified individuals most of whom were ill prepared for the interview.
Finally, on a personal level, I have succeeded in obtaining numereous middle and upper middle management jobs and as a result have gained expertise in the art and science of the job search.
If you are frustrated and discouraged over your the lack of success in finding the job you want or any job for that matter, consider contacting me and we can get to work. Please note that my services are FREE and I will share my phone number after a few back and forths on this blog.
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