Keppie Careers

Social media speaker, social media consultant, job search coach

Improve your resume by asking yourself, “So what?”

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Last week, I had a chance to join CNN anchor Fredricka Whitfield on the air to provide tips for job seekers. We went over some “before” and “after” resumes. Here’s part 2 of a several-part series dedicated to improving your resume. (Don’t miss part 1, showcasing resume headers.)

OLD RESUME

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE 

Managing Web Editor, XYZ Company
New York, NY  March 2008 – Present

-Manage high-traffic Web site for 1.5-million member organization.

-Edit and write content for Web magazine, marketing materials and internal memos and reports.

-Project manager for Web site overhaul. This includes planning and testing design, navigation and developing streamlined functionality to stimulate e-commerce activities.

How could this description be improved?

  • Underlines look dated. Usually, you’ll only include months in the date section if the experience was one year or less.
  • Bullet points shouldn’t just list WHAT you did, but focus on HOW you did it so it relates to the employer. Decide what they need you to do and show that on your resume. Ask yourself, “SO WHAT?” for every bullet point and provide an answer in your resume. Incorporate skills and accomplishments when giving the answer.
  • Be sure all bullets are consistent – parallel tense. Begin each with a verb: manage, edit and “project manager” don’t match.
  • Don’t make your resume a laundry list of “stuff” you’ve done.

NEW RESUME

CAREER ACHIEVEMENTS

Managing Web Editor, XYZ Company  New York, NY   2008 – Present

  • Analyzed site traffic using Google Analytics, Lyris HQ Agency Edition and SiteCatalyst. Identified strategic patterns, trends and popular content and recommended changes to site, resulting in 17% increase in page views in only three months.
  • Supervised site’s overhaul in compliance with company’s goals. Conducted needs assessment, identified market opportunities and planned and tested design, which stimulated e-commerce and increased profitability from $15M to $20M in 2010.
  • Authored content for Web and email newsletters and created and recorded podcasts highlighting organization’s mission. Management attributed increased membership rates to high-quality online and audio content.

What is better about this description?

  • Decide if your title or the organization name is more important. In this case, the resume focuses the reader on job titles. Be consistent across the entire resume.
  • Incorporate details important to the employer. Use key words (for example, the names of the programs to analyze site traffic).
  • Show your impact – use $ amounts, %ages and other numbers when possible. (These answer the question, “So what?”)

photo by y-a-n

Stay tuned for another post with resume tips!

 

 

Improve your resume using these tips

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Last week, I had a chance to join CNN anchor Fredricka Whitfield on the air to provide tips for job seekers. We went over some “before” and “after” resumes.  Here’s part 1 of a several-part series dedicated to brushing up and improving your resume.

Review these suggestions to see if there are any changes you may want to incorporate in your resume.

OLD HEADER

Jill Jack
123 Main Street – New York, NY – 212-555-0000 – [email protected]

Objective

Innovative, highly motivated, dynamic team player with extensive experience, stellar writing skills and the ability to effectively manage concurrent projects seeks opportunity to contribute in Fortune 500 Company.

What’s wrong with this header?

  • It does not include social media references, and relies on an old-fashioned email address. (While I, personally, don’t discriminate against an “AOL,” or “Hotmail” address, it can make you appear a little dated and not in tune with modern technology.) Consider a Gmail account, with the added benefit of a Google profile.
  • I do not recommend using an objective. Your objective is to get the job. Use that space to include headlines and bullet points describing your fit for the job. In addition, the objective here uses overused words (innovative, highly motivated, dynamic extensive experience). These words are not very descriptive; avoid “empty” words in your resume.
  • It doesn’t have a clear focus or specific job goal.
  • It’s difficult to tell here, but the font is Times New Roman. Consider choosing a more updated font, such as Trebuchet, Verdana, Calibri or Tahoma.

NEW HEADER

Jill Jack
123 Main St. – New York, NY –  212.555.0000 – [email protected]
http://www.linkedin.com/in/JillJack – @JillJack – gplus.to/JillJack – JillJack.com

Multimedia Manager — Communications Strategist — Content Developer
Market savvy, writer/editor experienced in producing profitableonline, video and ezine content.

“Jill combines a flair for the creative, an intuitive understanding of market trends and consumer needs with her unbeatable technical, writing, editing and management skills. I’ve never known anyone who can evaluate the landscape, design a strategy and execute on plans as well as Jill.”
– Peter Pan, Overseeing Editor, XYX Company (View this and other endorsements via LinkedIn)

What’s better about this header?

  • It incorporates social media URLs – indicating this person is involved online and up-to-date. By inviting the reader to review her Twitter stream and LinkedIn profile for additional information, it’s clear (no matter how old this job seeker may be), the candidate is an early adopter (showing a Google+ account) and clearly willing to learn new things. Only showcase these URLs if you are using social media professionally. However, don’t assume no one will find your Twitter and other social media outlets.
  • Notice this resume includes a link to the job seeker’s personal website/social resume. Having this online portfolio really demonstrates she is using technology and is up-to-date.
  • This header uses important resume “real estate” at the top of the document to hone in on important points: job titles and key skills. It avoids “empty” words that don’t describe a connection between the candidate and the job. It’s important to select KEY words from job descriptions, company websites and LinkedIn profiles from others in your industry.
  • It includes a recommendation from someone found on LinkedIn. This is a great way to help tell your story and to prove your qualifications from an outside perspective.

Watch the video here:

Stay tuned for more tips to help you evaluate and improve your resume!

photo by cobalt123

Overcome job search frustration by making some changes in your job hunting routine

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Whether we are in for another recession or not, if you’re looking for a job, the economic news is a little scary. A recent job fair in Atlanta attracted so many participants, people waited outside in the heat for hours, just to get in the door. Many left, frustrated, because they were told to apply online.

Last week, I joined CNN anchor Fredricka Whitfield on the air to share some tips with job seekers. (Stay tuned for a link to the segment.)

Here are some tips to help you change directions if things aren’t going well.

Biggest job seeker mistakes:

  • Using the same resume to apply for every job and not personalizing it for employers’ needs. You need to spoon feed your resume to the employer. If you aren’t customizing it, you’re doing the equivalent of feeding a toothless infant a whole apple — she’ll likely use it to play a game of “drop and get.” Ideally, you’ll offer applesauce to a baby, and a resume detailing what you can do to solve the employer’s problems.
  • Applying for the wrong jobs. It’s tempting to apply for “just any job.” After all, YOU know you can do anything, right? It’s possible you can, but writing to an employer with a broad statement offering to be interviewed for “any” job is a recipe for disaster. The employer doesn’t know what to do with you and thinks you are desperate. In other words, you don’t hear back.
  • Ignoring social media resources or assuming they won’t make a difference. How many job seekers have been looking for work for over a year, but have never even tried using LinkedIn, Twitter or even Facebook to see how social media may help get them out of their job hunting rut? Too many, in my opinion. Using social media well is a big step in the right direction.

How to best use social media

  • Choose the best networks for you – the ones that highlight and show off your skills. For example, if you love to write (and you’re a good writer), a blog might be great for you. If you’re a better talker, consider creating an online radio program. I outline many different social networks in my book, Social Networking for Career Success.
  • Completely fill out your profiles using key words – the words people will use to find someone who does your type of work. It’s important to do this well so it’s easier for people who may want to hire someone with your skills to find you.
  • Find people online in your field of work. Use the various search tools in the different networks to identify potential contacts. For example, in LinkedIn, use “advanced search” to locate contacts and join groups pertaining to your interests. Use Listorious.com and WeFollow.com to find people with common interests using Twitter. See what they are saying online, respond, add to the conversation. Try to become known as a person who is “in the know,” is friendly and giving. Do not ask for job leads until you establish a relationship. You may be surprised by how generous your new online contacts are!

In my next post, I share “before” and “after” resume samples and provide specific tips to help update your resume.