Keppie Careers

Social media speaker, social media consultant, job search coach

Get Organized for Your Job Hunt

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So, maybe you have a great resume or are on your way to having one? You know what you’re looking for, you are keeping track of your contacts and are up-to-date with your follow-ups.

Does that sound like you? The well-oiled organized job searching machine?

No? You’re the job seeker lost in a sea of papers who can’t remember what job you applied for last? If you had to pinpoint your next scheduled follow-up date or walk the plank, you might actually be eaten by alligators? (Or would it be crocodiles?)  Do you spend a lot of time spinning your wheels, but you don’t seem to get anywhere? You’d like to believe that setting goals and writing them down will help you achieve them, but you know there is something else in your way.

That something most likely is an organizational plan. Last week, I wrote about making time to manage your digital footprint, setting goals, keeping track of your contacts and managing your job hunt and career.

This week’s theme is getting organized to help you get where you need to go. First things first: organize your desk. I can tell you from personal experience – although it may seem like an overwheming job, it is so worth it to tackle the clutter that is keeping you from being productive.

Eve Tahmincioglu, who writes about career issues for MSNBC.com, recently focused  on the issue of clutter in the workplace and pointed out that, in today’s culture of downsizings, employees should avoid having the desk that looks like a tornado just struck. She quotes expert Karissa Thacker, a workplace psychologist, who cautions, “You don’t want to be sticking out as having the most Frappuccinos on your desk.”

The bumper sticker saying, “A clean desk is a sign of a deranged mind” is cute, but the fact is, most people who see a tower of tumbling papers and evidence of what you’ve eaten for the past week (month?) on your desk are going to assume you’re a slob, and slobs don’t usually have reputations for productivity.

So – as a job seeker AND an employee, an organized desk is a good idea. (Especially if you are an employee who doesn’t want to become a job seeker against your will!)

Stay tuned for tips to keep your desk in job seeking/productive employee shape! (And for more advice and tools to help you manage your job hunt.)

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Keppie Careers will get you organized for your job hunt and help you every step of the way! From a great resume to step-by-step job hunting assistance – Keppie Careers is here for you! www.keppiecareers.com.

Photo by Arellis49

Soft Skills Get the Green Light at B-Schools

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The April 7 issue of BusinessWeek reminds job seekers that “soft skills”  are important and valued in the workplace.   (Note:  my search for a link to this story reveals that an expanded version appeared online.)

Business schools, including MIT, Carnegie Mellon, Emory, the University of Virginia and Babson College are offering management communications classes to teach “soft skills,” such as teamwork and leadership.  Courses such as theatre are intended to enhance communication skills, build confidence and foster team building, all important managerial traits.

You can bet that top business schools would not spend their time teaching Shakespeare  if employers weren’t seeking these important job skills.  Don’t overlook your emotional intelligence.  Highlight skills such as communication, teamwork and leadership in your resume and demonstrate how you have been successful using them!

Keppie Careers will help you highlight all of your key skills with a top-notch resume.  We advise, encourage and enlighten job seekers:  www.keppiecareers.com

Thinking of Looking for Your Second Job?

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In a recent piece for the online Wall Street Journal, Elizabeth Garone raised some key points for those who are considering making the move to their second job.  Of note:

Update your resume and interview style. It sounds like a given, but a first-timer’s resume is likely to list internships and college leadership roles. Now you’ve got experience and you’ll need to make sure it shows. “The resume definitely needs to change to emphasize your accomplishments,” says [career and life coach] Mr. Steve Piazzale. …Your resume bullet points should demonstrate how you used your skills to solve problems and produce value at that first job. “With a first job under your belt, you can also use them as stories of value during interviews,” offers Mr. Piazzale.

This advice is key.  So many people forget that the resume they used right out of school isn’t going to be the right choice now that they have actual “work experience.” 

I’ve been asked to be a featured expert reviewer on the resume review site razume.com.  This site offers job seekers the opportunity to post their resume and request advice from the Razume community.  Anyone can offer a critique or post a resume for free.  Resume posters delete their personal information and select a user name so resumes are anonymous.  This is a great service for those who want to request feedback from trusted friends or relatives around the country; job seekers can post resumes and advisers can use a series of useful online tools to make comments and suggestions.

Many users of this site are seeking their second jobs.  A significant number of these job seekers fail to move their “Education” section to the bottom of their resume once they have a position and enough experience under their belt (and no specific reason to keep Education on top).  Many also still list their high school diploma, even when they have a bachelor’s degree. 

School activities and awards also play a prominent role in razume’s unrevised resumes.   For a first job out of school, these may be valuable and important.  After that point, some very prominent awards may remain on the resume, but college awards should not be a main focus of the resume beyond the first job.

There is no fail safe “one size fits all” advice for resume writers, but most job seekers will want to make these changes and more to their job seeking documents before seeking their next job.  Otherwise, they will appear less experienced than they may be and jeopardize their chances for an interview.

Keppie Careers will help you update your resume.  We also offer mock interviews to help you get market ready!  www.keppiecareers.com

Top 5 Resume Do's and Don'ts

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There is a lot to consider when writing your resume. You don’t want to miss an opportunity for an interview by offering a less than stellar result.  In her blog, Hire Someone to Write Your Resume, career advice blogger and author Penelope Trunk refers to a resume as a “complicated sales document and also a piece of direct mail.” That said, here are my top 5 Resume Do’s and Don’ts…

DO

Remember that your resume is a marketing piece, not a laundry list. Sell yourself; don’t just list what you’ve done.

Focus on transferable skills and quantifiable accomplishments. Determine the employer’s key words and incorporate them. Include soft skills, otherwise known as emotional intelligence. Use strong, active language that helps the reader picture you working for them.

Design your resume to be easy to read and scan – both with software and the eye. Remember that the typical first read allows a 10-second glance. (Some say 7 seconds is all you get!) Make it count by using white space, bullet points and bold, appealing design elements. Ensure that your resume is error free.

Target your resume to the employer. Do NOT zap your generic resume to 100 different online job postings. If you do not personalize your resume to include key words, you may be wasting your time sending it at all.

Be precise. Although the “one-page” rule no longer applies for all employers, it is important to narrow your information to include the most important material. (Typically, two pages are plenty.) Employers do not want to wade through a lot of extraneous information.

DON’T

Use “I, me or my” in your resume. The first-person is implied. Don’t use the phrase “responsibilities included” or “responsible for.” These are passive ways to structure your information.

Don’t use an objective. Your objective is to get the job, so you are wasting space in the very important real estate of your resume – the top! Attract readers with a targeted “Accomplishments,” “Highlights,” or similarly named section. Don’t list “References upon request.” This is assumed.

Don’t include ANY personal information such as age, gender, religion, marital status, social security number, weight, etc. In the U.S., do not include a picture on your resume.  All of this information is inappropriate and will make you seem dated and unaware of correct resume etiquette.

Don’t rely on standard resume templates, especially from your word processing program. Don’t copy text from sample resumes posted on the web. You are unique; your resume should be distinctive.

Don’t ever lie on a resume. Present the best possible image consistent with the truth.

I will design and write a resume that captures your skills and accomplishments and sells your skills!

Soft Skills for Your Job Search

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What are “Soft” Skills?

“Soft” skills, otherwise known as emotional intelligence, may make a difference between an employee who can do the job and one who does it well. Soft skills include: leadership, written and verbal communication, problem solving, motivation, interpersonal skills and creativity. Soft skills are transferable to any position; they do not rely on technical abilities. They are not skills typically taught in classrooms. (Although some business school programs are incorporating training in emotional intelligence to give their students a competitive edge.)

Take a look at this soft skills (emotional IQ) test that you can take on line to get a sense of how your skills rate.

Some recruiters believe that soft skills make the difference between the candidate who is hired and the second choice applicant. Employers today seek flexibility, teamwork and integrity. They realize that someone who communicates well and has a strong work ethic makes a good employee. As a result, incorporating these skills on your resume may make the difference between getting an interview and getting passed over.

The key is to incorporate soft skills with specifics that SHOW your abilities. For example:

Before:
Excellent oral and written communication skills.

After:
Wrote and presented successful training sessions to 200 telephone operators, resulting in measurable gains in company’s ordering efficiency.

The first bullet begs the question: Prove it! The “after” bullet leaves no room for doubt: This applicant can communicate verbally (in front of a group) and in writing.

Selected Soft Skills List

approachable
business acumen
charisma
communication
composure
conflict management
creativity
crisis management
critical thinking
decision making
dedication
empathy
energetic
ethical
flexibility
hard working
honesty
humor
ideas
initiative
inspire others
instincts
integrity
interpersonal skills
leadership
listening
management
morale building
motivational
multicultural sensitivity
multi-task
organizational
passionate
personality
planning
poise
problem solving
professional
public speaking
reasoning
research
respect for others
self confident
self-motivated
sensitivity
supervisory
take constructive criticism
team building
team leadership
team player
time management
verbal
visionary
work well under pressure
writing