Looking for a Job?
So you’ve decided it’s time for you to embark on this adventure we call a job search. Now that you’ve made your decision, use these tips to make sure that you execute your search effectively.
The first step to a successful job search begins with writing the resume. It’s that simple. Writing a clear, targeted resume that describes your skills, abilities, expertise, and professional experience in a concise, informative manner is the first key to success.
Picture this scenario: it’s 11:30 on a Tuesday night and you’re ready to swan dive right into that pool of job postings. You’re online and ready to go. You’ve got a bag of potato chips in hand, and you’re ready to use the nifty templates from one of those million-dollar-baby job boards. Who needs a targeted resume when you’ve got that nifty template to follow, right? You do. So let’s start from square one.
Sending an unfocused, untargeted resume gives you the same odds at getting your next job as wearing jeans to the interview—one in a million. Let’s put the odds back in your favor by beefing up your resume to ensure that it includes critical information: your transferable, relevant work experience and knowledge, what you accomplished at your last job, and why the next company should hire you.
The very beginning of your resume should tell the hiring manager your story. We’re not talking about writing a novel here so take it easy. You just need to paint a picture of who you are. Are you a designer that specializes in print or web—or both? Make it known who you are, what you do, and how you do it. While we’re on that subject, be sure that your contact information is clear and easy to find. Just like you, HR professionals and hiring managers are busy and don’t have time to break out the magnifying glass and encryption codes just to figure out how to contact you.
Identify your skills by providing a brief summary, or elevator speech, covering your talents, abilities, and accomplishments. You’ve got about 30 seconds in an elevator to get you from the ground floor to the first floor—figure out all the fantastic attributes about yourself that will open the door to a face to face interview. A well crafted summary of your career, objectives, and accomplishments helps to create a targeted, focused resume that will get you noticed.
Next, check out how you’ve documented your employment history. The most recent work that you’ve done—freelance included—should always kick things off.
Indicate the companies that you’ve worked for, your titles (be sure to use clear terminology), and all of the goals and successes you accomplished. Remember to be fair to yourself and only list the activities that you were directly responsible for. You don’t want to oversell your skills and end up in an interview that is over your head. Trust me.
Befriend action and keywords words. Use their energy and momentum to create clear, targeted sentences. Hiring managers want to read about what you did and the ways you made an impact on your organization. Use action words to describe how you generated revenue and reduced expenses, or just made your work environment more pleasant and productive. Don’t leave it up to HR professionals and hiring managers to infer or search for your accomplishments. Identify your strengths with action words and keywords.
Remember to proofread your resume very closely. In addition to using spell-check, have a friend or a proofreader carefully edit and review your resume for spelling errors or poor word choices. After staring at your resume for awhile, your document can become a blank page making it easy to overlook glaring errors.
Customize, Customize, Customize
Internal human resources departments use keyword searches to pre-screen candidates who submit resumes for open positions. The success of these keyword searches is vital to that hiring manager calling you to arrange for an interview. You must customize your resume using targeted, keywords in order to command attention and get that call for the interview.
Examine the job posting carefully for cues as to what keywords to use. Be sure that your resume is an exact match with the job posting. Call out the software, tools, operating systems, and languages that you’re familiar with on your resume. If you’re having trouble recalling experiences and tools that are a match to the job, consider if you’re actually qualified to be responding to that particular ad.
Taking the time and effort needed to create a focused, direct resume will create a streamlined, efficient job search that will allow you more time to research the companies you’re interested in and smell the roses along the path of your job search. Good luck!
You’ve officially designated your lunch hour—and every other hour—as Surfing Job Board Time. You’ve had it with your current gig. The fluorescent light is blinding you on a daily basis, you can’t stand your boss, and you’re sick of trying to beat your all-time-high-score on Solitaire during the dreary three-month long downtime.
Surfing a job board during your downtime is a piece of cake. You imagine yourself in these dream job descriptions in a much happier place: a peaceful work environment where coworkers always see eye-to-eye…an office where heated political discussions and awkward relationship dramas never unfold…a job where you move your bed into your office just so you never have to leave.
It’s easy to surf for jobs—the actual application, interviewing, and transition periods are not as easy. Writing a resume that gets you noticed (in the right way), putting your best foot forward in an interview, and settling into your new gig each pose their own challenges.
So before you wildly hit every “Submit Resume Here” button, let’s investigate why you want to leave your current gig so that you don’t wind up right back where you started from.
Do you honestly think that Tattoo from “Fantasy Island” really liked taking orders from Mr. Roarke? I’m sure that he dug working on a tropical island but the walkie-talkie order-taking part was a drag. Lesson: every job has its pros and cons.
You hate working for your boss. She’s as warm as an Ice Queen. The work you’re doing couldn’t entertain a monkey. Are there other aspects of the job that could maybe be your version of Fantasy Island? This might take some soul searching and innovative thinking. Maybe your job offers you flexibility with your hours. If you have children, freelance on the side, or just enjoy being home before dark, that is the equivalent of Tattoo’s miles of lush green grass, beautiful women, and big tips.
Think about the parts of your humdrum nine-to-fiver that supports your lifestyle. You might find there are more benefits to staying rather than going.
Boredom, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder. You know you’re bored at work if your mouse-hand is cramping at 2:00 in the afternoon from web surfing. Come on, you deserve more than that!
Curing job boredom is up to you. Career advancement and job challenges are not served up in the company cafeteria. If your eyes are turning red from reading The Onion, it’s time to talk to your boss. If you’re saying, “Sharon, I can’t talk to my boss…” then it’s time to turn inward and think what you can do for, well, you.
Think back to your job interview. Remember all those snazzy attributes you proudly promised to bring to the table? What happened? Try and make getting up and driving to work everyday worth it by giving it your all.
Volunteer for extra assignments or conjure up new ways to make a positive contribution. If you love to write, but you find yourself proofreading, think of departmental newsletters or special-interest groups that could use your talents.
Think about career possibilities offered with your current gig. What about transferring to another department? Are there any great networking opportunities within your organization? Try to reap the most of your current situation by actively orchestrating change and career advancement instead of just hanging out waiting for things to change. You’ll know if you’ve tapped your resources dry…and then it’s time to move on.
Once you’ve looked internally, volunteered for special projects, and offered help beyond the normal call of duty—and you’re still bored and miserable—it’s time to start looking. But make the days that you’re still working at your current gig worth it. You’ll feel satisfied for not wasting away 8 hours of your day. Maintain your cool, professional demeanor. Don’t throw away the time you’ve invested in your current job with mysterious absences for job interviews, or a slacker attitude. Even though you don’t care much what your boss thinks of you now, a good review will do far more for your career than a bad review. Don’t let a surly attitude prevent you from reaching your nirvana-of-a-job.