Empowering People To Change

Usually people associate dining out with fun, pleasure and a relaxed atmosphere. All true statements until you are trying to land a job while going out for lunch. Candidates normally asked themselves why an employer would want to conduct an interview over a meal. There are many reasons why. The hiring manager may not want the office to know they are interviewing for a certain position. The position may require heavy client interaction and business meetings and not only are you being considered for the position but also you are being observed on how you perform in an open environment. It doesn’t matter what the reason is, but in an extremely tight job market you the candidate need to be prepared.
Here are a couple of Do’s and Don’ts to keep in mind.

The Do’s
 Shut off your cell phone – I know it’s very tempting to check you blackberry or phone but resist temptation. Even if your interviewer is checking their phone do not check yours.
 Learn the Restaurant – Find out something about the restaurant that can be associated with something you are interested in. Engage your interviewer about the restaurant ask a question “Have you been here before?” “What do you recommend?”
 Inquire about your interviewer – You need to break the ice, ask questions such as “What do you like most about the company?” “How did you get your position here?”
 Keep your guard up – Remember this is an interview not a social setting. Keep focused on what’s at stake. Some companies will send an employee that is similar in age and background that will try to possibly stay something that you should not have.

The Do Not’s
 Talk Excessively – Better known as the pregnant pause used by interviewers. When you are done answering a question do not fill the open air. It is interesting what is said when someone is nervous.
 Being Late – Whether it’s for an in office interview or lunch interview always arrive about 15 minutes early.
 Rude to Restaurant Workers – This rank’s number one as the biggest blunder. Be polite to your waiter/waitress. Be patient and keep you focus on why you are there.
 Your Ordering Taste – Keep in mind the price of the items on the menu. Ordering the most expensive item. Skip dessert and only order coffee if the hiring manager is having something. This shows that you are fiscally responsible. Beware of what you order. Order something that you need to use a fork, and stay away from onions and garlic.

Following these easy to remember tips will help you land your new position. Lunch interviews just added some more complexity to the hiring process. Also always do your research on the company and be prepared.

The Resume Checklist you Can’t do Without

With the current state of the economy and unemployment rising every month you the job seeker need to take full advantage of every opportunity you have. There are fewer and fewer jobs available thus making your resume the number one priority. Before you send out your resume compare it against this simple checklist.

1. Clear Objective
There has been much debate was to whether or not to include an objective on a resume. I am here to say “YES”. Your resume must have a clear objective, not one with a lot of words that is not clearly defining your interest. It is simple your objective should state the target job title your resume is going to speak to. Your objective helps lead you into your opening statement which you will then focus your resume on. This statement will immediately let employers know who you are.

2. Opening Statement

Most resumes open with the “Summary of Qualifications”. The problem is the qualifications summarized tend to be more fictional than real. Within this paragraph cliché phrases are used such as “results driven” or “proven track record”.

If your resume has these two phrases or phrases that are very similar you may want to restructure your resume. Don’t bore your reader, your reader is only interested in one thing can you do the job. Can you help solve their problem.

Instead present a clear and concise statement usually one sentence that highlights your single biggest strength and end with what benefit you can offer. This is normally justified by some dollar figure since in today’s business world everything comes down to dollars saved.

3. Measureable Results
Within this section you need to list specific achievements in a bullet form. Achievements should be justifiable someone you worked for received a benefit. You need to get your point across in this section you need to communicate to your audience your “true value” both clearly and specifically. These bullet points should be brief no longer than a sentence long. Ideally if you are able to assign a dollar value to your statement it will have a bigger impact with your new employer.

4. One Job Title = One Resume
Employers, Human Resource representatives, job recruiters have a short attention span, thus you only have a small window to lure them into reading more about you. Once you lose their attention or confuse them your resume will be put to the side. If you are applying for a controller position state why you are a great controller. Employers do not need to know areas that do not pertain to the current job you are applying for. Always use one resume for one position, do not use the same resume for different positions. You need to structure your resume for the job you are applying for. If you do this your resume will not be set aside.

5. At the Top
Put all important information at the top of your resume. Start with your most recent position and continue. Most resume readers spend approximately 20 seconds thus you have this amount of time to make an impact and to capture your reader to keep reading. If you have an important fact do not bury it within the body have it stand out. For example if you helped reduce costs by 10% this information should be highlighted at the top of page 1.
If you follow this simple checklist, chances are your resume will stand out and you will receive more call backs.

Due to the recent hard economic times in the United States Economy employers are finding ways to cut back on costs without laying off their labor force. Companies are looking at ways to reduce variable costs since they are locked into fixed costs such as leases.

In an effort to control and manage costs companies are reviewing current benefit programs that their employees are entitled to receive as full time workers. Some fortune 500 companies are looking to introduce taking away the 401k match they offer employees, or have their current employee pick up the full tab for their healthcare benefits. State and government offices are also looking for ways to reduce their spending by introducing furloughs instead of laying off workers. Employees are not standing still even in these tough economic times once notified of their reduced benefits most begin their search for new work elsewhere.

Although companies believe that the economy will begin to have an upturn heading into 2010 most said that the cuts were necessary for their survival, and they believe that more cuts can still happen heading into the 4ths quarter of 2009. These late recession layoffs often cost the company more money due to severance packages, and they need to rehire staff, retraining, and recruitment fees once the economy has recovered.

Companies also putting in place hiring freezes which result in 1) having your current workforce work longer hours to pick up the slack, or 2) reach out for temporary workers to help fill the void. Temporary assignments have been on the rise, and will continue into the early parts of 2010. The workload for companies has not reduced, and they still need able bodies to help complete pending deadlines such as system implementations, SOX compliance, and internal controls documentation.

Furthermore until we see a steady climb in our economy companies will still try to manage their variable costs by hiring temporary help thus saving the company money from paying out full time benefits such as 401k, healthcare, pensions, car allowance, and many other benefits.

Don’t let current economic woes take the wind out of your sails! There are jobs out there to be had if you conduct a diligent search and look in the right places. Your network is your best resource, so use it! Your network can inform you of open positions you never would have found on your own because the most coveted positions are usually not posted, they don’t need to be. Perhaps you’re an unwitting victim of the current global economic crisis; relax take a deep breath because economies and markets move in cycles, you are going to be just fine.

Without a doubt the job market is overrun with qualified professionals competing for the same positions you are. I want to enlighten you as to some interesting new career opportunities that might be a perfect fit for you and just happen to be in high demand at the moment. No more linear thinking, its time to think out of the box and get out of your comfort zone! I want to discuss the best opportunities relative to salary range, which is a key factor in any career search. Additionally, I would ask that you consider what is it that you see the most potential for your professional growth. Many people are corporate functionaries that perform jobs, few have careers that reward and satisfy. A GREAT CAREER will bring out your creativity and ability to innovate and accomplish things you never thought possible. The jobs I will list are taken from the Bureau of Labor and Statistics, some may require significant training but these are definitely the hot jobs of 2009!

Medical scientist
Personal finance advisor
Computer software engineer
Chiropractor
Environmental engineer
Biochemist and biophysicist
Sales manager
Computer systems analyst
Epidemiologist
Athlete
Agent and business manager for artists, performers and athletes
Producer and director
Marketing manager
Lawyer
Actor
Advertising and promotions manager
Management analyst
Postsecondary education administrator
Financial manager
Actuary
Airline pilot, copilot and flight engineer
Market research analyst
Medical and health services manager
Securities sales analyst

Obviously some careers require significant training while others simply require specific licensing. These are the top 25 for 2009, but if your passion is not listed here, don’t despair, keep reaching for what you truly want because at the end of the day the hottest career is the one that YOU find satisfaction, happiness and financial stability performing. You need to discover your bliss, believe in yourself and command your destiny. Be the miracle.

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There really is an art to writing a resume. It’s not something that can be thrown together in a span of a few hours. You should approach your resume as if you’re writing a paper for college. What do I mean by that? Basically, you should sit down and figure out a plan of action or create an outline of what you want your resume to include.

Your resume should always be evolving, and because of this, you are more than likely going to have to write a rough draft, followed by another draft, and yet another draft before you come up with your final revision. Knowing this, you should go into battle with a good idea of the content you want to include, a format that looks appealing to the eye and is professional, and a flow that makes sense. There are multiple books that can be found that give you examples of what a good resume looks like, and while these are very helpful and there are definite guidelines to follow, you want to be sure that your resume reflects some of your personality as well. A great place to accomplish this is in your resume objective or cover letter. Remember, you can still be professional, but you need to do something that people will remember so you are set apart from the others. The resume should serve one function, which is to land you an interview.
All too often, people get wrapped up in the parts of the resume that really are not crucially important. For example, if you don’t have an Ivy League education, you can get caught up in whether or not you should put your school background down, or how exactly you should represent what major you had. Perhaps you’re questioning whether you should include clubs or organizations that you belonged to. It is a fact that, while these can be added bonuses, they do not make or break you. Hiring managers are going to be looking for visually appealing resumes, something that follows a nice format and flow. Then, they will look at the objective or cover letter of your resume, and because of this, the next two topics are SO important.

Be sure to state in your objective, not only what you want to ultimately achieve with the company, but also state what you can give back to them. This promotes an idea of a synergistic, long-term relationship that could be established between yourself and your potential employer, and that is exactly what they are looking for. This is what will ultimately be the pay off for you. Make sure you don’t spend too much time sweating the small stuff, but do pay attention to the key elements of the resume that are being revealed to you right now.

The other key element of a resume that is often botched up is your contact email address. While free addresses from places like Gmail, Yahoo, AOL, etc., are fine, you want to make sure your email address sounds professional. You should not be sending out resumes with email addresses like CrazyCatChick467824@gmail.com. It reflects poorly on you and communicates to the hiring manager that you are not as professional as you may seem. This can ruin your resume…hiring managers will read through your entire resume, think it’s outstanding, get ready to write you an email asking for an interview, and then read the email address you put on the resume. This is where they stop, and this is where the hiring process ends. Your resume gets filed in a folder and probably never gets glanced at again. This is something that is so easily fixed and avoidable. Be sure, prior to sending your resume out, that you have a professional email address.

Resumes are important to you and to hiring managers. They give you a sense of pride when you look at all of your accomplishments and skill sets, but remember, their ultimate role is to land you an interview. From that point on, the ball is in your court. At that point, you must prepare yourself and create the mindset that you will get your dream job. These tips are guidelines to assist you with creating the perfect resume, so you can concentrate on the next step, which is what will land you the job in the end.

Resumes just don’t cut it. It’s not enough, in this down economy, to submit a resume, cross your fingers, and hope for the best. You have to go through multiple avenues to make your mark and get noticed in a hiring process. Interviewing helps to a great extent, but a little boost can get you the job when it comes down to two candidates…yourself and another. That extra boost is a job proposal.

You may be asking yourself what a job proposal is. It is a tactic that is not used enough in job hunting, and is so beneficial to your portfolio. It almost sounds like something an employer should be giving you and not vice versa, right? Wrong. A job proposal is something you give an employer, once you get past the first screening process (the resume submission) to give the company an idea of how you can enhance the company and what you have to offer it. Resumes are great for reviewing your past accomplishments, and give a great baseline of your skill sets. Job proposals are designed to look towards the future, to show the hiring manager that if they choose you as their employee, you will accomplish several tasks for them.

The great thing about job proposals is the more creative they are, the better! You can submit a 1 or 2 page letter, you can do a PowerPoint presentation, or maybe even create a website tailored to your plan. If it’s appealing to the eye, creative, and has excellent content, you’re sure to catch someone’s eye. The point is you have to show the company that you understand their vision, and you want to help them achieve it. Some examples of what you could include in a proposal might be how to enhance an existing program (particularly useful if you’re going for a managerial position), introduce a new product or vision that you might have that can increase their revenue, or why to implement a new process. This brings up another important point. The proposal should also be geared toward how you can improve the company’s bottom line. That could be through increasing revenue or improving accounts receivable.
Companies want to know why they should hire you over another. You’re going to have to prove yourself worthy, and proposals give you that extra edge over your opponents. They set you apart from the pack, and odds are that’s probably going to be one large pack. Combine multiple techniques, and you’re sure to get pushed to the front of the line.

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