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The
expectations are the same, but new media require different procedures
By Rich Ream
Managing Partner- RMC Associates
Appeared in Information Today
The
job market is great, right? So why does it seem so difficult to get a
response to that resume that you not only have dutifully been
submitting to interesting companies, but have also posted on a variety
of Internet job boards?
Have
the rules changed? Perhaps they haven't, but computers and the
Internet have created both new opportunities and traps. More
importantly, in this world of short attention spans, where electronic
spiders weave a confusing web of input that would overwhelm any mere
mortal, not to mention a boss, you'll be lucky to get 1 minute of
attention for professional consideration.
So
let's take a look at how you can maximize your 60 seconds and get to
that next step of an interview.
Getting
Started
"Know
yourself" is probably the most important advice I can give anyone
as they begin the process of thinking through a career change. Even if
you're just graduating from college, you can begin the personal
inventory of likes/dislikes, skills, et al., and then begin to
quantify them. What do you do well? Describe skills you can begin to
validate by citing specific examples. If you possess strong
communication skills, highlight your English and communications
grades. You get the idea.
For
those of you a bit farther along careerwise it's important to take an
inventory of your critical work skills. Assess your desires,
abilities, assets, and temperament. Review the skills you currently
use on the job. Which ones do you enjoy? Do you like problem solving,
primary research, presenting search results to a group? Now the trick
is to organize these under a "highlights of qualification"
section that follows your objective section, which is always where to
begin. A good way to start this process is to look at different types
of skills:
-
Transferable
skills-writing, organizational, technical, communication, and
mentoring
-
Analytical
skills-researching, analyzing, categorizing, evaluating, and
problem-solving
(Remember,
less can be more and you must be able to demonstrate or have a
convincing example of each one noted.)
This
process could lead to a resume highlight such as, "Ability to
manage complex tasks and consistently meet deadlines led to rapid
advancement and increased responsibility for mentoring others."
Cover
Letters
Communication
space, attention span, and time are all at a premium these days. I'm
not a big fan of cover letters unless they can be quite specific.
However, situations in which you wish to convey personal knowledge,
direct your resume to contacts within the target company, or detail
other information that cannot be easily listed in a resume are all
legitimate times to use a cover letter. However, do not use a cover
letter in lieu of taking the time to tailor your resume to each
individual opportunity.
I
have seen Reams (small pun) of cover letters littered with such
generic, trite phrases as "excellent as both an individual
contributor or team player," "seasoned executive with strong
P&L performance," and "great motivator and team
builder." Save some trees, increase your "stickiness,"
and skip the part that lets us all know what a grand person you are.
Focus on what you want to do, relate it to the job at hand, and
include a few bullet points that are relevant, such as the following:
-
My
expertise includes ...
-
Relevant
experience includes ...
-
I
have been recognized for ...
Focus,
Focus, Focus
If
your resume simply says you're looking for challenging work, then your
biggest challenge may well be finding work. While
"one-size-fits-all" may work well in the muumuu shop, it's
the last hula for the job seeker. Your objectives should be clear and
your qualifications as discussed above should be tailored to the
specific opportunity. Here are some quick tips to keep in mind:
-
Less
is more-Look at me, I'm using bullet points and trying to avoid
unnecessary clutter and extraneous information.
-
Don't
provide detailed information beyond your last 10 years of
employment. I'm still a big fan of one-page resumes and believe
anything beyond two pages leads directly to the circular file.
-
Put
your name, telephone number, and e-mail address at the top of each
page. You never know when someone will print it out or enter it
into a database.
-
Don't
use abbreviations.
-
Use
a standard font and predictable layout, printed in black ink on
white paper. Exotic fonts, etc., may not be readable by your
potential employer's computer.
-
Do
include your home page, and video or audio examples of your work
if you're applying for a creative position such as Web designer.
-
Choose
words carefully. The old advice of picking active words like
"implemented" must be carefully balanced with specific
phrases and words that employers are likely to search for, such as
information center management, business-information research
professional, information specialist, law librarian, etc.
The
HAL Effect
E-mail,
the computer, and your resume all need to get along well. Many medium
and large companies use resume-scanning software. What this means is
that resumes are usually scanned in and searched by keyword rather
than just by objective or title. One solution is to include a keyword
section at the end of your resume. Finally, make sure your name is in
the document label. If you've ever had the experience of contacting a
company that has no knowledge of your submission, try changing that
file name from "resdoc" to "MarianP-librarian" and
you may find fewer problems. Other things to keep in mind in this age
of electronics:
-
Set
your page width to read only six columns and 60 characters across.
-
Remove
all tabs where space is required. Use the space bar.
-
Only
use keyboard symbols; if it isn't on your keyboard, don't use it.
-
Save
your e-mail version under a different name so you don't overwrite
your original resume.
-
Send
yourself an e-mail with your resume pasted into it to check for
problems. You may have to replace bullets with an asterisk or a
dash.
The
sidebar information above will provide sources to go to for the
nitty-gritty of good resume writing. The last remaining chore is to
make the dreaded follow-up call. As creepy as it may feel, you need to
know that your resume has been received by the person you addressed it
to and learn what the likelihood of an interview is. During that call,
you could say, "I submitted my resume to you last week and wanted
to make sure that you've had the opportunity to review my
qualifications and discuss the possibility of my interviewing at your
organization." See, that wasn't so tough! Best of luck!
Resume-Writing
Resources
Asher,
Donald. The Overnight Resume, Ten Speed Press, 1999.
Farr,
J. Michael. America's Top Resumes for America's Top Jobs: A Complete
Career Handbook, Jist Works, 1997.
Johnson,
Spencer. Who Moved My Cheese?, Putnam Publishing Group, 1998.
Nemnich,
Mary B. and Jandt, Fred Edmund. Cyberspace Resume Kit: How to Make and
Launch a Snazzy Online Resume, Jist Works, 1998.
CareerCity
(http://www.careercity.com)-Go to Salaries & Job Searching section
This
article has been reprinted in its entirety from the September 2000
issue of Information Today with the permission of Information Today,
Inc., 143 Old Marlton Pike, Medford, NJ 08055, 609/654-6266, http://www.infotoday.com.
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