I thought you'd be interested in a project I just started for Parade
Magazine. With more than 70-million readers, Parade is the most widely
read magazine in the U.S.
One of Parade's
most popular features is their annual "What People Earn"
issue, which delves into the economy and job market. This year, they've
added a new twist. Along with four other nationally respected career
counselors, I've been asked to work with a job-seeker who has been
out of work for at least six months.
My new client's
name is Steve and I'll be posting a weekly update on our progress
on Parade's
web site. Meanwhile, Steve and the four other job-seekers will
be posting their thoughts daily to this Facebook
page.
Hopefully, readers
of Parade who are also looking for work will benefit from our experience.
So if you're in
the same boat as Steve, or know someone who is actively looking for
employment, check in from time to time to see how we're doing.
To whet your appetite,
the article below is my first week's update which focuses on how I
worked with Steve to improve his resume.
Parade
Magazine: Help Steve Land a Job
Week one Status Update
Why does someone
get chosen for a job over another person who is just as deserving,
puts in as much effort and is just as qualified? It's because that
person does a better job eliminating any doubt as why he or she is
the best candidate.
Whether you are
preparing your resume, networking with others, interviewing or negotiating
salary, your goal is to position yourself as the strongest candidate
during every step of the job search process. You'll create the least
amount of doubt by being seen as confident, knowledgeable, intelligent
and likeable.
It was important
to inform Steve of the "remove all doubt" concept early
on in our job searching process. I wanted to make sure he had the
right mind-set throughout the search process. Knowing this information
would make him the #1 candidate
My first step
in helping Steve attain his CIO job was to discuss my 9-Step
Job Search Program. After reviewing all 9 steps, we jumped into
step 4 - fine-tune his resume. I identified four major problems:
Format,
layout and structure - The resume wasn't organized effectively.
It didn't provide a clear direction to truly illustrate the value
and impact of Steve's past experience.
Content
- Most of the information for each prior job didn't reinforce his
qualifications for the jobs he was applying for.
Lacked results
- Bullet points for prior jobs lacked clearly defined results that
would differentiate himself from others. Most told what he
did, but didn't show the actual value he brought to the organization.
Summary
of qualifications - The strengths and areas of expertise he
listed didn't explain in summary terms why he is such an excellent
candidate.
Working together,
here's how we fixed those problems.
Defined
the summary of qualifications - We summarized Steve's breadth
of experience by focusing on four things: (1) his industry knowledge
or expertise, (2) transferable skills, (3) length of experience
and (4) quality, well-known companies he worked with or for.
Removed
irrelevant information - Since much of the information Steve
listed on his resume wasn't related to the positions he was applying
for, we included only the information that was relevant for the
job. Everything else was eliminated.
Created
result-driven bullet points - We brought out as many results
and concrete evidence for each bullet point. Our goal was to make
each bullet point leap off the page and essentially tell the potential
employer "I'm the best candidate."
Another point
I emphasized to Steve was to realize that, as he fine-tuned his resume,
he was preparing himself for the interview. By writing down the measurable
results of his accomplishments, he was creating talking points to
be used in the actual interview.
Steve was like
most job-seekers. He forgot that a resume is used not to get a job,
but to get an interview. That's why it's critical that his resume
grab the employer's attention and peak their interest.
"It's
not that I'm so smart, it's just that I stay with problems longer."
~ Albert Einstein
"Keep
on going, and the chances are that you will stumble on something,
perhaps when you're least expecting it. I've never heard of anyone
ever stumbling on something sitting down."
~ Charles F. Kettering
"Look
at a stone cutter hammering away at his rock, perhaps a hundred times
without as much as a crack showing in it. Yet at the hundred-and-first
blow it will split in two, and I know it was not the last blow that
did it, but all that had gone before."
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EMPLOYEE OUTPLACEMENT PROGRAM:This
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and support to help you move quickly and successfully through the
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