One of my most favorite posts/ideas is from a few years ago, when I was talking to an HR friend, who basically told me I was too whiny, and acting in a way that would repel HR.

At first I didn’t like what I heard from my friend, but then I realized I needed to hear it, and change some things.

You can see the original post here: I smell blood! I liked it so much it because one of the first Favorite Friday posts I did, here.

Last night I got a Google Alert pointing to a post by Jennifer Bulman, at The Portable You, titled Please Don’t “Apply Anyway”

This is a brilliant post with a key story that YOU need to read.  Go read it. Here’s one of my favorite parts (but you have to read the story to get this better):

In his recent post I Smell Blood, career expert Jason Alba spoke to the importance of not letting anyone we talk with during our job search “smell blood.” Without discounting the wound of unemployment, Alba advises “Do what you can or need to do to not be hurt…”An important way to avoid re-opening the wound is to avoid scenarios where you *will* be rejected. That is why I suggest you not apply to be second violin in the National Arts Center orchestra (unless, of course, you are an experienced violinist).

I love what she wrote (I bolded it).  DON’T PUT YOURSELF IN THE POSITION OF FAILURE … Yes, take risks, but realize that if you aren’t qualified for certain things (especially federal jobs) you’ll fail, and then you might smell all bloody and repel not just HR but everyone around you!

Thanks , Jennifer, for the additional thought

Check out this tweet from Steve Levy, a professional recruiter who shoots from the hip:

What does it mean to be a transformational leader?

What does it mean to be anything?  Have attention to detail, be customer-service oriented, be a rainmaker, be ____ or ______ or _______?

THEY MEAN NOTHING!

When you see a resume (or email signature, or hear a 30 second pitch or any of these branding tools) that is filled with cliche, what are they saying?

NOTHING!

They are saying nothing!

I know it means a lot to you, because after all, you are the best problem solver in the world (or whatever cliche message you have), but the problem is, it doesn’t matter what it means to you.  It matters what it means to others (NOTHING).

You have to say things in plain, simple English, and communicate your real value, or you will be saying nothing more than dribble.

And that’s not good branding.

I saw this tweet from my technical recruiter friend Robert Merrill:

Robert always has fun information… I clicked on his “proof” link, which goes to a great post on how to name your resume, as well as 9 ways to NOT name your resume.

Click to see his post titled YES! Your Resume’s File Name DOES Matter

What is your resume named?

It really matters!

Saturday afternoon my wife woke me from a nap and told me our 4 year old daughter was running to a friends house and tripped really hard.

She had smashed her two front teeth inwards, and there was a lot of blood.  It was scary, to say the least.

(update: she seems to be doing well.  No broken bones (jaw, nose, etc.) and we’re hoping she has a full, sweet recovery)

I could write six blog posts about the experience, but I want to focus on one, and tie it to people who just learn they lost their job (or lost something else that is big).

My wife and I were sitting in the emergency room with our daughter, who was laying on the bed.  We were waiting for the next update and we had all kinds of questions.  Of course, as parents we think about the worst case possibilities and wonder how this will affect her speech, looks, social activities, etc.

How long will she have to eat out of a straw?

When will her teeth be strong enough to bite into a piece of bread?

What happens if they have to extract her teeth now?

How much pain will she be in, and for how long?

I think we did good, as her parents, but I think it’s fair to say were were terrified.

That’s where the emergency room staff came in.  I had never had such a positive experience before.  The wait to get help was very short and every person we talked with was very kind, patient, professional, and even somehow soothing.

I was thinking about how we were terrified, but we had people to “hold our hand” through the ordeal, and help us know that this would be fixed, and she would be back to normal, and it would be okay.

That’s exactly what many job seekers need.

In my job search I needed someone who could almost take control, let me see there were answers and processes and tools, show me I wasn’t alone and this wasn’t unprecedented.

Just knowing we were surrounded by professionals and tools in the right environment to get the problem resolved eased our terror.

How can job seekers find solace in the tools, environment and friends they have? It should be there, or close – perhaps just look a little harder?

How can career professionals help? Don’t forget that even though you’ve helped people through this process a million times, this might be the first, most terrifying experience for your new client.

How can friends and family help? Be supportive, validate the feelings, and try and help the job seeker get in the right environment, with the right tools, to help get through this process.

My experience in the ER was one that I don’t want to have to repeat again, but I’m happy to say that in our time of fear and unknown we were set at ease by the environment and people.

Please, help job seekers get in the right environment, and surrounded by the right people, and equipped with the right job search tools.

I got an email about a blog post asking if I’d check it out and perhaps blog about it.  I rarely do that (I get these requests all the time, and most blog posts are superficial or weak – just marketing plays).

I glanced through the post, though, and thought there was some good stuff… UNTIL THE END.

OH MY GOSH, the ignorance in this country kills me (I declined the invite to blog about this saying I would write a scathing post, but he said that was okay, they want conversation.  So, converse in the comments ).  And it really, really hurts everyone.  Here are his 10 points, I’m only going to comment on the last one (original post here):

1. Don’t name your resume, “resume.” I agree… name it something easy for them to find – I think your name and maybe the job title is a good place to start.
2. don’t use all lowercase. Agreed – perhaps we are losing a lot of our writing skills because of our kewl ability to text?
3. Don’t write like a robot. Again, poor communication skillz :p
4. Don’t spam hiring managers. Agreed. The hard part of this, though, is “when do you follow-up?”
5. Don’t expose your licentious personal life. Totally. He’s talking about not putting Too Much Information (TMI) on Facebook.
6. Don’t talk badly about your former employer. Agreed… read the post about not letting HR or a hiring manager “smell blood.”
7. Proofread your resume. Totally – AND know what’s on it. (have you heard *that* story?)
8. Format your resume nicely. I have seen some really, really bad formats :/
9. PDF your resume. Okay.  Mac user :p
10. When you get a job, don’t job hop. … and here we go…

Don says:

“When you get a job, try your very best to stay at it for at least two years, preferably more. We understand that the job market is fluid and you are not likely to stay with us long enough to get the gold watch. However, we do want to get a couple years of productivity from you if we’re going to invest in training and mentoring.”

Man oh man… all the stuff I want to write… I meet with thousands and thousands of job seekers each year.  Imagine what I’d hear if I said that?

I’ve met so many professionals who have good work ethic, are highly talented, and are anxious to have a job for “at least two years.”

You think these professionals want to be on the street looking for a job?  You think they are job hopping, just because you see frequent jobs on their resume, and short-term gigs?

I recently heard the average tenure of a CFO is 18 months.  NOT BY CHOICE, I bet!  Aside from being the traditional (circa 1980′s) job hopper, perhaps here are some reasons why there are frequent transitions on a resume:

1. Bait-and-switch. I regularly hear from someone who takes a job and then finds that it was nothing like what they advertised.  Don’t give someone a title and description, hire them, and then have them do something entirely different.
2. Ethics of the management team. Think: Enron.  How many tens of thousands of ethical professionals lost everything because of a few unethical people in power?  It happens daily, even at small, private companies.
3. Very poor cultural fit. Imagine you get a job that was made for you.  You go to work and find out no one has and moral standards (assuming you do… or, if you don’t, imagine (ugh) everyone does).  The cultural fit will be painful and you’ll want to leave as much as they’ll want you to leave.
4. Change in pay. You get a job for a certain salary and then within four to six months your pay is slashed… not because of you, or your work, but for “business reasons.”  Your options are to move to another department (sales, anyone?) or go look for another job.  I’ve heard of people getting a $20k cut and others getting more than $50k cut.  You think they signed up for that?
5. ______________. There are many, many reasons why someone loses a job.  What am I missing?

I think it is irresponsible to assume that frequent changes on a resume mean you are getting an unloyal, job-hopping waste-of-money.  Especially in today’s economy.

The only thing that can fix this thinking, unfortunately, is for people who believe this to go through their own job searches and see what it’s like out there.

Today we have a treat – my JibberJobber Partner (career coach and resume writer) Julie Walraven answers some questions I have about the objective statement on a resume.  You may have one of these on YOUR resume… if so, you’ll definitely want to read this.  If you don’t, read it and you’ll have peace of mind about why you don’t have it.  (Julie Walraven’s blog // Julie Walraven on Twitter)

Jason: What is the objective statement?

Julie: From my perspective, Jason, the better question is “What was the objective statement?” When thinking of the traditional objective statement, such as “I want a position that offers a challenge working with a committed team of people in a progressive environment,” this is an archaic phrasing that went away years ago.

Jason: What is the history of it? Was it controversial 5 or 10 years ago?

Julie: I researched my résumé books hoping to find an author that championed the objective statement in the above format. But even an old book that someone donated to my résumé book collection, written in 1983 by Herman Holtz, Beyond the Résumé: How to Land the Job You Want, I only found Holtz talking about why you want to be specific in your target.

The objective statement has been replaced by the banner headline of the résumé, which according to the notes from the “Mastering the Art of Résumé Writing” session at the 2010 Career Thought Leaders Conference & Symposium, says “Headline  Provides immediate focus.”Louise Kursmark and Wendy Enelow from the Résumé Writing Academy who have co-authored many of the best résumé books on the market have long advocated dropping that lengthy objective statement.

I will confess that before I turned to organizations like Career Thought Leaders and Career Directors International for my source of information, I put those archaic statements on resumes back in the 80’s.

Jason: What’s the big deal today, why are people saying to not put it on?

Julie: A résumé is a marketing tool. YOU, the jobseeker, are the product. Gayle Howard, one of the world’s leading résumé writers writes in her book, “PS, You’re a Résumé Expert,” a guidebook for Career Directors International’s résumé certification courses, “This is one of the most hackneyed phrases ever written, and it’s all about me, me, me” Gayle’s amusing example continues, “How many people would actually prefer working in “a treadmill position, surrounded by boring deadbeats, in a potentially bankrupt, and stultifying atmosphere?”

Jason: What’s a good alternative then, if you don’t put on the objective statement? Why?

Julie: You want a Banner Headline, such as Sales Manager, coupled with perhaps a branding statement which adds uniqueness and personality.

Sales Manager | Operations Manager | Business Coach

Talented Leader and Manager with initiative to move projects forward.
Excels in delivering exceptional customer experience and satisfaction.

You could offset that with graphic lines or put it in a text box to grab the reader’s attention. This strategy puts you back in a marketing mode, again selling YOU the product.

Jason: Would it ever make sense to have an objective statement on the résumé?

Julie: No! Make sure that the advice you are taking for your résumé and your career marketing strategies is from someone who is connected with the leading career minds in the world. If you are using an old business textbook, you will end up on the bottom of the résumé pile with no offers in your hand.

Thanks for the opportunity to visit, Jason!

Julie Walraven — Your Career Marketing Strategist “When I  began writing resumes, I had no idea it would become my career and drive me into exploring technology, career management, and recently, the intriguing world of social media. Networked with the best and brightest career minds in the world, I want to use my resources and knowledge to help you succeed in your career path.”

So much debate about whether resumes are dying… is LinkedIn (or farily-newcomer VisualCV) going to replace the boring old resume?

No.

I’m not much of a visionary, and I don’t have a crystal ball, but I cannot imagine that resumes will ever go away.  Maybe some day, in a hundred years… but in my foreseeable future, I can’t imagine they will go away.

Why?

Simple: because when you apply to a job, in general, you have to have a resume. (perhaps not true with startups, but I’d guess this is true in most companies)

HR and hiring managers and recruiters need your resume so they can evaluate you and compare you to other candidates.

Until the hiring process/system changes, resumes will be an essential component.

What do you think?  Can technology make resumes irrelevant?

(thanks to David Spinks’ post 3 Reasons Why Resumes Should Be Irrelevant – and no, I’m not necessarily promoting Brazen Careerist stuff, I just found two different posts that made me want to react here )

Update: I closed the comments on this post on 8/17/09. The point has been made.

Well isn’t that a nice title.  I’m really drawing a line in the sand on this one, especially since The Ladders was on the list of companies that might one day acquire JibberJobber.  I guess I’ll have to scratch that one off the list.

But this is such an important topic, and one I’m asked about on a regular basis, that I want to let my users, and other professional and executive job seekers (who should be using JibberJobber to organize their job search :p), know about.

First, the caveat: I have never sent my resume to The Ladders asking them for a review.  So all of what I’m sharing here is not from my first-hand experience.

Here’s the situation: You send a resume to The Ladders for their free critique.  Then you get back a letter telling you what all the problems with your resume is, and for a fee they will get you a new one.  Last I remember the fee is around $700.  Remember, we are usually talking about resumes for executives.

The biggest red flag I’ve read is that the critiques are form letters.  They will even critique their own, The Ladders generated, resumes!  It’s a simple process that a salesperson goes through to make a sale, not a real resume critique that a professional resume writer would give.

In other words, it seems they hardly even look at the resume… they just get you back a scary letter saying how bad your resume sucks, and that they can make it shine like new.  Scare tactics.  I’m sure it’s done well for them.

Here is some more reading on this…

Google The Ladders Scam or The Ladders Rip-off.  All of the links below come from those search results.  And do your own due diligence – like I said, I have not had first hand experience with this, but I’ve heard about it plenty.

Susan Ireland is a professional resume writer who wrote a nice post about how she set up her The Ladders account, to help you know what to expect.  The comments quickly turned nasty, though… that’s where the meat of the feedback is and a lot of talk about getting resume reviews from The Ladders.

The third comment from Susan’s post points to a bad link for Manager Tools, but I searched and found a good one, with the text of the canned response (below).

Mr. Ask the Headhunter himself, Nick Corcodilos, has two enlightening posts on the Ladders – one called TheLadders: Going down? (15 comments) and the other is the dope on TheLadders (95 comments).  Nick DOES NOT like The Ladders… the comments are enlightening.

A person on epinions writes: ” I had the resume professionally constructed and I was very pleased with it. The Ladders has a resume review service for free, so I sent it along thinking they would recommend tweaks here and there…. I received back a letter stating things wrong with my resume that I did not have in there. They even referenced companies I have had no association. I wrote back and said “No thanks, but thanks for the form letter” and was then bombarded with “you have to have your resume rewritten” form letters. “

So here’s the form letter I got from Manager Tools… this really is the scariest thing, since when you are vulnerable, looking for a job, in despair, and ready to drop money to fix any problem, this speaks to you.  It’s Scare Tactics 101.  The letter (with my own font formatting), in response to a resume that was professionally written:

Dear [name],

Thank you for your resume submission! My name is xxxxx and I will be providing your resume critique.

In this email I will outline my thoughts, provide a price quote to you, explain the process, and give you instructions at the end of my review to get started. If you decide to proceed, you will be working directly with one of our top writers versed in your industry and level.

Our methodology is simple: We apply extensive resume writing experience and knowledge of the $100k+ job market to determine how well your resume represents your value and distinguishes you from the competition.

Please note that I am NOT critiquing your background, experience, or potential for success. I am commenting on how you are MARKETING those assets to potential employers and how you are competing against others with similar goals. Your resume needs to be assertive in showing prospective employers how you would be of value to them, because no matter how good you are at your job, the resume is what really lands the interview.

Before I begin the critique, I do need to warn you about my style, because my comments can seem blunt–but the reality is the job market is very competitive now, so I find it beneficial to tell it as it is rather than “yes” people to death. (I hate when it’s done to me!)

Here are the major issues I see on your resume:

SUMMARY/INTRODUCTION

Your summary is missing the “WOW” factor. You’re relying on too many “business clichés” – things like, “Excellent written and verbal communication skills”. These “crutch” phrases don’t really tell the reader anything about you and what you’ve done! You need a much more results-focused introduction, to grab the reader’s attention and make them want to keep reading!

The five main aspects within a distinguished summary indicates: your highest career achievements, experience level, your value, your industry and your immediate career goal, and convey, “Look how what I have to offer will be an asset to you”.

I also recommend including a “Core Competencies” subsection just below the summary — specific areas of expertise and knowledge that can be supported by solid accomplishments. Including a list of “Core Competencies” is a great executive strategy, and provides both a quick and comprehensive look at your strengths from the beginning. Additionally, a core competencies or “keyword” section also increases the odds of an electronic screening agent making a match between your resume and an open job requisition.

CONTENT

Today’s job descriptions briefly sum up your position in paragraph format, then uses bullets for your most marketable attributes – results of the duties listed in the paragraph. This strategy separates the duties from the results and really highlights your key accomplishments, making them easy to find when the resume is quickly scanned. As you only have SECONDS to grab their attention. You have everything bulleted – resulting in NOTHING standing out to the eye of the reader.

On another note…the “references” tag line just isn’t done anymore – ESPECIALLY for upper level executive resumes! It’s like saying “the end” at the end of a movie.

MECHANICS

The language could be MUCH stronger. You vacillate between active voice and passive voice in the document (“Responsible for”, etc.). In the active voice, the subject acts. In the passive voice, the subject is acted upon. The active voice is more natural, direct, vigorous and emphatic – traits you want your resume to have in tone.

DESIGN

The vast majority of resumes are handled now by resume databases whether online or Human Resource Information Systems within companies. The databases have “preferences” for certain design elements. One of them is a preference for sans serif font styles. Change the font to something that is sans serif and avoid the default Times New Roman or other serif fonts.

OVERALL IMPRESSION/STRATEGY

Jamie, your resume is your self marketing tool. It gets you in the door. It must be strong on ALL levels in order to achieve the best results. All-in-all, I don’t think you’re putting your “best foot forward” if you plan to use this resume in its current condition. You’re underselling yourself. You are in need of a self-marketing brochure – one that shows your high caliber. This document isn’t doing that for you.

Please understand, all of this is not to say that you are not a good candidate, merely that the way your resume presents your career is not yet very effective or exciting to the reader (who typically has read 100+ resumes just before getting to yours).

You need to remember the purpose of a resume — to take an AGGRESSIVE approach in selling you to a potential employer. Why does that employer want to interview YOU? You need to be MUCH more active in pulling out your forte — things that will show potential employers what they get for their investment (your compensation). What can you bring to the table that your competition cannot? What sets you apart? Right now you are not giving the reader the best information to excite him/her enough to contact you for an interview. Remember, unless you can convince them of your VALUE, they will not contact you.

Most people are like you — they struggle to put themselves down on paper effectively — but that’s where we come in, because we are experts at knowing the best way to present you. In fact, even Marc Cenedella, CEO of TheLadders came to OUR writing team when he needed a resume!

I’m not sure that the resume they turn around will be awesome, and it should be done by a professional resume writer, I just want to bring out the idea that they are using a sales form letter no matter who writes your resume… I’ve heard of them sending this form letter to people who have had their own resume writers write the letter!

Need your resume reviewed? Get the review from a professional resume writer, not a salesperson who uses a form letter. JibberJobber has partners who are resume writers – you can learn more about them here (we stay out of it – it’s between you and them). Or you can go to Career Directors, National Resume Writers Association, or the Career Management Alliance.

If you are like me you would have thought you didn’t have enough money to write your own resume.  I should have engaged a professional resume writer, but I couldn’t figure out where the few hundred dollars would come from.  Plus, I thought I was smart enough to write my own resume – after all, isn’t it just a two page document?  How hard could that be?  (more on that later!!)

So for all of you Do It Yourself (DIY) I’m-going-to-write-my-own-resume people, let me share the book I most often recommend.  Understand that (a) I’m not a resume writer, (b) many (most) of my partners are resume writers, and many have books, (c) I recognize there are a gazillion resume books on the market, and (d) there are PROS and CONS to writing your own resume.  I’m not going to say what YOU should do, but if you are a DIY person here’s what I recommend: Happy About My Resume.

Why?  The tagline says it all: “50 tips for building a better document to secure a brighter future.”

In 63 pages, Barbara Safani shares the 50 resume tips with super-tangible examples.  I can get my resume out and compare how I’m doing against her 50 resume tips and examples (pictures of the tips) … this is exactly what I need.  I already felt I had a strong resume, but this resume book provides my final proofing checklist to see if I’m violating any resume rules.

The rest of the book (the book is about 155 pages long) is full of examples and other resources in the appendices.  I’m not inclined to check out those examples, except I would quickly scan to see if any of the examples had the same job title(s) I was looking for, and then dig a little deeper into those resumes.

Here is some of what you’ll see in this resume book:

The Introduction: Usually I skip over the introduction to a book, but in this one Barbara lists 10 common reasons most resumes suck.  And then she gives her thoughts on each of the 10.  This intro is required reading.

Chapter 1, Tip 3: Always include an address. Barbara says why leaving an address off can be a red flag, what to do if you are concerned about privacy, and what’s different on a job board.

Chapter 2, Tip 4: Create a headline. I didn’t have a headline on my resume – the closest I got was naming the resume file something specific (“project manager resume”).  This tip comes with over a page of examples, and leads directly into Tip 5: Add a tagline or branded statement (with another page+ of examples.  Remember, your resume is a marketing tool, and should not read like an obituary.

Chapter 3, Tip 12: Minimize job tasks. Barbara tells why (and how) to talk about the tasks, and why these should be minimized.  Why?  Hint: because your resume is a marketing tool, not a job description.  It’s on page 20.

Chapter 6, Tip 39: Don’t bullet more than five items in a row. Why?  Might as well write a paragraph (or perhaps a novel)… if you have more than five bullet points in a row she has a great solution.

Chapter 8 is like a bonus, with 11 Tips for Creating Value Added Cover Letters.

This is not the most in-depth resume book I’ve seen, but for me it would have been perfect.  I know resume writers have other resume books on their shelves that they use frequently… but the DIY resume writer will get  great ideas from Happy About My Resume.  You can get the paperback for $16.96, or the eBook for 11.95 from here.

(note: each of the links to the Happy About My Resume page are affiliate links, which means if you buy it I’ll get a few bucks. That’s my “full disclosure” statement :p)