Cranky Recruiter: Who Are You??

Hello Friends!  What a crazy ride the last few months have been!  I've missed meeting up with my wine friends and colleagues, and can't wait until we are back to normal--not just a new normal.  Perhaps months of SIP has made me a bit more cranky.  As I sprint to the end of this week, I have been going through lots of emails.  And something continues to make me cranky; opening up an email from someone, and they are asking for my help with their job search.  That's the entire message.  If I'm lucky, they sign the email with a name and a phone number.  Sometimes it's just an email with no greeting, no salutation and no name.  Seems they could have given their job search a little more thought, but that could just be me, Cranky Recruiter.

So, as a good recruiter, I never just trash these messages.  It could be that candidate I've been meaning to call.  When I have the time, I go back and figure out who it is.  I don't always have time, and those emails sit in my inbox for days, weeks, but hopefully never for months.

"Just one more question"

When I get time, and those messages in my inbox finally drive me crazy, I go and figure out who sent me the message.  Colombo has always been my favorite detective, and I would be a private eye if I wasn't a recruiter.  Not coincidentally, a recruiter should be a good detective: finding holes in candidate stories, looking for inconsistencies in resumes, discovering incriminating evidence when doing references.  And I am happy to dig into someone's past if I smell something fishy.  But that's once we've gotten to know each other, and most likely during the vetting process of a job search.  When we are just starting out in our relationship, I am more than happy to be led to the information--information such as your name, your phone number, what types of jobs you might be looking for, etc.

I've got an idea, send me your resume every time you email me if you are wanting to get a job.  You could frame it as, "I just made a few edits to this and wanted to make sure you have the best version" or "for a quick reminder, here's my resume again".  I'm not proud of the fact that I can't remember everyone who has been in touch with me.  I do have a great memory, but sometimes fatigue sets in and I just get cranky when I get this type of blind email.

Here's how you can turn my frown upside down: I am always happy for people to check in with me, and I encourage it.  At the end of many first phone introductions with job seekers I tell them to check in with me in a few weeks.  I even say it keeps them at the top of my mind--which it does.  Sincerely, I mean it, check in with me.  But when you do, make sure it's super easy for me to know who you are.  If you don't want to attach the resume, put something in the message about what types of jobs you are looking for, when we last talked, a funny anecdote, or a link to your LinkedIn profile.

Why?  I'll get back to you quicker, I'll be in a good mood, and I'll have positive thoughts around the message you just sent me.  I'm never cranky when someone gives me all the information I need, before I need it. 

Have a wonderful Independence Day!  Getting that off my chest has made me happier already!  Ready to binge watch some Peter Falk and see what mysteries he can solve for me over the weekend.  And an enophile's favorite episode:  https://columbophile.com/2017/09/24/episode-review-columbo-any-old-port-in-a-storm/

Cranky Recruiter: An Informational Interview Gone Wrong

When Cranky Recruiter is not recruiting, she's networking of course.  I have no qualms dropping my card off at a grocery store tasting if I like how the sales rep is handling himself.  Did you happen to catch my eye at a swim meet wearing a shirt from a local winery?  You better believe I'll soon be asking you what you know about that winery, and possibly slipping my business card in your hand.  For me, networking is a sixth sense.  And it pays off in the long run.

Now, as a recruiter with a career advice blog, often I have job seekers asking me for an informational interview to help them with their job search.  I'm happy to do that.  After one recent encounter I wrote a post about common interview questions.  I also put up some posts that were helpful, and included my interview blooper reel.  But one past blooper was not on there.  One informational interview went terribly wrong.

A couple of years ago, a young wine business analyst asked to grab coffee with me.  She wanted to find out how she could improve her interviewing abilities and get a better job.  I was happy to give her an hour of my time when I was in wine country.  And after how horribly the meeting went, I'm happy to share what not to do in an informational interview.

Dressing for an informational interview, or bedtime?  When she arrived, she looked a bit unkempt.  Her hair was hastily tied up in a bun and she was wearing a wrinkly shirt and jeans.  I could look past this if she was looking for winemaking, vineyard management or other types of production work.  But she wanted a job in finance.  If there is any group that I would expect to be dressed professionally for an interview, it is the finance and accounting group.  I think I dress nicer when I'm gardening than this woman dressed for our meeting.

Be Prepared:  While I like to save paper and store all of my resume on my iPad, I often check to see if someone, especially in an informational interview situation, is prepared with a resume, references, or even a pen.  This woman had nothing.  I did have her resume on my device, but she should really be prepared to wow an interviewer.

Know What You Want:  After some niceties, we settled into the usual questions about how her search was going.  The first thing I wanted to know was what kind of job she wanted.  She said she wanted finance roles, but had no real work experience in finance or accounting.  When asked why she wanted finance, she didn't really know.  She had some friends and family who had worked in those types of roles and thought that would be good for her.  What?  Roles your associates enjoy does not mean you will.  Spend some time researching potential jobs and figure out what works well with your talents, experience and expectations.  For help with that, take a look here:  https://www.glassdoor.com/blog/quiz-what-job-best-fits-your-life/

Be Engaging:  After exploring her job interests and her experience a bit, I told her she needed to really step up her interpersonal skills.  She never really tried to connect with me about things, or ask me follow up questions during the meeting.  She never asked anything about me.  Ok, it is not all about me, but it does pay to at least engage a bit with the person across the table from you.  They are giving you their time, so make them feel appreciated.  I told her this could be a weakness of hers, which led me to the following,

Know Who You are Meeting:  With all of our time being spent on her, I finally told her she really needs to do her homework when she asks someone to meet with her.  I asked her what she knew about me.  After a long pause she said, "I know you work for the company WineTalent."  "And you are a woman."  True on both points.  But really, that was all she knew about me!   Me, Cranky Recruiter, who blogs about the wine industry, has a website all about WineTalent, and maintains plenty of social media sites about me and WineTalent.  I am all things WineTalent.  President, founder, chief blogger, sole proprietor and lowly gofer.  Yes, I work for the company WineTalent and hope one day the company recognizes me for all I've done for it.  And I'm glad she figured I was a woman.  Two great facts for her meeting with me.

Alright, Cranky Recruiter will get her second cup of coffee for the day.  But still...  I gave her my time and wanted to help her.  She should have done some research on who she was meeting to make our time together its most productive.

Second cup of coffee now snugly in my hand.  I stand behind my thoughts on this woman's engagement with me.  But you have to know I have had countless positive informational interviews.  And many have turned into great WineTalent placements.  Yes, I am woman, hear me roar, and I'm happy to grab coffee anytime to help you with your job search.  Just make it worth our while.

Mind Your Manners: Don't Forget to Say Thank You

Good morning job seekers!  With the current tight employment market the job seeker can have the upper hand in the job search.  This is great news for you.  Now I want to give you a little piece of advice; no matter how busy, important, or sought after you may be, you can always give yourself just a little bit of an edge in the job search if you practice good manners.

It Starts at Home:  As the mother of a recent college graduate I was advising him how to go about getting his first career job.  I was telling him to target his ideal companies and contact them directly.  Then after submitting a resume, politely following up within a week to show his continued interest in the position.  If he was given an interview, I told him to make sure he sent a thank you within 24 hours of the interview.  Seemed simple to me, and something I try to do after any meeting.  My son wasn't sure how to go about writing a thank you.  I am suddenly realizing that people don't naturally know to send a thank you after a meeting.

This was called to my attention recently when I set up an informational interview between a great family friend and my 32 year-old nephew.  My nephew is a math whiz, a college math instructor, very personable and well traveled.  He's looking to make a career change, and my friend is involved in many businesses that could use a sharp mathematician.   Being the gracious host my friend is, he invited my nephew to lunch to discuss career options, and picked up the tab.  This was of course a very kind gesture, and the meeting was very informative to my nephew.  Reports back were very positive and I was glad I could connect them.

To my surprise, a week later my friend followed up with the promising math mind, to give him additional resources for his career search.  I all of a sudden wondered if my nephew had thanked him for his time and help.  One week after that lunch and he hadn't.  I quickly gave him my recommendation to always follow up timely with someone in this type of situation, and that in no way is it being obtrusive.  I recommended in any thank you to say you appreciated his insight, his time and his help.  If there were any items that were brought up in the meeting that required following up on, bring them up in the note.  This isn't pestering, just a gentle nudge and acknowledgement that you were paying attention during the meeting.  My nephew was surprised by this advice, but said he would put it to use from now on.

Set Yourself Apart:  As a recruiter we are interviewing candidates for hard skills, and often, more importantly, for the soft skills that are so important for a cultural fit with an employer.  I do wait to see if someone that I interviewed sends a thank you, and sends it timely.  A little timer starts going off in the back of my mind after an interview to see if I'll get that follow up.  A great candidate does it quickly and often with a nice tidbit of information for me.  A good candidate is punctual and thankful in the message.  And then there are those that never follow up.  I don't remember them.  (Ok, just kidding, but it is something to think about)

Are Thank You Notes Old Fashioned?:  Several of my clients have been asking about thank you notes.  They are not getting them.  They too are looking for a follow up message after interviews, and sometimes it is the deciding factor when a few different candidates are under consideration.

As a fellow professional, I know many of us are working at our peak and time is precious.  Don't forgot that the interviewers time is precious as well.  Thank them.  Please!

PS:  I used to send letters, in the mail, to thank people.  I still do, but email is my preferred mode of communication in most thank you notes.  In a highly confidential situation, if you send a letter directly to the interviewer afterward, that letter may be seen by their assistant or raise questions about who sent it.  If you are interviewing for a very sensitive position, err on the side of caution and send an email directly to the interviewer.

PPS:  Ask your interviewer for his or her business card or for the permission of his or her information to be shared, say, with that crackerjack recruiter who put you up for the interview--me!

Cranky Recruiter's Interview Bloopers

Yes, dear reader, this blog is all about advice for the job hunt.  As they say, you can lead a horse to water but you can't make her drink.  I may put the advice out here for consumption, but often people don't know they could use the information.  I thought I'd share some of my favorite interview bloopers to lighten your day.  Think to yourself, "Oh great, is she talking about me?" or "Would hate to be that guy!"  No one ever needs to know but you and me.

Ditch the Beer, not your Career

Blooper:  A few years ago I was interviewing a tasting room manager candidate in a public market

setting.  I arrived a bit early and waited for him.  He sent me a quick text to see if I was there, which I was. He came over and found me, bringing his freshly poured pint of beer.  To put this in context, I was sitting in the common area, not consuming anything at about 11:00 am on a weekday.  In a friendly manner I asked why he was having a beer before our interview and he said he had been really nervous and wanted to calm himself down.  Luckily that occurred during the interview--he finished the pint right about the time I was concluding the interview.  He wasn't the right person for that job, and so far, any others I have worked on.

Moral:  If you find out your interview is about to start--chuck the liquor and get over to the interviewer quicker.

Hello, My Eyes are Up Here!

Blooper:  Maybe you know this, but in an interview it is best to look the other person in the eye or thereabouts.  When you are staring at their chest, navel or anything below their chin you can get yourself in trouble.  Years ago I was interviewing a seasoned salesperson and I was wearing professional business attire.  During the entire interview, his eyes gazed below my chin, and never looked up.   He did however discuss how he was recently divorced, was looking for a nice woman, and, oh, yeah, wants a new job.  Hmm, maybe he has to brush up on his dating skills too?

Moral:  No matter what, keep your eyes on the prize--a job--not anything else.

Would you Like Hollandaise with that Wad of Gum?

Blooper:  Decades ago I was interviewing a young recruiter that I was thinking about bringing onto my team.  He was energetic, had done some high-tech recruiting in the past, and had a good sense of humor.  We had a preliminary interview in the office, and for the second interview we met for lunch.  Salutations and ordering were complete and then our meals came.  The young recruiter took his large wad of gum out and put it on his plate.  Yum, appetizing.  Shockingly I did end up hiring him--and have plenty more stories of his shenanigans after that.  

Moral:  While he shouldn't of had all that gum in his mouth for an interview, his humor, experience and personality won me out--over the huge wad of gum which seemed to be joining us for lunch. 

Sunbather with a Slight Hint of Cocoa Butter

Blooper:  For a particular hospitality position I was doing back-to-back interviews at a coffee shop, meeting experienced managers every hour.  I had gotten to my third interview of the day, and in walked a young woman with her bikini top on under her sundress.  She also had her resume with her.  She had successfully managed teams of up to 5 tasting room personnel and was in charge of the operating budget and revenues for the winery's hospitality program.  And she was wearing a swimsuit.  Now that is wine country casual!  Oh, and for bonus points she did use cocoa butter for tanning so she smelled great.  May be a bit overpowering in a tasting room setting though.

Moral:  While it may be casual in wine country, I appreciate if you wear something that you didn't throw on after sunbathing.  

Thanks, I Needed a Pick-me-up

Blooper:  Recently I was recruiting for a manager role within the engineering department at a large winery.  My candidate met me at the right time, right place and was dressed appropriately.  She brought along her resume, references and some associated documents.  We started the interview at the coffee shop and things were going great.  Right about the time we got into details about her current role her hand struck her coffee cup, hurling it, uncovered, into my lap.  She had my attention then.  She apologized profusely, handled herself very professionally in a very awkward situation and tried to remedy the situation.  While I was wiping up the foamy macchiato, I was giggling on the inside.  This is something that I always worry about doing--not getting done to me.  She ended up interviewing for the position and got the job.  I'll take care of that dry cleaning bill!

Moral:  Things happen.  Be nice and conscientious and most of the time people understand.  And you'll be memorable.  Maybe even earn yourself a new nickname.  Macchiato Mayhem!

Take Home Message:  We all goof up.  Sometimes quite publicly, sometimes in ways only a few people witness.  Handling yourself professionally and courteously will pay off in the long run.  

There are Two Sides to this Job Hunting Scenario

Yesterday I got a call from a job seeker that I've advised in the past.  He has been job hunting for several months now, and is a bit discouraged about how it is going.  He said that when he sends out a resume to a job posting, he never hears anything back.  Unfortunately, that seems to be the norm when submitting resumes.  From stories candidates tell me, they rarely if ever hear back from a submission, not even a confirmation that their resume was received. 

This has got to be hard to take.  Yes, I do advise people to follow up on any submittal whenever possible.  If you just sent your resume to an individual at the company, check back with her before the week is out to make sure she received your resume.  While email is good, if you can call her to check that could just do the trick.  Not all hiring managers like the call, but gauging how often I get follow up I think they don't get a lot of calls. 

Why would you want to follow up on a submittal.  Well you would of course want to know that your resume got to the person intended, and also to find out what the status of the job opening is.  You do have to use a little finesse in your follow up, gracefully saying you were making sure your resume was received while also casually inquiring into what the next steps in the review process are.  Being pleasant and also eager are great qualities to exhibit when making these inquires. 

Sometimes my best candidate for a job has ended up in my spam folder, and only after they inquired about their submission did I find the email.  It happens, not all the time, but I am sure those candidates are glad they did follow up with me.

Now, I want to discuss the flip side:  What it is like to be a job poster.  Over this past weekend I posted a job to Craigslist.  I put information about the job and that WineTalent was the recruiting company on the position. 

Quickly I started getting responses.  Some were very detailed email messages with attached resumes and cover letters.  Some didn't have any email message at all, only a resume attachment.  Some email messages were kind of bossy, "Read this message to hire me for the job", and "Contact me immediately about my candidacy".  This role is for an Executive Assistant who will be handling all of the communications for the winery owner and will be supporting the company in many different settings.  Attention to detail, strong interpersonal skills and a professional demeanor are all traits I am looking for in this person.  My first impression is going to come straight from the first email communications.

Knowing that all too often candidates never get any feedback about their submittal, I can understand if they don't put much effort into the submission.  If you'll never hear back why bother finding out anything about the company or the person you are submitting to?  I can understand the logic there.  But maybe you need to go the extra mile when you are sending your resume to a posted job listing? 

Now I'm not one to complain (That's Cranky Recruiter's job), I do think if my contact information is on the posting a candidate could address the email to me directly.  Granted, Craigslist does use a blind email submission process, but someone could still find out who they are sending their information to.  Doing a quick Google search of the word WineTalent immediately brings up my website.  If someone pulled up my website they could probably quickly find out who to address an email too.  Maybe addressing it to Dear Sirs isn't the best salutation...?!  Also, if I have listed that I'm recruiting for my winery client, maybe discussing your interest in working at my winery doesn't make sense.  I don't have one, only many of my clients do.  And if you note on your submission that you are impressed with the wines I have produced and you want to be involved in a world-class production operation like mine you really do not know who you are submitting your resume to. 

So what?  You want a job and I'm going on about etiquette in email submissions.  I will say that some folks who submitted their resume have already gotten a call from me, and I'm off momentarily to conduct an interview with someone who sent her resume in yesterday.  Why did these submissions make the cut?  These emails were professional and directed to this specific job posting.  The emails expressed their relevant experience to the job posted.  They were concise yet compelling.  Of course their resumes showed they had solid work histories and the skills needed for the job. 

Take the time with the first step, and you'll set yourself up nicely on the path to a new job.

Making a Cranky Recruiter Smile: Adjectives/Terms/Qualities to Describe Me

Cranky Recruiter has been filing lots of resumes this week, and while looking over a new resume I saw this subject area:

Adjectives/Terms/Qualities to Describe Me

Able, hard-working, determined, accountable, conscientious, down-to-earth, responsible, creative, team-player, initiator, open-minded, out-of-the-box thinker, collaborator,  leader, innovator, professional, diplomatic, flexible, tactful, driven, self-improving, realist, diligent.

This was a fun way to say a lot of the things we all throw on our resume. While this may be a bit of flair, I think those descriptors probably are apt or the person wouldn't call them out specifically.  

Now, I'm a fan of making resumes fun for the reader to view.  I have posted before that if you are in marketing or branding, your resume had better stand out.   What if you put these descriptors at the top of the resume to make them stand out.  Maybe add a little color and some variation.  How about this to set off the top of the resume:

Adjectives/Terms/Qualities that Describe Me

Able hard-working determined accountable conscientious, down-to-earth responsible creative team-player initiator open-minded  out-of-the-box thinker collaborator  leader innovator professional diplomatic flexible tactful driven self-improving realist  diligent

Okay, that might be a bit busy on the top of a resume, but worth a shot.  Maybe craft a little word cloud that would be catchy and space saving.  I do like more avant-garde resumes, but know that they are not to every hiring manager's liking.  You have to craft the resume you feel comfortable with.  But take time to craft something that will be informative and interesting to the reader.  

After reading the resume I wanted to use these adjectives as an example for this blog.  I asked this candidate if he'd be up for me posting about it.  I loved his response, "Yes, you may use my Adjectives/Terms/Qualities to Describe Me section as long as you give me credit publicly on your blog. If you can describe me as a college graduate with an innovative streak in New Jersey who is looking to break into the wine wholesale business, that would be wonderful."  So Evan Bruder out of New Jersey, I definitely will give you credit for making my day.  

Now to see if his descriptors match what I've witnessed in my limited interactions with Evan.....  First, he is highly accountable, citing his name, what he wants and where he is located, publicly.  Scanning those words I come on team-player.  He is letting me use his info for my blog--that's team playing in my book.  All of his communications have been professional and tactful, so those match up.  And i do have to give a nod to the innovator descriptor.  His addition of these items was new and I think highly informative.  

So Evan Bruder out of New Jersey, thanks for putting an original item together on your resume.  If I know of any sales roles within the wholesaler world out in New Jersey we'll be in touch!  

Cranky Recruiter: Stood Up for the Interview

Oh, hey, just back from driving for an hour, waiting around for an hour and driving back for an hour.  So that would be about 3 hours, give or take, of wasted time.  What was I thinking?--I made an appointment to interview someone last week, showed up at our arranged meeting spot, and he wasn't there.  I called, emailed, and haven't heard back.

This was an interview for a highly technical position, and it is hard to find qualified candidates for it.  Having that resume show up in my inbox was a thrill by itself.  Quickly I called him, did a phone interview, and with everything looking promising we booked an interview.

Then the doubts started creeping up.  I was rereading his resume and cover letter and there were inconsistencies.  He mentioned working at one company on his cover letter and on his resume another company was referenced.  Hmm, well that's something to ask about at the interview--maybe he was a subcontractor--maybe.

The second red flag was that this guy, who is a technically skilled winery professional, has been out of work for the last year.  When searching for people in this field, they are snatched up almost immediately when they are in the job market.  Hmm, what's up with this guy?

Oh yeah, and the guy of course suffered from TMI--giving too much information during our phone call.  Marital status, kids, bad previous employers, etc.  Good to know, but it was a bit of a sob story.

Ignoring these red flags I booked our interview.  While figuring out a spot to meet he mentioned that there was a good bar around the corner.  Hmmm, always good to know where the bar is--but not for an interview.

While sitting around waiting for him to show, I thought it made sense to send him a quick email.  Here's when I noticed his email address was a reference to alcohol.  Hmm, maybe I should worry about drinking on the job?  Maybe about missing work due to being on a bender? Or better yet, missing this interview because you didn't wake up this morning.

I'll now make sure not to miss any red flags, and trust my gut instincts.  The motto of a good recruiter, "Trust your gut!"  Now onto those other promising candidates.  Hope they didn't take a job during the time wasted waiting around for Mr. Fillerupbarkeep.

Cranky Recruiter: Just tell me what you are making.

Asking a friend at a social gathering "How much do you make?" most likely will make him very uncomfortable.  We all know how much we make--often down to the penny.  Lucky folks out there can say how much they will be making this coming year and the following one.  Sales people and self-employed people can always hope for a stellar year, and have a good idea where their compensation will likely come in at.

I think I ask people about 5 times a day how much they make.  For me it is a benchmark on where they are coming in for a position I'm recruiting on.  If their pay is lower than I expect, I wonder why they aren't making more money--but also think that they may be very interested in moving to a better paying company.  If their pay corresponds to what they should be making, I'm happy and move forward with the discussion.  If their pay is significantly higher than I expected, I'll dig a bit deeper to find out about their salary history, their responsibilities, and what types of roles they want to move into next.  

With all this discussion about salary, I am quite numb to the fact that most people rarely discuss their compensation.  Thinking it over, it probably makes others a little unnerved to talk about money with a stranger.   You immediately think, should I say what I am really making, should I inflate the number to look better, should I tell them to stick it?  Hopefully when you have this question come up there is a reason--a new job opportunity, a raise or a promotion.  What should you do when someone asks you how much you make?  Well, I appreciate the truth.  If you tell me how much you are making, and include any bonuses, commissions and perks, we'll have a baseline to work from.   I won't use this information against you, and will always gain your approval in discussing any compensation information with a potential employer.

Last year I was working on some wine sales roles.  I had reached out to a Director of Sales with a winery group.  Her first sentence to me was "I don't mean to sound arrogant, but you probably can't afford me."  What a breath of fresh air.  I told her I wish everyone would approach it this way--and asked what she needed to make.  Well, unfortunately she was right, I couldn't afford her.  She also wouldn't have been right for the role.  With job titles often being different from company to company, her title didn't convey how expansive a role she had.  My sales role would have been something she had done 15 years ago.  On that same recruitment I was talking with a VP of Sales for a boutique winery and his salary was half of that first gal's, and below the pay range my position was paying.  Once he and I discussed his current role, I found out that the winery was using brokers in most states, and the sales role wasn't as involved as it would have been at some other wineries.  He was highly involved in the winery's hospitality and marketing programs and has excellent experience in that area.  The role I had would have required a lot of travel, and this was something he did not want.  Both of these people are great contacts for me to work with, and now that I know where their compensation is coming in, I can approach them about the right roles.

When you are talking with a recruiter, or a potential hiring manager, lay it out about what you are making now, and what you would need to take a new job.  Speaking from a position of truth gives you a firm foundation to discuss compensation, and allows you to discuss different compensation scenarios with your future employer.  

And make sure you visit Wine Business Monthly's 2012 Salary Survey for specifics on wine biz salaries.

Cranky Recruiter: Show Your Strengths

Uh-oh, here's Cranky Recruiter digging in after a long holiday weekend.  May spell trouble for some job hunters out there.

Ok, so I've wrapped up working on some marketing roles recently and am struck by the fact that so many marketing resumes are so blah.  Often I see sales resumes that are pretty blah and I think that they probably know how to sell things but rely on a good marketer to come up with the collateral.  But a marketer with a boring resume.  It seems to scream poor marketing skills.

Everyone says you should do what you love.  If I was to become a marketer, I think I would love to market things.  If I was in the hunt for a job, I think my number one goal would be to market myself.  First I'd throw away those old versions of my resume, sit down at my creativity inducing desk/table/park bench and brainstorm what I should be branding myself as.  Do I want to be a packaging guru?  Then I had better have a resume that packs a visual punch.  Do I want to be the strategic marketer who can develop an entire program for my future company?  Well I had better have a logically laid out resume that reflects the tactical nature of my expertise.  Am I a technical expert?  My resume had better scream tech wizardry while explaining some highly involved expertise in plain old English. 

This may all seem simple, but this Cranky Recruiter has to slog through boring black and white, Times New Roman resumes all day long.  Occasionally I get a glimpse of color--but all too often it is just the hyperlink blue on an email address.

What wakes me up and makes me notice a resume?  Give me logos.  Did you work at Clorox Company--ooh, put the logo on it for easy recognition.  Were you the lead manager on the revamp of The Gap's marketing campaign--show me some of that classic "Gap" style and make it easy for me to figure out what you did.  Be a little creative--especially if you are in a more creative realm of marketing.  Isn't that the real goal of a marketer--making someone quickly understand why they should want and need the product they are marketing? 

So am I just going after marketers today?  No.  I think this is relevant to every job seeker.  Every resume needs to be factual, but it is also a marketing piece for you.  Do you want to be like every other job seeker out there and hope that your resume, which is one of 100's a hiring manager receives, gets a second look?  I hope not.  So put some time into it and make it reflect you. 

Lastly, get consumer input.  Pass it by someone before you send out your awe-inspiring resume.  Often a friend can spot typos that you've missed over and over.  And yes, you may get some other advice about changes you should make.  Maybe get a few people's advice on the resume and go for the consensus version.   I do often say that you need to take all resume advice with a grain of salt.  People are quick to give advice, but you need to write a resume you are comfortable with.  So, dear reader, take this advice for what it is worth.  Back to the inbox.

Cranky Recruiter: Must Love Wine. But Not Too Much!

I like to think I'm a passionate person, and I love it when people say they are passionate about wine.  I have read countless interviews where someone in the wine industry describes their passion for wine, and how it drives them to create phenomenal things.  Good, keep the passion flowing.  Makes the world go round.  But beware of loving wine too much.

I read emails daily from people who want to follow their dreams of working in wine.  Good, makes sense why you are emailing me.  Glad to hear you dream.  Cranky Recruiter has dreams too.  The jaded reader that I am always wonders, hmm, what does it mean to be passionate about wine, and to dream about wine.  Sounds vaguely similar to an addiction.  And that's where I worry.

Yes, it is fun to sit with friends and dream big, and often the dreams are bigger over a couple glasses of wine.  After a few they can get really big, really fantastic, and perhaps occasionally nightmarish.  If I get your resume on a Tuesday morning and call you to discuss your background during working hours, are you a different person after-hours.  If I put you in front of a client for an interview and the client offers you a glass of wine, are you going to down the glass, then the bottle and then leap on the table proclaiming your love of wine and this interviewer!  Oh, I daydream too.  But really, you need to temper your adoration of wine with evidence of your work ethic, your smarts and your stick-to-it-ness.

This Cranky Recruiter once was sitting in a cubicle, working through a database, and had aspirations of bigger things.  While I often wanted to take over the world, (another allusion to my love of Pinky and the Brain) I sometimes had to rein my dreams in a little.  When I started interacting with winery clients, a kernel of a dream to work exclusively in the wine industry took root.  I slogged through plenty of database updates, direct mail campaigns, cold calls and dicey offer negotiations afterwards, and that seedling started to sprout some leaves, the trunk started to thicken up, and I had grown my abilities to make my dream a reality.  Eight years ago I left a thriving technical services company to dive exclusively into the wine world.

People often ask me why I did this.  And it isn't because I love wine.  Yes, I do like wine.  Yes, I drink wine, and yes I enjoy knowing everything I can about wine.  But that isn't why I'm in it.  I'm in it for the people.  I place people at companies that are run by other people.  I talk to people about how they have worked with other people, what types of people they work with best, and how they manage people.  I don't usually talk to them about their favorite wine.  I don't ask them how much they drink (I don't think I can legally ask that anyways!)  And I don't ask them how passionate they are about wine.  Yes, be passionate, but think about what it is about wine that is stirring this passion.   Then take that information and use it to help you figure out what you want to do in the wine world.

Wine is an ancient beverage, something that has been written about for centuries.  There are ancient ruins of wine vessels, murals depicting winemaking, and works of art depicting people enjoying wine.  Yes, it has a lot of allure, but remember that I am looking for a capable person who can do the job I am recruiting for.  Not an accomplished drinker.  I have written before about what I want to see on a resume.  Check it out.  You may notice on there that I don't mention "passion for wine" once.  It is all about how you handle yourself, and what you can bring to the table. 

And one last morsel of advice here folks.  Make sure you enjoy yourself responsibly.  We can all have our a nights of bacchanalian revelry with friends and live to love another day.  Make sure you realize how to do this as hedonistically as you wish, but safely.  What do I mean?  Don't drink and drive.  Drink and drive, and you could lose your license.  Drink and drive and you could lose your wine job.  If you have a DUI on your driving record, some companies won't even consider you for employment.  Get a DUI while on the job, and you'll possibly lose your job and your license.  So be careful if you follow your passion for wine and commit your career to the wine industry.  If you happen to get a DUI, you may just have a lot fewer prospects for your next job.  And of course, we all want our roadways free of reckless drivers.  Don't Hesitate, Designate.  And there are plenty of very friendly and competent chauffeurs happy to help.  That pricey limo or taxi ride could be a very wise career decision. 

Quick and Dirty: What Cranky Recruiter looks for on a resume first

I have exactly five minutes to write this.  So please excuse any mistakes, errors or crankiness.  Those who regularly read my blog will understand that last part. 

I am always being asked for advice with resumes.  Happy to help, when time permits.  Right now time is of the essence.  But I thought I'd give you the quick and dirty version of what I, and most hiring managers, look for in a resume.

1.  A resume that is appropriate for the position.  If I've posted a job and I get a resume out of left field that doesn't match the description at all, it tends to get very little interest.  I do understand that I often post positions and note that I also recruit on other jobs in the wine industry.  So, I do want to hear from job seekers out there, and am happy to get your resume--it just may be reviewed later than a resume that is spot on.  Patience, my friends.

2.  Location, location, location.  I look at where someone is living and consider that heavily in their ability to take the job I'm working on.  Yes, people relocate all the time for work.  People also get through the entire interviewing process all the time and decide that, no, they don't really want to leave (insert home town here).  This really doesn't help me, and can hurt my business, so I do weigh a person's current location in my decision to contact them about a position.

3.  Education.  I want people to have a Bachelor's Degree at least for most jobs.  I do understand that going to school and working can be hard, but do it.  Get that degree, even if it takes 10 years or more.  I love seeing it on a resume.  AA degrees and advanced degrees are also great to see.  But yes, if you have been going to an institution of higher learning for the last 15 years and have no work experience I worry about your ability to work in an industry job.  Just saying.

4.  Lengths of employment.  I like people who have been in a job for a few years.  More than two.  If less, I may wonder why, and sometimes know why, but give me a good 4 years at your last employer, and I'm in heaven.

5.  Gaps of employment:  You hear about this problem.  Yes, I wonder why you weren't working for 2 years.  I often will contact you, but you better be able to address it.

Remember,  no one is perfect.  I understand if your resume doesn't meet my top five points exactly.  I'll often give you a chance.  But just thought many people would like to see what my eye scans when I open up a resume.  Hey, five minutes and five talking points--not bad.  Back to work. 

Cranky Recruiter: Interviewing Advice

Feeling a bit like Scrooge, I am tapping away at these keys without any heat in my office, wearing worn out, now-fingerless gloves, wondering when my assistant will show up to work to put some coal into the fire.  That darn Cratchit, always taking time off for the holidays.  No goose for him.

I have been putting in a fair amount of time at work this holiday season--which should be a good sign for the economy.  Lots of new positions to be filled for 2012.  I have been heading out to interview people for a wealth of positions.  I have also met a lot of different people recently, and thought I could give everyone a little advice--both the young whippersnappers and the seasoned winery veterans.

1.  Be nice:  Yes, be nice to your recruiter or she gets very cranky.  But also, be nice to everyone you meet.  I have always tried to live by the Golden Rule, and think it is paying off quite handsomely these days.  When you are interacting with someone on the phone, use good phone etiquette.  When you are sitting down with someone at an interview, thank them for their time and their interest in interviewing you.  And if you have to interact with, say a secretary or a server while there for the interview, you had better be nice to them too.  I won't tell you how much a rude interaction with a server will diminish your standing as a prospect with me.

2.  Be on time:  Yes, get there 15 minutes early.  If you are earlier than that, wait in your car or at the corner cafe for a few minutes and then show up 5-15 minutes early.  We recruiters pay attention.  If you are late to our interview, most likely you'll be late to the interview with our clients--heaven forbid.  And maybe habitually late to work. 

3.  Be Interested:  Oh, how cranky I become if I feel like I am doing a favor by showing up to the interview for the person who is looking for a job.  Yes, thank YOU for allowing me to schlep here, to be on time, and to be interested in talking to you about the position.  No questions about me?  Fine, I don't really like talking about myself.  But try to think up some points of conversation--just in case you need to liven up the conversation.  As I often say, "It is all about me."  Not really, but you had better think of some things to talk about with a potential interviewer, because it often can separate you from the competition.  When interviewing at a winery if you can bring up a funny story that ties into their history--pure interviewing gold.  Also, if you can ask me how my recent trip was that I posted about on this blog and on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIN, etc, maybe I'll feel like you did your homework, and that you know how to carry on a pleasant conversation.  And maybe I'll even like you.  That never hurts.


4.  Know why you are there:  Most likely if we are in an interview, it is because, 1. I have a current opening I am thinking of you for, or,  2. I know there will be something relevant soon.  If I have mentioned some particulars about the job, do your homework and find out what you can before our interview.  Also it might be good to at least look at my website to find out who the heck I am.

5.  Show you care:  Comb your hair, polish your nails, check your make-up, iron your shirt, tuck in your pants, polish your shoes.  Yes, I'm a big fan of the book Dress for Success, for good reason.  Showing you take good care of yourself reflects positively on you, and on your future capabilities in the job.  When you look disheveled at the interview, I can only guess what you'll look like on Monday morning, Month 2 of the job.  Your presentation is very important.  Grab that book, search the web, or use anything else that outlines what it is appropriate in professional circles, and get to know it.  Oh, and if you are wearing a dark suit, please, please, please, no white socks.  Just a cranky recruiter's all-time pet peeve.

6.  Don't swear.  Maybe I'm old-fashioned, but I don't need to hear any swear words during an interview.  Really, I don't.  I hate it.  Yes, maybe I think a lot of words are swear words that the FCC deems OK now, but really, can't we increase our own vocabulary to use words such as awful, disgusting, or mean, instead of profanity.  I am shocked that I have to write this, but I am sometimes shocked who swears in an interview.

7.  Follow up.  Last week I had to make an interview arrangement on the phone while I was driving.  I asked the future interviewee to please send me an email with our scheduled appointment time so that I would be sure to block it out on my calendar when I got back to my office.  He didn't email me it, and I waited, and waited, knowing full well when I had said I would meet him.  When the day of the interview came he wasn't sure we were meeting.  I was there, on time, and he wasn't.  While he may have thought I forgot, I didn't.  I was just seeing how good his follow through was.  Sometimes follow through is the most important element in getting an interview, getting a job, and finding success.  So, when someone tells you to do something, do it.  When you finish up with the interview, send a thank you.  I don't care how you send one, but do it.  It shows you care, and that you have good follow up. 

Ok, that's off my chest.  Now you can see the inner working of Catbert!  Happy Holidays everyone, and maybe when I wake up tomorrow I'll buy Cratchit a goose and give him the day off.  Maybe....hmm humbug!

Less Cranky Recruiter: Must Have Wine Experience

Back to my usual self, and have gotten through my inbox now. For anyone who is looking to make the change into the wine industry, please continue to make your plans, and send me those resumes. I am happy to help with feedback, and hope my last post simply shines light on your need to make your resume relevant to the reader. I think I'll keep that last post up, FYI.

Cranky Recruiter: Must Have Wine Experience

Ok, back to work after battling the flu. Yes, hopped up on cold medicine, and maybe just a bit cranky because of it. But I've got something to say today, and it is about people who want to get into the wine industry and send me a resume with no applicable experience.

While I'm a big fan of people who want to make the change into the wine industry, I do preach that you need to get some knowledge behind you. How many of these posts tell you how to get experience, education, a network, etc. When you say you are a hard worker who is ready to take a pay cut to get into the winery world, great! But if I then read your resume and there is not one shred of wine information on it, it makes me read the next resume.

Crankiness aside, do look at your resume with an impartial eye. If you were an employer reading this resume, would it look like you were serious about making a move into the wine industry. If your resume came in along with several wine industry job seekers, why would they look at yours and not the others. I say you have two minutes to make your resume noticed--if that. If your resume leaves them wondering, it's going to be put to the bottom of the pile, if kept at all.

So, go get some wine education. Work in tasting rooms, retail shops, cellars, labs and restaurants. Marinate in the wine world, so to speak. Getting involved will get you knowledgeable about how things work, and about who is who in this biz. Which in turn will lead you to a better job.

They say you shouldn't operate heavy machinery when you are taking medications. Does that include a computer? Read this post quickly, it might come down soon when I'm feeling better.

Cranky Recruiter: What you can do to make your resume stand out

Been looking at lots of resumes for days and days now. Yes, I give resume advice all the time on this blog--but there may be a reason. A good resume can make a recruiter or employer take notice, and a bad resume makes us unhappy.

So, while I may be a Cranky Recruiter today, I thought I'd share with my readers what makes me happy when I'm pouring over resumes. Here goes:

I love color. I know, too much of a good thing could turn your resume into a day-glo mess, but a little touch of color on the header, or for different sections perks it up. I noted on Facebook recently that I seem to like orange. This is true both for resumes and art work--so I'm not sure if it is a good color for everyone--but always makes me energized when I see a resume.

Ease of reading: This may go along with the color topic--but easy to read typeface, a good size font, and some bare spots along with bullet points goes a long way. Don't cram too much on the page, but keep it flowing nicely. Also, cute typefaces are fun to work with, but can be a killer on a resume. This also is true when converting from Mac to MS and other programs, so sometimes less frills are better. I also don't like handwriting script used in the body of an email--good old generic typefaces are so nice to read.

Tell me about your roles: Yes, I do know a little about the wine industry, but there is a lot to know. Tell me about the wineries you worked at. Things likes production size, types of wine made, budget, sales figures, etc. all give me an idea of the type of companies you are familiar with. If you are working at a small yet very well regarded winery, put those notes on your resume. I may not know those wines or the following a winery has. And if you were instrumental in that following, that is very important.

Put links on your resume. I am reading all of these resumes on my computer, so if I see a website link to the place you are working now, I can quickly pull it up and find out a lot about the winery. This helps me decide suitable matches for you.

References. If you are comfortable putting references, either put them on the last page, or as I sometimes see, put them within the job summary section. If I know Jane Doe over at ABC Winery is saying good things about you, I may be quicker to call you up for an interview. You don't need to do this if you are confidentially searching, and I think guarding your references is very important--both for you and for them--but I have seen some resumes do this and I thought it was very effective.

Explain Gaps. If you have a gap on your resume due to personal time off, you can put it on your resume. Going back to school, taking care of a newborn baby are all real life events that need your time. Sometimes life throws you a curve ball where you need to move back to take care of a family member, or deal with a business concern. These types of issues can be addressed on a resume, and helps explain gaps in employment.

Contact. Put your email and cell phone number on your resume. Simple, yes, but very important.

Ok, that's all for now. Back to resume review.

Resumes and Winery Marketing--not that much different

Yes indeedy, wine industry recruiting is seasonal. Got a new slew of requirements to work on, and plenty of work to keep me busy.

As I slog through my resumes this morning, I noticed how some resumes tell a good story about someone's career, and others leave me wondering. When I started thinking about it, it reminded me about recent wine industry events I've attended. Several meetings have called attention to the need for wineries to tell a compelling story, and then weave that story through their marketing materials, their branding, and sometimes most importantly, into their label. When you see that dancing coyote on the bottle, it makes you wonder what the brand is about, and then you read the marketing material and have a sense of the winery. And if all gels, you buy the wine, often.

Looking at resumes I sometimes become that Cranky Recruiter. Please, not another objective statement to overlook. But when I see a great resume, I totally understand the person's career history and motivation for looking for a new job. I see their career progression, and possibly career tangents, but understand where they have been and where they want to go. That resume conveys their personal brand, and quickly tunes me into roles they would excel in.

Generic resumes leave me wondering what they really want to do, and why they are contacting me.

So take the time to weave that personal story into your resume. While there most likely won't be a crazy critter on your resume, your personality may just make me call you, often.

Thoughts from Unified

Last week the Unified Wine and Grape Symposium was held here in Sacramento. It is one of the largest seminars and trade shows that the wine industry has. I have been attending it for years, and it is always a barometer for how the wine industry is doing, as well as more personally, how WineTalent is doing. It was at the 2005 Unified Symposium when I offically announced that I was opening my own winery executive recruitment company. Prior to that, I had attended the meeting for several years while working for my old employer.

Every year the seminar covers the overall economic situation for the wine industry as well as current trends in sales, marketing, winemaking and viticulture. Having attended it for years, I've seen those charts arrow up and down. I've seen the changes in winery marketing involving websites, blogs and now Facebook and Twitter. The big wines have gone from White Zinfandel to Cabernet Sauvignon to Pinot Noir. And I've looked at a lot of tractors and other machinery in the trade show.

But one notable change that I saw this year was a dearth of postings on the Job Board. (yes, there had to be an employment slant to this posting, dear reader). From the first year I attended I have put a job posting on the job board that Unified has set up outside the exhibit hall. I have become such a slave to the job board, I now jockey for space on the board the first day the convention center opens for registration. This year I quickly put up my business cards front and center on the board and followed up with my marketing posting the first day of the symposium. Checking back on it from time to time I replenished my business card supply and checked out any other postings that were there. I started to see an alarming pattern. There were VERY few other postings up there. I think by the end of day three there were only four jobs listed from wineries, of which at least one was a summer internship. There were several cards posted of job seekers and consultants which is not unusual. One surprising thing was that none of my usual recruiting competitors were there.

While I was able to get WineTalent posted front and center, this lack of other winery jobs is troubling. Going to visit some of my old friends in the trade show I grabbed Wine Country Classifieds recent mailer. This only had one or two jobs listed. I know Winejobs.com hasn't had the usual volume of advertising. Yes, it is a slow time for hiring many winery jobs, but there are usually more openings that what I saw last week.

The economic and business discussion during the seminars reflected the tough times many wineries have faced in the last 12 months. But wine consumption is up again this last year, and several wineries have experienced good sales for 2009. While small producers and high priced brands were hit hardest, there were still many success stories in those areas, as well as wineries that had stellar results. While many of the experts were quietly optimistic, this was not evident on the job board. There have been some comments that things are beginning to improve and the economy is getting better--both for the economy at large and for the winery world. I do see some new energy going into recruiting and have a sense there will be some increased movement in the job market this year.

One surprising turn of events this year was that someone ripped my posting down. Three days I had it up with no problems--which is normal. When I went by on Thursday, it was nowhere to be found. A couple of my cards were still on the board from days earlier, and I did have a backup posting which I quickly put up. But I was surprised that with all the real estate up for grabs, my posting would be taken down. There were a few business cards from a recruiting service I have never heard up right where my posting had been. Did they take mine down? I think there is room enough for a few winery recruiters in today's market, and there was plenty of area for more business cards to be tacked up. I hope it wasn't a mean-spirited recruiter who removed my information. We all need to be professionals in the wine business and the recruiting business to make sure people--both candidates and clients--want to do business with us.

Ok, so maybe there is a bit of the Cranky Recruiter in this post, but I do see things improving out there on the job front. It may be taking longer to find a job, but let's hope it is thawing out a bit and new opportunities will present themselves to you. Keep chipping away at your job hunting activities--patience and persistence often brings rewards to those who practice them.

Cranky Recruiter: Resume.doc

Been reviewing a lot of resumes today. Late in the day....and the cranky recruiter rears her ugly advice again. When writing your resume, save it as you. What I mean is, put your name on the file when you save it. I often get several candidates whom I am talking to, and when I go to pull up their resume from my files, I can't find it based on the title. 50% of the resumes I review are titled resume.doc. Ah, fun. I save them in my database by name, but I'm thinking about your well being here. If you send your resume to a hiring manager, do they take the time to put your resume in their database--or do they have a whole file full of resume.doc files?

I'm keeping it short and sweet. Save your resume as First Name Last Name. AmyGardner.doc is much easier to find than Resume2recruiter.doc, etc.

Have a great weekend. I should be less cranky come Monday.

Cranky Recruiter: Don't Take it out on Me

I am just getting back in the swing of things after taking a few days off to recuperate. This summer has been very busy for WineTalent. Now that most of my positions have been filled, I had to take a bit of time to just relax. Well, now that's over. Back to work.

First of all, let me apologize to anyone that I owe a call to. I do keep track of all my voicemails, and will get back to you one way or another. Sometimes I can't return all the calls during business hours, and will send you an email. Yes, I know if you've left me a couple of voicemails, and will touch bases soon.

Second, my inbox often comes first. This might be sad to say, but I do try to get through all my emails first. This may be a function of our new electronic society--or just how I work. I do receive 10 times the amount of emails than I receive of voicemail, and have to start somewhere.

Third, I do keep your resume in my database and always look there first when a new opening comes up. I always encourage you to check in with me from time to time. You don't know how often that pays off for people. Check out this related post: Where do I find Candidates.

Okay, now why I'm cranky. I have been working in recruitment for a long time. Recently, I have been getting more angry candidates. This could be because I am working on a wider array of positions. Or maybe because by being in business for many years, I know a lot more people, some of which are grumpy. But I think I know what the situation is: the job market. With so many people laid off and the job hunt being tough, I may be a convenient whipping boy when someone doesn't get called for a job, or isn't getting hired as quickly as they would like.

Job hunting is never fun, I know. And if your hunt is stretching on longer than you envisioned, it may be psychologically and financially unnerving when you don't get called about a job. But lashing out at your friends, your family, and yes, even your recruiter isn't the solution. Get up and get back in the hunt. Start at square one. What job do you want. Then, what job can you get, and what job are you willing to take. If you have steered away from lower level jobs, time to get your name in there. If you haven't let some of your old colleagues know you are looking, call them. If you aren't looking at many different sources for jobs, broaden your search. If you are showing up for interviews in business casual attire, take that suit to the dry cleaners, shine your shoes and iron that dress shirt. Kick it up a notch.

And turn that frown upside down! A positive outlook and sunny demeanor help tremendously when you are interacting with colleagues, friends, recruiters, and interviewers. A smile and firm handshake go a long way in the business world--so stand tall, be proud, smile and tell them you want the job. You always want the company and hiring manager to know that you want the job and to work with them. We all want to be wanted, so make sure you express your interest in any job opportunity you hear about.

Okay, back to the inbox, and yes, the voicemails.

Cranky Recruiter: Resume Template

Okay, everyone always wants advice on how to write a resume. After recently seeing some awful ones, I'm putting a template out here for everyone to look at. This is a general, all-purpose resume outline that I think is fairly standard.

Name (the name you are known as--if you use an appropriate nickname, put it down.)
Street Address City, State, Zip code.
Phone Numbers--put the numbers you can be reached at. Cell, Home. Put your work number down only if you can get calls there without risking your current position.Email--again, only use personal emails unless it is perfectly acceptable with your current employer to use your work email when looking for a different job.

Professional Summary: List your experience, skills and relevant information for the types of positions you are seeking. If you are a recent graduate, this area may list some work you did in school, or skills such as lab work, computer software, etc. For an experienced professional, this area should highlight the experience and knowledge you bring to a future employer.

Work Experience: In Chronological Order, listing your most recent position first:
Company, Location, Position Title and Dates of Employment. If you have worked for the same company but in many different positions, put a top line listing of the company and entire tenure, then break it down after that into position and tenure.
Job Responsibilities in that position. List what you had to do at that company, what your responsibilities were, and any special projects that you were involved in. If you are looking to enter into the wine industry, I encourage you to describe what the company did, and what you did within the company. An example of this would be if you worked at a paper company. If you were a sales person, list the company, location, position title and dates of employment. Then put a small description of the company, such as, Dunder Miflin is a paper and office supply company based out of New York City that works with large corporations and small business owners to provide office products and solutions. As Sales Manager, I was responsible for overseeing the office staff as well as work with key accounts to attract and retain business. This allows a hiring manager to understand what you did there, and then think of ways you could help at their company. If you were doing specific tasks or using specific technologies, list them.

Education:Degree Received, Name of School, Location
You can put the graduation year, and I encourage you to if you recently graduated. If it has been several years, you may want to keep it off the resume. You do not need to list high school or every community college you attended. List where you received your degree from.

Professional Development/Certifications:
This is a good area to list any management courses taken, technological workshops attended or certifications received that are relavent to the position you are submitting your resume for.

References: List 3-5 if you want, but most every hiring manager understands that you will provide references if asked. By leaving it off, you have a bit more page to use for putting career information on.

How Long: 1-2 pages is best. I often see people with 20-30 years of experience that have distilled it down to one page. The 4-page recent-graduate resume is cumbersome and often irrelevant. Sometimes less is more.

Some things you can list, but only if you have a burning desire to or it is relevant to the position:
hobbies, community involvement, relevant coursework. I would encourage you to keep off birthdates, marital status and number of children and/or pets.

It is your resume, so read my advice, and then write what you want. It should be a reflection of your personality and experience, and that can come across in a well-written resume.

Good Luck.