Time to Polish Up Your Resume: Ideas, Resources, Templates

With little warning, the pandemic has thrown many people into job search mode.  Many of my readers are finding themselves starting over, looking for a job, any job.  To have a fighting chance at landing a suitable position, now's the time to get the job hunt going in full force.  First item of business:  Get your resume updated.  

I've often written about how to make a great resume.  I do think you can write your own resume, and here's how.   I've also compiled my other resume writing advice here. 

To get started, use a resume template.  Some good ones I've mentioned in the past are on Canva.com.  Recently I have learned about Resume Genius.  They have some great templates and also information about how to write your resume, what to put on it, and how to format it.  I enjoyed their advice on The One Page Resume and The Two Page Resume.  I'm a fan of a one pager, but know that it is tough for an experienced professional to get everything on one page, so I'll concede to a two page resume if completely necessary, just make sure the first page counts!  And don't have the dreaded one-and-about-a-half-page resume.  If you need two pages, fill both pages up.

Not everyone is up for writing their own resume.  With COVID, resume writers are coming out of the woodwork, and plenty of them aren't worth the fee they charge you for a mediocre resume.  Robin Ryan wrote a great article for Forbes Careers about how to avoid getting duped when hiring a resume writer.  Robin is a resume writer, and encourages you to do your homework on the person who will be making your prime marketing piece for your next career move.   

Robin recommends finding a resume writer who has strong referrals, someone who has hiring and work experience in your industry, and someone who takes the time to learn about you and turns around the resume to you in a timely manner.  

Robin also wrote about five resumes mistakes to avoid.  This was all spot on with what I experience with resumes.  While taking her advice, here's another great article from Rebecca Henninger of the Forbes Coaches Council about what your resume should look like in 2020.  

If you find yourself out of a job, treat your job hunt like a job.  Have daily tasks, work with your professional network, and stay on top of industry news.  And keep on keeping on.  If there was ever a time when people will understand that you are job hunting, now is the time.

And don't forget to send me your new resume!

COVID Career Casualty? Time to start the job search

Two months into the COVID-19 shutdown here in California, and things look a lot different than at the beginning of March.  After shelter in place orders were given and the need for some to self-quarantine, our employment situation is drastically different.  We are starting to chart a path to reopen the economy, but it may be a very bumpy ride for the next few months. 

The first few days and weeks of the pandemic response seem like a blur.  Businesses were forced to shut down and employees found themselves sheltering at home.  Workers who could work from home were, sometimes for the first time ever.  Other people whose companies closed were home, facing their future.  Many of us now had young children home, and we were navigating online learning.  And some of us chose to self isolate in order to avoid getting the virus.  Looking back, it was a time full of heightened emotion, uncertainty and fear.  Today, emotions can still run high, there is plenty of uncertainty, and some of us continue to have a good amount of fear of the virus, the future and our livelihoods. 

I think the uncertainty is the toughest part of this pandemic.  While I am fairly confident in how to limit my exposure to the virus, and prevent others near me from becoming ill, I'm not completely convinced the coronavirus will not cause harm to me or my family.  Having geared up to make hundreds of masks early on in our lockdown, I felt like I was making something that could help prevent contracting the virus, or prevent spreading it to someone unknowingly.  Hand washing is a new religion for my entire family.  Yesterday I even made my second batch of homemade soap.  But small projects will not keep me occupied or feeling rewarded long term.

Just like I need to keep myself active and engaged with my business, you may be facing an uncertain employment situation yourself.  Now is the time to plan your "get back to work" strategy.  Now that the future is starting to take shape, let's sharpen our focus on your job search strategy. 

Connect with people you know:  Being isolated from people we see regularly can be very hard on us, and reconnecting with those people may seem daunting.  Right now, people enjoy hearing from friends and colleagues.  Pick up the phone and call your old friends.  If you have lost your job, call your old co-workers.  And call your old boss.  We are all going through this together, and right now connecting with those we care about is important. 

Don't be afraid to express your emotions--within limits!  If you reach out to an old colleague right now, don't be afraid to say you have been scared or lonely.  Those are natural human emotions, and most people are feeling them too.  I would say it's best to avoid putting yourself in a situation where you can't communicate because you completely lose your composure.  And while emotions may be high, don't bad mouth your old boss or employer--many people had to make tough decisions on the fly in the first few days of the pandemic.  Remember that the relationships you have are very important now, and keep them strong. 

There is no shame in having lost your job:  During this lockdown, many high performing people found themselves unemployed for the first time in their life.  If you are still reeling from the fact that you lost your job, you are not alone.  Many people are in the same situation, and can commisserate with you.  Face the fact that you don't have your old job, and present your situation honestly when talking to others. 

Get in touch with people who can help:  Right now many people I proudly helped find a great job are facing shaky employment prospects.  I want to hear from you.  Recruiting can feel like a role that is all about making the placement and walking away.  But it really doesn't stop at the placement.  We want to continue to hear from you, help you on your career path and connect you with a great job again when you need it.  Put a quick call into anyone who has mentored you with your career and let them know you are looking for help again.  Knowing you need help often allows others to assist you. 

Take some small steps in your job search:  Looking for a job can seem like a Herculean task when you are sad and sheltering at home.   Breaking up the task into bite-sized pieces will make it much easier.  

Here are some things to do now to get your job search on track, (with resources where appropriate):

• Update your resume (for tips, click here)
• Create a generic cover letter to use when sending in a resume
• Update your LinkedIn profile (tips, click here)
• Get in the habit of scanning job boards for opportunities
• Talk to friends about what they are hearing out there, job wise.  
• Connect with old bosses and co-workers 
• Have a game plan for taking care of children or family members if you need to do a phone or video interview
• Follow up on any job leads, interviews or networking calls to see how things evolve over time.  While a job opening might be on hold, when it reopens you want to be one of the first people the employer thinks of.
• Make sure you can do a video interview, professionally (tips, click here)
• Get an interview outfit ready, in case something comes up quickly.  The interview may be by video or in-person, and having something ready may save you precious time.  
• Clean up your social networking feeds--if you have a social media presence and are job hunting, now is a good time to have positive posts up and not political, silly or distasteful posts.  

Figure out what works, and keep doing that:  This job search may be quite different than your previous ones.  There may be many people vying for the job.  Some people may be leery about the role based on the potential for exposure to the coronavirus.  The future of the employer may be questionable.  As you put one foot in front of the other on your job search, see which steps work best, and keep doing those as much as possible.  

Reevaluate your career plan:  Does your employment history skew towards industries that are the hardest hit by the pandemic?  Is the type of position you've had before put you too close to potential danger?  Do you need to factor in family care responsibilities differently now?  This new world we are in may make a profession pivot necessary.  Look at reports on what industries are hiring and poll your friends and family for where they think the jobs will be.  If you can repackage your skill set to a new, thriving industry, do it.  Or if you see an opportunity to provide a needed product or service in this environment, figure out how to make that happen and do it.  This dynamic time can be the perfect time to create a whole new career for yourself.

Hang in there:  This is a tough time for all of us.  We are all in this together, apart.  Soon we'll be in this together,  together again.  Find ways to find happiness in small things, and keep a long view for where your career path leads, not simply on this bump along the way.  

Desperately Seeking YOU: Passive Job Seekers Need to be Found Too

With the continued need for top-notch talent and tight labor market, we recruiters are working overtime to find the right people for the job.  Time spent in front of our computer terminals is increasing, and our searches in LinkedIn, Facebook and our other toolboxes are our lifeblood.  Recruiters need to find passive job seekers, those of you who are possibly interested in a new job, but are fairly content in your current position.  So it is heartbreaking when one of my searches turns up the ideal candidate, but there is no way to reach this person.

My Mission:  My mission today is to get people to put their personal contact information into their professional profiles.  Whether that is in my main tool, LinkedIn, or if you are an active user of Facebook, CareerBuilder, The Ladders, or another online site, make sure you are reachable.  I know you want to control your privacy settings, but if you lock me out I can't reach you.

Here's my action plan to be found if you are possibly thinking about a new job:

1. Make a LinkedIn profile that is similar to a resume.  
2. On your LinkedIn profile, use an email that is active and you will receive messages for.  Seems simple, but too often we set up our profile with an old address, or that personal email we seldom check.  Well, guess what, if I send you a message in LinkedIn, probably you won't ever see it.  Opportunity is knocking.....
3. Check your LinkedIn messages often.  Respond to them, including the best way to reach you if you are interested in hearing about possible opportunities.  I do encourage you to use a personal email account so that there is no issue with your current employer.
4. Add contacts that you know.  The larger your network is in LinkedIn, the more likely you are to be found in a search.  

Help me out!  Desperate times call for desperate measures.  This post is completely self serving.  In turn, I look forward to helping you out with a great career advancement opportunity.  

Job Seekers Beware: Identity Theft

When you are looking for a job you are thrilled when someone contacts you and wants to interview you for a position.  And as a potential employee, you often don't know what information you should and shouldn't share with a recruiter or hiring manager.  With unemployment running at a high level, if you are looking for a job you may feel that you need to be as helpful and as easy to deal with as possible in the hopes of landing a job.  This is just the way some identify thieves like it.

In the October 2012 issue of Consumer Reports they profiled "America's Worst Scams".  #14 was about ID thieves posing as recruiters to get job seeker's personal information. The article discussed job seekers who were using online job search applications being approached by a "recruiter" who was looking to fill jobs at companies nearby. The ID theives posed as recruiters and conducted interviews in public places with these people, having them fill out detailed job applications which included name, date of birth, address, and Social Security number.  These job applicants later went to the local company as directed by the recruiter, only to learn that there were no openings and that the recruiters were not associated with the company at all.

We all think we are too smart to fall for a scam, but ID thieves can be pretty clever.  While I am sure the majority of meetings you would have with a recruiter would be above board, I think you should always be cautious about sharing your personal information.

As a job seeker this is the information you should share:
1.  Your name
2.  Your phone number
3.  Your email address
4.  Your home city, state and zip code
5.  Your work experience
6.  Your education level/degree

If you are sending in a resume, you should make sure you have that information included.  Often people put their home address, and while this is the convention, I believe you can keep this off of your resume.  A potential employer can request this of you as needed.

This is information you should never share unless it is a true employment application or offer of employment:
1.  Your Social Security Number

And beware if these questions are asked:
1.  Your mother's maiden name
2.  Your bank account information
3.  The make of your first car
4.  Your first pet's name.
Ok, maybe I am thinking about all the things you may use as your password on those last ones, but do try to keep personal information private so that ID thieves cannot use it.

So, what do you do when that friendly recruiter approaches you for an interview in a public location?  Well, first of all do your homework.  Is she really who she says she is?  Does she have a website?  Did she give you information about the job she is currently hiring for?  Have you ever heard of her before?

If you are feeling confident that this meeting may lead to a job or be good for your job search, plan on meeting her.  Beware if she puts a lengthy job application in front of you that asks for your mother's maiden name, any aliases you have ever used and your Social Security number.  If she shows up and has inconsistencies between what you talked about on the phone and what she is discussing during the meeting, keep your personal information as tightly guarded as possible. 

As a job hunter you want to be easy to interact with.  But don't be taken advantage of by those who prey on people in tough circumstances.  Keep your guard up and try to figure out if it is a real opportunity or a "phishing expedition".

Good luck out there folks!