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Mar 20 2009

Adding Just A Touch of Spice To Your Resume

Published by landinn under 1 Edit This

I can’t take the credit for this one. It was sent to me by a friend that is on the Ask Liz Ryan discussion list, and is from Liz Ryan. Giving credit where credit is due, as you will see shortly.

I’ve mentioned that there are a ton of non-essential things people put on their resumes, and the “references provided upon request” sentence is one of them. Liz had an interesting suggestion: put a short *audience* appropriate quotation in that place (bottom of the page, last page). Make *sure* you give proper credit to the source you are quoting so as not to violate copyright laws. Some good sites for quotations are:

http://www.bartleby.com/quotations/
http://www.gaia.com/quotes
http://www.reellifewisdom.com/

Any lyrics database, but be careful of spam and pop-ups.  This works if you know the song or at least the group you are looking for, not in a general sense. If you have part of the lyrics floating around, try a Google search.  For example:   “breakfast at Tiffany’s” AND lyrics.  This should pull it right up if you use this format.

I read a lot and find inspiration from many of my favorite authors and music, and I keep a list of favorite quotes that I use occasionally. Gotta say, for my own resume though, this is probably my favorite:

“They were there looking for people who had the talent to think outside the box. It never occurred to them that, if everyone had to think outside the box, maybe it was the box that needed fixing.” -Malcolm Gladwell

It may  be a bit long. Maybe just the end part. I’ve used it as an autosig when recruiting :)

But some of my other all time favorites:

“I believe in karma, what you give is what you get returned”. -Affirmation lyrics

“Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic” -Arthur C. Clarke

This works if you have space at the bottom of your resume. Don’t try and cram it in if you are already tight on space. Try it out, you never know. It may just give you that edge.

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Feb 19 2009

The Story Behind Resume Blast Services

Published by landinn under 1 Edit This

I was over on Twitter yesterday and there were several blurbs aimed at job seekers for “resume blast” sites such as Resume Zapper. Basically, you pay them a fee and they “blast” your resume to tons of recruiters. What they don’t tell you is that all they are doing is sending emails to email addresses like “jobs@microsoft.com” or “careers@acmewidgets.net”. They don’t have any real “in” to specific companies and they aren’t targeting your job search for you.

Now, you may think that this may be helpful from a sheer numbers point of view, but here’s the thing. At least in the US, *most* companies are bombarded with resumes, and recruiters are only looking at applicants that apply directly (via website or referral, or with an email specifying the position in the subject line) to a specific position, and often times the “blasted” resumes are treated as spam and just deleted, so you have just wasted your money.

If you read my post on phone screens, you also know that one of the worst things you can do is receive a call from a recruiter and have no idea what company they are calling from. *If* your resume somehow manages to defy the odds and ends up in the hands of a recruiter that is interested in your candidacy, will you have any idea who they are when they contact you?

I’ve performed Headhunting Services for clients before. This means that they contract with me to find opportunities for them. But I run every opportunity by them to judge their level of interest before I vet them to the company. This is the role of the external recruiter. The truth of the matter is that this is *your* job search, and you should be in control of it and know what is going on with it at all times.

It’s your money to spend, but I’d recommend investing it somewhere that will generate positive returns, like taking former colleagues out to coffee or attending networking functions.

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Feb 03 2009

Surviving and Thriving in the Panel Interview

Published by landinn under 1, Career Edit This

  In the last year, I’ve been interviewed by two organizations via the panel  interview. Most people, myself included, dislike (or dread, or hate in many cases) this interview style.  I don’t mind a 2:1 approach, but more than two people evaluating me feels too much like a power match (and putting the candidate in a “stress” situation is often the actual goal). And what I *really* don’t appreciate is not *knowing* I’m going into a panel interview ahead of time.

Although the intellectual preparation for a panel interview is no different than for a traditional 1:1, the *mental* aspect is much different. In my case, it may even affect  the decision of what I’m wearing and the type of note-taking tools I use.  There is a different dynamic  for me talking to one person than a group of people. My body language is different, and my concentration is both more and less focused.

That being said, what are some of the things you can do in a panel interview to make a better impression?

-Recognize that when you are in a panel interview, it actually levels the playing field for you as a candidate.  The interviewers are outside of their respective comfort zones as well, especially if most of them have offices containing personal momentos. It also means that they don’t have a computer screen in front of them, or a phone, which can be distracting and break the flow of your conversation with them. Keep your poise and try not to fidget.

-If you know in advance that you will be interviewed by several people, ask the recruiter or recruiting/HR assistant how much time will be allotted for you to ask questions, and whether it is built into the interviews as a dialogue or “them first, me second” agenda. If at all possible, try to engage in a dialogue, where you have the opportunity to gain some authority and show your understanding of the myriad questions being thrown at you.

-Make sure that during your interviews you main eye contact with the person asking the question; don’t let your eye wander all over the room.

-Take notes when you first sit down and each member of the panel is introduced. Get name and title if you can; don’t be afraid or nervous to ask then to repeat the information while you are writing.  The first panel I had in the last year was with four people, and it was pretty easy to figure out who was who. The second involved eight people and they were introduced so fast that I only got about half of them, and had to try and figure out what department and function they represented based on the context  of their questions.

-DO take notes. Listen to what the questions are, what they repeat in different ways, and try to determine if there is a pattern or theme to the sorts of questions they are asking. From my eight-person interview,  I got a lot of questions about “finding” talent, and what methodology did I use to identify the competition. This led me to believe that their previous recruiter was reactive rather than proactive, which was later confirmed when I had my follow up interview with the director of HR.

-If you are offered cup of water or some other beverage, take it.  A lot of interview etiquette guides counsel against accepting beverages, but in a panel interview, you may need it.

 Above all, don’t let this type of interview truly stress you out. Stay as calm and collected as possible. 

 

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Jan 30 2009

The “$65,000 Question”

Published by landinn under 1 Edit This

Yesterday I alluded to salary discussions in a first phone screen with the recruiter of a company. The rules have changed in this economy, so throw out your misconception about holding off on salary discussions or being coy with “looking for market value” statements.

The first thing to understand is that employers and recruiters are not asking you a salary range to lowball you. Companies know that to attract and retain the best talent they must be competitive.

It’s very important to understand that almost every position has a specific pay scale. This isn’t some arbitrary amount; it is carefully calculated based on factors such as industry wages, location, job content, the people that are in the job currently doing the same thing, cost of living changes, company profitability, and issues such as relocation.

When an HR person asks you what you are looking for in compensation, there are several things going on.

1) They are assessing your understanding of compensation in terms of base salary, bonuses based on performance review, stock, benefits such as health insurance, training and paid time off.

2) They are trying to make sure that the salary range slated for the position is in line with your expectations. If you are more junior/senior than the position, they may work with the hiring manager to re-level the position if you are the right person for the job.

3) Do you know your own worth professionally?

I have queried fellow recruiters around the country about these practices, and most of them agree that if you refuse to discuss salary in this initial conversation with honest transparency, it could lead to you losing ground in consideration for the position. Remember, this interaction sets the stage between you and the company. Your recruiter can be your greatest ally or they can decide you don’t fit in with the corporate culture, and that decision is often made at this critical juncture. Make sure the person making this decision believes you are able and willing to collaboratively communicate and take direction.

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Jan 27 2009

VC’s for Jobs

Published by landinn under 1 Edit This

Some people like the challenge of a start-up environment. New companies often have more opportunities to make an impact with high income potential.

But where do you *find* these startup companies, especially when they are in “stealth mode”? The answer is in the portfolios of Venture Capitalists.

VC firms have investors that contribute money to fund new companies, often for a significant return on either stock (if the company goes IPO or is bought) or revenue generated by the product/services the fledgling company is offering. There is a Canadian TV show, the Dragon’s Den , that demonstrates this concept.

The value of looking in the portfolio section is that often, they will show you job openings in the fledgling company, and the companies may not be advertising these jobs elsewhere.

Finding VC companies takes a bit of doing. In Seattle, we are very lucky in that Bridgeway Careers , a career counseling firm, has links to a plethora of local resources. The Bay area has a lot of VC resources as well. But I’ve done a Google Search for “Venture Capital”+Newport+RI and come up with a pretty targeted listing.

I have a friend in Florida that is desperately seeking an HR position in her town. I did a quick search and came up with this list:

http://www.itflorida.com/wb2/itfl/itfl_Venture_Capital_Firms

So, make Google your friend. Find out who the VC firms in your area are and then start looking at their portfolios for potential leads.

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Jan 26 2009

Face to Face

Published by landinn under 1 Edit This

As we see announcements of more and more layoffs and business closures, even employees at healthy companies are getting worried about their jobs.

If you are one of the millions depending on Uncle Sam (or Mother Canada) to help pay your bills, it isn’t enough just to send out resumes to online contacts anymore. You will need to start networking in person.

Almost every community has business networking groups and events. Just do a google search on your city plus business networking.

Check out your local Bureau of Tourism, if you are in an area that has such a thing. I’m finding a wealth of great information on Twitter, just by doing a search for single or compound terms.

Meet and greet; people will be more inclined to hire someone they *know* than a total stranger.

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Jan 17 2009

The Law of Supply and Demand

Published by landinn under 1 Edit This

I was over on Twitter a few days ago, and saw that one of my software dev friends had posted that he was filing for UI. I sent him an email and asked him why he hadn’t sent me his resume? (Come on, when you list a recruiter as a true friend, that should be the first thing that comes to mind!)

His response? He exptected that recruiters would find him on Twitter and other social networking sites.

DOH! OK, not only is this beyond arrogant, it shows a true lack of understanding of the basic laws of supply and demand. Here’s the rubdown. There are *many, many many more candidates than jobs available.* The days when truly gifted and qualified candidates could expect to just sit back and let the recruiters come to them is a trend of the past for now. As I told him, right now those recruiters lucky enough to be employed *with* openings are being deluged by frantic candidates. They honestly don’t have the time to go out and find candidates, they are getting frazzled with the number of resumes that are coming their way.

Sourcing, or the process of *finding* candidates is something most recruiters don’t enjoy doing (I’m the exception to that rule.) Sourcing is as much about looking at and dispositioning candidates that are applying to your openings as it is about going out and headhunting. When I was at Microsoft, this was a *huge* issue in a strong market, let alone a depressed economy.

Yes, in the past couple of years tech publications have touted the revolution of social networking sites as tools that recruiters will embrace; but that is if they have *time*. Drowning under resumes means they don’t have time to be creative. So now is the time to definitely consider *mainstream* methods first (Monster,Careerbuilder, etc) and then go find the recruiters (hint: most of them with an internet presence are on LinkedIn, Plaxo, and Spoke.) Take a cue from the housing market: it’s a buyer’s market, and you are the *seller*.

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Jan 04 2009

Who Has Your Best Interests At Heart?

Published by landinn under 1 Edit This

There are basically three types of recruiters. With record numbers of unemployed professionals, recruiters are being bombarded, and job seekers get confused about who they should follow up with on legitimate jobs. So, here is a breakdown of the types of recruiters out there, and which one(s) will be the most motivated to help *you* out.

  • Corporate Recruiters

Employed by the company on behalf *of* the company. Can be contract or full time employees themselves.

  • Retained/Direct Placement

“Headhunter” – for full time jobs. Can work for the direct placement (full-time direct hire) arm of an agency.

  • Agency Recruiters

Placing contract employees on site. They are in reality the employer to the candidate.

Lets look at economics, which dictates the level of interest a recruiter will have in helping *you*.

Corporate Recruiters – salaried regardless of placements.

Headhunter/Direct Placement
Paid on a contractual fee for placements. Range  varies, often between 10-25% (or more) of the anticipated first year’s salary. Sometimes work on contingency structure for very difficult to fill positions.

Contract Agencies (recruiters make bonuses in addition to base pay)
Charges a percentage over what they pay the employee to the client. For example, the employee makes $24/hour and the agency charges the company $34 for each hour the contractor works.

A direct placement/headhunter recruiter is absolutely going to look out for your best interests, because their compensation depends on *your* salary. Since they generally get a percentage of the first year’s salary, the more money they negotiate for *you*, the more money they get paid.

A corporate recruiter wants you to be a happy employee, and to that end wants to make sure that the salary they offer you is going to be fair and enticing enough for you to accept, while maintaining internal equity (existing team members) and keeping the amount within the budgeted amount. Generally there is a wide range for the pay grade and they aim for the “midpoint”, which can be loosely considered the “average” for the range.

Contract/temp agencies want to pay you fair market value, but they will try and offer you the least amount of money, since they make their profit based on the difference between what they bill the client and what they pay you.

It’s very important to understand that almost every position has a specific pay scale. This isn’t some arbitrary amount; it is carefully calculated based on factors such as industry, location, job content, the people that are in the job currently doing the same thing, cost of living changes, and issues such as relocation. Corporate recruiters have the most control over negotiating salary, and direct placement recruiters generally work directly with Corporate recruiters/HR departments. Agencies are generally given a maximum range for the amount a client is willing to pay for a contractor. How much they offer you is completely dependent on their profit margin guidelines.

Hopefully this will help you figure out the best recruiter inquiries to answer when you open your New Year’s email for all those great opportunities waiting for you.

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