CAREER PLANNING AND ADULT DEVELOPMENT JOURNAL · 2014-07-15 · Career Planning and Adult Development JOURNAL..... 5 Foreword Looking Ahead with the Journal This issue of the Career

Summer 2014......Career Planning and Adult Development JOURNAL......... 1

CAREER PLANNINGAND ADULT DEVELOPMENT

JOURNAL

Volume 30 Number 2 ISSN 0736-1920 Summer 2014

Career Communications: The Now, the New, and the Next in Resumes, Cover Letters, LinkedIn Profiles...and moreWendy Enelow and Louise Kursmark, Guest Editors■ Resumes, Cover Letters, e-notes■ LinkedIn Profiles■ Personal Branding Statements■ Portfolios■ The Informational Interview Power Chart■ Business Plans

■ Dealing Successfully with Applicant Tracking Systems

■ Career Communications for: • Introverts• New Graduates• Mid-Career Professionals in Transition• People Returning to Work• Older Workers• Executive and Board Candidates

■ From Interview to Offer: The 30-60-90 Day Plan

2 ..........Career Planning and Adult Development JOURNAL.....Summer 2014

CAREER PLANNING and ADULT DEVELOPMENT

JOURNALThe Career Planning and Adult Development Journal (ISSN 0736-1920) is anofficialpublicationoftheCareerPlanningandAdultDevelopmentNetwork,anon-profitorganization of human resource professionals, career counselors, educators and researchers. Networkofficesarelocatedat4965 Sierra Road, San Jose, CA 95132 USA Telephone (408) 272-3085

Frequency of Publication: The Journal is publisheduptofourtimeseachyear.

Change of Address: Sendboth theoldandnewaddressesat leastfourweeksbeforethechangeistotakeeffect.Pleaseencloseyournetworklabel,whenpossible.

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Publisher: Richard L. Knowdell Career Planning & Adult Devt. Network P.O. Box 611930, San Jose, CA 95161 USA Phone (408) 272-3085 e-mail: [email protected]

Membership & Subscriptions: Career Planning Network P.O. Box 611930, San Jose, CA 95161 USA Phone (408) 272-3085 e-mail: [email protected]

Managing Editor Steven E. Beasley 453AlbertoWay,Suite257D Los Gatos, CA 95032 USA. (408) 354-7150 e-mail:[email protected]

Guest Editors Wendy Enelow 434-299-5600 [email protected]

Louise Kursmark [email protected]

Editorial Board: Jeanne C. BleuerCounselingOutfitters,LLC 1320 Jonathan Lane Chelsea, MI 48118 USA Deborah P. Bloch, Professor Emerita UniversityofSanFrancisco SanFrancisco,CA94117USA Harry Drier, President Career Education & Training Associates 1236 Langston Dr. Columbus,OH43220USA Rich Feller, Professor Emeritus Counseling and Career Development ColoradoStateUniversityFt.Collins,CO80523USA Carl McDaniels, Professor Emeritus Counselor Education, Virginia Tech 3008LancasterDrive,Blacksburg,VAUSA


CAREER PLANNING and ADULT DEVELOPMENT

JOURNALVolume 30, Number 2

ISSN 0736-1920Summer 2014

Career Communication: The Now, the New, and the Next in Resumes, Cover Letters, LinkedIn Profiles...and more.

Looking Ahead with the Journal, by Steven E. BeasleyManaging Editor.............................................................................5

Introduction to this Issue, by Wendy Enelow, Guest Editor....................................................................................6Chapter 1: Today’sModernResume,by Louise Kursmark.................13Chapter 2: AnsweringClients’“What If” and “Yeah, But” Questions RelatedtoCareerCommunications,byKimberly Schneiderman........24Chapter3: Transforming Generic Resumes and Cover Letters to Laser-FocusedCareerCommunicationsby Laura Gonzalez...........................34Chapter 4: Personal Branding in Career Communications, byKevin Tucker......................................................................................47Chapter 5: Using Career Assessments to Create Personal Branding StatementsforStudents,Graduates,andAllJobSeekers,byCassandra Wheeler...........................................................................53Chapter 6: CreatingResumesandPortfoliosforNewGraduates:HowtoShowcasePotential,byMichelle Riklan............................................60Chapter 7:CareerCommunicationTipsforJobSeekersReturningtotheWorkforce,byChristine Dennison..................................................68Chapter 8:CareerCommunicationsforIntroverts,byRuth Pankratz and Marie Zimenoff...............................................................................76Chapter 9: HelpingMilitarySpousesAddressEmploymentChallengesThroughCareerCommunications,bySophia Marshall........................85Chapter 10: ALifetimeofExperience:HelpingOlderWorkersCom-municateTheirEmployabilityUtilizingJobSearchDocuments,SocialMedia,andNetworking,byLorraine Beaman......................................91 Chapter 11: TechniquesandToolsforEffectiveCoverLettersande-Notes,byKristin Johnson......................................................................99Chapter 12:WhytheLinkedInProfileMaybeMoreImportantThantheResume,byLaura Labovich.................................................................111 Chapter 13: HumanizingtheLinkedInProfile:WhyResumeContentIsn’tEnough,byMelissa Cooper..........................................................117


Chapter 14:WritingaLinkedInProfiletoGetFoundbyRecruiters,byLisa Rangel...........................................................................................126Chapter 15: Executive and Board Candidate Bios: Executive Presence onDisplay,byPaula Asinof..................................................................133Chapter 16: ResumeorBusinessPlan?HelpingJobSeekersHireThemselves,byGrant Cooper.............................................................147 Chapter 17: TheImpactofApplicantTrackingSystems(ATS)onJobSearch,by Joni Holderman..................................................................154 Chapter 18:ApplicantTrackingSystems(ATS):HowtoNavigatetheATSResumeWritingLandscape,byRobin Schlinger........................164 Chapter 19: Courageous Networking Conversations for Mid-Career ProfessionalsinTransition,byLaura Labovich and Karen Reiff......176Chapter 20: The Informational Interview Power Chart: An Aid to CommunicatingYourValue,bySteven E. Beasley...............................183 Chapter 21:FromInterviewtoOffer:The30-60-90DayPlanbyJan Melnik.......................................................................................191

Other InformationGuidelines for Authors........................................................................200Obtaining Back Issues of the Journal................................................202Joining the Career Planning Network...............................................204


Foreword

Looking Ahead with the JournalThis issue of the Career Planning and Adult Development Journal is devoted to Career Communication: The Now, the New, and the Next in Resumes, Cover Letters, LinkedIn Profiles and more, with Guest Editors Wendy Enelow and Louise Kursmark.WesincerelythankWendyandLouiseandtheauthorsof21outstandingarticles!Hereiswhat we have planned for future issues of the Journal:

Special Veterans Journal issue with Guest Editor Robert Miles, who chairstheVeteransTaskForceoftheNationalCareerDevelopmentAssociation.

Career Assessments, with Guest Editor Debra OsbornofFloridaStateUniversity.

Book Reviews 2015, with our Book Reviews Editor Maggi Kirkbride of San Diego, California. Please contact Maggi [(619) 980-7854;e-mail: [email protected]] ifyouwouldliketobeabookreviewer,andalsopleasesuggestnewbooksthatyouwouldliketoreview.

Steven E. Beasley, Managing EditorCareer Planning and Adult Development Journale-mail: [email protected]


Introduction

INTRODUCTION TO THIS ISSUEWelcometotheCPADNJournal’sspecialeditiononCareerCommuni-cations–Resumes,CoverLetters,LinkedInProfiles,Bios,NetworkingConversations, and Interview Messages. When asked to guest-edit this editionoftheJournal,LouiseKursmarkandIimmediatelyacceptedsincebothofourcareershavebeenasresumewriters,authors,trainers,andmore--allwithinthecareersindustry.Mostsignificantly,wehaveworkedtirelesslytohelpourcolleaguesthriveintheirowncareers,andweknowthatthispublicationwillbeavalue-addforall.

Withmorethan30years’experienceasaresumewriter,I’vewitnesseda massive evolution in career communications. This evolution started slowlyastheObjectivebecametheSkillsSummaryandthenre-appearedastheCareerProfile,asectionthatnowoftenincludesajobseeker’sPersonalBrandingStatement.Whilesomethingshavechanged,asjustnoted,otherthingshavelargelydisappeared(e.g.,PersonalInformation,References)andnewthingshaveemerged(e.g.,TechnicalQualifications,hyperlinkedMultimediaPresentations).

Thepaceofchangehasfurtheracceleratedoverthepast7–10yearsastechnologyhasrevolutionizedjobsearch,candidatesourcing,andrecruitment.Today,socialmediahasalsotakenholdandwe’veexpe-riencedevenmoresignificantchangesnowthatLinkedIn,Facebook,Twitter,andothersocialmediachannelshavebecomekeyplayersinjobsearchandemployment.

Astheevolutionarycyclehasprogressed,thewayinwhichwecommu-nicateonadailybasishasalsochangeddramatically.Whowouldhaveeverthoughtthat140-charactertweetswouldbeacommonmethodofcommunication?Yettheyare.Thosechanges–impactingallofourcom-munications – have had a profound impact on career communications as well,andthat’swhatwe’llexploreinthiseditionoftheJournal.

BeforeItakeyouthroughanoverviewofwhatyou’lllearnfromreadingthis edition of the Journal, here are a few essential notes:

The term resume writer refers to people who write resumes, cover letters, LinkedInprofiles,andothercareercommunications.In2014,almostallresumewriterswriteamultiplicityofdocumentstomeeteachjobseeker’suniquegoalsandpathwaystosuccess.


AlthoughderivedfromtheFrenchwordrésumé,today’sresumeisanAmerican Englishword(particularlythroughoutNorthAmericaandrap-idlyspreadingworldwide).Noaccentmarksrecommended!Personally,Iseerésuméasdated,andthatisnotagoodthingintoday’scompetitive–andyoung–jobsearchmarket!

Akeyelementinwritingoutstandingcareercommunicationsistobeabletodosowithamodern,clean,andleanwritingstyle.Whatdoesthatmean?Yourchallengeistotellyourclient’swholecareerstoryinhalfthewords!

Today’sresumesmustbewrittenforboththehumaneyeandtechnology:specifically,ApplicantTrackingSystems(ATS),whichwe’llexploreindetail in several articles. The impact of this is enormous as it changes content,format,design,andkeywordusage.

The Articles and The AuthorsWe start with one of the most important articles – Today’s Modern Resume –writtenbymyfellowguesteditorandbusi-ness partner, Louise Kursmark. She will explain – and demonstrate – whatmakestoday’sresumessomuchdifferentfromresumesof5,10,ormoreyearsago.Theseevolutions,asI’vejustmentioned,impactcontent,format,design,linkability,keywords,andalonglistofotherconsider-ations.NotonlydoesLouisewriteaboutthisinformation,shesharesspecificexamplesofwhattodoandhowtodoit.Thatistrulyvaluable!

We all know that resume writing is notaone-size-fits-allprocess,andthat’swhythisarticle– Answering Clients’ What If and Yeah, But Questions Related to Career CommunicationsbyKimberly Schneiderman–issoimportant.It’sfilledwithpracticalinformationonhowtodealwithabroadcross-sectionofjobseekerneeds,challenges,issues,andexcuses.Kimberlyincludesgreatexamplesandsolutionsthatyoucanuseasaguideincreatingcareercommunica-tionsforeachclient.Althougheveryjobseekerfeelshiscircumstanceisunique,weknowtherearealotofcommonissuesthatmanyface.Thisarticleaddressesboththecommonandnot-so-common,whichmakesitparticularlyuseful.

Oneofthegreatestchallengesofwritingcareercommunicationsisbe-ingabletowritecontentthatisspecifictoeachindividualjobseeker’sexperience,qualifications,credentials,andmore.Usingthesameresumelanguageoverandoveragain,languagethatoftendoesn’tcommunicateagreatdealaboutthatspecificclient,makesyourresumesvanilla and non-distinct.Andthat’stheexactoppositeofwhatwewanttoachieve.ReadLaura Gonzalez’s article on Transforming Generic Resumes and Cover Letters to Laser-Focused Career Communicationsandyou’ll


learnhowtomakeyourdocumentsunique,powerful,andmemorable.

Overthepastfiveyears,personalbrandinghasbecomeamajorstapleintheworldofjobsearchandcareermanagement.Kevin Tucker introduc-es us to the critical importance and use of Personal Branding in Career Communications.Brandinggivesyou,theresumewriterandcareercoach,remarkablepowerincraftingjusttherightperceptiontopositioneachjobseekerproperly,andconsistently,fortheopportunitieshewishestopursue.Evenmoreimportant,personalbrandinggivesjobseekersclarityaboutwhotheyareandthevaluetheybringtothejobmarket.Inturn,they’rebetternetworkers,interviewees,andemployees!

Continuingourpersonalbrandingdiscussion, Cassandra Wheeler writesaboutUsing Career Assessments to Create Personal Branding Statements for Students, Graduates, and All Job Seekers. No writer, coach,counselor,orjobseekercancreateapersonalbrandingstatementwithout a clear understanding of the skills, expertise, and value the candi-datebringstothejobmarket.Thatcanbeparticularlychallengingforstudentsandgraduates,asyou’llreadinthisarticlethatgivesyoulotsofpracticaladviceonhowtoguideyoungadults.Note,however,theinfor-mationisrelevanttoeveryjobseeker,whether18yearsofageor80!

Speaking of college students and new graduates, Michelle Riklan takes us through the process of Creating Resumes and Portfolios for New Graduates: How to Showcase Potential.Forthoseofyouwhoworkwithyoungadults,thismightbethemostusefularticleforyou,filledwithvaluabletips,samples,andpracticalinformationtousewhencraft-ingresumesforpeoplewhohaven’tdone it yet,butarecapableofdoing it – whatever that itmightbe!

Whilewe’refocusedonspecialjobseekerpopulations,wemoveontoCareer Communication Tips for Job Seekers Returning to the Work-force by Christine Dennison. It is well known that individuals who have notworkedforanextendedperiodoftimecanhavedifficultytransition-ingbackintotheworkforce.Howdotheyshowcaseskillsandexperi-encestheymayhaveacquiredyearsago…adecadeago?Howdotheyexplaintheirprolongedabsence?Thisarticleisfilledwithgreatideas,recommendations,andsolutions,alongwithsomeveryusefulexamples.

Ruth Pankratz and Marie Zimenoff teamed up to write Career Communications for Introverts, another distinct population thatallofushaveencounteredatonepointoranother.Thesejobseekerscanbeverydifficulttoworkwithbecausetheygenerallyarereserved,don’tboastaboutworkaccomplishments,andwilltellyouthey’rejustdoing their job. As resume writers and career coaches, our goal is to help all clients showcase their careers, credentials, and successes in their


written materials and in interviews. Read this article and learn how to extrapolate deeper and richer information from introverts and help them communicatetheirvaluetoprospectiveemployers.

Another group often in need of special assistance in preparing their careercommunicationsaremilitaryspouses,whoareconstantlyonthemoveeveryfewyears,makingjobsearchextremelychallenging.Sophia Marshallsharesinsightsonhowtoguidethispopulationofjobseekers in her article, Helping Military Spouses Address Employment Challenges Through Career Communications.Notonlydotheseindividualshaveresumesfilledwithshort-termjobs,theyalsohavetoovercometheobstaclesofconstantlysearchingfornewopportunities–jobsthatthey’llholdforaonlyfewyearsatmost.Itisacomplicatedsituation,buttherearesolutions,asyou’llread.

Thelastspecialgroupofjobseekerswe’vefocusedonareolderwork-ers. In her article – A Lifetime of Experience: Helping Older Workers Communicate Their Employability Utilizing Job Search Documents, Social Media, and Networking – Lorraine Beaman shares strategies foralltypesofcareercommunications.Aswithjob-hoppingmilitaryspouses, older workers face their own challenges of demonstrating that theirskills,experiences,andthemselvesarerelevantintoday’sglobalemploymentmarket.Specificrecommendationswillhelpyouknowhowbesttoguidethispopulationinaworkforcethatisyoung,vibrant,andonthe move.

Kristin Johnson’s article – Techniques and Tools for Effective Cover Letters and E-Notes – shifts our focus to the all-important cover letter. Yes,peoplestilldoreadcoverletters!You’llfindsomestatisticsinthisarticleabouthowfrequentlylettersareread.You’llalsolearnwhenatraditionalcoverletterisinorderorwhenit’sbesttousethenew,moremoderne-note(coverletteristheemailmessage).Withonlysecondstocapturearecruiter’sorhiringmanager’sattention,well-writtene-notescanmakethedifferencebetweenaresumereadandcallforinterview,oraquickdelete.

In Laura Labovich’s article – Why the LinkedIn Profile May be More Important Than the Resume –wetransitionourfocustowhatmanybelievehasbecomethepreeminentcareercommunication.Arecruitertoldmeayearorsoagothatifyou’renotonLinkedIn,youdon’texist.Thatprettymuchsummarizesitall.ReadthisarticleandlearnhowtowriteLinkedInprofilesthatarerichincontentandkeywords,integratemultimedia presentations as appropriate, and otherwise create a powerful onlinepresencethatwillattractrecruitersandhiringmanagerstothejobseekerswithwhomyouwork.


Humanizing the LinkedIn Profile: Why Resume Content Isn’t Enough, byMelissa Cooper, is an essential read and an important lessonforeveryoneintheresumewriting,coaching,counseling,andemploymentindustry.ALinkedInprofileisnotaduplicateoftheresume.Rather,theprofileismorepersonal(yetstillveryprofessional),writteninadifferentstyleandtone.Thereareplacesintheprofiletoincludeallkindsofinformationthatyougenerallydon’tincludeinaresumeeitherbecauseit’snotresume-appropriateoryourspacinglimitationsdon’tallow.Therearen’tmanyspacinglimitationsinLinkedIn,soyou’refreeto include more information, showcase extra skills, integrate multimedia presentationstoengagereaders’attention,andincludeintereststotransi-tionthejobseekerintoarealperson!

WeendourexplorationofLinkedInwithanimportantarticlebyLisa Rangel – Writing a LinkedIn Profile to Get Found by Recruit-ers. Itdoesn’tmatterhowwell-writtensomeone’sprofileisorhowmanybellsandwhistlesyouincludeifnooneeverreadsit.LinkedInisanon-lineplatformthatrecruitersusetosearchforqualifiedtalent.Theylookforcandidatesbyusingkeywords,whichcanbecomprisedofcoreskillsandtalents,employernames,jobtitles,collegeanduniversitynames,geographiclocations,andmore.Assuch,eachprofilemustbewrittentoattracttherightrecruitersfortherightjobopportunitiesforeachjobseekeryouguide.

We now turn our attention to another important topic in career commu-nications – Executive and Board Candidate Bios: Executive Presence on Display,by Paula Asinof.Noteveryjobseekerwillneedacareerbio,butbioscanbepowerfultoolsforexecutivenetworkingandjobsearch and for individuals pursuing opportunities as a Board Director. You’lllearnhowthesecareerdocumentsshouldbewrittenanddesigned,howtobestusetheminthemarket,andwhytheycangiveyourclientsatrulycompetitiveedge.Personally,Ilovewritingbiossinceyou’rewrit-ingsomeone’scareerstory.Greatfun!

Next, Grant Cooperbringsupaveryimportantconsiderationformanyin his article – Resume or Business Plan? Helping Job Seekers Hire Themselves.Intoday’snewworldofwork,therearemoreentrepreneur-ialopportunitiesthaneverbefore.Assuch,someofyourclientsmaynotbetraditionaljobseekerswhoneedaresumetofindanewposition.In-stead,theseindividualsneedbusinessplanstolaunchtheirnewventures.Writingbusinessplanscanbeagreatnewserviceandsourceofincomefor resume writers who want to take another step forward. And, as Grant explains,businessplanwritingisanaturalextensionoftheskillsresumewritersuseeveryday.


Our Journal now transitions to a topic of critical importance with Joni Holderman’s article – The Impact of Applicant Tracking Sys-tems (ATS) on Job Search.ATStechnologyhaschangedalmostevery-thingaboutjobsearchandmadeitaboutincludingtherightkeywordsintherightformatsothateachjobseeker’sresumewillbefoundinahugepoolofcandidates.WecouldwriteanentireJournalonhowjobsearchhasbecomedehumanizedandevolvedintoatechnology-basedprocessforcandidateselection.We’llrefrainfromthat,butyoucan’tignoreATSandeverythingthatitimpactsinwritingalltypesofcareercommunica-tions.Readthisarticletolearnwhatyoumustknowtoguideyourclientsthroughthemazeofonlinejobsearch.

Carryingonwiththesameconversationis Robin Schlinger, who writes aboutApplicant Tracking Systems (ATS): How to Navigate the ATS Resume Writing Landscape.Thisarticleincludesspecificandveryusefulinformationabouthowtowriteresumesandothercareercommu-nications that are optimized to deliver strong ATS results. What does that mean?Itmeansthatyourclients’resumesandothercareerdocumentswillbefoundandthatyourclientswillgettheinterviewsand,hopefully,theoffers!

With Courageous Networking Conversations for Mid-Career Pro-fessionals in Transition,byLaura Labovich & Karen Reiff, we shift gearsandfocusonhowvitallyimportantourverbalcareercommunica-tionsare.It’snotjustaboutthewrittenword;thespokenwordisjustasimportant.Infact,thespokenwordistheveryfoundationforallofthepositive interactions that our clients will engage in throughout the course oftheirsearches.Learningtobefocused,confident,andon-brandinnetworking conversations is, perhaps, one of the most important things a well-prepared candidate must do.

It’swithspecialdelightthatweincludeanarticleby Steven Beasley (CPAD Journal Managing Editor) in this edition of the Journal. Steven shares The Informational Interview Power Chart: An Aid to Communicating Your Value. Thisisavaluabletoolthatyoucanstartusingwithyourclientstoday.Lookatthesampleinthearticleandthenworktocreateapowerchartstructure/templatethatwillworkbestforyouandyourspecificclientele.IcantellthattheusesofthisPowerChartarejustaboutunlimited,andthatisawonderfulthingforallcareerpractitionersandjobseekers!

ThefinalarticleinthisJournalisamust-readarticlebyJan Melnik – From Interview to Offer: The 30-60-90 Day Plan. This concept is innovativeandatruevalue-addforyourclients.Ratherthanthetypicalthank-youletterthatjobseekersmustsendafteraninterview,Jancreates


actionableplansforherclientstosharewiththeirprospectiveemployers– plans that highlight what a candidate will accomplish, focus on, and/or otherwiseengageinduringthefirst30days,60days,and90days.Thistoolcangiveyourclientsaremarkablycompetitiveedge.What’smore,ifyou’reaself-employedresumewriter/careercoach,it’sawonderfulnewsource of revenue.

Inclosing,bothLouiseandIwouldliketothankallofthecontributorstothisedition.You’vehelpedustocreateawonderfulresourcethatwillbeusedbythousandsofcareerprofessionals.AsIalwayssay,thereisnobetterindustrytoworkinthanthecareersindustry,wherecollegialcol-laborationreigns!

About the Guest EditorsRecognizedfordecadesofcontributiontobothjobseekersandcareerprofessionals, Wendy Enelow, CCM, MRW, JCTC, CPRW, is a well-recognizedleaderinthecareersindustry.SheistheFounderandEx-ecutive Director of the Career Thought Leaders Consortium, a think tank for the now, the new, and the next in careers. In addition, she is the Co-FounderandDirectoroftheResumeWritingAcademy,aprestigioustrainingandcertificationorganizationforcareerprofessionalsworldwide.Inherprivatepractice,Wendyworkswithtransitioningseniorexecutivesto provide career coaching, resume writing, interviewing training, and jobsearchguidance.Shehasauthoredmorethan25booksandhundredsof articles, speaks to audiences nationwide, and holds several distin-guishedprofessionalcredentials.Sheisatrueinnovatorintheindustry,hostingconferences,trainingprograms,andcareerbrainstormingeventsin the US, Canada, UK, Australia, and Russia. Contact her as follows: [email protected] YoucanreadaboutLouise Kursmarkattheendofthefirstarticlebelow–Today’sModernResume.


Chapter 1

TODAY’S MODERN RESUMEbyLouise KursmarkThehallmarksofthemodernresumeareSuccinctness,StrategicFocus,andStorytellingStyle.

Today’strendsareadistinctreflectionofandreactiontochangesinourculture.Theresumeasweknowithasbeeninuseformorethanhalfacentury(Collins,2011;Lempicki,2011),butnaturallyitcontinuestoevolvetomeetthechangingneedsofemployersandjobseekers.Asre-sumewriters,careercoaches,andcareercounselors,weneedtobeawareofhowstylesarechanging,howourclientsareusingresumes,andhowtocreatewinningdocumentsthatareeffectiveintoday’semploymentmarket.

What is a Resume?AccordingtoDictionary.com,aresumeis:1.Asummingup;summary.2.Abriefwrittenaccountofpersonal,educational,andprofessionalqualificationsandexperience,asthatpreparedbyanapplicantforajob.Thatdefinitionisexpansiveenoughtostillringtruetodayyetallowforthechangesinstylesandtrendsthathaveoccurredoverthepastyearsand decades. So while a resume from the 1950s or 1980s will conform to thedefinition,itisverydifferentfromtoday’sresume.Infact,aresumefromasrecentlyasfourorfiveyearsagowillalsodiffermarkedlyfromaresumethatconformstotoday’sbestpractices.

What’s Changed and Why?Wehaveonlytolookatourmodernculturetounderstandwhytheresumehasevolvedtoitscurrentstyle.Weliveinaworldofconstantinterruptions from multiple media – emails, tweets, ad popups, screen crawls,nottomentioncalls,texts,andalertsonthemobilephonesthatwetakewithuseverywhere.

Televisioncommercialshavegottenshorter.Nowadays10-and15-sec-ondspotsarecommonplaceand30-secondspotsfeelleisurely,whileinthe 1950s the 60-second spot was the norm (Rodman, 2009). Attention spans have gotten shorter, and thorough reading of detailed documents is nottobeexpectedinourfast-pacedbusinessculture.

To get noticed, resumes have adapted to meet the expectation for mes-sagesdeliveredquicklyandclearly,inshortbitesofmeaningfulinfor-


mation.Allthreeofthehallmarks–Succinctness,StrategicFocus,andStorytellingStyle–comeintoplayforcareerprofessionalsincreatingresumestomeettoday’sneeds.

SuccinctnessTraditionally,inNorthAmerica,resumeshavebeenone,two,orpos-siblythreepagesinlength.Exceptionstothisrule havebeenacademicor medical CVs, where length is not an issue and where more content cansignalgreaterqualifications.Also,resumes(oftencalledCVs)usedinotherEnglish-speakingcountriesaroundtheworldhavetendedtobeabitlonger.Withthetrendtowardmoresuccinctresumes,oneortwopagesisstillthenorm;three-pageresumeshavebecomerareralthoughnotoutofthequestion.Sothethemeofsuccinctnesshasonlyaminimaleffectontotaldocumentlength,butithasamajoreffectonthecontentandappearanceoftheresume.Itisimportantforreaderstobeabletopickupkeyinformationinthequicksix-secondscanthatistypicalofafirstread(TheLadders,2012).Thus,resumewritersshouldpaycarefulattention to:

•Text Density: A page of solid text is unappealing to readers, who are notsittingdownforaleisurelyperusalofthedocumentbutratherskim-mingquickly–oftenonacomputerscreenormobilephone–fordata.Best Practice:Presentallresumeinformationinshort,readablechunksratherthandense,heavysections.

•White Space:Blankspace–wherenothingiswritten–canbecon-sidered as breathing room on a page. Best Practice: Allow ample white spacesothatreaderscanpause,absorb,andthenmoveontoanothersection of the document to gather additional information.

•Paragraph Length:Busyand/ordistractedreadersarelikelytoskipoveranyparagraphthatistoolong,becauseitisdifficulttoskim.Best Practice: Limit paragraph length to three or four lines at most.•BulletLength:Similartoparagraphs,bulletsneedtobewrittencon-cisely.Best Practice:Constrainbulletpointstooneortwolineswhenev-erpossible;expandtothreeorfourlinesrarelyandonlyiftrulyneeded.

•Font Size:Fontsthataretoosmallaredifficulttoread.Andwhileit’seasytoincreasefontsizeonscreen,it’simpossibletodosowhenview-ingahardcopy.Best Practice:Usefontsandfontsizesthatcaneasilybereadwhenthedocumentisprinted–don’tevaluatefontsizebasedonscreenviews.Differentfontsarereadableatdifferentsizes,sothereisnouniversal standard.

•Live Links:Today’sresumeisjustthestartingpointforemployerstolearnaboutajobapplicant.Somuchmoreinformationcanbeeasilyfoundonline,andmanyemployerswillinvestigateacandidatebefore


extendingtheinvitationforaninterview.Therefore,itistoourclients’advantagetoprovidequickandeasyaccesstoadditionalinformationthatmightswayemployersintheirfavor.Best Practice:Linkabilityiskey.Everyresumeshouldincludealive-linkedemailaddresssotheem-ployercancontactthecandidatewithjustoneclick.Additionalcandidateinformationshouldalsobeinstantlyaccessiblevialivelink.ExamplesofadditionallinksincludetheLinkedInprofileURL(recommendedforeveryclientandideallyavanityURLfeaturingthecandidate’snameandnotastringofrandomnumbers)and,asappropriate,perhapsanonlineportfolio,aTwitterfeed,adigitalbusinesscard,orarelevantwebsite.

Tips for Writing SuccinctlyUltimately,thechallengeinwritingtoday’smoresuccinctresumesistheneedtoconveyessentiallythesameinformationbutinfewerwords.Twoapproaches can help in this task:1. Tight writing2. Strategic focus (hallmark #2 of the modern resume)By tight writing, I mean writing that is stripped of non-essentials. The beautyoftightwriting,andthekeenadvantageinresumewriting,isthatfewer words mean each word is more important and each word stands outmorestrongly.Sobywritingless,wecommunicatemorequicklyandusuallymoreclearly.Asanexample,comparethesetwobulletpointsthatshare the same accomplishment:

Redesignedorganization’sprimarywebsite(http://www.baystatecollege.edu)andearnedcustomeraccoladesandrecognitionbyNortheastEducationConsortiumas“bestcollegewebsite”in2011and2012.

Awarded“BestCollegeWebsite”byNortheastEducation Consortium (165 universities), 2011 and 2012.

Inthesecondbullet,theawardstandsoutmorestronglybecauseitisnotcamouflagedbyextraneousinformation.Andeventhoughthesentenceismuchshorter,itactuallyincludesmoreinformation–anumberthathelpsreadersgaugetheimportanceoftheawardbyplacingitinacompetitionof 164 other universities.

Similarly,comparethesetwosummarysections,writtenforagraduatingstudent:


SUMMARYOFQUALIFICATIONS•MasterofScienceinAccountingStudentatBaruchCollege (2014 expected completion).•Bachelor’sDegreeinInternationalEconomics&Trade.•Stronganalyticalandmathematicaltalents.Wonseveralnationalandprovincial awards in native China.•Quick,dedicatedlearner,gainingproficiencyinbasicJapaneselan-guageinjust6months.•Superiorabilitytolearnanduseaccountingandstatisticalsoftwareaswellasofficeanddesignsoftware.•Teamworkexperienceandrecordofworkingeffectivelyonbothgroupandindividualprojects.•Provenabilitytosetandachievegoals,adapttonewchallenges,deviseeffective solutions, and support/encourage people of all ages, profession-allyandpersonally.

Accounting&FinanceProfessionalPassion for International Business

Award-winninganalystwithmulticulturalbackground,fluencyinEnglishandMandarin,anddeepinterestintheglobaleconomy.MSinAccounting (2013) and BS in International Economics & Trade.

Thefirstexampleconveysmoreinformation,butnotnecessarilymoremeaningfulinformation,norinformationthatthereaderabsolutelymustgleaninafirstscan.Inthesecondexample,readerscaninstantlydeter-mine who thisapplicantis–hisuniqueassetsandwherehefitsintheorganization.

Writersdonotalwayshavetorethinktheirentireapproachwhentheyattempt to write tight.Afewsimpleeditingtechniquescanhelpreducethetotallengthofsentences,paragraphs,andbulletpoints,toallowformorewhitespaceandasharperfocusonthecontentthatremains.Forexample:•Removeunnecessarymodifiers.Agoodexampleissuccessfully. If a candidate accomplished a goal or completed a task, readers will know that it was successful.•Keepadjectivestotheminimumneededtopaintthepictureyouaretryingtocreate.•Beonthealertforwidow lines,awordortwoonalineallbyitselfattheendofaparagraphorbullet.Editthecontenttoeliminatethewidowandyouinstantlysaveanentireline.•Buildavocabularyofshort,strongverbsthatconveyenergyandac-tion.Examplesareled,drove,built,directed,executed,ran,andchaired,


whileexamplesofverbsthatarebothlongerandmoreflaccidincludefacilitated,effectuated,systematized,andestablished.•Avoidredundanciesandextrawordsthatoftencreepintocommonphrases. Good examples are due to the fact that (shouldbebecause) and in order to (in order isseldomnecessary).•Writeclearly,directly,andsimply.Avoidresume-speak and corporate-speak –writingthatisunnecessarilycomplicated,flowery,jargon-filled,or confusing.•Editwiththespecificgoalofshortening.Seehowmuchyoucanre-movewithoutaffectingthemeaningofyoursentencesandparagraphs.Writingwellandwritingtightlyaretechnicalskillsthatcanbelearnedandcontinuouslyhoned.Moredeeply,careerprofessionalsshouldalignthecontentofeachresumetothatclient’sspecificcareergoals.That’swhere the concept of strategic focuscomesintoplay.

Strategic FocusWithoutaclearfocus,wesimplycannotmakegooddecisionsaboutcontent to include, emphasize, deemphasize, or omit in a resume. Thus theunfocusedresumebecomesbloated,asthewritertriestocovereverypossibilitytoallowtheclienttoremainopen to opportunities.

Aswe’vediscussed,today’sreaderswanttoabsorbinformationinaquickscan,andaresumethatattemptstoincludeeverythingtheclienthasdoneinvariablymakesthistaskdifficultifnotimpossible.Inaddi-tion,withoutaclearfocus,thejobseekercannotpositionherselfasatopcandidateforaspecificjob.Rather,shelookslikeamediocrecandidateformanyjobsandassuchwillneverrisetothetopoftheapplicantlist.

Ascareerprofessionals,weoweittoourclientstoexplainthisrealitytothemandhelpthemunderstandthatestablishingaspecificgoalisnotlimitingbutratherempowering!Thefocusedjobseekercandefineaclear path toward his goal and deliver a distinct message of value to those targetaudiences.Therefore,ourfirststepwitheveryclientshouldbetoidentify,clarify,andconfirmthecurrentcareergoal.

Knowing the career goal allows us to focus the resume to achieve that goal.Wenowhaveastrategyforwhatwewanttohighlight–theskills,experiences, knowledge, and achievements that will make our client ap-peartobeagreatcandidateforthatdefinedobjective.Withstrategyinmind,itbecomeseasiertoseewhatislessimportantandcanbeomittedaswewriteandedit.Strategicfocushasbecomemoreimportantthaneveraswewritetoday’smodernresume.Becauseweuselesscontent,writeshorterparagraphsandbullets,andallowamplebreathingroomonthepage,wemustbeextremelyselectiveaboutwhatweareincluding.Whenwehaveastrategywecanmakethosedecisionswisely,andtheendresultisaresumethatsupportstheclient’scurrentcareergoalswith


powerfulandrelevantcontent.Toillustrate,let’sexaminehowwemighteditdownthecontentofajobdescriptionforaCorporateStrategicPlan-ningprofessional,whosejobistodefinethestrategytohelpanorgani-zationachieveitsbusinessgoals–toidentifyopportunitiesthatmatchthecompanyvisionandcreateplanstocapturethoseopportunities.Theaccomplishmentscansometimesbequantified,butnotalways;wemustalsocommunicatejobactivitiesandplansthathavebeenmadebutnotyetexecuted.Inthebeforesampleweseealengthylistofbulletpointsthatis,frankly,uninvitingtoread.Noticehowtheexcerpt,althoughgenerallywellwritten,doesnotfollowtheguidelinesforthemodernresume:•Itincludestoomanybullets–nineinall.•Lackofwhitespaceallowsnobreathing roombetweenbullets.•Someverbsareweak.•Severalbulletsareunnecessarilywordy,overlydetailed,andredundant.

•AsLeadCorporateStrategist,workedinpartnershipwithCEOtodefinecompany’sstrategicdirectionanddriveforwardcriticalstrategicplanning,organicgrowth,acquisitionandorganizationaldevelopmentinitiatives.First-everSeniorVPofStrategy&BusinessDevelopmentincompany’shistory.•Guidedstrategicleadershipofproduct,technology,andmarketdevelopmentsolutionstoensurecompany’scompetitivenesswithinthechanging, online-driven media landscape. •Facilitatedaconsistentstrategicplanningprocessforallbusinessesandspecificstrategiestostrengthenindividualbrandsandincreasemarket penetration.•Effectuatedbusinessdevelopment,M&A,andstrategicacquisitiongrowthstrategytoleadcompanythroughexpansionandensureexternalgrowthalignedwithbusinessstrategyandoperatingcapacity.Providedstrategic direction and assisted with selection, evaluation, and integration of100+acquisitions.•Instrumentalinplanning,duediligence,andseamlessintegrationofthelargestacquisition($500MforUnitedAdvertisingPublications),whichdoubledthesizeofthecompany.•Evaluatedbusiness,market,andfinancialpotentialfor38acquisitionsthatgeneratedcombinedannualrevenueof$143M.•Oversawtheconceptualization,development,andlaunchofnewproducts,services,technologyofferings,andbusinessunitsthatgeneratedcombinedannualrevenueofmorethan$15M+.•Establishedbusinessplanstomonetizeaportfolioofonlineassetswithprojectedvalueof$2M+.•Createdcorporateproductmanagementandbrandmanagementprocessesstillinusetoday.


The after version,below,isajobdescriptionthatismuchmorereadable,understandable,andmeaningful.Weachievedthisresultby:•Trimmingcontenttoincludeonlythemostimportant.•Constrainingbulletstooneline(mightappearastwolinesintheJour-nalformat,butintheresumeeachbulletwasonasingleline).•Usingheadingstoorganizebulletsandmakeareasofexpertisemorenoticeable.•Strengtheningverbchoices.•Removingextraneousdetailandunnecessarywords.Asaresult,readerscanveryquicklylearnandappreciatethisjobseeker’sexpertise,value,andcontributions.

Strategic Planning & Leadership•PartneredwithCEOtodrivestrategicplanning,growth,acquisition,and OD initiatives corporate-wide.•Strategizedproduct,tech,andmarketsolutionstoensurecompetitive-nessindynamicmedialandscape.

Business Development & Acquisition Management•Ledplanning,duediligence,andintegrationoflargest-everacquisition($500M),doublingcompanysize.•Evaluatedbusinessandmarketpotentialfor138acquisitionswithtotalannualrevenueof$143M.

New Product Development & Brand Management•Launchedproducts,services,technologies,andbusinessesthatgener-ated$15M+innewrevenue.•Createdproduct/brandmanagementplansstillinusetoday,includingonetomonetize$2M+inassets.

Ultimately,strategicfocuscreatesaframeworkthatguidesusaswewrite,edit,andformateveryresume.Itisessentialforwritingpowerfulresumesandespeciallyimportantincreatingthemodernresume,wherelessismoreandeverywordcounts.

Storytelling StyleThefinalhallmarkofthemodernresumeisitsstorytellingstyle.Ratherthansimplypresentingacollectionofqualificationsandaccomplish-ments,today’sresumeshouldbeacohesivenarrativeofthejobseeker’scareer–howhegotwhereheistoday,whatmotivatesandexciteshim,whyhehasbeensuccessfulinthepast,andhowhehascontributedinvarious roles.

Thegreatthingaboutthestorytellingstyleisthatwhenwefocusonthestory,wegetawayfromdrysummationsofjobdutiesandresponsi-bilities.Notonlyistheresumemoreinteresting,italsomorenaturally


conformstotoday’sstandardsforsuccinctnessandstrategicfocus.Asaexample,let’scompareatraditionaljobdescriptionwithacareerstory.Thefirstexcerptisawell-writtenbutratherlengthysummaryofthescopeofthisperson’sjobasaWebsiteDesigner.

BAY STATE COLLEGE, Boston, MA (2011–Present)SeniorWebsiteDesignerDesignwebsitesandmanageday-to-daysitemaintenance.Determinedesigngoalsandspecificationsbasedonuserrequirements,marketinginput,andcomparativeresearch.Prepareschedulesandrequirementsdocuments;coordinatewithmarketingreps,contentadministrators,programmers,andotherstodeliverfinalproduct.Createmockups,finaldesigns,templatesforcontentdevelopers,Flashtimelines,andotherspe-cialfeatures.Testcontentforcross-browsercompliance.Providetechni-cal support for content providers and end users.(followedbyaccomplishmentbullets)

Thesecondexcerpttransformsthatjobdescriptionintothestoryoftheprimaryaccomplishmentinthisrole(buildinganaward-winningweb-site)andalsotiesthejobactivitiestothevaluedeliveredtocustomers.Thedescriptionismoreinteresting,lesswordy,and–veryimportantly–uniquetothisindividualjobseekerratherthanbeingajobdescriptionthatcouldapplytojustaboutanywebsitedesigner.

BAY STATE COLLEGE, Boston, MA (2011–Present)SeniorWebsiteDesignerBuiltaward-winningwebpresencefor25,000-studentcollege.Provideend-to-endsitemanagementtoensuremaximumfunctionality,uptime,easeofuse,andresponsivenesstochangingneedsofstudents,faculty,and administration.(followedbyaccomplishmentbullets)

Ofcourse,wecannotignoretheimportanceofwritingkeyword-richresumesthatmatchjobdescriptionsandareessentialtopasstoday’sAp-plicantTrackingSystems(ATS).Intheexampleabove,wherewehaveremovedthedetailedjobdescriptionfromtheparagraph,wecreateduniquebulletpointsthattoldthestoryofaccomplishments(ratherthanresponsibilities)whileincludingallofthekeywordsappropriateforthisposition.Storytelling Aids Personal BrandingAnotherreasonstoriesarepowerfulisbecausetheyarememorable–andthereforetheydistinguishthatjobseekerfromallotherapplicants.Theycommunicateandreinforcetheindividual’spersonalbrand.Becausestoriesareuniquetotheindividual,ratherthangenerictothe


job,theyallowustocommunicatewhatmakesourclientspecial,thetraitsthatdefinethepersonalbrand,andthevaluedeliveredtopastem-ployers(andpromisedtofutureemployers).Bychoosingthestoriesthatbestillustrateeachclient’spersonalbrand,wepaintacohesiveandclearportraitofadistinctiveindividualwithuniquevalueinthemarketplace.ThestorytellingstyleisparticularlyappropriateforLinkedInprofiles,asyouwillreadinotherarticlesinthisJournal.Butitworksextremelywellinresumes,too–bothinthepositiondescription(asshownabove)andinthesummarysection.Here’sanexampleofasummarythataccom-plishes several important goals for an effective modern resume:

•Itinstantlycommunicateswhothejobseekerhisandwhereshefitsinthe organization.•Itissuccinctandpresentsinformationinquickbites rather than dense text.•Itisuniquetothisjobseekerratherthanagenericcollectionofcapa-bilitiesthatcouldapplytomany.•Itisstrategicallyfocusedonhercurrentcareerobjectives.•Ittellsherstoryandisinterestingyetquicktoread.

MARKETING & PROGRAM MANAGER: AGING SERVICES INDUSTRYCorporateMarketingBackground•MSinAgingServices

InnovativeLeadershipforFast-Growing,RapidlyChangingIndustry

Elder services professional with deep understanding of the evolving needsofagingAmericans.Provensuccessdesigning,branding,market-ing, and delivering programs and services to diverse audiences with uniqueneeds.

Formercorporatemarketingprofessionalinthehigh-techsector(Intel,Microsoft,Dell),managingbudgetsupto$100Mandleadingglobalbranding,marketing,communications,andpublicrelationsprograms.

PerformanceHighlights:•Ledmarketingandcommunicationseffortthatresultedinfirstelderzoning approval in Smithtown. •Createdcomprehensivemarketingplanforevidence-baseddiabeticprevention and treatment program.•Roseto#1inmarketing/salesofahigh-endseniorresidentialcommu-nityinaverycompetitiveenvironment.•DroverebrandingstrategycreditedwithelevatingIntel’sprofile,indus-trystatus,andstockprice.


ConclusionLauren Bacall once said, “Standing still is the fastest way of moving backwards in a rapidly changing world.” As career professionals, we can’tafford–foroursakesorourclients’sakes–tomovebackwards,and that means neither can we stand still while change is occurring around us.

Modernmedia,moderntechnology,andmoderncommunicationsdemandmodernresumesforourjob-seekingclients.Thechangesarenotextreme,butcumulativelytheyresultindocumentsthataredifferentfromwhatwe’reaccustomedto:leaner,tighter,andmoresharplyfocused.Byembracingthechange,wenotonlybuildourskillsasstrategists,writers,andeditors,butweincreaseourconfidenceintheservices, advice, and expertise we are providing to our clients.

ReferencesCollins, Dona. The 500-Year Evolution of the Resume (2011). Busi-nessInsider.com.http://read.bi/1n7A2DA

Lempicke,Todd.TheHistoryoftheResume(2011).http://www.optimal-resume.com/upload/ResourceFile_university_ResumeHistory.pdf

Rodman, Ron (2009). Tuning In: American Narrative Television Music. OxfordUniversityPress.

TheLadders.com(2012).YouHave6SecondstoMakeanImpression:HowRecruitersSeeYourResume.http://bit.ly/1dUvQYF

About the AuthorOne of the leading resume experts in the United States, Louise Kursmark, MRW, CPRW, JCTC, CEIP, CCM, is the author of 20booksonresumewritingandcareermanagementandisCo-FounderandDirectoroftheResumeWritingAcademy,thenation’smostcompre-hensivetrainingprogramforresumeprofessionals.Shewasthefirstper-son worldwide to earn the prestigious Master Resume Writer credential and is a 6-time Best Resume award winner. In her private practice, Best Impression Career Services, which she has owned and operated for 30 years,sheworksexclusivelywithsenior-levelexecutives.SheisalsoanExecutive Director of the Career Thought Leaders Consortium and its annualeventsforcareerprofessionals–anindustryconference(March/April)andGlobalCareerBrainstormingDay(November).ShealsoservesasDirectorofBlueStepsExecutiveCareerServices.Afrequentpresentertocorporate,recruiter,jobseeker,andcareerpractitioneraudi-ences,sheenjoysspeakingaboutcutting-edgeresumeconcepts,inter-viewtechniques,careermarketingpractices,andentrepreneurialsuccessstrategies to help advance the careers of her colleagues and clients.


SheearnedabusinessdegreefromBayPathCollege,Longmeadow,Massachusetts,andstudiedEnglishatNortheasternUniversityinBoston.Shehascompletednumerousprofessionalcertificationsforresumewrit-ingandcareercoaching.Anavidtraveler,biker,golfer,skier,andbaseballfan,sheresidesintheBostonarea.Contact her as follows: [email protected]

CAREER COACHTraining and Certificationwww.CareerNetwork.Org

Post Office Box 611930, San Jose, CA 95161-1930Telephone: 408-272-3085 Cellphone: 408-828-3858


Chapter 2

ANSWERING CLIENTS’ “What if...” and “Yeah, but...” QUESTIONS RELATED TO CAREER COMMUNICATIONSbyKimberly Schneiderman

Manyjobseekershavequestionsabouttheircareercommunicationsandtheirjobsearchthattheyfeelpertainonlytothem.Thesequestionsoftenstart with, What if... or in the case of having received advice, Yeah, but my situation is different because…”

Afterhearingmanyofthesequestionsovertheyears,Istartedcompil-ing the most popular themes that concern professionals in a multitude ofindustriesandfields.WhatIfoundwasthatasmuchaspeoplethinktheirsituationisunique,thereareactuallyseveralsharedcharacteristicsamongjobseekers’situationsandcareerpursuits.

In this article, allow me to present some of the most popular themes of these situations, along with strategies for tackling them. The strategies canbeadjustedforalltypesofjobsearchcommunicationtools–fromresumes,coverletters,andsocialnetworkingprofilestointerviewing,outreach, and live networking situations.

Question: What if I want to move from [academia/education, law enforcement,government,non-profit]tothecorporateworld?HowdoIpresentmyselfwhenIlackdirectexperience?Answer:Inyourclients’coverletters,resumes,networkingmeetings,andinterviews,focusonthebusinesspeopleandcompaniestheirworkhas touched. These might include clients, vendors, or donors. Also, identifyandpromotetheskillsthatarevaluedinthecorporateworld.Hereareseveralideasfortheresumetakenfromnon-profitandpublicsectorprofessionalslookingtomovetoprivateindustry.Theseideaswilltranslatewellbetweentheresumeandotherjobsearchcommunications.Each example touches on skills that are valued in the corporate world, as wellasdescribinghowtheindividual’sexperienceimpactedtheorganization for which he worked:

Vendor Relations:WorkedwithIBMandSprintpersonnel,technologyexperts,andconsultantstodriveprojectsincludingmulti-tieredupgrade


tocampusITandcommunications.Facilitatedmeetings,garneredbuy-in,andbroughtcohesionbetweenvendorsandadministration.

Program Expansion:PromotedSoaringHeightsprogramstopub-licschoolsinregion;signed30+newschoolsandrenewednumerousengagements.Leveragednetworkingabilitytoreachdecision-makersatschools.

Turnarounds & Team Building: Known for capturing true performance turnaroundsfromhistoricallyproblemteamsbycreatingenvironmentswithclearexpectationsandtheresourcesrequiredtosupportthoseexpectations.Eradicatenegativecompetitionamongteamsbycreatinggroupgoals,dependentonthesuccessofeachpersononaproject.

Change Management: Steppedintopoorlyrundivisionthathadlackedeffective executive leadership for 12+ months. Audited as-is situation andcreatedseveralteam-basedinitiativesthatdroveprogressonworkat-handwhilesimultaneouslybuildingindividuals’personalinvestmentin group wins.

Contract Management:Negotiated$200,000granttoupgradeoperabil-ityofnetworkon2,500PCsanddevices;supervisedfinalinstallationofnetwork.

Whenyoulookattheaboveexamples,youwillseehowthelocationorenvironmentoftheaccomplishmentcouldeasilybeacorporateoffice.Bydroppingthedetailsofwheretheworktookplace,readers(orininterviews,thepotentialemployers)willbeabletopicturethejobseekerdoingsimilarworkforthem!

Q:Whatifmyworkhistoryisn’twhatitshouldbe?Ihavehadsomebadluckthatledtoseveralshort-termjobsinmycareer.HowcanIletpeopleknowitwasn’tmyfault?And,howdoIcapitalizeonhowlongIwasactuallyatthecompany?A:Admittedly,thiscanbeatoughtopic.Myadviceistosticktoposi-tive,yethonestmessages.Ifthereasonforleavingwasacompanylayofforjobterminationduetoacquisition,youmightchoosetoincludethatinformation in the resume or cover letter. Forexample:Operations Manager, Turner Solutions, Inc.: Jan 2011 – Mar 2012 (company-widelayoff)

Anotherwaytohandleitisinthedescriptionparagraph,likethis:Directed operations for large, multi-location IT solutions consulting companywith300+employees.Tookleadindevisingimprovedproceduresandprocessestobringefficienciesandcostsavingstocompany.Managedvendorrelationshipsandnegotiated10contract


renewalsduringtenure.LeftcompanyfollowingacquisitionbyMarketIT, Inc., in March 2012.Youcanalsopairanaccomplishmentwiththenumberofmonthsthepersonworkedforthecompany:“Completed development of five new courses during 11-month tenure with this non-profit public access pro-gram.”

Clientsareoftensensitiveaboutbeingfiredorquittingajobafterashorttenure,andwhenaskedaboutitduringaninterviewtheycanappeardefensiveorevensuspicious.Asacoach,helpyourclienttoclearly,confidently,andnon-defensivelystatewhysheleftthepositionwithoutdisparagingherformercompanyormanagement.Verbalmessagesthatcommunicate that the client takes ownership for her role in the situation willgoalongwayinconveyingprofessionalism.

Trydevelopingamessagelikethiswithyourclient:

“My position at Miller Audio was not a good match for my experience, nor for their needs. I gave the position my all for five months, but in the end it became painfully obvious that their business focus just wasn’t a good match for my skill set. Through that experience, I learned a great deal about asking the right questions in advance and understanding the true needs of an organization.”

Then,coachclientsonaskingquestionsduringinterviewstohelpthemunderstandeachcompany’sneedsandhowitwantsthejobdone.Inthislastexample,eventhoughthejobwasbadfromallaccounts,thejobseekeractuallycameoutofithavinglearnedsomethingabouthimselfandaboutbusiness.Thatisimportantingettingsomeoneelsetobelieveintheclientasacandidateforthejob.

Q:Whatifmyimpressiveworkwaslongago?A:Ontheresume,usethecareerhighlightsorprofilesectiontopresenttheclient’smostcompellinginformation.Hereisasampleofpartoftheprofilefromaprofessionalincorporateproductsecurityandassetrecoverywhohadn’thadany bigcasesinthelastfiveyears:

CareerHighlights:Recovered$45Minequipmentthroughinvestigationsofcounterfeitandgray-marketactivitiesinNewYorkCityandoverseasinChinaandIndia.Spoiledacorruptgovernmentpay-offpracticewithin12monthsofjoiningfirmasseniorinvestigator.Foiled$1Minternalexpensefraudandbriberyringledbycorruptmanager and two staffers.Createdandoperatednumerousfictitiousbrokerbusinessestobuildtrustwithcounterfeitersandultimatelyceasetheiroperations.


BypullingtheseaccomplishmentstotheCareerHighlightssectionnearthetopofpageone,wewereabletoshowcaseaccomplishmentsthatmighthaveotherwiselandedonpagetwooftheresume.Fortheinter-view,youcancoachtheclienttodevelopstrongaccomplishmentstoriesaroundtheearlyachievements,whilebeingcarefultosprinkleinstoriesthatshowrecentexperiencewithemergingtoolsandtrendsinthefield.

Q:WhatifIhadaverylow-leveltitle,butIdidtheworkofsomeoneina higher position?

A:Onestrategyfortheresumeistoleavetheclient’stitleoff(ormoveittothedescriptiveparagraph);initsplace,usefunctionsthatdescribethework.Hereisasampleofthatstrategyfromaprofessionalwiththetitleof Associate, Programs, whichdidn’tdescribeherfunctionsatall:The Turning Point School: 2012 – Present ProgramLeadership|BudgetManagement|ProjectCoordination

Anotherstrategyistousetherightlanguageandvocabularytodescribethework;also,showcasetheworktheclienttookonthatmaynotbepartofthegivenrole.Herearethreeideasfortheresumethatcanalsobeexpressedinaninterviewbyconvertingtheideaintoconversationallanguage:

Taughtnewandunderperformingteammembersinbestpracticesandofficialproceduresindepartment,capturinga50percentincreaseinerror-free production of research and presentations.

Hiredandtrainedinternstaffandmonitoredofficeoperations.Organizedcomputerdatabaseofdonors,eventideas,andpotentialhonorees.Developedbudgetsandorganizedsalesandfinancialinformation.

Trusted to handle client-facing communications that covered gamut of inquiries,complaints,andfundraisingrequests.

Q:WhatifIhadseveraltitlesandassignmentsthroughoutmytenure?DoIreallyneedtogointodetailabouteachposition?

A:Thisproblemaffectsanyonewhoisahighachiever–whoknewthatwinningpromotionswouldcauseproblemsonaresume?Itisalsoquiteprevalent for those in law enforcement and other government agencies becausefrequentmovementisthenormforthosejobs.Thetechniqueshownbelowgivesyouachancetoshowcasetheclient’spromotionsandvalue,withoutburdeningthereaderwithdetaileddescriptionsofworkthattookplaceyearsago.

Hereisanideapulledfromaclientinmarketingandbrandmanagement:

ABCHomeCare:Whippany,NJ,2006–Present


Brand Director (2011 – Present) | Senior Brand Manager (2010 – 2011)Associate Brand Manager (2008 – 2010) | Assistant, Marketing & Brand-ing Programs (2006 – 2008)

Onceyouhavelaidoutalloftheprogressivejobtitles,youmightuseadescriptiveparagraphthatoutlineshowthejobseekerachievedthosepromotions.Forexample:

Promoted through ranks to Brand Director as direct result of wins in de-velopingproductmessaging,buildingin-storepromotions,andsourcingnewpartnersinindustry.

Q:WhatifIhavebeenworkingatmultipleplacesforseveralyears,andevenhadoverlappingcontractsattimes.Describingitallwouldbequiterepetitiveand(mostly)unneeded.

A:Forprofessionalswhofindthemselvesworkingsimultaneouslyforanumberofcompanies,organizations,orschools,trythissolutionontheresume.Noticethatyoucancharacterizetheoverallexperiencetogether,and then give the details of where the work took place. In terms of de-scribingthework,considerasimpledescriptiveparagraph,suchastheonethatappearsbelow:

ConsultingProjects&TeachingAssignments:2009–Present

GlobalInsuranceCorp:PolicyRights&RequirementsResearch(2013–Present)KensingtonUniversity:AdjunctProfessor,CommercialPropertyandLi-abilityInsurance(2010–Present)HappyCompanyLegal,LLC:DocumentReviewAssociate(2011–2013)JohnsonUniversity,SchoolofBusiness:AdjunctProfessor,RiskMan-agement & Insurance (2008 – 2012)Accidents-R-Us,LLC:InsurancePolicyAdvisement&ConsultingProj-ects (2006 – 2009)OswegoCommunityCollege:Instructor,PersonalFinance(2006)

Provided professional consulting and teaching services for several top-notch organizations in area. Worked with insurance companies and law firmstoensureintegrationofbestpracticesindevelopmentofinsurancepolicies. Taught insurance-related issues to up to 125 undergraduate stu-dents per semester at local colleges and universities.

Q:WhatifI’mperceivedastooold?IhavebeeninmyindustryandfieldforlongerthanIcanremember–I’veevenworkedwithpeoplemykids’ages!HowcanIshowIamstillontopofmygame?Or


WhatifI’mseenastooyoung?Ijustinterviewedforajobandeverypersonintheofficeissoexperienced(e.g.,greyhairandbifocals!).HowamIgoingtoprovethatIknowwhatIamdoingsotheydon’ttreatmelike a kid?

A: With multiple generations in the workforce right now, this has emerged as an important topic for hiring managers. Each generation has toprovetheirabilitytoworkwithcurrenttechnology,yetunderstandthefoundationonwhichthattechnologywasbuilt;theyneedtoshowthattheycanplaybytherules,yetbringfreshandinnovativeideastothetable;theyneedtodemonstratetheirrespectforeachgeneration,espe-ciallywhenone’sbossmightbe20yearsyounger;andtheymustshowthattheyunderstandvariousformsofcommunicationandthelevelsofprofessionalismrequiredbyeach.

Coachyourclientstothinkaboutthemessagesandphrasestheyuse.Saying“so, you use that iPad thing then?” or “well, in those days, it was…”mayagethemintheemployer’seyes.Pullingoutapapercalendartodiscussanextmeetingdatemaymakethemcomeacrossastechnicallyun-savvyandout-of-date.Ontheotherendoftheagespec-trum,ajobseekerwhoevenglancesatherphonewhenitpingsduringaninterviewmaycomeacrossasdisrespectful,disengaged,anddistracted.

Workondevelopingmessageswithyourclientsthatactuallydemonstrateunderstanding of, and appreciation for, all professionals in the workforce. Helpthemdevisequestionsthatcommunicateinterestin,ratherthanchallenge,howthingsaredoneintheoffice.Herearesomeexamples:

“I use the iPad, it is great for communication, research, and entertain-ment, but not productivity in daily work. How do you like the functional-ity of the Surface?”

“When you think about your experience, what have you been able to take with you through the new trends in IT application software?”

“Your accomplishments are impressive. Did you have business mentors or influences driving you through these first few years on the job (or, dur-ing college)?”

“How do you describe your management style? How has it evolved and developed over the years?” Or, “Have you been through specific man-agement training programs?”

Also,thinkaboutcoachingyourmatureclientstodropinacommentortwoabouttheirphysicalactivities.Iwillforeverrememberthebalding,grey-hairedaccountantwithtrifocalsIworkedwithwhohadbeenlaidoffaftermorethan25yearswithonecompany.Wefoundthatitwas


imperativeforhimtomentionthatheplaysbasketballontheweekendssointerviewersknewhewasphysicallyfit–atraitoftenassociatedwithmentalhealthandprofessionaltalentinoursociety.Incidentally,for those in sales, having a competitive nature is often associated with successonthejob,sotheymightcommentonwinningthoseweekendbasketballgames!

Q:Yeah,but…thosemessagesaregreatifIgettotheinterview,butwhatdoIdowithmyextensivecareerhistoryontheresume?A:Forearlyexperience,youcandecidewhetheryouwantitontheresumeatall.Remember,aresumeisamarketingdocument,notanobituaryorformalapplication.Everythingonthedocumenthastobetrue,butitdoesn’thavetobefullandcomplete.

One option is to have an Additional Experience section without dates, like this:

Additional ExperienceMarketing & Fundraising,AccessCharterHighSchool:Workedwiththisstart-upcharterschoolinmarketingandcommunicationsarena;producedlogos,recruitmentcollateral,websiteassets,andpressreleases.Managedinitialbranddevelopmentandauthoredcoreofcommunica-tions and outreach plan.Data Management, Boston Graduate School of Arts & Sciences: Spear-headeddatacollectionandanalysistoimprovestudentsatisfactionincareer and academic advising program.Teacher, Various Private & Public Schools: Taught in schools in Chi-cago and Philadelphia with focus on social studies, math, and reading. Workedcollaborativelybetweenparentsandstudentstoensurestrongschool performance and solid prospects for future academic pursuits.

Noticeintheaboveexample,becauseyouhaveeliminateddates,youcanalsopresenttheexperienceinorderofimportanceandrelevancy,notchronology.

Inothersituations,skipgivingastartdateforemploymentwiththecom-panyandreferenceotherpositionsinadescriptiveparagraph.Thisworksespeciallywellifthejobseekerhasbeenatonecompanyfor25+years.It might look like this:

GratisLoyaltyPrograms:Through2014Senior Vice President (2008 – 2014)Assistant Vice President (2003 – 2008)Promotedthroughouttenuretotackleincreasinglycomplexorganizational goals, culminating in Senior Vice President position in 2008withteamof20managersandstafflocatedacrossU.S.Fulllistof


positionsandtitlesattainedduringtenureavailableuponrequest.Recentaccomplishments include: Or,youcangiveashort,one-sentencesummaryoftheearliestexperi-ence, such as this example:

Additional experience includes team leadership and store management positionswithretailerssuchasBarnes&Noble,Toys-R-Us,andWal-Mart.

Q:Whatifweusealotofacronymsorcodenamesinmyindustry?HSIHT(howshouldIhandlethat)?A:Translatecodesandacronymsintomeaningfullanguageanddescrip-tions.Justbecauseaprojectorprogramhadaformalnameatthecom-panydoesnotmeanyouhavetouseit.However,feelfreetokeepwidelyusedindustryterminologyorabbreviationsafteryoudefinethem.

Duringinterviews,coachclientstobecarefulthattheydonotgetintoodeepusingjargon.Bypracticinganswerstoquestionsandrunningthrough value messages and accomplishment stories ahead of an inter-view,youcanhelpclientstakemorenoticeofanyoffendinglanguage.

Trythinkingabouttheworkasiftheclienthastoexplainittoa12-yearold. A person that age is smart enough to take in a good deal of information,butifyoustartthrowingtermsathimthatareknownonlywithinacompanyoraspecificindustry,youwilllosehim.

Q:WhatifIdon’thavethe right education? A:Therearetwowaysthisquestionusuallygoes:Eitherapersonlacksaformaldegreeorhassomucheducationandtrainingunderherbeltthatsheisn’tsurehowtopresentitwithouttakingupawholepageontheresume.Let’sstartwithideasonhowtohandlethelackofadegree.No matter what the formal education, on the resume and during inter-views, maximize the training and coursework completed, including professionaldevelopmentclassesandcertifications.Theeducationandtrainingsectionmighthavesomecombinationoftheseentries:Education & CertificationsBusinessManagementCoursework,OhioStateUniversityOperations and Executive Management Training, Kellogg School of Management CertifiedBusinessContinuityandDisasterRecoveryProfessional,Association of Business Managers

Or,ifthejobseekerisactivelypursuingadegree:BachelorofScience,BusinessManagement,NewYorkUniversity,Expected 2016

Forthoseclientswhohaveattainedseveraldegreesandhavetakenpart


in numerous, even hundreds, of training courses throughout their careers, youcantrytheseideas:Master of Arts, Criminal Justice – Police Administration, Rutgers School of Criminal JusticeBachelor of Science, Police Science Management, Rutgers School of Criminal JusticeSelectedProfessionalTrainingProgramswithFEMA|U.S.DHS|Chicago Police Department: Internal InvestigationsTechnicalEmergencyResponseAlarm ResponseBehavioralObservationSuspiciousActivityRecognitionProtectiveSecurityExplosive Trace DetectionBuildingDesignforSecurityMedia Communications TrainingSurveillance LeadershipEmergencyAction

Evenintheabovelistofprofessionaltrainingprograms,theindividualselected the most meaningful courses given his career goals and elimi-natedthosethatdidn’tmatchthecriteria.Youwillwanttodothesame.Makesurethecoursesandtrainingprogramsyoupresentarerelevantinthemarketandvaluedbytheclient’spotentialemployers.

Putting It All TogetherFromabroadperspective,wheninajobsearch,itisimperativethattalentsarecommunicatedinaclearandconcisemanner.Iencouragemyclientstoaskthemselvesthesequestionsasweworktodeveloptheirarsenalofvaluemessages,resumebullets,coverletterprose,andtalkingpoints.Dopeopleunderstandwhatyouwanttodonextinyourcareer?Doyouhaveaconcisedescriptionofyourcurrentwork?Areyoucom-municatingyournicheexperiencewithinyourfield?Doesyourresumereadlikeanofficialreport,devoidofaccomplishmentsandareasofinfluence?Areyoutryingtobeallthingstoallpeopleinyoursearch?Areyougettinginterviewsforjobsyouwant?Areyougettingto2ndand3rd-roundinterviewsforthosejobs?Althoughmanymorequestionscouldbelistedhere,theseareagoodstartingplaceforyouandyourcli-entasyoucreatethesearchtools.Ofcourse,everyclienthasadifferentscenario, a different set of what if and yeah, but questions.Thestrategiesdiscussedinthisarticlecanoftenbeusedinothersituationsthatyouwillencounterwithyourclients.


About the AuthorKimberly Schneiderman,CLTMC,NCRW,CEIC,ownerofCityCareerServices,providesjobsearchtoolsincludingJobSearchandInterview Coaching, Resumes, LinkedIn Bios, Networking Resumes, CareerHighlights,CoverLetters,andCareerStrategyCoachingtogoal-orientedmanagersandexecutivesinthesecurity,fraud,andinves-tigationindustry.Shehasauthorednumerouscareer-relatedarticlesandvideos and presents workshops on search strategies, interviewing skills, resumes,andon-the-jobperformancetactics.Shehasinvestedheavilyinherownprofessionaldevelopmentandisquiteactiveinthecertifyingorganizationsofthecareersindustry.Shehasheldvariousboardposi-tionswiththeNationalResumeWriters’Association;holdscertificationsinresumewriting,leadershipcoaching,andinterviewstrategies;andisamemberoftheNationalResumeWriters’AssociationandCareerDirec-tors International as well as an Associate of Career Thought Leaders (CTL).Herclientsappreciatetheone-on-oneattentionfromherandtheimmediateresultstheygetwithherjobsearchtoolsandcoaching.

Contact her as follows: [email protected]




Chapter 3

TRANSFORMING GENERIC RESUMES and COVER LETTERS to LASER-FOCUSED CAREER COMMUNICATIONSbyLaura GonzalezThoughmostjobseekershaveheardthatitisimportanttoputintimeandefforttocustomizeeachjobapplication,manyofthemcontinuetousegenericdocuments–resumesandcoverlettersthattheyhopewillbeone-size-fits-allapplications.Somejobseekersjustwanttosavetime,whileothersdonotfullyunderstandhowtotailortheirdocumentstomatchspecificjobopenings.Intheend,theresultisthesame:Jobseek-ersendupwithdocumentsthatdonotfulfillthemostbasicfunctionsofcapturingthereader’sattentionandsecuringtheinterview.

Generic documents:•Donothaveposition-andcompany-specificinformation.•Donotaccuratelyreflectallthatthejobseekercandoforthatpotentialemployer.•Donottakeintoaccountthespecificrequirementsofeachposition.

The most critical issue with using generic documents is that the reader cannotdeterminehowwellthejobseekerwillfitintotheproposedposition.Tosolvethisproblem(andmanyothers),careerprofessionalsshould help their clients tailor their documents to each position for which theyintendtoapply.Eventually,thesavvyjobseekerwillhaveastrongportfolioofmultiplejob-searchdocuments,sothatthetailoringprocesswillbefasterandrequirelittle,ifany,professionalassistance.

This article will discuss strategies for laser-focusing two of the most importantdocumentsinanyjobsearch:resumesandcoverletters.

Onecaveat:Ifsomeone’sjobsearchisveryfiniteintermsofposition,industry,location,andotherkeyvariables,thenthechangesyou’llmaketotheresumeandcoverlettermightbeveryminorinparticularsitua-tions.Generallyspeaking,however,searchesareoftenmuchbroader,andthat’swhatthisarticleisallabout–howtolaser-focusyourclientsandtheircareercommunications!


The ResumeSeveralareasinaresumecanbetailoredandtargetedtowardopenpositions,specifically:•Theobjectiveorsummaryandbrandingstatement•Theworkhistorysection•Thesmalldetails:organizations,affiliations,languages,andmore

Itiscriticalthatthejobseekertaketimewitheachsectionontheresumetomakesurethatthedetailsmatchthejobrequirements.When perused, all the sections of a resume should help the reader determinethatthejobseekerisaperfectmatchforthetargetedposition.

The Objective or Summary and Branding Statement Aresume’sintroductioniscriticaltocapturingtheemployer’sattention.Manyresumesbeginwithagenericobjectivestatementthatcanbeusedtoapplyforalmostanyposition.Somethingthatcanbeusedforanyposition,however,iseffectivefornoneofthem.Takealookatthetwoexampleobjectivesbelow:

“Seekingapositiontoutilizeexperienceinadiverseenvironmentwherehardworkanddedicationwillberecognizedandrewardedaccordingly.”

“Results-orientedmanagerlookingtoapplyexpertiseinaleadershipposition.”

Objectiveslikethesehavebecomeincrediblycommononmodernresumes.Readthemcarefullyandyou’llseethattheydon’tre-allytellthereaderanythingofimportance.Whatkindofindustryorspecifictitlearethesejobseekerslookingfor?Howcouldtheybenefitthecompanythathiresthem?Whyshouldtheresume’sreaderconsiderthemforaninterview?Whyisthisjobseekerdifferentfromtheothercandidates?Thesequestionsshouldbeaddressedintheintroductorysectionofeveryresume,butthestatementsaboveanswernoneofthem.

Ontheotherextremesideofthespectrum,somejobseekerswritegenericsummariesthatrunoverlonganddonotaddvaluableinfor-mation.Forexample,thesummarymightincludeadetailedworkhistorythatisthenrepeatedintheworkexperiencesection.Orthesummarymightbefilledwithsoftskillssuchas team-oriented or able to work with multiple cultures. While soft skills do have a


placeintheresume,withoutspecificaccomplishmentsordetailstoexplainthem,theydonotprovideusefulinformationforreaders.Readthisgenericsummaryandyou’llseeexactlywhatImean:

BUSINESS LEADER StrategicallyDrivenBusinessLeaderwitha15-yearrecordofperformanceexcellenceandstrongfinancialresultsforAmericanExpress,TheWaltDisneyCompany,Mattel,Genicon,andothers.Experience managing sales, marketing, operations, information technology,supplychain,productdevelopment,humanresources,andadministration.Excellentskillsinbothstrategyandtactics.Keen negotiator with excellent communications, interpersonal rela-tionship,problem-solvingandleadershipskills.Capableofmanag-ingeverychallenge,overcomingobstacles,andalwaysachievingsuccess no matter the challenges.

Itisimportanttostrikeabalancebetweentheshort,genericob-jective(whichtellsnothing)andthesummarythathastoomuchinformation(andmaybeskippedover).

Asmartjobseekerwhoislookingtocraftatargetedresumewilluseabrandingstatement/brandsummaryastheintroductiontoherresume.Sheshouldwriteastatementincorporatingspecificallydesireddetailsfromtheposition’spostingandfromitsassociatedindustry,andthenbackupthosedetailswithtangible(butbrief)examplesofpastsuccesses.Skillsorareasofexpertisecanthenbeusedtoroundoutthebrandingstatement.

Theidealbrandingstatementisonlyafewsentenceslong–muchshorterthanthehalf-pagegenericsummary,butlongerthantheunfocusedone-sentenceobjective.

Thefollowingexampleisabrandingstatement/brandsummaryforajobseekerapplyingforapositionasaCEOinconsumergoods.Comparethisnewsummarywiththeobjectivesabovetoseethedifferenceinclarityandstrength!


GLOBAL CEO – CONSUMER GOODS•InternationalMarketLeader:Launchedproductsagainstentrenchedcompetition,capturing$150M+inasinglecampaign.Builthigh-talentteamstosecurenewbusinessopportunitiesintheMiddle East, Europe, Asia, and North America.

•Operations&StrategyExpert:SpearheadednumerousturnaroundsandrevitalizationsforFortune50company.Earnedmultipleawardsforapplyingaclearvisiontoaflounderingstrategy,leadingtoseveralnewmultimillion-dollarcustomeraccounts.

The Work HistoryManyjobseekerswouldbesurprisedtofindoutthattheyshouldedittheirworkhistorytosuiteachpositionforwhichtheywishtoapply.Infact,eachtimethatajobseekerappliesforanewposition, he should consider changes to the following:

•Acronyms,jargon,andindustry-specificterminology.Willthenewpositionrequirethesethings?Ifso,willthereaderunderstandtheinformation?Shouldtheybeincluded,deleted,expanded,ex-plained, or otherwise edited?

•Thelengthanddepthofthejobseeker’sareasofexpertise.Forexample,ifsomepastpositionswereveryheavyintechnology,butthenewpositionrequiresmoremanagementskills,thenthejobseekershouldfocusonthelatterandshowcaseherleadershipexperience (as appropriate) for each of her past positions on the resume.

•Earlycareerexperiences.Ifthejobseekerhas15ormoreyearsofexperience,hemaywanttosummarizesomeoftheearliestposi-tions–especiallyiftheyarenolongerrelevanttohisnewgoals.Conversely,ifearlyexperiencesarehighlyrelevant,theydeserveatleastabriefmentiontoreinforcethejobseeker’sconnectiontotheindustry,company,orpositiontowhichheisapplying,ortohighlight relevant experiences, achievements, and other relevant indicators of success.

Thefollowingexampleisaworkhistoryexcerptforahands-ontechnologyrole:


DataPlus,Inc.,Hartford,ConnecticutSoftware Developer•Initiatedanoverhaulofexistingstandaloneapplication.Utilizedobjective-orienteddesignandJavatocreateaGUIforthenewsystem.•DevelopedtestproceduresfornewtabletproductlinetoensurecompatibilitywithbothAndroidandWindowsoperatingsystems.•Providedend-usersupportforweb-basedtrackingsolutions.

Thissameexamplecanbetranslatedifthejobseekerisapplyingfor a management role:

DataPlus,Inc.,Hartford,ConnecticutSoftware Developer•Discoverednewwaytosavetimeandcostsbyoverhaulinganexistingsystem.Partneredwithmanagementduringprogrammingtoensureprojectwascompletedwithinastrictdeadline.•Developedacompany-firsttestprocedurethatfacilitateden-trance into the Android marketplace, securing thousands of dollars inadditionalrevenuewithinthefirstyear.•Recognizedforexcellentcustomerservicewhileprovidingend-usersupport.Playedkeyroleinretaininglong-termclientsduringacompanymerger.

Itisimpossibletoknowforcertainwheretheemployerwilllookontheresume,soitisimportantthateverydetailistargetedto-wardstheopenposition.Evenaquickread-throughoftheworkhistorysectioncansuggestpotentiallycriticalrewritestobettermatchtheopportunitybeingpursued.

The Small DetailsManyoftheothersectionsontheresumeshouldalsobereviewedandcustomizedforeachspecificapplication.Thekeyquestionstoalwaysconsiderareaboutrelevancy:Whatinformationisrelevant?Why?Howtouseitbest?Whatlistingstiethejobseeker’spasthistorytothisnewposition?How?Whatcanyoudotooptimizethat experience on the resume?

Organizations,affiliations,andawardsthatareindustry-specificaregreatwaystokeeptheresumefrombecominggeneric.Additionaloutside training are also important to include. If the new position


isinternationalorifitmightbenefitfromknowledgeofdifferentcultures,thenthejobseekerwillwanttomentionanyspokenandwritten languages.

Personally,Ithinkanythingtodowithlanguagesandinternationalexperienceisrelevantintoday’sincreasinglyglobalemploymentmarket,soIalmostalwaysincludethatinformation.HowandwhereIincludeitwillvarybasedoneachspecificjobopportunity.

Toavoidbeingpassedoverbythehiringmanager,jobseekersshould take the time to look through each section of their resume to makesurethattheinformationmatchesthejobposition’srequire-ments.Thismayseemtime-consumingforjobseekerslookingtosendoutmanyresumesatonce,butaquickread-throughtoelimi-nategenericinformationcouldmeanthedifferencebetweensecur-ingtheall-importantinterviewandbeingpassedovercompletely.

The Cover LetterJobseekersmayfindgenericcoverlettersevenmoretemptingtouse than generic resumes. But a generic cover letter is no more use-fulthanagenericresume.Anastutehiringmanagercanidentifyacoverletterthatismeantonlytomeettheminimumrequirementofsendingacoverletter,whilenotactuallyprovidinguniqueandrelevantinformation.Coverlettersthatarewrittentobeapplicabletoeveryopportunity,company,andprofessionusuallysoundvagueandunappealing,especiallyifthereisnothingthatconnectstheprospectiveemployeetothejob,thecompany,ortheindustry.

Genericcoverletterssayquitealotaboutaprospectiveemployee.Whenreadingthedocument,thehiringmanagermayassumethatthejobseekeris:•Dispassionateaboutwantingtoworkforthecompany.•Intoomuchofahurrytospendafewminutespersonalizingtheletter.•Toobusytofollowinstructionsorproceduresproperly.•Onlywillingtoputpartialeffortintoimportanttasks.

Notverypositivepositioning,isit?

Specific Cover Letters WorkApropercoverlettermustbefocusedontheopenpositionandmustprovidespecificdetailsthatpaintapictureofwhatthejobseekerbringstothatjobandthatcompany.Acoverletterallows


thejobseekermanyadvantagesthataresumealonedoesnot–op-portunitiestoincludeinformationnotappropriateforaresume;opportunitiestosharecareerstories;opportunitiestomentionnetworkcontactsorindustryknowledge;andmuchmore.Assuch,ajobseekershouldalwaysincludeacoverletterunlesstheappli-cationinstructionsexpresslyforbidone.Ajobseeker`scoverlettercan:

•Complementaresumeandovercomeitsinherentrestrictions.•Explainanypotentialquestionsregardingtheresume.•Overcomeissuesthatmighteliminatethejobseekerfromtheprospect pool.•Beginbuildingarelationshipwiththehiringmanager.•Connectskills,experience,andachievementstotheneedsofthehiring manager.

The cover letter can complement a resume and overcome its inher-entrestrictions.Thecoverletterallowsthejobseekertoshowpersonality,toemphasizearelevantpieceofinformationfromtheresume,andtoaddadditionalinformationthatdoesnotfitintheresume.Thecoverletterisagreatopportunitytopersuadetheem-ployerthatthejobseekerisworththeeffortofaninterview.

Thecoverletteristheplacetoshareajobseeker’scareerstory,mentionnetworkcontactsorreferences,highlightindustryknowl-edge, and much more. A well-written cover letter gives tremendous powertothejobseekertomakethingshappen:specifically,togenerate an interview.

Thecoverlettercanexplainpotentialquestionsregardingare-sume.Thecoverletterallowsthejobseekertoprovideexplana-tionsforthethingsthatwilleitherberedflagsorquestionsforthehiringmanager.Ifthejobseekerknowsthathehasanissuethatwillbequicklypickedupintheresume,thenthecoverletterishisfirst(andsometimesonly)opportunitytoexplainthatissue.Forexample,iftherearegapsinemploymentorifthejobseekerexpe-rienced a career transition, the cover letter can provide a detailed explanationinjustafewbriefsentences.

Readthroughtheexcerptbelowforonesuchpossibility:


AfterdesigningandsellingasuccessfulproductlinetoJCPenny(iBabybrandclothing)andraisingmydaughterforthepast5years,Iamnowreadytore-jointheclothingindustryinamarket-ingmanagerrole.Mysabbaticalallowedmetodiscoveraninterestingopportunity–anewwaytocombineconsumergoodswithtechnologytrends.Thisknowledgecanbepairedwithmyextensiveexperiencetomakeanimmediatelypositiveimpactfor(nameofcompany).

Ineverycase,thejobseekermusttailorthecoverlettertotheopportunity,usingthedocumenttodemonstratethatshehaswhatittakestodothejob.Itisimportantforthejobseekertoprovideexamplesofskillsandachievementsthatshowshewillbeaposi-tiveforceinthecompany’sworkenvironment.Theexamplebelowshowshowthejobseekerusesachievementsfrompreviousposi-tionstoshowhowsheisagreatfitforthenewrole.

Ineachofmypastpositions,IhaveearnedthetitleofRevitalization Expert.Mymanagementroleswerefilledwiththesamekindsofchallengesyourcompanyiscurrentlyfacing,includingbudgetmanagementissuesandunmotivatedteams.LetmeshowyouhowIsolvedtheseproblemsformypreviousem-ployers:

•WhenIfirstjoinedRoyalMixInc.,Iwastaskedtocompleteamajorproject–withoutenoughmoneytodoso!Thebudgethadbeenerroneouslyassigned(discoveredlateintotheproject).Iheldacross-teambrainstormingsessiontofindsmallwaystosavemoney.Iensuredtheprojectwascompletedtothespecificationsofboththecompanyandtheclient,whichlaterledtoadditionalcontractsformyemployer.

•Mycurrentpositionprovidedmewithampleopportunitiestoturnaroundmyteams.Iledsixteamsthatfeltunmotivatedandoverworkedduringthecompany’smerger.Ipersonallysatdownwitheachteammembertolearnmoreabouttheirissues.Ithenimplementedanewrewardsystemandscheduledregularmeetingstogetthembackontrack.Severalofmyteamsearnedprestigiousproductivityawardsafterthatchange!


Thecoverlettercanovercomeissuesthattheemployerwillusetoeliminatejobseekersfromtheprospectivepool.Forexample,ifajobseekerlacksexperienceinacertainarea,thecoverlettercanbeusedtoexplainhowseeminglyunrelatedexperienceandabili-tiestransferandmakeupforthelack.Ifthejobseekerhasskillsthatareappropriatetothecompany,butnotthespecificjob,hecantellthereaderaboutthoseskills.Employersareplanningyearsinthefuture,andifthejobseekerisfluentinalanguagethatwillbeneeded when the organization expands its operations, that skill is positiveinformationthatsolidifiesajobseeker’spotentialworthtothecompany.

Theexamplebelowdemonstrateshowanewgraduateusedheracademics in place of work experience:

DuringmytimeattheUniversityofPennsylvania,Ischeduledmy-selfforeverypossiblecourseinadvertising.Iwantedtoseehowanadvertisingcampaigncancombinedifferentstylesandmediatoconveyoneidea.Thisinterestinspiredmyfinalcapstoneproject:aviraladvertisingcampaignforSephora’snewmakeupline.Icreated several advertising pieces:

•YouTubeseriesofmakeoverswiththenewproducts,inspiringseveralkeyYouTubemakeupcasterstohostcompetitions.•Facebookcampaignandthree-partcontesttocovereachmajorproduct area.•In-storeproductplacementandnewadvertisingdesigntoleadcustomersdirectlytothenewproducts.

MyprofessorwassoimpressedwithmyworkthatheinformedhisSephoracontactofmycampaign.Thisledtoanadvertisingintern-shiptoimplementasocialmediastrategy.Iwascomplimentedbyuppermanagementseveraltimesformyinnovativeapproaches.

Thecoverletterisafantasticfirstopportunitytobuildarelation-shipwiththehiringmanager.Onewaytodemonstrateexpertiseinthecoverletteristospeakthelanguageofthehiringmanagerbyusingcommonterminologyfortheposition.Itisimportant,how-ever,toavoidusingacronymsthatarecompany-specificorindustry-specificsincethewordsmaynotmeananythingoutsidethejobseeker’soriginalorganization.


Thejobseeker’sgoalistoexplainwhatshecanachieveforthehiringmanagerinthenewposition,whilealsoclearlydemonstrat-ingoverallindustryknowledge.Forexample,takealookatthesentencebelow:

“In my previous position I handled ADQs and MDLs successfully, meeting my quota and never resorting to GLMOGRE that my colleagues used.”

WhileADQandMDLmaybeindustryterminology,GLMOGREmaymeannothingtoahiringmanagerifitwasspecifictothepastpositionandpriorcompany.Itismuchbettertotranslatethecompanyjargonintowordsandphrasesthatwilltransfertothenewcompany.

This is also an important consideration in case the cover letter ends upinthehandsofaHRpersonwhomaynotbefamiliarwiththejargon.Forexample:

“In my previous position I ensured data accuracy, managed monthly financial reporting, and exceeded performance goals.”

Thissecondsentenceismuchmoredescriptiveofwhatthejobseeker has done in the past and what he proposes to do for the hiringmanagerinthefuture,withoututilizingjargonthathasnomeaningtothenewpositionorcompany.

Butthereisalsoamiddlegroundthejobseekercantake.Verycommonterminology–suchasPDF,B2B,B2C,P&L,andotherabbreviationsandacronyms–aregenerallyacceptableandunder-standableforanyonereadingthecoverletter(dependingontheindustry).Thejobseekershouldtaketimetoreadthroughthejobdescriptionandthecompany’sinformationbeforedecidingwhatindustryjargontoincludeandwhattoleaveout.

Thecoverlettercanmaketheconnectionbetweenpastexperienceandknowledgeandthepositionthatisbeingfilled.Infact,everysentence and piece of information that is included in the cover let-tershouldcontributetowardthejobseeker’ssuitabilityforthepo-sition.Thejobseekercanusethequestionsbelowtodouble-checkthe relevance of the information in the cover letter:

•Whyisthisinformationincludedintheletter?•Whatdoesthisinformationsuggestyoucandoforthe


hiring manager?•Howdoesthisinformationshowwhatyoucandofortheem-ployer?•Istheinformationdescriptiveanddetailed?•Haveyouprovidedadditionalinformationintheletterthatwasnot in the resume? •Iftheinformationisrepeatedfromtheresume,haveyouappro-priatelyrewordeditsothatitisnotsimplycopiedandpasted?

Thecoverlettershouldfocusonthecompanyandontheposition;itshoulddemonstrateexactlywhatthejobseekercanaccomplishbasedonpastexperienceandaccomplishments.Thejobseekershouldtaketimetoanalyzeherskills,knowledge,andexperienceandthencreatecontenttodemonstrateconcretelyhowtheseareasrelate to the position. The details should take the form of linear, easy-to-understandconnectionsthatfollowwhatthejobseekerhasdone, what she knows, what she has accomplished, and how these thingsdirectlyapplytothedesiredposition.Thejobseekershouldnot waste space with information, facts, and details that do not mattertotheprospectiveemployer.

Asanexample,takealookatthetwosentencesbelow.Thefirst,whilefilledwithgreatimagery,needstobebettertiedtothegoal.Thesecondsentenceismoretothepoint,butcouldbetooshorttocatchthereader’sattention.

“As I wandered around the gorgeous museums of Madrid, Spain, I pondered how I could translate my love of Iberian art into a fulfilling career that would challenge me and sustain my goal of becoming the youngest Vice President of Marketing of a Fortune 500 company in history.”

“As a recent graduate, I believe my art history courses and recent tour of museums in Madrid, Spain, would allow me to write effec-tive copy for your art auction catalogs.”

Thekeyhereistostrikeabalancebetweenthetwosentences.Itisimportanttoshowpassioninthecoverletter,especiallyintheintroduction,sothatthereaderwillbeintriguedenoughtocontinuelookingthroughthedocument.Butitisequallyimportanttobeconciseandalwaystargettheposition.Ifthefirstjobseekerediteddowntheimageryandfirmlyexplainedwhyittiedintothegoal,andthesecondjobseekerexpandedonwhysheisadedicat-


ed,hard-workinggraduatewithfantasticpotentialskills,thenbothjobseekerscouldbesuccessful.It’sallaboutbalance!

Cover Letter PresentationCover letters, in Word and pdf, should have a clean format that matchestheresume.Letterspasteddirectlyintotheemailmessagewon’tmatchprecisely,butusethesamefontwhenyoucanforconsistencyinpresentation.

Wheneverpossible,thejobseekershouldresearchthehiringmanager’snameandpositionanduseitinthecoverletter.Ifnot,he can opt for no salutation at all or use Dear Hiring Manager(myleast favorite option).

Itiscriticaltoeditandproofreaddiligently.Thejobseekershouldcheck and recheck spelling, details (such as the position title and companyname),andcontactinformationintheaddresstomakesurethateverythingiscorrect.Itisnotuncommonforahiringmanagertomoveontothenextcandidatebasedoncarelesseditingof the cover letter.

ConclusionGenericdocumentscausemoreproblemsthantheysolve.Ajobseeker’scoverletterandresumeshouldbothbewell-writtenandlaser-focusedtoeachpositiontoachievethebestresults.Targeteddocumentswillhelpthejobseekercaptureandholdthereader’sattentionwhilegettingacrosstherequisiteskills,experience,andachievements.Aswithmanyotherendeavors,preparationisthekeytosuccessinanyjobsearchandinlifelongcareermanage-ment.

About the AuthorLaura Gonzalez,ACRW,CPRW,isatwice-certifiedexpertre-sumewriterwhohasled6,000+clientstoexcelinthejobhuntbycrafting modern and targeted resumes, cover letters, CVs, LinkedIn profiles,andmore.Shespecializesinidentifying,strengthening,andpositioningkeyachievementsondocumentstocaptureandholdthereader’sattention.Sheworkswithclientsatanycareerlevel(student/entry-levelthroughC-levelandbeyond)innearlyeveryindustryimaginable.Laura’sdocumentshavealsoearnedindustryrecognition;shereceivedanawardnominationforoneofher senior-level resumes.


Priortolaunchingherbusinessfulltime,sheworkedforyearsattheUniversityofTexasatDallasCareerCenterasaresumeexpert. She created numerous handouts and documents for students,alumni,andfacultythatarestillinusetoday.Shealsopresentedmorethan50seminarsonavarietyofcareertopics:resumes,coverletters,LinkedInprofilesandsocialmedia,careerexpos,andmuchmore.Heracademicbackgroundisnowfrequentlyutilizedfornewgraduatesneedingstrongdocumentstogetaheadinthejobsearch.Contact her as follows: [email protected]




Chapter 4

PERSONAL BRANDING in CAREER COMMUNICATIONSbyKevin TuckerJustascorporationshavecarefullyhonedbrandsandbrandlogosthatim-mediatelycommunicateanimage,anexperience,oravalueforthatcom-panyoritsproducts,eachofyourclientsalsoneedstohaveacarefullycrafted brand or image that is shaped in words and perception rather than images.Drawnfromyourclient’svalues,talents,abilities,andpassions,thebrandneedstobeeasilyrecognizabletoothersandbeconsistentthrough words, actions, and reputation.

Personalbrandingsetsyourclientapartfromthemasses.Ascareerprofessionals,itisourjob–ifnotourresponsibility–toeducateclientsonthenecessityandbenefitsofpersonalbranding,givethemthetoolsneededtobuildtheirownpersonalbrand,andguidethemthroughtheprocesswhiletheyarebeltedsecurelyintothedriver’sseat.

An Army of TwoAcorporationhasmillionsofdollarsandanarmyofcreativepeopleatitsfingertipstomarketapositivecorporateimage.Butwhatindividual–letaloneonewhoisunemployedorintransition–hastheresourcestodevelopandimplementabrandingcampaign?Iwouldbeboldenoughtosaythatyouarealltheyneed.Yourexpertise,knowledge,andresourcesincareersandcareertransition,combinedwithyourclient’sexpertise,knowledge,andmotivationinhisparticularfield,willallowhimtosuc-ceed.I’matruebelieverintheancientChineseproverb:

“Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.”

MypersonalcoachingphilosophyisthatIwillsitonthebankbesidemyclients,coachthemthroughit,andholdthenet.Butmyclientwillbetheoneholdingthefishingpole.

A Holistic ApproachWhenpersonalbrandingincareercommunicationsisconsidered,itistypicallythewrittencommunicationthatisfocusedon.Duringthecoachingprocesswithmyprivatepracticeclients,wegofarbeyondthewrittenpage.Personalbrandingisanundertaking,muchlikeajigsawpuzzle.Manypiecesfittogethertogiveyouacompletepicture.Ifyou


haveonlyonepiece,youarenotseeingthecompletedpuzzle,andthere-forethepotentialemployermaynotbeseeingthewholecandidate.

Putting the Edges TogetherWhen putting a puzzle together, most people start with the edge pieces, so that there is a framework or point of reference to work with. This is the most logical place to start with clients. As career professionals, as-sessmentsgiveustheframeworktohelpourclientsbuildtheirpersonalbrand.ToolssuchasMyers-Briggs,DISC,O*NET,andStrengthsFinderhelp clients – with the help of their career professional – understand their motivators,strengths,weaknesses,andworkstylesaswellasprovidecareeroptionsbasedupontheirresponses.

TheassessmentthatIprefertouseinmypracticeistheDISCBehaviorAssessment, administered through TTI Success Insights. This thorough assessment is detailed enough to unwrap core issues that a client needs to graspandaddress,yetthematerialispresentedinawaythatiseasilyun-derstoodandadaptedbythecoachingclient.Theoutcomeoftheassess-mentclearlyidentifiestheclient’ssoftskillsetandidealworkenviron-ment. When coupled with the knowledge, education, and experience that theclientbringstothetable,theassessmentgivesthecareerprofessionalthefoundationtobegindevelopingaclient’spersonalbrand.

“Knowing others is intelligence; knowing yourself is true wisdom.”~Lao Tzu

Putting the Pieces TogetherPersonal Brand StatementNowthatthesoftskillsandthehardskillshavebeenestablishedthroughtalkingwithyourclientandreviewingherassessment,itistimetodigintothematterathand–thepersonalbrandstatement.Thepersonalbrandstatementisthewayyourclientwillestablishhergoals,herrelaventcontributions,andheruniquevaluetoanorganization.Thestatementneedstobetargetedtoaspecificaudience,conciseandlasersharp, with no more than one or two short sentences. We all have heard thesaying, Jack of all Trades, Master of None.Withapersonalbrandstatementthatistoobroadortriestobeeverythingtoeveryone,themes-sage is lost and audience is left confused.

Mypersonalbrandstatementis:“I specialize in partnering with individuals to help them through career and life transitions by discover-ing their God-given gifts and abilities.”That’sit,justonesentencethatsummarizesitall–mytargetaudience,whatIdo,andhowIdoit.Aclientwhohasmorethanoneareaofexpertiseneedstohaveacarefullycraftedpersonalbrandstatementforeachareaoffocus.


Onceapersonalbrandstatementisrefined,allotherformsofbranding(written,electronic,andverbal)willflowfromit.

“What makes you unique, makes you successful!” –– William Arruda, Reach Personal Branding

Written Communication As career professionals we understand that the resume is a marketing tool, not a historical document. What the client needs to understand is thatthehiringmanagertakesonlyabouttensecondstoformanopin-ionaboutanapplicant’ssuitabilityforaposition,sowithinthefirstfewinchesoftheresume,thejobseeker’spersonalbrandneedstobefirmlyestablished.

Then,thebalanceoftheresumeneedstovalidatethepersonalbrandstatement.Thehiringmanagershouldbeabletoseewhythisjobseekeristheanswertohishiringprayers,andifthatisnotimmediatelyevident,he’llmoveon.Ifyourclientisbrandingherselfasainnovativeandeffi-cientprojectmanager,thenherpastactionsandoutcomesneedtoclearlysupport that claim.

Sometimesclientsaretemptedtoembellishtheirabilitiesorhaveaninflatedviewoftheirworth.Thismaybeacceptableontheballfieldoratthebowlingalley,butaresumeisnotadocumentthatshouldhaveanythingfalsifiedorexaggerated.InmypastlifeasaHumanResourcesManager, I have had the awkward privilege of terminating a stellar em-ployeewholiedonbothresumeandjobapplication.

Networking Networkingcanoftenbethegatewaytotheinterviewprocessaswellasbethefirstimpressionthatanemployergetsofapotentialcandidate.Personalbrandingwhilenetworkingshouldbetargetedaswellaspurposed.Face-to-facenetworkingoffersyourclientagreatopportunitytoembodyhispersonalbrandandpassion.Againgoingwithprojectingthepersonalbrandofaninnovativeandefficientprojectmanager,yourclientneedstouseherpersonalbrandstatementtopersonifyinnovationandefficiencythroughpresence,words,andknowledge,presentingher-selfasabusinesspartnerwithsolutionsforanorganization’sneeds.

Internet“Oh what a tangled web we weave...” Sir Walter Scott had no idea whenhepennedthosewordsin1808thattheWorldWideWebwouldbedevelopednearlytwohundredyearslater.Today,thewebisanintricatepartoftheworldwelivein,wovenintoalmosteveryaspectoflife.Andinmyopinion,theInternetportionofpersonalbrandingisthemostvitalcomponentofasjobseeker’smarketingportfolio.Socialmediahasbeenagamechangerintoday’sjobmarket.Atnoothertimeinhistoryhas


theflowofinformationforboththejobseekerandtheemployerbeensoplentifulandinstantaneous.Andbecausetheflowofinformationissoabundant,itiscriticalforyourclientstocarefullymonitorandcontroltheirpersonalbrandinthelandofanythinggoes.

Mymantraforonlineis:Theinternetisforever, period. I do not care if someonehaserased,deleted,lockeddown,scrubbed,orwhatever,theinformationdoesnotgoawayandtheclientneedstoassumethatanyone canfindwhathedoesnotwantthemtoknow.

I have divided this section into three components: 1) Google, Blogs, and Profiles;2)SocialMediasuchasFacebookandTwitter;andfinally,3)LinkedIn.IfIfailtomentionaparticularsitethatyouarefamiliarwithorrecommendtoyourclients,followthesameprinciplesasareoutlinedinthe following discussions.

Google, Blogs, Profiles, and Damage ControlEverytimeaformisfilledoutorsometypeofpersonalinformationisenteredonline,aprofileiscreatedalongwithadigitalfootprintwiththemostrecentandrelevantentriesfindingtheirwaytothetopoftherank-ings.EmployershavediscoveredthatgoingtotheInternetandtypingapotentialemployee’snameinthesearchbarcanresultinapre-screeningbonanzaatabsolutelynocosttothem.

Howmuchtimecandidatesspendonlinecandeterminehowmuchinformationcanbediscernedaboutthembeforethehiringmanagerevenmakesaphonecall.Theoldadagethat“thebestdefenseisagoodof-fense”appliestotheInternetaswell.Knowledgeispower,andallclientsneedtoGooglethemselvessotheyknowwhatpotentialemployerswillfind.

IfaGooglesearchrevealsnegativeinformation,therearewaystomitigatethesituation.First,yourclientshouldcontinueusingtheInternet and make an active attempt to create the right footprint. The morepositive,controlledpersonalbrandingapersoncanintroduceonline, the higher the algorithms will rank that information. So the more apersonblogs,usessocialmedia,orcreatesprofiles,themorehernamewillmovetothetopofasearch,makingiteasierforemployerstofindher.Apersoncanpositionhimselfasasubjectmatterexpertbysimplywritingaboutandpostinghisknowledgeonline.Personalblogs,Internetandproductcommunities,usergroups,andindustry-relatedwebsitesareallexcellentvenuesinwhichtopostandbecomerecognized.

Facebook and TwitterIconsiderFacebooktobeapersonalfriends-and-familysocialmedialcommunity.Facebookisalsoaninformationjackpotforhiringmanagers.


EmployerscanfindoutmoreaboutapersonbylookingatherFacebookprofilethantheycouldinanhour-longinterview.Likes,dislikes,conflictresolutionskills,andcommunicationskillsarejustafewofthemanyinformationbytes.

Jobseekersneedtopayattentiontowhattheypostontheirtimelinesandwhatispostedontheirtimelinesbyfriends.Whatmaybeaninnocentphotoorcommentcanbemisinterpretedbyahiringmanager.Clientsneedtochecktheirprivacysettings,deleteanythingthatcouldbeques-tionable,andhidepostingsfromfriendswhoarenotprofessionals.Theydo not need to unfriendthesepeopleasitispossiblesimplytohidetheirpostings.

Ah, Twitter. A great communication tool to get 140 character messages or rantsouttotheworld.Usedproperly,consistentwithpersonalbrandingandthegoalofestablishingyourselfasasubjectmatterexpert,itisafab-uloustool.Whenitisusedimproperly–asex-communicationdirectorJustineSaccofoundout–itisdisastrous.Moralofthestory,thinkbeforeyoutype!

LinkedIn: The World’s Largest Professional Networking WebsiteIfIcouldhaveonlyoneInternettooltouse,LinkedInwouldbeit.Infact,IdirectpeoplefrommyFacebookandTwitteraccountstomyLinkedInprofile.LinkedInisapowerfulbusinesstoolthatalmostallprofessionals use to connect with other professionals online. LinkedIn is alsooneofthefirstsitesthatrecruitersandhiringmanagersgotowhenlookingtofillaposition.

LinkedInmakesitpossibleforapersontopassivelyoractivelymarkethimselfandhaveanonlineresumethatisbothdynamicandsearchable.ALinkedInprofileneedstobetreatedlikeanonlineresumeandshouldbewrittenassuch,drawinginformationfrombothaclient’spersonalbrandstatementandthewrittenresumeitself.ForclientsnewtoLinked-In,theuser-friendlytutorialwillbeveryhelpfulinguidingthemthroughthe process.

A good LinkedIn profile needs to have:1.Name,headline(thiscouldbeavariationofthepersonalbrandstate-ment), location, and a professional-looking photo.2.Background/summary(anotherareatoincludegreatcontentthatsayswho the person is and how he can provide solutions).3. Current position and relevant work experience (if in transition, it can readsomethingsimilarto:“Intransitionseekinganewopportunity...”).4. Past relevant positions and work experience.5. Education. 6.Industries(listindustrieshewantstobefoundfor).


7.ProfileURL(personalprofileURLshouldincludestheclient’sname)8.Skills(chosenspecificallytorepresentthetargetedpositionsandindustry)9.Recommendations–veryimportant!(whatotherssayaboutthisper-sonaddstremendouscredibilitytothebrand)10.Interests(adddepthtotheprofile)11.Groups(ideallyshouldincludereal-lifeorganizationsandLinkedIn-onlygroupstomakeyourclientsvisible;andmakesuretheyarerelevanttothetargetedindustry!)12.HonorsandAwards(helpbuildindustryreputation)13.ContactSettings(makeaspublicorasprivateastheclientiscom-fortablewith;includenumbersandaddresseswherehewantstobecontacted)

ConclusionCreatingapersonalbrandforacoachingclientisacollaborativeeffortbetweenbetweenthecoachandtheclient.Muchlikecorporatebranding,personalbrandingisaboutcreatinganimagethathonestlyreflectsthejobseeker’svalues,goals,andexpertise.Throughpersonalbranding,jobseekerscanclearlyandconciselycommunicatetheirworthandvaluetoemployers.

About the AuthorMorethan10yearsago,Kevin Tucker,MA,MCD,CCM,PHR,foundhispassionandbecameacertifiedcareercoach.Eversince,hismissionhasbeentopartnerwithprofessionalsandguidethemthroughcareerandlifetransitions–sotheytoocanfindtheirpassion.Priortobecom-ingacareercoach,heearnedtheMaster’sdegreeinHumanResourcesDevelopmentandanotherinManagementatWebsterUniversity.Duringthenext20years,hegainedvaluablemanagementandleadershipexperi-encewithinlargecorporations,smallbusinesses,andministry.Oncehediscovered his true passion, he trained as a Credentialed Career Director, Trained Behavior Consultant for DISC Career Assessments, and more. HisworkhasbeennationallyrecognizedandsoughtoutbyorganizationssuchasCareerBuilder,Gannett(publishersofUSA Today), and NPR (NationalPublicRadio).HehasbuiltasuccessfulcoachingpracticeandresidesinaruralcommunityoutsideofColumbus,Ohio.

Contact him as follows: [email protected]


Chapter 5

USING CAREER ASSESSMENTS to CREATE PERSONAL BRANDING STATEMENTS: Students, Graduates, and all Job SeekersbyCassandra WheelerAccording to TheLadders research (2012), recruiters spend an average of sixsecondsbeforetheymakethatinitialdecisiontoplacetheresumeinthe fit or no-fitpile.Giventhisinformation,itisnowonderthatjobseek-erscanbeoverwhelmedbythenumberofarticles,webinars,books,andadvice for creating a resume that stands out.

Inhisbook101 Best Ways to Land a Job in Troubled Times (2009), JayBlockoutlinestheuseofvalue-basedresumesandmarketingtoolstomotivatecareerchangersandjobseekersforasuccessfuljobsearch.JoshuaWaldman’sbook, Job Searching with Social Media for Dum-mies (2013),talksaboutcreatingabrandingstatementbyaskingques-tions such as, What problem do you solve? and Why are you the best? Althoughthesearegreatquestionsforexperiencedjobseekers,theymayprovechallengingforsomeoneseekinghisfirstentry-leveljob.

Butwhatexactlyisapersonalbrandingstatement,howdoyoucreateit,andwheredoyouplaceit?Inshort,thebrandingstatementisthevalueofferedtoanemployeranditshouldbecommunicatedeverywhere,inallcareercommunicationsbothwrittenandverbal.

Inourdiscussionofcreatingabrandingstatement,let’sstartwithre-sourcesthatcareercounselorsuseonadailybasis:careerassessments.Yes,it’spossibletousecareerassessmentstocreatepersonalbrandingstatementsforthoseseekingtheirfirstjobandforthoseintransition.

As a career services practitioner, I work with graduating seniors and alumni,andIhavebothgroupsrespondtothefollowingquestionstohelpthemdevelopapersonalbrandingstatement:

Who am I? HowcanIstandout?Ismyuniqueness consistentthroughoutthejob-gettingprocess?Whoishiringthatmatchesmycareerpathwayandinterests?Whyshouldtheyhireme?


Youwillnoticethattheanswersbuilduponthemselves,sothatbythetimeyourclientsreachthelastquestiontheyshouldbeabletoeasilyanswer it.

Let’stakethequestionsonebyone.Who Am I? Forthemostpart,careerservicecentersoffertwoassessments,theMyers-BriggTypeIndicator(MBTI)andtheStrongInterestInventory(SII).Afteryourstudentscompletetheseassessments,reviewwiththemthe top three occupational themes and the MBTI results and have them putintheirownwordswhatthefindingsmeantothem.Inotherwords,have the students take ownership of their assessments.

How Can I Stand Out? Itisherethatwedevelopthepersonalbrandorthevaluestatement.HaveyourstudentsreviewtheirTopThreeThemeCodesandpickthetopone.Next,lookattheSIIbooklet,Where Do I Go Next? Using Your Strong Results to Manage Your Career. Review the section for the particular theme code and have them highlight the top three best skills statements. Once these are selected, have the students give examples of how this is exemplifiedthroughtheiracademiccareer,experiences,andtraining,makingnoteofsignificantoutcomes.

Let’suseanexampleofoneoftheBestSkillSetsandanorganizationalgoal. Theme Code Selected: EnterprisingBestSkillSet:Focusingonorganizationalgoals.OrganizationalGoal:Acquiring25newaccountsonamonthlybasis.WastheOutcomeSignificant:Yes.Metandexceededthemonthlyquota.

Is My Uniqueness Consistent Throughout the Job-Getting Process?AsIstatedearlier,responsesfromeachproceedingquestionwillprovideananswerforthecurrentquestion.Wehavedeterminedthattheuniquevalue in this case is exceeding the monthly quota. We also know from theSIIbookletandresultsthatthemajorthemecodeforthisstudentisEnterprising. The description or value statement for this theme code is: persuading and leading, seeking positions of leadership, and working with others and leading them toward organizational goals and economic success.Thisvaluestatementbecomesthefoundationforthisindividu-al’spersonalbrandingstatement.Toensurethatthebrandisauthentic,we need to make sure that the unique value we’veidentifiedisconsistentthroughoutthejob-gettingprocess.Let’sexamineavarietyofcareercommunications to see how we can incorporate and express the personal brandconsistently.


Career Communication: Resume While most people are advised to write their resume starting from the mostcurrentjobtotheleast,IwouldagreewiththeResumeWritingAcademyphilosophy(asexpressedina2013E-Summittrainingpro-gram)andstartbywritingtheleastcurrentjobandworktothemostcurrent.Therearetwoadvantagestothis:First,thebrandingstatementisconsistent throughout the resume and is supported with evidence from all jobs.Andsecondly,asyouwritetheresume,youcanshowprogressionintermsofjobresponsibilitiesanddutiesandleadership.(Notethatbothoftheabovestrategiesresultinareverse-chronologicalresume–mostrecenttopast.It’stheorderofhowyouwritethejobdescriptionsthat’sthe difference.)

Asyouwriteeachjobdescription,incorporatetheaccomplishmentsgar-neredfromtheassessmentfindings.Inourexample,youwouldensurethatthejobdutiesandoutcomesfocusontheskillsetsidentifiedthroughtheassessmentanalysis:persuadingandleading,seekingpositionsofleadership, and working with others and leading them toward organiza-tionalgoalsandeconomicsuccess.Whenyouaredone,youmightcreatea resume sentence something like the following:

Theme Code Selected: EnterprisingBestSkillSet:Focusingonorganizationalgoals.OrganizationalGoal:Acquiring25newaccountsonamonthlybasis.WastheOutcomeSignificant:Yes.Metandexceededthemonthlyquota.FinalResumeSentence:Aggressivelyprocuredanaverageof40newac-countspermonth,exceedingthemonthlyquotaby63%.

Thefinalresumesentencedemonstratestheabilitytoworkwithothersandleadthemtowardorganizationalgoalsandeconomicsuccess–keyfactorsinthisindividual’spersonalbrand.Whentheresumeiscom-plete,itshouldbefilledwithspecificexamplesofhowthiscandidatehasdemonstratedalloftheskillssheisinterestedinusingonthejob.What’smore,youcanplaceabrandingstatementatthetopoftheresumetoinstantlyconveywhat’suniqueandvaluableabouther.Forexample:

Enterprising professional focused on exceeding organizational goals through teamwork, persuasion, and leadership.

Career Communications: Social MediaOncetheresumeiscomplete,thenextstepistoconveythepersonalbrandthroughsocialmediasuchasLinkedInandTwitter.LinkedInallowsampleroomtocommunicateeverythingthat’sintheresume – and more, whereas other sites such as Twitter allow less space fortheprofile.Tocreatethebrandedonlineprofile,beginbyuploadingaprofessionalpictureandtypingthebrandingstatement.Then,asspace


allows,listseveralmajoraccomplishmentsthatsubstantiatethebrandingstatement.Oncethebrandedprofileisestablished,yourclientsmustnowworktoenhanceit.Theycandothisbystayingabreastwithnewsintheirfieldandlinkingarticlesbacktotheprofile.Theeasiestwaytodothisisthrough the sharefeature(foundonmostblogposts,articles,andweb-sites)thatallowsone-clicklinkingtoLinkedIn,Twitter,andFacebook.

Forexample,ifthiscandidateisinterestedinbanking,hecansharearticlesrelatedtobankingtrendsonhisprofilepageorinnetworkinggroups.AnyoneconductingaGooglesearchwillseetheprofessionalside of this individual and will see that his interests are consistent with hisbrandingstatement.

Career Communications: Interview Anyonewhohasbeenonajobinterviewwillrememberthosetoughin-terviewquestions.Well,thosetoughquestionsshouldbeeasiertoanswerwiththecareerassessmentsresults.Let’slookatafewtypicalquestionsandhowourclientsmightanswerthem.Remember,wewanttofocuson the description or value statement for this theme code: persuading and leading, seeking positions of leadership, and working with others andleadingthemtowardorganizationalgoalsandeconomicsuccess.ForeachquestionIhaveprovidedahintastowheretofindtheinformationto develop a response, and then I provided a suggested answer.

Question1:Howwouldyoudescribeyourselfandwhy?Hint1:Lookatthe“I’ddescribemyselfas”sectionintheSIIBookletand resume.Answer:Iamcompetitiveandself-confidentbecauseIwasabletoex-ceedmyquotabydoubledigits.Howdoesthisrelatetothebrandingstatement?Abilitytomeetorganiza-tional goals

Question2:Whatisyourstrengthandweaknessasitrelatestothejob?Hint2:ReviewtheMBTIandSIIresultsandreviewthejobdescription.Answer:Mystrengthisworkingwithothersanddirectingworkperfor-mance.Answer:IwouldsaymychallengeiswhenIworkinateam;Ineedtobalancewhentoprovideanobjectiveandcriticalanalysisorwhentoseekconsensusfromthegroup.Sometimes,InoticewhatneedstobedoneandIamreadytoaccomplishthetask.Howdoesthisrelatetothebrandingstatement?Theanswerwastakenfrom the MBTI results. In this case the results indicated someone with a preferencefor(T)Thinkingversus(F)Feeling.

Question3:Whatdoyouliketodoinyoursparetime?Hint3:ReviewtheSIIbooklet.


Answer:WhenIamnotworking,Iliketospendmytimeparticipatinginsports. Howdoesthisrelatetothebrandingstatement?Teamworkandcompetition

Question4:Doyouhaveanyquestionsforus?Hint4:Reviewthein my spare time sectionintheSIIbooklet.Answer:Yes,Ienjoyvolunteering.Doesyourcompanyhaveanycom-munityinvolvementactivities,andifso,howcanIserveonthatcommit-tee?Howdoesthisrelatetothebrandingstatement?Seekingoutpositionsofleadership

Canyouseehowweareabletoutilizetheassessmentfindingstoconsis-tentlyprovidethebrandingstatementintheresumeandinterview?

WhoisHiringThatMatchesMyCareerPathwayandInterests?Next,thebrandingstatementshouldbematchedwithpotentialemploy-ers.Remember,yourclientsarelookingforperson-organizationalfit,notjustajob.

TowardstheendoftheSIIInterpretiveReport,youwillfindthethemecodealongwiththetypicalworktasksandselectedknowledge,skills,andabilities.Tousethissection,haveyourclientsunderlinethewordsorphrasesthatappealtothemthemost.Fittogetherthehighlightedwordstocreateajobdescription.Then,addtheresultsfromthePersonalStyleScaletoreviewteamorientationandworkstylepreferences.Next,high-lighttheknowledge,skills,andabilitiesthatyourclientalreadyhasforthejobbeingpursued.ThisinformationcanalsobefoundintheO*NetDatabase.

Further,youwillneedtoreviewtheMBTIresultswithyourclient.Thisassessmenthelpsherdetermineherpreferencesofenergyorientation,information gathering, decision making, and action orientation. Check to seethattheabilitytoperformthetasksmatchesherMBTIpreferences.Thisensuresagreatersenseofjobfulfillmentbecauseherinterests,skills,andabilitiesarebeingsatisfied.

Oncejobtitleandjobsearchhavebeendetermined,helpyourclientnarrowdownhislistofemployerstothetopfive.Atthispoint,heshouldreviewthejobvacanciesandtheorganizationbyreadingthecompanywebsitethoroughlytoseeifitmatcheswhathediscoveredwhenhigh-lightingtypicalworktasks.TheAboutUssection,PressReleases,andothercompanyreviewswillprovidehelpfulinformationformatchingthecompanyculture.


Inaddition,candidatesshouldconsiderhowtheyengagetheirotherinter-eststhroughtheiremployers.Theyshouldthinkabouthowtheyliketospend their time when not working and perhaps review this section in the SIIbooklet.Forexample,ifacandidateenjoyschairingvolunteercom-mittees,sheshouldlookattheemployer’slevelofcommunityinvolve-ment.Ifgrantedaninterview,shecanaskabouthowtogetinvolvedinacommunityoutreachevent.Intheend,foroveralljobsatisfactionthegoalistofindanemployerwhoprovidesampleopportunitiestoengagepersonalinterestsandenhanceidentifiedstrengths.

Why Should They Hire Me? Asstatedearlier,theanswershavebeenbuildinguponthemselvesandnowitiseasytoanswerthefinalquestion.“Whyshouldtheyhireme”isanotherwayofaskingwhatisthevaluethatthecandidatebringstotheemployer.

Thebrandingstatementthatwehaveworkedwiththroughoutthisexerciseisthefoundationforthevaluethatthiscandidatebringstoanemployer:

Working with others and leading them toward organizational goals and economic success.

Career Communication: Cover LetterThe cover letter is the perfect place for the candidate to answer the “Why should they hire me”questionbyexpressinghowhefitsintotheorganizationalculture–howhisvaluesmatchtheemployer’svalues:

Example:Fundraisinghasalwaysbeenapassion,andnowIamseekingadditionalgrowthopportunitiesandcareeradvancementinthisfieldwithAlpha Development.

Thecoverletteristheperfectplacetodemonstratevaluebycombiningthepersonalbrandingstatementwithspecificoutcomes.Example:I have a reputation for being a goal setter and leader, as demonstrated by exceeding my quota for new accounts by double digits every month.

Thecoverletteristheperfectplacetoillustrateproblem-solvingskills–howthiscandidate’sstrengths,skills,andexperiencescansolveaproblemfortheemployer:Example:I am confident that I can produce the same beneficial results for you as I have for my present employer.

ConclusionInconclusion,Ihavefoundthatbyansweringsomebasicquestions,graduatingseniorsseekingtheirfirstentry-leveljobandeventhosealumniwhoareintransitioncandevelopapersonalbrandingstatementthatwillshowvaluetoapotentialemployer.


Thebrandingstatementshouldthenbeimbeddedintheresume,coverletter,socialmediasites,andevenduringinterviews.Creatingabrandingstatementmayseemdauntingatfirst,butwiththehelpofacareercoun-selorandcareerassessments,theprocessismanageableandtheresultsare powerful.

ResourcesBlock,JayA.101 Best Ways to Land a Job in Troubled Times (2009).

TheLadders.com.Youhave6SecondstoMakeanImpression:HowRecruiters See Your Resume (2012). http://info.theladders.com/our-team/you-only-get-6-seconds-of-fame-make-it-count

ResumeWritingAcademy.6-StepProcessforWritingExtraordinaryRe-sumes(2013).http://www.resumewritingacademy.com/esummit-6-step.php

Waldman, Joshua. Job Searching with Social Media for Dummies (2013).

About the AuthorCassandra Wheeler serves as the Executive Director for Career ServicesatTexasA&MInternationalUniversity.SheearnedtheMas-ter’sinIndustrialRelationsandPublicAdministrationatWestVirginiaUniversityandiscurrentlypursuingadoctorateinInternationalBusi-nessManagement.SheearnedtheAcademyCertifiedResumeWriter(ACRW)designationfromResumeWritingAcademyandisaStrongCertifiedPractitioner.



Chapter 6

RESUMES AND PORTFOLIOS for NEW GRADUATES: How to Showcase Potential by Michelle A. RiklanMillionsofAmericans,bothfreshgraduatesandexperiencedjobseek-ers,arestrugglingtofindajob.However,despitetheabundanceofapplicants,employersarestrugglingtofindqualifiedcandidatesforjobopenings.Clearly,there’sadisconnectbetweensupplyanddemand.Butwheredofreshgraduatesstandinthismassivelyunemployedeconomy?

Howcantheygetajob,oratleastgetachancetoprovetheirworth,ifmostjobadvertisementsrequireatleasttwoyears’experience–evenforentry-levelpositions?

Ben, a fresh graduate from Utah, is a good example of the challenges graduatesfacewhilelookingfortheirfirstrealjobaftercollege.“… I graduated a year ago and still have not been able to land a full-time job in the field I studied and have interned in. An internship I re-cently applied for, entry-level, was taken by an individual with ‘years of experience,’ or at least that is what the HR woman told me.”

EvenintheboomingITsector,somenewgraduatesarehittingadeadend: “I am so desperate at this time. I just graduated with my BA in Management Information Systems and I cannot find a job. Every time I look at job vacancies they require at least 1–2 years’ experience.”

Moreandmoreemployersarelookingforfreshgraduateswithjob experience,butthey’renotjustlookingfortypicalfastfood,summercamp,andretailjobhistory.Employerswantskills,workexperience,andresultsrelevanttothejobposting.Inmostcases,theypreferexperiencedcandidates over new grads.

Andifgraduateswithinternshipandjobexperiencefindithardtosecuregoodemployment,howmuchmoredifficultwillitbeforthosewithoutrelevant experience?

Employers Agree, a College Degree Isn’t Enough AnymoreA2012surveysponsoredbyAmericanPublicMedia’sMarketplaceandChronicle of Higher Education revealedstartlingevidenceaboutthepracticesof50,000employershiringfreshcollegegraduates.


Thisinformationmaybeupsettingordepressingforthenewgradsabouttojointheworkforce,butitcanbeusedbycareerprofessionalsandresume writers to increase the success rate of their clients:

Asmanyas75percentofcompaniessaytheyprefercandidateswhohavethefollowingskills:problemsolving,criticalthinking,oralandwrittencommunications,anddemonstratedabilitytoapplyacademiclearning to the real world. And these are the skills new grads are lacking, atleastaccordingtotheemployerswhoparticipatedinthesurvey.

Asmanyas78percentoftheemployerssurveyedareopentoconsider-ingapplicantswithanycollegemajor.Businessesinhealthcare,science,andtechnologyaremorelikelytolookforcandidateswithaspecificmajor,whilethoseinretailandserviceindustriesaremoreflexible.

Internships(23percent)andjobexperience(21percent)whilestudyingcarrymoreweightthanGPAs(8percent)andcoursework(8percent).Thisisgoodnewsforstudentswhoworkedtheirwaythroughcollege,especiallyforstudentswhowereabletosecureinternshipsatcompaniesthathiregraduateswhopreviouslyhadinternshipsattheirorganization.

Extra-curricularactivities(10percent),especiallythoserelevanttothegraduate’sdegree,areconsideredmorerelevantthanhighGPAs(8percent). GPAs are starting to look overrated. Degrees from online colleges arealsonotviewedfavorably,perhapsbecauseemployersthinkthecourseworkintheseschoolsisnotuptoparwithindustrystandards.Ormaybemanyofthesoftskillsneededfortoday’ssuccessfulleaderscan-notbelearnedwhilesittinginfrontofacomputer.

Employersaremorelikelytohirefreshgraduateswhocanmulti-task,manage competing priorities, and demonstrate technical skills relevant to theirindustry.

Turning the Tide: How Can We Showcase the Potential of Fresh Graduates?Freshgraduatesarecompetingnotonlywiththeirclassmatesforthelim-itednumberofjobsavailable.They’realsocompetingwithexperiencedprofessionalswhoalreadyhavejobs(andarethereforemoreemployableintheeyesofrecruiters)andlong-termunemployedapplicants.

Thesurveyrevealsthatemployersareopentohiringfreshgraduates,butthe actual experience of this generation suggests there are other factors at play.Atleasttheresultsofthesurveyandthejobsearchexperienceofnew graduates reveal the same trend: Companies want to hire candidates with work experience, technical skills, communication skills, interper-sonalskills,andawholelotofskillsmostfreshgradsdon’thaveyet.


The challenge for career professionals is to create resumes and other application documents for fresh graduates with little to no relevant work experience.Weneedtofindawaytobridgethegapbetweenemployerdemandsandapplicantbackground.Wecandothisthroughavarietyofapproachesanddocuments,beginningwithpersonalbrandingandper-haps going as far as video resumes.

Personal Branding and Online ProfilesBeforewestartwritingtheresume,it’simportanttogettoknowtheapplicant.What’shisstory?Whoisheandwhatcanheofferpotentialemployers?Thisisthejobapplicant’spersonalbrand.

Skepticsmightsaythatfreshgradsdon’tneedtoworryaboutpersonalbrandingyet,butinaworldofsocialmediaandincreasedconnectivity,personalbrandingshouldbeatoppriorityevenfornewgrads.

Youngprofessionalsmightnotbeconsciousoftheirpersonalbrandjustyet,buttheydohaveone.Theirpersonality,workethic,achievements,andalmosteverythingarecruiterneedstoknowaboutthemisdisplayedontheirsocialmediaprofiles.Forrecruiters,thisisafreshgrad’sbrandandtheywouldn’thesitatetocheckit.

AccordingtoarecentsurveybyCareerBuilder(2013),twooutoffivehiringmanagersandrecruiterscheckanapplicant’ssocialmediaaccountbeforehiring.Inmanycases,anapplicant’sLinkedInprofilegetsno-ticedbeforetheresumeisviewed.Theonlineidentity(asrepresentedonLinkedIn,Facebook,Twitter,Pinterest,YouTube,andothersocialmediasites)canrevealcommunicationskills,professionalism,attitude,judg-ment,andintegrity–orlesspositivetraits.Becausetheseonlineprofilescanbeeasilyfoundandviewed,it’simportantthatallareinsyncwiththeimagetheapplicantistryingtopresentinherresume–herpersonalbrand!

Today’s Traditional ResumeResumewritersandcareercoachescanapplyavarietyoftechniquesandstrategies to create relevant and effective resumes for fresh graduates.

Tieactionverbswithnumbersandstatisticsoftheapplicant’sworkperformance.Manyfreshgraduateshaveworkedinaretailorfoodbusi-nessduringatleastonepointintheircollegelives.Itmaybetheonlyjobexperiencethatsomegraduateshave.Unfortunately,jobdescriptionsforretailandservicejobsdon’talwaystranslatewellintotheapplicant’stargetindustry.

Whatresumewriterscandoistranslateunrelatedjobexperienceintorelatabletasksandquantifiedinformation.Figuresandspecificsaremoreimpressivethanstandardjobdescriptionsforrolessuchasretailclerkor


fast-foodcounterperson.Andevenwhenspecificperformanceresultsarenotavailable,thenumbersspeakforthemselvestoverifythecandidate’sexperiencesandabilities.

Exampleforastoreclerk:Partoffive-personteamthatgeneratedmorethan$30,000inaveragedailysales.

Example for a fast-food associate: Worked in a fast-paced customer-serviceroleassistingmorethan1,000customerseachday.

Focusontheskillsemployerswant.Accordingtothepreviouslyref-erencedCareerBuildersurvey,employershirecandidateswhohavetheabilitytocommunicateclearly,solvedifficultproblems,andthinkwellunderpressure.Ascareerprofessionals,weneedtofindawaytotranslateourclients’skillsandcollegeeducationintothosesought-afterattributes.

AccordingtoJaimeS.Fall,VicePresidentofHRPolicyAssociation,“[fresh graduates]are very good at finding information, but not as good at putting that information into context.” Heagreesthatthisgenerationisverygoodwithtechnology,butaddsthatthey’renotthatgoodinapply-ingthoseskillsintherealworldofbusiness.

Wecanhelpfreshgraduatesdisprovethiscommonbeliefbyaddingtotheirresumesavarietyofaccomplishmentsfromundergraduateworkexperience,volunteerwork,andextra-curricularactivities.Trytoempha-sizesituationswhereresearchskillsandtechnologicalsavvywereusedtosolveconflictsanddemonstratetheabilitytomakelogicaldecisionsbasedonpresentedfacts.

Example:Createdanonlinecheck-outsystemfortheArchitectureLibrary,allowinguserstoprocesstheirownreturnsandsavingmorethanfour hours of staff time each week.

Example:Identifiedfivepotentialnewproductlinestohelplocalretailerattractmorebusinessfromcollegestudents.Performeddetailedmar-keting,sales,andprofitanalysisofeachproductandassistedownerinintroducingtwopromisinglines.Bothproductsoutperformedprojectionsbyatleast10percentinfirstsixmonths.

Checktobesuretheresumeiswell-writtenandeasytounderstand.Employerswantcandidateswhocancommunicatewell.Theresumeiswheretheemployerwillfirstcheckthecandidate’scommunicationskills,soitshouldbeflawless.

Theresumeshouldalsobewritteninthelanguageandtechnicaljargonofthejobapplicant’stargetindustry,butitshouldn’treadlikeascienceortechnologyjournal.Relevantcertifications,memberships,andtechni-


calskillsshouldbeincludedtodemonstratetheapplicant’sfamiliaritywiththejobandindustry,buttheresumeshouldbeeasilyunderstandbythe average (non-technical) reader.

Highlightextra-curricular,volunteer,andotheractivitiesrelevanttotheposition.Iftheapplicanthasn’theldasingleinternshiporjobbeforegraduatingfromcollege,includingthe“extras”isoneofthebestwaystoshowcasehisexperiencetopotentialemployers.

Participationinclubs,volunteerefforts,andprofessionalorganizationsshowsdedication,responsibility,andwillingnesstolearn.Anaffiliationwithprofessionalorganizationsrelatedtothetargetjobalsocountsasaplustothejobapplicant’scredentialsandworkexperience,especiallyifhe’sdoneanythingtoimprovetheorganization.

Thisiscertainlyanareawhereaprofessionalresumewriterorcareercoach can assist the graduate. Often, fresh graduates do not realize that theircontributionshadvalue.Butexperiencessuchasmanagingevents,helping with fund-raisers, performing marketing activities, leading teams, engaging volunteers, communicating with school administrators, representing the organization to the press, and other activities can dem-onstrateawiderangeofvaluableskills.

These activities, when well positioned, will elevate the resume of a fresh graduate from total newbie to valuable intern or potential asset in the eyesofrecruiters.Takealook:

Example of fund-raising leadership: Chaired annual fund-raising event thatgeneratedmorethan$10Kinsupportofartsenrichmentprograminlocal schools. Led a team of seven volunteers and managed all market-ing,publicity,socialmedia,andmediarelations.

Exampleofextra-curricularactivity:Helpedstarttheschool’sfirsttabletennisclub.Builtawarenessthroughpublicspeakingandsocialmediaoutreach.Negotiatedwithschooladministratorsforuseoffacilityandpurchaseofequipment.Publishedmonthlynewsletter.Setuptourna-ments and secured prize donations from local merchants. Attracted 30 playersweeklyand80+foryear-endtournament.

The Rise of Unconventional ResumesThe traditional resume is still an effective and expected part of the applicationprocess.Butinacompetitiveemploymentmarket,alljobapplicants–andespeciallyfreshgraduates–needtoconsiderunconven-tionalandcreativeapproachestocaptureattention.Byextension,careerprofessionalsneedtogetcreative,too.Weneedtostayontopofchang-ingtrendsandbepreparedtocreateadditionaldocumentstohelpgradu-ates make a stronger case for their credentials.


Portfolios – The 21st Century ResumeFouroutoffiveemployersagreethatelectronicportfolioscanincreasethechancesforanapplicant’sresumetogetnoticed.Whydofreshgradu-atesneedaportfoliowhentheyhaven’thadactualprofessionalwork?Portfoliosareabigdeal,especiallyforcreativeanddesignwork,becausetheyarethephysicalmanifestationoftheapplicant’screativity,techni-cal knowledge, and professional skills. A portfolio provides supporting evidenceofacandidate’sskills,knowledge,GPA,coursework,andallthe claims in her resume.

Writersandmediapractitionerscanassembleaportfoliointheformofwebsites,clips,andpressreleasessubmittedtootherpublications.Publishedworkisproofthattheapplicantdoeshavethecommunicationskills,researchabilities,andtechnicalknow-howtoworkinthemediaandcommunicationsbusiness.

Forgraduatesofcomputersciencesandprogramming,theirportfoliomaycomeintheformofwrittenprograms,codes,andapps.Theirdigitalportfoliocouldbetheirwebsiteortheirappstore.

Forsomeindustries,theportfoliomightnotbealiteralportfolioorcol-lectionofcompletedworks.Instead,itcouldbeacollectionofachieve-ments,awards,journalspublished,studies,anddistinctions.

Theportfoliocanbeincludedinthetraditionalresumeinanumberofways:URLs(livelinks)orscannableQRcodescanbeembeddedintheresume,allowinganinstantaneouslinktothecandidate’sdigitalportfolio.Inaddition,detailsoftheportfoliocanbementionedintheresumethroughlistingsofprojects,programs,publications,andotherdistinctions.

Video Resumes – An Enhancement to the Traditional ResumePleasenote,videoresumescan’tandshouldn’treplaceformalresumesandshouldnotbeusedtotelltheapplicant’sentirestory.Thatwouldmakethevideoresumetoolongandprobablynotveryinteresting!Butavideoresumecanbeagoodsupplementtoatraditionalresumeandawayfortheapplicanttorevealpersonalityaswellastalentsandskills.

Avideoresumeshouldbeshort,ideallynolongerthanfiveminutes.Itspurposeistoshowcasetheapplicant’scommunicationskillsinawaythat’snotpossiblewithatext-onlyresume.Asidefromthat,itcouldalsobeusedtosharecreativematerials,pitchaquickidea,andshowcasetheapplicant’sresearchskillsbydemonstratingknowledgeofthecompany.

Career professionals can help their clients create compelling video re-sumesbyevaluatingwhattopresentinthevideo,writingoreditingthescript, and coaching on presentation.


Each Resume Gets Only 5–7 SecondsArecentsurveyfromTheLadders(2012)revealsthatrecruitersspendanaverageofsixsecondsreviewingaresume,whileanotherstudyfromBeHiring(asquotedbyDr.JohnSullivanonere.net,2013)saysthetimeisfivetosevenseconds.

Consideringthis,thechallengefacedbyfreshgraduateswhodon’thavemuch experience rises. Of course, career professionals face the same pressure–Howcanwegivefreshgraduatesafightingchancewhenwehaveonlysixsecondstomakeanimpressionontheirbehalf?Theanswerliesinthenumbers.AccordingtoTheLadderssurvey,aboutfoursecondsofthesix-secondintervalisfocusedonfourkeyareasoftheresume:JobtitlesPrevious companiesStartandenddatesofemploymentEducation

Thebestapproach,then,istouseParts1–3oftheresume(aslistedabove)tohighlightinternships,volunteeractivities,relatedprojects,andportfolio – all of the things that fresh graduates have to offer, written in languagethepotentialemployercanrelateto.

ConclusionGraduating students can have powerful and impactful resumes when we, as career professionals, know how to write, format, and design them. Studentsquiteoftenwillhavedifferentinformationtosharethanexperi-encedjobseekers.Coursework,internships,summerjobs,extra-curricu-laractivities,andmorebecomeall-important.Yourchallengeasaresumewriter is to transition all of those items into a resume that is distinctive andclearlypositionsthestudentsandgraduatesyouworkwithastheclearwinnerinthecompetitionthatisjobsearch.

ReferencesChronicleofHigherEducationandAmericanPublicMedia’sMarket-place.TheRoleofHigherEducationinCareerDevelopment:EmployerPerceptions(2012).http://chronicle.com/items/biz/pdf/Employers%20Survey.pdf

MoreEmployersFindingReasonsNottoHireCandidatesonSocialMedia,FindsCareerBuilderSurvey(2013).CareerBuilder.com.http://cb.com/18kvlj1http://www.hrpolicy.org/

Sullivan,John.WhyYouCan’tGetaJob…RecruitingExplainedbytheNumbers(2013).Ere.net.http://www.ere.net/2013/05/20/why-you-can’t-get-a-job-recruiting-explained-by-the-numbers/


TheLadders.com.YouhaveSixSecondstoMakeanImpression:HowRecruiters See Your Resume (2012). http://info.theladders.com/our-team/you-only-get-6-seconds-of-fame-make-it-count

About the AuthorMichelle A. Riklan,ACRW,CPRW,CEIC,isafrequentmediaguest,professional resume writer, career coach, training/workshop facilitator, author,andspeaker.Withacombined25yearsofin-housecorporateandtargeted consulting experience, she services large corporations as well as smallbusinessesandindividualsinallaspectsoforganizationaldevel-opment, career management, and outplacement. She is the producer of theNationalCareerSummit,avirtualonlineeventthatbroughttogethersomeofthemostrespectednamesinbusiness,leadership,andcareercoaching.Sheisco-author/contributortomultiplepublishedcareerbooksincluding 101 Great Ways to Enhance Your Career and 101 Great Ways to Compete in Today’s Job Market.





Chapter 7

CAREER COMMUNICATION TIPS for JOB SEEKERS RETURNING to the WORKFORCEby Christine Dennison Therulesofengagementforjobsearchhavechangeddrasticallyinrecentyears,presentingseriouschallengesforwomenandmenreturn-ingtotheworkforceafteralongabsence.Anyjobseekermaywrestlewithissuessuchasconfidence,communications,businessetiquette,andbranding,tonameafew.Forclientswithalargegaptoexplain,thetaskis even more intimidating. Your client can take heart, however, in know-ing that this is the new normal andcareersnowruninchapters,withveryinterestingtwistsandturns.Thebestcompaniesaresympathetictotherealities of personal commitments and the positive effects of career path reinventions.Let’stakealookathowtodevelopandpresentthestory.

Don’t Follow the Pack Into the Black Hole of the InternetDon’tworryabouttryingtofittheseclientsintotheonlineapplicationsystem–theirjobsearchshouldbecenteredonexpandingtheirnetworkandcommunicatingwiththoseresources.TheInternetcanbeusedtoconductresearch,findcompaniestotarget,studyjobpostingstobuildthelistofkeywords,andseewhat’sindemandoutthere.

Thereturn-to-workjobseekershouldlearnasmuchaspossibleaboutthebackgroundrequiredforhertargetpositions.Isthereanythingtransfer-ablefromherexperience?Sheshouldreachouttopeopleintheindustry,askingforinsights.Coachyourclienttobereadytoanswerquestionsaboutwhatshe’slookingfor–itmightbeaspecificposition,butit’smorelikelytobeadescriptionofthecontributionsshe’dliketomakeina more general sense.

Helpyourclientstofocusonwhattheyhavedoneoverthecourseoftheirlives.Taketheexperienceapartandfigureoutwhatitmeansgeneri-cally;thenmakealistoftransferableskillstohelpthemrealizetheydon’thavetostartfromscratchtoreentertheworkforce.Whatkindsofproblemshavetheysolved,whatkindsofpeoplehavetheydealtwith,whatskillshavetheydeveloped,andmore?

Ahugedifferencefromthetypicaljobsearchistofocusoncompanies,notlistedopenings.Youwantyourclienttocatchdecision-makerswhen


theyarejuststartingtofeeltheneedbuthaven’tformulatedanopening–orgetthemthinkingaboutthepersonintheircompanywho’sjustnotworkingoutbutit’sbeeneasiertokeepthestatusquo–untilyourcli-ent’sletterandresumeshowup.

Itcanbedifficulttofeellikethesearchisgainingmuchtractionatthebeginning.Thejobseekershoulddevotemostofthetimetosimplytalk-ingtopeople–anywhereandatanylevel–togatherintelligenceaboutpossibilities.Coachhimtoreachouttodecision-makerssohecanbeontheradarscreenbeforeanopeningisannounced.Youwantyourclienttosparktheideathathewouldbeavaluablebusiness-buildingorbusiness-retainingpersontohaveonboard.

Insteadofaskingaboutwhetherthey’rehiring,yourclientshouldhaveconversationsabouthowtheotherperson’sbusinessworksandwhatthey’restrugglingwith.Yourclientshouldbenaturallycurious,listen,andlearn.Thentheconversationcanturntothepossibilityofhiringhiminto an existing position or creating a position that allows him to solve a problemorfillaneed.

Resume StrategiesYoumaybetemptedtocreateafunctionalresumetorearrangeyourclient’sstrengthsintocategories,butthatstyleofresumeisnotwellreceivedinthejobmarket.Recruitersandhiringmanagersdon’tliketoworkatsortingthemoutandApplicantTrackingSystems(ATS)don’tread themwell.There’sanassumptionthattheremustbeanegativestoryhidingbehindtheresume.AbetterapproachistousetheSummarysec-tiontopresenttheclient’sstrengthsbriefly,includekeywords,andopenthereader’sbraintoseeingyourclientasshewantstobeperceived.

Often,aresumeprovidesdetailsgoingbackabouteighttotenyears,sometimesmore,andthenincludesaverybriefdescriptionofcareerac-complishmentsfurtherbackintime.Ifyouneedtoshowcaseolder-but-relevantaccomplishments,youcanusetheSummarytodothatwithoutspecifyingthedates.Ifyouareworkingwithajobseekerwhohastakentimetofocusonchildcareand/oreldercare,youmaybelookingforwaysto hide the gap or create a clever title such as Household Manager or Senior Care Administrator.However,thestrongerapproachistobestraightforwardanddescribethecommitmentbriefly.Don’ttrytoturnthosepersonalexperiencesintoajobdescription.

Noteveryonehasthetimeorinclinationtovolunteer–perhapsalloftheclient’stimeandenergywererequiredtohandleaneldercaresituation.ThenthebesttacticistouseasimplestatementatthebeginningoftheProfessionalExperiencesection,suchas…


Since 2009, focused on eldercare responsibilities. Now ready to bring my extensive Customer Service Management skills and experience to your organization.…andthencontinuewithanaccomplishment-focusedchronologyofworkhistory.

Iftheclientdoeshavevolunteerexperiencethatincludestransferableskills,itisworthsomespaceontheresume.Includeaquoteortwofromleadersinthatvolunteerlife,ifpossible.Here’sanexampleofthefirsttworesumesectionsforaclientwhohadbeenoutoftheworkforcefor12years:

Summary of QualificationS

• Extensive organization leadership and program devel-opment experience in business and nonprofit environ-ments.

• Strong written and verbal communication skills gained as a proposal/grant writer, project manager, team lead-er, and trainer.

• Thirteen years of association management and recre-ation management experience.

“______ was a key part of the successful transition of the PTO as we sought ways to offset school budget cuts with strong cul-tural, arts, and educational programs. She has an amazing abil-ity to establish an effective flow of communication in complex organizational settings, recruit talent, coordinate many proj-ects simultaneously, and connect the schools with community resources.” –Xxxx Xxxxx, District Xxxx School Superintendent

“_____ is an asset to any organization lucky enough to have her around. The Park Board relies almost entirely on volun-

teers, and her energy, enthusiasm, and ability to work with ev-eryone across the community is unmatched.” –Xxxx Xxxxxxx,

Xxxxx Village Trustee

ProfeSSional exPerience and Volunteer leaderShiP

Since 2001, focused on family responsibilities and community leadership. Now ready to bring my extensive program develop-ment and administration skills to your organization.

Highlights of leadership in the PTO of a K–8 district with three schools:

• Publicity & Newsletter Chair: Developed effective li-


aison between the PTO and a newly established District-wide monthly publication.

• Cultural Arts Chair: Identified high-quality sources of new programs to bring into the schools; coordinated and contracted for 20 programs annually.

• Theater Arts Development Committee: Established priorities, identified resources, and conceived program-ming ideas for this new committee.

[followed by her previous career highlights…]

Here’saclipfromtheresumeofaverysuccessfultelecommunicationssalesexecutivewhotookabuyoutintheeconomicmeltdownof2001anddecidedtopursueafewlow-keyentrepreneurialprojectstobeabletospendmoretimewithhisyoungfamily.Tenyearsflewbyandhereal-izedheneededa“real”job.Hemetalocalbusinessownerathishealthclub,theyhadenjoyedaseriesofconversations,andthenextthingheknew, he was in need of a resume, ASAP.

Sales and Operations Executive

Achieved multimillion-dollar B2B sales goals in highly com-petitive markets and challenging economic cycles. Gained in-depth experience with tangible products and intangible services, big-ticket systems and smaller, high-volume items. Combine entrepreneurial and Fortune 500 business knowl-edge.

Attack complex business problems with an analytical mind, moving quickly to formulate practical game plans leading to double-digit gains. Whether “wearing all the hats” or lead-ing a team, maintain focus on time and budget constraints to reach aggressive goals.

Established reputation as a sales and operations manager across a long tenure with the [major telecom] organization in the midst of constantly evolving corporate structures and priorities. Built high-performance teams, generated consis-tent top sales results, and managed profitable branch opera-tions.

Developed key account relationships with senior execu-tives, business owners and dealers across numerous vertical


markets, including wholesale, healthcare, communications, securities, industrial, professional services, and manufactur-ing.

Professional Experience

[His investment LLC] – Xxxxxx, XX 2002 to PresentEstablished a profitable residential real estate investment and management company that afforded the flexibility needed to balance professional and family obligations. Now ready to bring a dedicated business operations and sales development skillset to your organization.

[Major telecom company] – Xxxxx, XX 1988 to 2001Joined the organization as an Account Executive on the non-regulated business side, selling a broad range of network, voice, video, and data products to mid- to large-sized companies. Earned a series of promotions through the sales organization as a leader in revenue production, customer retention, new branch development, product rollouts, and corporate restruc-tures. [followed by accomplishment details…]

Cover Letter StrategiesMakeiteasyforthehiringmanagertoreadthecoverletterquickly.AlotofjobseekersuseaDear Hiring Managerlettersotheycangetmassivequantitiesoutquickly,butthat’snotveryimpressivetoanyhiringman-ager.Ofcourse,you’llcreateageneralframework,butthenbesuretohelpyourclienttopersonalizeeachletteratleastslightly.It’swellworththetimetofindthenamesofspecificpeopleandpropertitleswheneverpossible.Atthebeginningoftheletter,focusonthecompanyand/orthepersontheclientistargetingwhilealsosharingpartofthejobseeker’sstory.Mentionsomethingthattheclienthasdiscoveredintheresearchstage.Thecoverlettercansaysomethinglike,“I see that you’ve just re-turned from giving the keynote speech at the ______ convention, talking about ____. In my job search, I’m talking to organizations that can use my experience in building strong connections between the company and the customer.”

Acoverlettershouldreflecttheclient’svoice andpersonality,evenwhenit’sbeingwrittenbyaprofessional.Strikeabalancebetweenformaland


informal.Youdon’twantthestyletobestuffyandold-fashioned,nordoyouwanttheclienttocomeacrossaseccentricorquirky.Forgetthehype.ManypeoplewritewhatIcalltheleaps tall buildings in a single bound letter,tellingthecompanyallthewonderfulthingstheclientwilldowhenhired.Enthusiasmisfine,butdon’ttellreaderswhattothink;letthemdrawtheirownconclusionsaboutthecandidatebasedonthetrackrecord.

Theresumeandcoverlettershouldnotlistpersonalitytraits(hardwork-ing,intelligent,etc.),butyoucanusethecoverlettertosubtlyreflectsomeofyourclient’svaluesbytellingashortstoryortwo.Insteadofwriting “I’m a quick study and possess strong communication skills,”trysomething like, “I thrive in situations where I have the chance to learn new concepts and then present that information to colleagues or custom-ers.” Or, another example, “One of my proudest moments at XYZ Com-pany was when I successfully met a project deadline that was shortened by 3 months and still managed to meet a very ambitious set of goals.”

Here’sasamplecoverletterforaclientwitha12-yeargapwhotookaretail(butrelated)jobtoseguebackintothemarket:

WhenIsawthepostingforthePart-timeYouthDepartmentEarlyLit-eracyLibrarianposition,IknewthatIwantedtofindoutmoreaboutit.I’mpursuingareturntomyLibrariancareeraftertakingsometimetofocusonraisingafamily,andIhavetargetedorganizationsinneedofaprofessionalwithmyexperienceindevelopingearlyliteracyprograms.Forthepastsevenmonths,IhavehadtheopportunitytobringmyLi-brarianapproachtorunningthestorytimeandoutreachprogramsintheChildren’sDepartmentatBarnes&Noble.I’mproudoftheimprove-mentsI’vebeenabletoinstituteandthoroughlyenjoybeingbackinaliteraryenvironment.I’mconstantlyremindedthatthereasonIobtainedmyMLISdegreeandpursuedthiscareerwastobeabletoinstillaloveofreadingandlearninginyoungchildrenaswellastheadultsintheirlives.InmycurrentpositionaswellasinmyearlierLibrarianpositionsintheYouthServicesDepartmentattheHanoverCountyPublicLibrary,Ihavealwaysenjoyedbeingabletocontributetothequalityoftheservices,materials,physicalenvironment,communications,andsmoothoperationofthedepartment.Mymanagershavealsoappreciatedmyabilitytodevelopwarmrelationshipsandbecomeatrustedresourceforourpatrons.IlookforwardtotheopportunitytodiscussyourplansfortheYouthDepartment.Thankyouforyourtimeandconsideration.

But I Don’t Know Anybody – The Wonders of LinkedInForjobseekerswithadustyRolodex,thethoughtofnetworkingcanbeveryoverwhelming.TheInternetoffersmanyresourcestohelpthem


buildtheirnetwork,andLinkedIninparticularcanbeagoldmine.Therearecountlessseminars,blogpostings,andeducationalresourcestohelpyourclientsunderstandthebasicsofLinkedIn,andit’swellworththeirtimetolearn.HerearesometipsyoucansharewithyourclientsonhowtouseLinkedInafterbeingoutofthemarketforawhile.

Theheadlineisthatphrasethatshowsupintheboxwiththename.ThedefaultphrasingthattheLinkedInsystemputsintothatboxisthetitlefromthemostrecentjobintheprofile.Thatmaynotbetheclient’sstron-gestandclearest“branding”message,soit’sgreatthatyoucanreplaceitwithmuchmorestrategicphrasing.FortheLibrarianabove,theLinke-dInheadlinemightread:YouthServicesLibrarian–PublicLibraries&RetailLibraries.

YoumaynoticethatalotofjobseekersputsomethinglikeSeeking xxxxxx. I recommend positioning clients instead as the expert in whateveritisthattheydo(asjustdemonstrated),ratherthansomeonebegging forajob.Becertaintoincludeasmanyessentialkeywordsasoftenaspossibletohelpclientsbefoundforappropriatesearches.

Assomeonereturningtotheworkforce,yourclientisnotaslikelytoattracttheattentionofrecruiters,soyouwillwanttocoachhertofocusonusingtheLinkedInsystemasadatabaseofpeopleandcompanies.Asyourclientcreatesalistoftargetcompanies,shecanuseLinkedIntostudytheprofilesofpeoplewhoworkthere,andthenbegintoreachoutto them to talk shop.

Whenyourclientssendinvitationstobuildtheirnetwork,coachthemtochangethephrasingatleastslightlyfromthedefaultsentence.Don’tmisstheopportunitytopersonalizethemessageanditmakereal. The default phrasing is well known and can look like spam.

Yourclientsshouldbuildtheirnetworkthoughtfully–25isaminimumtogaintraction,50isareasonablegoal–andtheyshouldcontinuetobuildit.ClientscanuploadtheiremailaddressbookandthenpickandchoosepeopletoinviteintotheirLInetwork.Theyshouldnotsendoutmassinvitationstotheentirelistbecausenoteveryonewillbeaprofes-sionalorappropriatecontact.Theycanalsosearchthroughpastemploy-ersandaffiliategroupsandfindpeopletheyknowfromthosesources.Yourclientshouldaskthepeopleonhisreferencelisttosubmitarecom-mendationtohisLinkedInprofile.Forthosewhohavealreadywrittenarecommendationforhiminthepast,hecanmakeiteasybyexcerptingakeyparagraphortwoforpastingintotheLIrecommendationbox.Heshouldcontinuetorequestnewrecommendationsasneededfromhisnetwork.


Thegoodnewsisthatit’seasyforrecruitersanddecision-makerstoseerecommendationsontheprofile,particularlysincemanypeoplewillfre-quentlycheckoutaperson’sprofileevenbeforetheyactuallymakecon-tact.There’sanewerfeatureonLinkedIncalledEndorsements,relatedtotheSkillssection.Thesearesomewhatuseful,butrecommendationsaremuch more powerful.

YourclientsshouldjoinLinkedIngroupstoextendtheirnetworkandincreasetheirsearchresults.Theycantakealookatalumnigroups,industrygroups(previousindustryaswellastargetedindustry),andpro-fessionalassociations.Coachyourclientstobecomeactiveinthediscus-sions–agreatwaytomakenewcontacts,increasetheironlinevisibility,andbeperceivedassomeonewhoknowswhatthey’retalking(writing)about.Makesureyourclientsunderstand,however,thatdiscussionsarenottheproperplacetomakeajobsearchpitch.

Stay PositiveAjobsearchisoneofthemostchallengingandstressfulprojectsyourclients will ever tackle. Encourage each client to spend time with posi-tive,supportivepeopleandtaketimetoexerciseandrelax.Breakthejobsearchprocessdownintosmallchunksofmanageabletasks–createaschedule and track the details. Coach each client to keep her mind open andantennaeup–thebestjobleadscomefromsurprisingcorners!

About the AuthorChristine Dennison,CPRW,offersadeepknowledgeofcurrentjobsearch practices as well as practical advice from her previous experience inbusinessoperations,marketing,corporateHR,training,andheadhunt-ing.She’saCertifiedProfessionalResumeWriterandhasbeenreducingstressforjobseekerssince1989as“TheJobSearchCoach.”Shehastakencountlessclientsthroughthemazeofresumecreation,branding,Internet strategies, LinkedIn tactics, networking, and interview prepara-tion.SheistheauthorofaBarnes&Noblecareerguide,hasbeenquotedin I’m on LinkedIn – Now What???,andisafrequentcontributortonationalcareerpublications.Sheworkswithclientsfromalltypesofenvironments–corporate/academic/nonprofit/industrial/healthcare–fromseniorexecutivestonewgraduates.Amajorfocusofherworkisto help her clients avoid the black hole ofInternetjobsearch,getoverthebarricades,andreachthedecision-makers.



Chapter 8

CAREER COMMUNICATIONS for INTROVERTSby Ruth Pankratz and Marie ZimenoffBefore discussing strategies for working with and improving the career communicationsofintroverts,itiscriticaltofirsthaveanunderstandingofthetermbeyondthelayperson’sviewthatextravertsare“sociable”and introverts are shy.IntroversionandextraversionaredescribedbyJungasattitudesororientationsofenergy(Myers,Mccaulley,Quenk&Hammer,2003).Extravertedenergyandattentionflowouttoobjectsandpeople in the environment, eager to interact with the world and open to newexperiences.Introvertedenergyandattentionaredrawnintoin-nerexperienceandreflection,clarifyingconceptsorideasandthinkingthingsoutbeforetalkingoracting.

TheAmericanculturevaluesquickcommunications,typicallyanex-travertskill.Manyintrovertshavelearnedtochangetheirbehaviorstomeettheseexpectations,especiallyduringjobsearch.Thiscanmakefirstimpressions deceiving and lead to communication complications when working with introverts and extraverts. As career professionals serv-ingbothextravertsandintroverts,understandingintroverts,includingpossiblechameleonbehaviors,isvitaltosupportingallclients.Whilechangingbehaviorscanbeokayforsomeintroverts,otherswillquicklyburnoutfromchameleonbehavior,resultinginshuttingdowncommuni-cations.

“The bias against introversion leads to a colossal waste of talent, energy, and, ultimately, happiness” (Cain, 2012). Most career professionals do nothaveabiasagainstintroversion;butstillthereisbenefitinexploringspecifictechniquesinuncoveringkeyinformationtohelpintrovertsde-lineate their value and coaching them in communicating this information in interviews and networking conversations.

Extracting Accomplishments from Introverted Clients for Resumes & MoreIntrovertstypicallyneedtimetothinkbeforetheyopenlyspeak(Cain,2012).BasedontheMyers-Briggsdefinitionofintroversion,itiscom-monforintrovertstoneedtimetothinkdeeplyaboutanswerstoques-tionsbeforeanswering(Myers,Mccaulley,Quenk&Hammer,2003).Ifpushedtoanswerquickly,anintrovertmayshutdownandnotanswer,or


mayanswerwithouttherichdetailscareerprofessionalsknowtobeofvalue in career communications.

Manycareerprofessionalsprefertointerviewtheirclientstodrawoutin-formationforpreparingtheircareercommunications,asthisistypicallyastrong process for digging out the most powerful accomplishment stories. Yetmanypeople,introvertsincluded,prefertoworkinquiet,privateplaces(Scott,2004).Therefore,thisinterviewmaycauseashut-downandbecounterproductive.Allowinganoptionforwrittenresponseswhenyousensethataclientrequiresmoretimeforintrospectioncanhelpal-leviatepressureandresultinbetteroutcomes.

Providingclientswithquestionsinwritingandallowingtimepriortothediscussionwillelicitbetterresponses.Thispre-worktimewillalsoal-lowintroverts,whotypicallyenjoyorganizingandcontemplatingideas,torebuildtheirenergy.Wheninterviewingforinformationtocompletecareer communications, give introverted clients time to think and re-spondafteryourequestinformation.Thistimeiscriticalfortheintrovert.Whenworkingwithintrovertedclients,don’ttakeitpersonallyorasasign of disinterest if the client wants time to respond. Alone time is what rechargestheintrovert,soberespectfulofthisneedandprovidetimeandspace.

Whileworkingwithintrovertedclients,givethempermissionto“thinkoutloud”withyoutodiscusswhatmightbeconsideredvaluableaccom-plishments(Dembling,2012).Theyarenotasaccustomedtodoingthisastheirextravertedcolleagues.Assurethemthattheydonothavetohaveitperfecttosayitaloud.Aswithallclients,careerprofessionalsneedtostayrespectfulofeachclient’sneedsandhowtheycanhelpregardlessoftheirestablishedprocesses.

Introvertsmaynotrespondwelltodirectquestionsaboutaccomplish-ments.Instead,usesituationexplanationtechniqueslikechallenge,actions, and results (C.A.R.) to give introverted clients structure when explainingsituations.Thisstructurecanbehelpfultogivethemupfrontandthenworkthroughduringanydiscussionorquestioning.Inaddition,the structure will help focus the conversation on the facts, which can maketalkingaboutaccomplishmentseasierformanyclients,especiallyintroverts.

Inadditiontoprovidingstructure,adjustingthequestioningapproachcanhelpdrawoutpowerfulstories.Byaskingwhatclientsaremostproudof,orwhattheyenjoyedthemost,careerprofessionalsmightfindaneasierentrytogetintrovertedclientstostarttalkingabouttheirwork.Encour-agingclientstosticktothefactscaneasetheiranxietyaboutbragging orpresentingsomethingonpaperthattheyfeelisinaccurate.Through


specific,competency-basedquestions,careerprofessionalscandrawoutthe most relevant accomplishments without outright asking for accom-plishments and prevent the freeze that can happen for introverts.

Whentheinformationisputonpaper,anotheropportunityarisesforthecareer professional to work through the communication with the cli-ent.Whetheritisafocusonaccuracyoradiscomfortwithseeingtheiraccomplishmentsinwriting,manyclients,andespeciallythosewhoprefer introversion, can start to diminish their accomplishments. Career professionalscanbalanceaskingtheseclientsabouttheaccuracyofthesestatementswitheducatingtheclientabouttheimportanceofsharingtheiraccomplishmentstoaccuratelycommunicatetheirvaluetothepotentialemployer.Itis,infact,uptotheclienttosharetheinformationemploy-ers need to move forward in the process.

Discussing Accomplishments in Interviewing and Networking Situa-tionsSociallydiscussing,andyes,sometimespromotingoneself,isanexpec-tationofmostprofessionalsinAmericanbusinesses.Thiscanbemoredifficultforintrovertsthanworkingtoputtheinformationonpaper,evenwhencareeraccomplishmentsarevaluablecontributionstoanorganiza-tion.Astheintrovertrefillshisenergyinternally,itrequiresevenmoreenergytofocusexternallytohaveconversationslikethesethatcanbeanxietyprovoking(Myers,Mccaulley,Quenk&Hammer,2003).

Thepreparationforintrovertedclients,then,isextremelyimportant.Whenenergyislowandanxietyhigh,theycanaccessinformationtheyhavealreadyvettedasvaluabletoshareandlessenthementalenergydedicatedtothinkingbeforespeaking.Thispreparationmaybesimilartothatdescribedaboveinworkingwithintrovertedclientstodrawouttheiraccomplishments.Inaddition,theywillwanttopreparetointroducethemselves.Mostimportantly,theywillwanttopreparequestionstoask,especiallyinthenetworkingsetting,totakethefocusoffofthemselvesforaquickrecharge.

InterviewsWhileallclientswillexperienceanxietyininterviewsituations,thisanxietytendstobemorepronouncedandcanbemoredebilitatingforintroverted clients. Preparing for the interview situation in general will behelpful,andcareerprofessionalscanprovidesomeconversationguid-anceandpotentialquestions.Foranintrovert,preparingforthespecificquestionsthatmaybeaskedcanbeevenmorehelpful.Beingspecificwith preparation allows more introspection to occur prior to the inter-view,speedingaccesstothisinformationanddeliveryofanswersintheinterview.


Career professionals might have the client write down situations and accomplishmentsandbringthatinformationtoaninterviewforquickaccess.Havingacheat sheetcanremindclientsofthevaluetheyprovideinavarietyofsituations.Careerprofessionalswillalsowanttoreas-sureintrovertedclientsthatsilencebeforeansweringquestionsisokay.Thereisnoneedtofillthevoidorhavequickanswers.Afewsecondsofsilenceallowstimeforeveryonetoreflectontheconversation.

Panel and group interviews that add additional people to the interview canbeevenmoredauntingsituationsforintroverts(Corbet,2013).Anintrovertedclientcaneaseanxietyinthesesituationsbymakingeyecon-tactwithoneindividualatatime.Atthebeginningofapanelinterview,asthepanelmembersintroducethemselves,anintrovertedclientwouldbewellservedtowritedowneachname,providingabreakineyecontactandfreeingupmentalspacetofocusonansweringthequestions.

Careerprofessionalsmightwanttoreiteratethat,especiallyinthissitu-ation,itisacceptabletoaskforquestionstoberepeated.Inagroupinterview,althoughitmayseemcliché,giveclientspermissiontobethemselves.Hiringmanagersarenotalwayslookingforthemostextra-verted person in the room. Your clients should focus on their individual strengthssotheycandifferentiatetheiranswersandbehaveinwaysthatarecongruenttotheirbrand.Forbothofthesesituations,acareerprofes-sionalwillwanttodiscussvoiceprojectionwithintrovertedclientstoensurethattheycanbeheardandthattheyexudeconfidence.

Mostintrovertsdonotlikehavingtheconversationaboutthemforverylong.Byincludingquestionstofollowuponaccomplishmentstheyshare,theintrovertedclientcancreatetwo-wayconversations.Forex-ample,theclientcouldstateanaccomplishmentandthenaskifthattypeofcontributionwouldalsobeofvalueattheorganization.

Turningtheconversationbacktotheinterviewernotonlycreatesconver-sationdemonstratedtobemoreeffectiveininterviews,butallowstimefortheintroverttorecharge(Keyes,2012).Careerprofessionalsmayalso want to discuss how interviewers might respond depending on their preference for introversion or extraversion, and how this might impact theclient’sapproachduringtheinterview.

Onechallengethatintrovertsfacefrequentlyininterviewsiscommuni-catingtheirenthusiasmforthejob.Theenergyanextravertedclientmoreeasilysharesoutwardwilltakeconsciousthoughtbytheintrovertedcli-ent.Remindtheintrovertedclientthatbuildingtrustisjustasimportantas demonstrating competence in the interview.

Remainingopenincommunicationsandinbodylanguagewillhelpclientsbuildthistrust.Attendingtonon-verbalcommunications,suchas


a smile, slight lean forward, and head nod, can help an introvert show in-terestandengagement.Itmightalsobemoreimportantforanintrovertedclienttoverbalizeherinterestorpassionfortheposition,andpracticedoing so ahead of time.

Small talk, which is commonplace in interviewing and networking, is typicallynotastrengthofintroverts.Inadditiontopreparingforspecificquestionspriortoaninterview,careerprofessionalscanhelpclientsbrainstormneutralsubjectstheymightwanttobringuporbereadytodiscuss.Subjectsmightrelatetocurrentevents,sports,movies,books,orotherhobbies.Discussingwhichoftheseisappropriatefortheclientandthe potential interviewers can make it easier for the client to feel com-fortableasking.

Theclientmightalsofocusondoingresearchoncurrenteventsaboutthecompanyandaskquestionsrelatedtothoseevents,insteadofsmall-talkquestionsifthatismorecomfortable.Thisconversationbetweenthecli-entandcareerprofessionalwillalsoleadtoquestionstoaskthroughouttheinterviewandattheend.Introvertsmayfindthattheyarenotpre-paredwithquestionsattheendofaninterview,whentheyhavespentalltheirenergy,sopreparingthesequestionsaheadoftimewillbeimpor-tant.

NetworkingOneofthemostpowerful,anddamaging,barrierstonetworkingforintrovertsissimplythefearofdoingitorthenegativeconnotationtheyhave of it in their minds. Before a career professional can work through the mechanics of communication during a networking situation with an introvertedclient,thisperceptionmustbeaddressed.Thedefinitionofnetworkingcanmostlikelybeexpandedfromthetraditionallarge-groupscenarios.Byguidingaclienttoadoptadefinitionthatisbroader,careerprofessionals can help an introvert to reframe networking and remove anyself-imposedbarriers(Zack,2010).

Whendivingintothemechanicsofnetworking,startbyrecognizingsuccessestheclientisalreadyexperiencing.Createalistofthegroupsornetworkingmeetingsheisalreadyinvolvedwithorhasbeeninthepast,bothprofessionalandpersonal.Explorewhatworkedfortheclientinthesegroupsorpreviousmeetings.Havehimoutlinehowheinteractedwiththesepeopleandgroups,anddescribetheprocessofbreakingtheice to make connections or set up conversations. This will help the client seethatheis,infact,alreadynetworking.

Careerprofessionalscanalsohelpredefinenetworkingforclientsbyencouraging them to start with their existing networks and work outward insteadoffocusingontheanxiety-producingactivityofaddingnewcon-


tactsimmediately.Traditionalnetworkingemphasizesbuildinganetworkbymeetingnewpeople,butthiscanbecounterproductivewithintro-verts.Givethempermissiontofocusonsmallernumbersofnewpeopletoaddtotheirnetwork(Zack,2010).

Meeting one-on-one with networking contacts is an effective method for alljobseekersandcanbeanevenmoreimportantfocusforintroverts.Insteadoffrequentinglargeevents,theycanfocusonsystematicallycon-necting one-on-one with existing contacts and second-level connections.

Ofcourse,exploringnewgroupsmaybeimportanttoaclient’snetwork-ingstrategy.Inadditiontobuildingonaclient’sprevioussuccess,takingonavolunteerrolewithinthegroupcanassistinbreakingtheice.Join-ingsubcommitteescancreatetheopportunitytomeetmembersofthegroupinsmallernumbersandincreasecomfortinthelargergroup.

Althoughbringingacolleagueorfriendmayseemtoeaseanxiety,careerprofessionals can help a client explore if that will help or if it will pro-vide an excuse to avoid meeting new people. Partnering with someone morefamiliarwiththegroupwhoiswillingtomakeintroductionscanbemorebeneficial.

Mostimportantly,acareerprofessionalcanhelpintrovertstapintotheirstrengthsastheynetwork.Thebulkofthevalueinnetworkingcomesfromdeeperrelationships,notindividualsbrieflymetatacocktailhour.Byfollowingthroughandfocusingondeepeningrelationshipsthatfeelgenuine,introvertscanmovepastwhatmightfeelsuperficial.Thiswillhelpeaseanxietyandcreatemorenetworkingsuccess.

Exploring the Hidden Communication Channels for IntrovertsTherearemanyothercareercommunicationsstrategiesthatareoftenoverlookedforintrovertedclients.Oneoftheseispublicspeaking.“Many introverts are more at ease in front of a group than roaming aimlessly through a cocktail party”(Zack,2010).Publicspeakingmaybeagreatwayforclientstodemonstratetheirvaluetopotentialemploy-ers and to ease them into networking with a group. These opportunities typicallygivecredibilitytothespeakerandprovideconversationpoints,helping an introvert gain comfort in a group.

Sharingexpertisethroughwriting,whetherinblogs,whitepapers,aca-demicjournalarticles,orotherchannels,canbeanotherhiddengemforintroverts.Acareerprofessionalmaytakeasimilarroleinthesecompo-sitionsasintheintrovert’sresume,helpingclientsgaintheconfidenceto put their expertise out into the world. Through writing, introverts canbuildtheircredibilityandvisibilityinawaythatalignswiththeirstrengths.


Similarly,socialmediainteractionscanbepowerfulforintroverts.Whendeterminingifthiswillbeagoodfitforanintrovert,itwillbeimportantforacareerprofessionaltoconsidertheclient’stargetmarkettodeter-minethebestchannels.Aspartofthisstrategy,theclientwillusesocialmediatobuildrelationshipsandcommunicateinformationrelevanttoherbrand.Simplyusingsocialmediatoaccesspostedopportunitiesorhopingtobecontactedbyrecruiterswillnottendtobeafruitfuluseoftheintrovert’stimeandcanbackfirebyencouragingmoretimebehindthe computer.

ConclusionAlthoughwemaynothaveabias,careerprofessionalsdofallpreytous-ingthelabel“shy.”Bewareofthistermasitdoesnotaccuratelydescribean introverted person (Cain, 2012). In fact, 90 percent of Americans haveindicatedbeingshyatsomepointintheirlives(Hauser,2006).AccordingtoBriggsMyers’research,slightlymorethan50percentofAmericansareintroverted(Myers,Mccaulley,Quenk&Hammer,2003).Givinglabelstoanyclienttypicallyleadstoissuesandcommunicationbreakdowns.

Introvertstendtobeintuitiveandthoughtfulinaddingskillsvaluedbymanyemployers.Thechallengefortheseclientscanberecognizingthisvalue in a culture that tends to place more value on extraverted skills, and communicatingthisvalueinaconfidentandpowerfulmanner.Careerprofessionalshaveauniqueopportunitytohelpallclientscommunicatetheir value and can have an even greater impact with these introverted clients.

ResourcesCain, S. (2012). Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking. NewYork,NY:CrownPublishers.

Corbet,B.(2013). From the Soapbox to the Stage: How to Use Your Passion to Start a Speaking Business. Enfield,CT:CooperativeKidsPublishing.

Dembling,S.(2012).The Introvert’s Way: Living a Quiet Life in a Noisy World. New York, NY: Penguin Group.

Hauser,J.(2006).ShynessandSocialPhobiainChildren.PsychCentral.RetrievedonJanuary14,2014,fromhttp://psychcentral.com/lib/shyness-and-social-phobia-in-children/00067

Keyes,A.(2012).The Advantage of Being an Introvert in an Extrovert World – How to Use Your Introverted Personality for Professional and Personal Success [Kindle Edition]. Retrieved from Amazon.com.


Myers,I.B.,Mccaulley,M.H.,Quenk,N.L.,&Hammer,A.L.(2003).MBTI Manual. Mountain View, CA: CPP, Inc.

Scott, G. (2004). A Survival Guide for Working with Humans. New York, NY: AMACOM.

Zack,D.(2010).Networking for People who hate Networking. San Francisco,CA:Berrett-KoehlerPublishers,Inc.

About the AuthorsRuth Pankratz, MBA, NCRW, CPRW, supports professionals through concise,targetedprofessionalcoverletters,resumes,LinkedInprofiles,and other career documents, helping to make their career dreams a reali-ty.Bycreatingcompetitivedocumentswhileleveragingmarketingexper-tise, she is dedicated to helping clients reach their goals. She understands the value and power of the written word. As a marketing professional for morethan17yearsandholderoftwoprofessionalresumewritingcerti-fications,shehashelpedthousandsofclientssincestartinghercompany,GabbyCommunications,in2007.Inthepast,hercareerincludedposi-tions as Marketing Product Manager, Communications Specialist, Mar-keting Director, Operations Manager, and Vice President of Operations at companiessuchasProvenSystems,KonicaMinolta,PerformanceHealthTechnologies,andHewlettPackard.Anavidwriter,shecontributestoed-ucationalcurriculum,JISTPublishingbestsellerbooks,websitecontentdevelopment,industryassociations,andtechnicalarticlesandguides.Shealsoseversasaboardmemberforseveralorganizations,includingTheNationalResumeWriters’Association.SheearnedtheMaster’sinBusinessAdministrationatColoradoStateUniversity,theBachelorofScienceinCommunicationsfromKennesawStateUniversity,andtheWebTechnologiesCertificationfromInternationalWebmastersAssocia-tion.Shehashonedhertalentsbyworkingwithtwosenior-levelcareercounselorsandanexecutiveleadershipcoachformorethanfiveyears.

Contact her as follows: [email protected].

Marie Zimenoff, M.Ed., NCC, NCRW, CMCC, CELDC, President ofAStrategicAdvantage,hasguidedthousandsofjobseekerstoGetFocused,GetFound,andGetHired.Sheprovidespracticaltools,freshperspectives, proven strategies, and structured coaching for professionals who struggle with promoting themselves. She guides leaders in gain-ingtheskills,confidence,andnetworktheyneedtogrowasleadersandadvancetheircareersintoday’s dejobbingeconomy.Asathoughtleaderinthecareerindustry,shehasmentoredandtrainedcareerprofessionalsandbeenselectedasaspeakerfornationalcareerconferencesandpre-conferenceprograms.Jobseekers,companyleaders,andcareerprofes-sionalsknowthatwhenshepresents,theycancountongainingvaluable


informationandwalkingawaywithtoolstheycanusetoday.Sheearnedthemaster’sdegreeincounselingandcareerdevelopmentandtheindus-try’stopcertificationsincareercoaching,leadershipcoaching,branding,and resume writing. She has served as president of The National Resume Writers’AssociationandtheColoradoCareerDevelopmentAssociation.SheisalsoafacilitatoranddistrictcoordinatorfortheRotaryLeadershipInstituteforRotaryInternationalDistrict5440.SheisacareerexpertforYahoo!Education,acontributortocareerindustrybooksandjournals,andanexpertsourceforBusinessNewsDaily,majorprofessionalassocia-tionpublications,andlocalnewspaperandradiomedianationwide.





Chapter 9

HELPING MILITARY SPOUSES ADDRESS EMPLOYMENT CHALLENGES THROUGH CAREER COMMUNICATIONSby Sophia L. MarshallMarriagetoanactive-dutymilitarymembercanmeanlongseparations,acronymabundance,andformanymilitaryspouses,atumultuousem-ploymenthistory.Frequentrelocationcanposeathreattoastableworkhistory,makingitdifficulttoobtainjobsorgetpromotedwithinanyindustry.

DuringtheJointEconomicCommittee’s2011MilitarySpouseAppre-ciationDayluncheon,theplightofmilitaryspouseswassummedupas“service members and their families move much more frequently than the overall population: between 2007 and 2011, spouses of service members were almost 14 times more likely to have moved across state lines than civilian spouses and 10 times more likely than all other households” (“Casey honors military,” 2012).

Thisstatementmaynotbesurprisingtoactive-dutymilitaryspouseswhoknow taking part in a Permanent Change of Station (PCS) can impact daysintheworkforceandtheamountofmoneytheycanmake.Theymayalsorealizeitcouldbedifficulttofindanotherpositioncomparabletowhattheywereusedto.Yet,asdauntingasitmayseem,manymilitaryfamiliesparticipateinPCSmovesevery2or3years,dependingonthebranchofmilitaryservice,theservicemember’scareerfield,andotherfactors.

As career practitioners, we do three things: support those who want to improvetheiremploymentpotential,provideauniqueperspectiveonachallengingemploymentsituation,anduncovervaluableresourcestohelp.Mycurrentworkasacareercoach/resumewriter,andpreviouslyasanemploymentspecialistformilitaryfamilyservicecenters,hasledmetonoticesimilaritiesinissuesandconcernsforthemilitaryspousepopulation.Asanactive-dutymilitaryspouse,Ialsolivethelifestyleoffrequentrelocations.

Understandingtheconcernandprovidingasolutionisoneofthewayscareerpractitionerscanassistmilitaryspouses.Therefore,inthisarticleI


frametheemploymentchallengescausedbyfrequentrelocation,discusshowtodealwiththemeffectivelyinrelevantcareercommunicationsnecessaryforaneffectivejobsearch,andprovidealistofresources.Mygoalisthatallcareerpractitionerswillbeknowledgeableaboutservingourmulti-talentedmilitaryspousepopulation.

Employment Challenge 1: The Temporary Duty StationThemilitaryisahighlymobileculturethatmovesworldwide.Therearemilitarybasesnearmetropolitanareas,inlocationsaroundtheglobe,andin small towns across America. Each location has its own challenges for locatingemployment,especiallybecausethedutystationisoftentempo-rary.

Ihavebeenaskedthefollowingquestionbyspouses:ShouldItellpoten-tialemployersIamamilitaryspouse?Conventionalwisdomsays“no” asthisquestionfloatsintheillegalarea.However,recentlegislationhascreatedprogramsinfavorofmilitary-affiliatedclients.

CamilleJackson,Ph.D.,EmploymentReadinessProgramManagerforArmyCommunityServices,PresidioofMonterey,advisesherclientstosay“yes”becauseofthis.JacksonbelievestheMilitarySpouseEmploy-mentPartnership(MSEP)makesbeingamilitaryspousenolongerahindranceinthejobmarket(C.Jackson,personalcommunication,Janu-ary13,2014).

MilitaryspousesshouldbereadytoconductthoroughresearchandvisittheMilitarySpouseEmploymentPartnershipwebsitetoexploreifthecompanyinquestionisinterestedinhiringmilitary-affiliatedclientsanddiscloseaccordingly.

Anotherchallengefacingmilitaryspousesseekingemploymentmaybelifestyle-focusedquestions,includinglengthoftimeaspousewillbeinan area. As career practitioners, we must prepare our clients on how to respondtoquestionsregardingmilitarylifestyle.Considerconductingmockinterviewsandencourageclientstoincorporatepositiveverballanguageandexhibitconfidentbodylanguageduringtheinterview.

Ihavefoundwithmanyspouses,thereisoftenafocusonwhatemploy-ers can construe as negative. Our assistance must focus on reframing the interviewtoemphasizequalityofworkwithinaquantityoftime.Afterall,intoday’seconomy,mostemployersarefocusedonresults,andiftheycanperceivepositiveresultsfrommakingahire,theymaylookbeyondanystigmaattachedtobeingamilitaryspouse.

Employment Challenge 2: Constant Job ChangesBeingatmultipledutystationsforalimitedperiodoftimecanwreakhavoconanemploymenthistory.Thiscausesalargeresumechallenge


forthemilitaryspouse.Military-affiliatedclientscanoftenbespottedthrougharesumebecauseoftheshortemploymentstintsandgeographi-callocationsannotated.Forexample,manycoastalareascanbealignedwithaU.S.Navy-affiliatedapplicant.

Two common mistakes I have found in this area are using the tradi-tional reverse chronological format for a resume and using full dates for employmententries,includingmonthsandyears.Ascareerpractitio-ners,weunderstandtheresumeisnotaone-size-fits-alldocument,sowemustsuggestwhatwillworkbestforthecaseofthemilitaryspouse.Ifthemilitaryspousehasshortjobstints,tryanapproachhighlightingyearsonly(nomonths)becauseitwillgivetheclientasmuchexperiencecreditaspossible.Agreatresumeapproachisahybridresume,utilizingskillsetsinsteadofemploymenthistoryasthemainfocus.

Advisingmilitaryspousesinthiswayisimportantbecause,otherwise,resumeswillshowafragmentedworkhistorywithunrelatedjobsfor,sometimes,onlymonthsatatime.Thisapproachwillhelptheclientappearstrongerbyprovidinggreateremploymentstability.Thisiskeybecausewiththemilitarylifestyle,thereisastrongchanceamilitaryspousewillbefacedwiththissituationagainandagain.

Employment Challenge 3: Learning from OutliersOutliersareusedtotalkaboutsomethingwithacharacteristicdiffer-entfromotherswithinastatisticalsample.Forthemilitaryspouse,Idefineanoutlierasajobthatiscompletelyoutsideofthecareertarget,sometimesforthesakeofhavingajoborpersonalfulfillment.Outliersarebecomingmoreofanormwithinoursocietyastheunemploymentrateremainshighandreinventingyourselvesisnolongercliché.Wenolongerliveinasocietywherehavingonlyoneskillwillgetyounoticed.The new trend lies in developing multiple skills that can sometimes come fromunlikelyplaces:outliers.Tounderstandoutliers,let’ssayamilitaryspouseresumeshowsthefollowingpositions:teacher,publicrelationsrepresentative, administrative assistant, and Red Cross volunteer. While thespousemaybetrainedasateacher,livinginfourdifferentstatesinthepasteightyearshasmadeitdifficulttokeepateachingcredentialup-to-dateineachstate.ThisspouseisleftwithoutlierjobssuchasPRrepresentative, administrative assistant, and volunteer to represent and possiblytakeovertheresume.

Wecansupportthisclientbyhelpingherunderstandhowallofherposi-tionscanhaveaplaceinherworkhistory.Militaryspousesshouldbeencouragedtoexaminetheirworkhistory,asking,“What did I gain from taking this job?” and “How does this job fit into my employment story?” Bydoingso,theywillbegintoseethethreadsthatcantietheiremploy-menthistorytogether.


Next,theyshouldengageintransferableskillsresearch.RichardBolles(2013)says,“The higher your transferable skills, the more freedom you will have on the job.”Incorporatingskillswithchoiceiskeybecauseeveryoneneedstofeelliberatedintheircareers.Formilitaryspouses,thisisevenmoreimportantbecausetherewillbetimeswhentheyfeelasiftheyhavelittlecontroloveranythingelse.

Whenworkingforonemilitaryservicecenter,Itaughtemploymentclasses.Withoutadoubt,thelowestattendedemploymentcoursedealtwithcareerpreparation.Likemanynon-militaryspousejobseekers,mostpeoplethinktheyalreadyknowwhattheywantandfeeltakingassess-mentsisawasteoftime.Forothers,theprocesscanbeuncomfortable.But,formilitaryspouses,Ibelievetheprocessisevenmoreimportant.Beinguprootedconstantly,itiseasytolosesightofwhatisimportantina career and in ourselves.

Evaluatingtheoutliersandfindingcommontransferableskillsamongthemcanbeapowerfulwaytodiscoverwhatmilitaryspousesmaybegoodat.Thiscanleadtoapositivecareermoveforthenextdutystationandbeyond.

Employment Challenge 4: Laying a Future Path and Being EntrepreneurialMilitaryspousesmustbuildastellarprofessionalhistorythroughworkthatcanspeakforitself.EarlierinthisarticleItouchedonqualityversusquantity,andhereiswherethisisproven.Whilemilitary-affiliatedclientsmaynotbeinpositionsforlongperiodsoftime,theycanmakeanim-mediateimpactontheirfuturebydoinganextraordinaryjobandbeingentrepreneurialintheirpositions,nomatterhowlongtheywillholdthejob.Intheworkplace,thismeansrequestinghigh-priorityitemsandtak-ingprojectsthatneedquickandoutstandingresults.Thiswillprovidetwobenefitsfortheircareers:1.Gettingworkdonequicklyandefficiently.2.Leavingalastinglegacyforotherstofollow.

Ibelievethatcareerpractitionersshouldencouragemilitaryspousestostandoutintheworkplace.Todoso,militaryspousescanaskforthekeyprojectsthatcouldimpactcompanygrowthwhilecementingtheirreputationforthefuture.Thiscanbedoneinapaidpositionorwithinavolunteeropportunity.AmySchofield,founderofSchofieldStrategies,isaresumewriterwhoworkswithmilitaryspouses.Sheoftenencour-agesherclientstovolunteerwhentheyarriveinanewareabecauseshebelievesithelpsthembuildworkexperienceandgainmoreskills(A.Schofield,personalcommunication,December27,2013).


Inthiscase,beingentrepreneurialdoesnotnecessarilymeanopeningabusiness,thoughinthecaseofmilitaryspouses,manyalreadyhave.Instead,itmeanstakingonprojects,inapaidorvolunteerposition,intheshorttermthatwillyieldlong-termresults.

Employment Challenge 5: Reliable & Workable ReferencesThemobilelifestyleofmilitaryspousesuncoverstheneedforstellarreferences.Notonlyshouldthesereferencesspeakhighlyofthepersoninquestion,theyshouldalsobeabletospeakofspecificprojectsandresultsthatwereproduced.Unfortunately,Ihaveworkedwithmanymilitaryspouseswhohaveoverlookedreferencesandneglectedtoobtainthemwhileatthecurrentdutystation.Thismistakeshouldbecorrectedassoonaspossible.Militaryspousesneedreferencesfortheirnextcareermovebecausereferencescanrevealthetangibleresultsachievedwithinaperiod of time.

Encouragemilitaryspousestoseekatleasttworeferencesasearlyaspossible(whentheyarecomfortable)whilestillemployedatthecurrentdutystation.Theywillalsowanttohighlightaproject,position,orac-complishmenttheymaywishtobereferencedtoapotentialemployer.

Aftermanydutystations,amilitaryspousecanaccumulatemultiplereferences.Thisisagoodthing!Youshouldencouragethemtomove contacts around,usingthosethataremostrelevanttothejobstheyaregoingfor.Mostimportantly,militaryspousesneedtofollowupandkeeptrackoftheirreferencesaftereveryrelocationandnotifythemwhentheyhaveappliedforajob.Afterall,ifreferencesarepeoplewhoshouldspeakwellofyouinallsituations,youshouldkeepthemapprisedwhenyouusetheirnames.

Employment Challenge 6: Professional Development Afinalareatoassistmilitaryspouseswithcareercommunicationsisinprofessionaldevelopment.Byfurtheringtheireducationand/orbelong-ingtoprofessionalassociations,militaryspousesdevelopcontentfortheirresumesandcontactswhocanhelpinajobsearch.Inherworkwiththousandsofmilitaryspouses,AmySchofieldsaysshestillfindsonlyasmallpercentagewhoknowabout,orbelongto,professionalassociations(A.Schofield,personalcommunication,December27,2013).Member-shipinanindustry-relatedassociationisespeciallycriticalformilitaryspouses,becausemostareunabletoremainemployedinafieldconsecu-tively.Asassociationmembers,theywillbeabletokeepabreastofcur-renttrends–anecessitytoremaincompetitivewithinanyindustry.

ConclusionItisclearthatmilitaryspouses,whorelocatefrequently,needstellarcareercommunicationstoremaingainfullyemployed.Inadditiontothe


strategiesoutlinedabove,thefollowinglistofresourcesprovidesvalu-ableinformationforcareerpractitionerstohelptheirmilitaryspouseclientsbuildandkeeptheircareers–despitethechallengestheyface.

ResourcesMilitarySpouseEmploymentPartnership:https://msepjobs.militaryone-source.mil/page/about-usNationalMilitaryFamilyAssociation:http://www.militaryfamily.org/MilitaryHomefront:www.militaryhomefront.dod.milNational Conference of State Legislatures: www.ncsl.orgMilitarySpouseCareerCenter:www.military.com/spouseArmyCareerandAlumniProgram:www.acap.army.milNavy:http://www.cnic.navy.mil/MarineCorpsCommunityServices:www.usmc-mccs.orgAirForce:www.afcrossroads.comMilitaryOneSource:www.militaryonesource.comBlueStarFamilies:www.bluestarfam.orgJoiningForces:TakingactiontoserveAmerica’smilitaryfamilies:http://www.whitehouse.gov/joiningforces

ReferencesBolles, R. (2013). What Color is Your Parachute? New York: Random House.

Joint Economic Committee (2012). Casey honors military spouses on spouse appreciation day.Retrievedfromwebsite:http://www.jec.senate.gov/public/?a=Files.Serve

About the AuthorSophia L. Marshallisaglobalcitizenwhoenjoysconnectingwithclientswhoseeklimitlessopportunityandstrategicgrowth.AstheownerofSLMCollaborations,sheprovidescareerandlifepurposecoaching,resumewriting,andeducationadvising.SheearnedtheMasterofHu-manRelationsattheUniversityofOklahomaandtheBachelorofArtsin English and Japanese from Ursinus College. She has also earned the AcademyCertifiedResumeWritercredentialfromtheResumeWritingAcademy.SheisstudyingtobecomeaBoardCertifiedCoach(BCC).Sheisalsoanactive-dutymilitaryspouse,andhaswrittenforMilitary Spouse Magazine, Blue Star Families, and the Examiner.



Chapter 10

A LIFETIME of EXPERIENCE:Helping Older Workers Communicate Their Employability Utilizing Job Search Documents, Social Media, and Networking by Lorraine BeamanSeveralyearsagoIworkedwitha72-year-oldclientwhowaslaidoffafter15yearswiththesamecompany.Weworkedtogetherforseveralweeks developing his resume and cover letter and discussing in depth the changesthathadoccurredintherecruitmentprocesssincehislastjobsearch.Asheleftmyoffice,Iremindedhimtokeepmeupdatedonhissearch.

A few weeks later I got a phone message from him asking me to call as soonaspossible;hehadtospeakwithmeaboutaproblemhewasfac-ing. As I dialed the phone, I tried to think how I was going to handle the issue I thought he would want to discuss – age discrimination. I greeted himwithmyusualintroduction,“Catch me up with what is going on,” andpreparedtooffersupport.Hisresponsewas, “I have offers from two great companies. I need help deciding which one to accept.”

Whywasthisclientsuccessfulinsecuringanewpositionwithinafewmonthswhensomanyjobseekersintheirearlyfiftiesandlateryearsarenot? Although the rate of unemployment among older workers is lower than that for their younger counterparts, older persons who do become unemployed spend more time searching for work. (Sok, 2010). The real-ityofprolongedjobsearcheshasbeenatopicofdiscussionandresearchfor decades. In the article, Are Displaced Workers Now Finished at Age Forty? (Rodriguez&Zavodny,2000),theauthorsnotehigherratesandlengthierperiodsofunemploymentforworkersoverforty.

InJuly2013, The New York Times publishedanarticle,Unemployed and Older, and Facing a Jobless Future (Tugend, 2013), which in-cludedtheopportunityforreaderstorespondtothequestion:Is there a moment when people more than 50 years of age who do not have jobs should give up looking, accept their fate, and find other ways to make life meaningful?


Ofthe300personswhorespondedtothisquestion,manysharedtheirstoriesofbeingmorethan50yearsofageandunemployedforextendedlengths of time.

SowhywasthejobseekerIworkedwithabletosecureapositionwithinmonthswhilethejobsearchesofother,equallyqualifiedcandidatescanlastyears?Ibelieveasignificantfactorwasthejobseeker’swillingnessto understand and implement communication strategies that delivered a clear message of his skills and accomplishments in a multigenerational jobmarket.

How Are Older Workers Perceived?The report Employer Strategies for Responding to an Aging Workforce (Tishman,etal,2012)identifiedbothnegativeandpositiveperceptionsofolderworkersreportedbyhiringmanagers.Negativeperceptionsaboutmatureworkersincludedinflexibility,unwillingnessorinabilitytoadapttonewtechnology,lackofaggression,resistancetochange,andcomplacency.Positivestereotypesincludedexperience,judgment,commitmenttoquality,lowturnover,goodattendance,andpunctuality–qualitiestheyidentifiedasnotbeinghighlyvaluedbyemployers.

Canprovidingrelevantinformationaboutolderworkersinfluencethedecisionsofhiringmanagersastheyselectprospectiveemployeesfromarange of age groups? The research reported in Factors affecting employ-ment decisions about older workers (Lee & Clemons, 1985) seems to supportthehypothesisthatadditionalinformationwillincreasethelikeli-hoodofayoungemployerselectinganolderjobseekerfromamultigen-erational pool of candidates.

Thepurposeofthisarticleistoofferjobsearchcoachesworkingwithjobseekersmorethan50yearsofage(thisgroupwillbereferredtoasjobseekersthroughoutthisarticle)strategiesforassistingtheminef-fectivelycommunicatingtheirworkplacevalueinamultigenerationalworkenvironmentwheretheirfuturebossmaybeinhertwentiesandthecompany’sHRmanagerisinhisforties.Theformsofcommunicationwewillfocusonarejobsearchdocuments,socialmedia,andnetworking.

Job Search DocumentsOlderjobseekersinitiallyenteredthejobmarketintheirtwenties,whenhiringdecisionswerebasedonthetheorythatpastperformancewasthebestpredictorofanemployee’sfutureperformance.Currenthiringstrate-giesde-emphasizetheselectionofemployeesbasedonpastperformanceand instead place emphasis on potential for success (Trapp, 2013).

Prospectiveemployersmayholdthebeliefthatjob-specificexperi-encesmayslowdownlearningbecausesomeknowledgeandtechniques


needtobeunlearnedbeforelearninginthenewcontextcantakeplace.Competingintoday’sjobmarketrequiresclearlyconveyingwhatthejobseekerscando,notwhattheyhavedone.Therearetwochallengeshere:(1)helpingjobseekersidentifywhattheycandoand(2)leavingnon-relevant achievements and experiences off their resumes and cover letters. In creating an interview-securing resume, length does not matter. Impact does.

Let’susetheexampleoftechnology.Whenjobseekerswhohavebeenwiththesamecompanyfor20yearsareaskedtoturntheirexperiencedealingwithtechnologicalchangesonthejobintoanaccomplishmentstatementtheymightsay,“I started typing memos on an electric type-writer and now I produce them using the latest version of Word. Every time the company updated a system, I learned the skills necessary to do the job.”

Thereareinterestingfactsbutnotsomethingthatmightpositivelyimpactaprospectiveemployer’shiringdecision.Whatcouldpositivelyinflu-encethehiringmanager’sdecisionaredetailsofthejobseeker’spartici-pationinthelastupgrade,howquicklythejobseekermasteredskills,andifshewasabletoassistotherslearnthenewprocess.NoticeIsaidassist others rather than serve as a mentor or coach. Words like mentor and coachimplyanolder,moreexperiencedpersonshowingayoungerpersonhowtodosomething.Aprospectiveemployerdoesnotwanttothinkofaprospectiveemployeeasamentororcoach,butassomeonewhowillhelpherachieveherdepartment’sgoals.

Resumeswrittentoattractaprospectiveemployer’sattentionneedtofocusonthejobseeker’smostrecentaccomplishmentsintheareasoftechnologicalchanges,implementationofindustry-leadingstrategies,im-pactoncompanyprofits,andexamplesofhowtheyworkedonanequalbasiswithallco-workerstosupporttheachievementofcompanygoals.Resumesneedtodeliveraclearmessagethatthejobseekerisatechni-callysavvy,innovativecontributorwhowilleffectivelymanagechangeor,betteryet,makechangehappen.

Ifyourjobseekersdonotseethemselvesastechnicallysavvy,innova-tive,andabletoadaptandthriveduringperiodsofchange,helpthemevaluatetheirachievementsintheseareas.DidtheylearntousethemostrecentversionofWord?DotheyuseGoogletofindanswerstotechnicalquestions?Havetheyfoundcreativewaystodealwithbudgetcutsandeconomicdownturns?Havetheystoodupforwhattheyfeltwasright,even if it was not the popular opinion?

Because older workers have had to keep up with technological upgrades, makemajorcontributionstocompanygoals,andquicklyadapttochange


iftheywantedtostayemployed,theyoftenthinkoftheseasjustpartofdoing their job, unlikethe20-to30-year-oldforwhomtheseexperiencesarenewandwhoeasilyarticulatesadaptationstotechnologyandleadingbusinessinitiativesasachievements.

Liketheresume,thecoverlettermustdeliverthemessagethatthejobseekerisahighlycompetitivecandidate.ResearchconductedbytheLadders.com (Evans, 2012) discovered recruiters spend, on average, six secondsscanningaresumeforkeywordstodecideifitisworththeirtimetoreadtheresumecompletely.Basedontheseresults,itissafetoassumethesamerecruitermayspendonlyfoursecondsscanningacoverletterbeforedecidingwhetherornottoreadtheletterinitsentirety.

Jobseekersneedtousethatfoursecondswisely.Iadvisemyclientstodropthetraditionalintroductoryparagraphstatingexcitementaboutaprospectivejobandinsteadimmediatelystatewhytheyarequalifiedforthe position. Rather than, I read with great interest your announcement of an opening in your accounts receivable department, the opening sentence needstodoabetterjobofconveyingvalue:At (Name of Last Company) I exceeded my department’s goals for processing payments while main-taining the lowest rate of error. I am confident I will be able to duplicate this record as an Accounts Payable Clerk for your company.

Everyjobseekerhasarelevantaccomplishmentthatcansetthepositive,action-oriented tone the cover letter needs to deliver. Cover letters should includeexamplesofrecentsuccessinkeyjob-relatedareas,whilerefer-encestoloyaltyandlongevityshouldbeavoided.

Social MediaMoreBabyBoomers(those50–68yearsofage)usesocialnetworksfrequentlythanGenX(20–30yearolds)andGenY(30–50yearolds),andtheyturntoLinkedInfirst.WhileBabyBoomersarethegroupmostlikelytousesocialmediasitesintheirjobsearch,whenaskediftheytakethetimetomanagetheironlinepresence,amajoritysaid, no, ac-cordingtoa2012surveybyBeyond.com.

LinkedInisoneofthemosteffectivejobsearchtoolsavailabletojobseekersandyetmostdonotutilizethefeaturesthatcanadvanceajobsearch.OftenBoomerswillhaveaLinkedInprofilebecauseapreviousemployerrequiredit.Astheystarttoutilizethesiteintheirjobsearch,theymayfindthataccessisdeniedbecauseitislinkedtoacompanyemail(anissuethatcanberesolvedbyworkingwithLinkedInstaff).ThefirststepinutilizingLinkedInaspartofajobsearchstrategyistoreviewtheclient’sprofileandmakesureitisaction-orientedandfocusedonrecentexperience.Examplesofinnovation,creativity,andchangemanagementshouldbeemphasized.Oftenjobseekersdonotrecog-


nizetheimpactoftheirworkbecausetheyputitintheperspectiveofa30-yearcareerandseeprogressivechangeratherthanstandaloneac-complishments.Thejobsearchcoachcanhelpjobseekersseetheimpactoftheiractionsbyaskingwhatwouldhavehappenediftheyhadnotperformedtheirjobsinthewaytheydid.

Considertheexampleoftheemployeewhowenttoherbossandtoldhimthat the vendor he was planning to use had failed to deliver on time when awardedacontract15yearsearlier.Herbossthendiscoveredthattheperformancerecordofthecompanywasstillsubstandardandavoidedmakingapoordecision.Theemployeewilloftenthinkofthisasjust doing my job,butaskingwhatwouldhavehappenedifshehadnotcomeforwardmakesanexcitinghighlightinaLinkedInprofile.Thejust doing my jobbecomestook actions that resulted in saving a multimillion-dollar project.

Informationlinkedtoeachcompanyshouldalsoberelevantandactionoriented.BeingtheemployeeofthemonthinJanuary1976orloggingperfectattendancebetween1985and1990issomethingtobeproudof,butnotsomethingtoincludeinaLinkedInprofile.Thereisnorequire-menttoincludeemploymentbackto1976.Wedowanttosendthemessagethat,ineveryposition,thejobseekerhasmademajorcontribu-tions,soencourageclientstoincludeinformationonwhytheyearnedanemployeeofthemonthawardandacceptthefactthatintheeraofwork-lifebalance,nottakingadayoffinfiveyearsmaynotbeseenasapositive accomplishment.

Aftertheprofileiscomplete,Iencouragejobseekerstoexpandtheirnet-workbysettingweeklygoalsforaddingaspecificnumberofnewcon-tacts.Atthebeginningoftheircareersthesaying,It is not what you know but who you know was a popular expression, and getting to know people wasanacceptedpartofjobsearchstrategies.ItisimportanttohelpjobseekersseeLinkedInasawayofsafelyconnectingwithdecisionmakersand managing their online image.

Encouragethemtostartbyconnectingwithpeopletheyknow,thoseindividuals’contacts,andstaffofcompanieswhoholdpositionsintheirfield.Ialsoencouragejobseekerstoconnectwithinternalandexternalrecruiters, human resource representatives, and department heads. Most peoplechecktheprofileofsomeonewhohasaskedthemtojointheirnetwork.Thisletsthejobseekerdelivertheiraction-orientedmessagetoa wide audience.

Asjobseekersbuildtheirnetwork,theywillbegintohaveopportunitiestoparticipateinLinkedInactivities.Eachdayanemailannouncingjobchanges,birthdays,andemploymentanniversariesarrives.Iencourage


jobseekerstosendcongratulatorymessagestoeachpersonrecognizedinthose emails. Again, people will wonder who wished them well and view thejobseeker’sprofile.

Thelaststepintheprocessistojoinandparticipateingroupsthatarere-latedtojobsearchgoals.Thejobseekershouldbeencouragedtofollowdiscussionsand,whencomfortable,commentonatopicandultimatelystart a discussion. Again, all of these interactions will draw attention to thejobseeker’sprofile.

Afinalwordaboutsocialmedia:Thejobseekerneedstounderstandthatemployersoftendoonlinesearchesofcandidatesbeforetheyarecontact-edforaninterview.EncouragejobseekerstoGooglethemselves,limitaccesstoFacebookpages,andmakesuretheironlineimagesupportstheirjobsearchstrategy.Thepositiveimpactofawell-developedLinke-dInprofilecanbenegatedbyaFacebookpagedisplayingage-relatedjokesandpictures.

NetworkingForthepurposesofthisarticle,adifferentiationismadebetweenon-line networking through social media and off-line networking. Off-line networkingisdefinedascontactsmadethroughcoldcalling,warmcall-ing,andemailcontactswithindividualsaspartofafocusedjobsearchstrategy.Someofthesecontactsmaycomefromonlinenetworking,butthejobseekerismovingforwardindevelopinganoff-linerelationship.

Thistypeofnetworkingrequiresanintroductorystatementofaccom-plishments sometimes referred to as 30-second me or an elevator speech(becauseideallyitcanbedeliveredinthetimeittakesanelevatortomovebetweenfloors).Jobseekersoftenfindarticulatingtheirstrengths,andcommunicatingthemtothosewhocanhelpwiththeirjobsearch,challengingformanyreasons.Oftenthejobseekerhasbeentheoneaskedtoprovidecareeradviceandmakeintroductions;changingrolescanbestressfulandintimidating.Sometimestheyseenetworkingasafancywayofbeggingforajob.Shiftingthejobseekers’viewpointcanbeveryhelpful.Havethemvisualizetheemployerwhoissooverworkedshecanhardlytaketimetoeat,letalonespendqualitytimewithherfam-ilyorgothroughtheprocessesofscreeningjobapplicants.Byinitiatingaconnection,thejobseekercanbringtheskillsandtalentsnecessarytoprovidethesupporttheoverworkedemployerneeds.ManytimeswhenIhaveaskedclientstoimaginethisemployer,theyhavesharedthattheyhavebeeninthesameposition–needinghelpbuttoobusytospendthetimeneededtofindaqualifiedemployee.

Tocreateacustomizedstatementofaccomplishments,askjobseekerstodefinethevaluetheywillbringtoanewemployer.Focusonrecent


experience,notlongevityandloyalty.Emphasizetechnicalskills,projectmanagement successes, and process improvements. A well-crafted intro-ductorystatementwillallowjobseekerstobepreparedtorespondtothetell me about yourself requestandbuildself-confidenceinthevaluetheywillbringtotheirnextemployer.

Oncetheintroductorystatementiscompleted,itistimetouseit.Deter-minethelevelofcomfortyourclienthaswithnetworking.Thesuccess-fulsalesrepresentativemayrequireonlyaquickreviewofhis30-second me beforepickingupthephoneandworkingthroughhiscontactlist.Thecomputerprogrammer,ontheotherhand,mayrequirehelpgettingpaststaringatthephoneorpreparingupdatesonherfailuretoidentifyindividuals to contact.

Ihaveclientsidentifytheircomfortlevelwithnetworkingonascalefrom I would rather chew off my leg to Where is the phone and how do I get an outside line. The scale was developed when I was working with a computer programmer who said he would rather chew off his leg than network.WhenIlaughed,helookedmeintheeyeandsaid,I will roll up my pants and start chewing on my leg if that is what I need to do to convince you. Weturnedhisintroductorystatementintoawell-developedemail and started sending it to the IT directors of companies for which he wantedtowork.Herefusedtosendittofriendsandcolleaguesbecausehe did not want to botherthem.OnedayIwalkedbyhisworkstationand heard him having a conversation that he had initiated with a potential employer.Whenaskedaboutthecall,heletmeknowthattheemployerhadaskedhimtocallandthatitwouldberudenottocallsomeonewhoaskedyoutocall.Theendofthestoryisthatthosecold e-mails did lead toanofferandthateveryjobseekercanfindawaytonetworkeffec-tively.

SummaryAllthoseseekingemployment,regardlessofage,areencouragedandsometimesrequiredtocommunicatetheirskills,abilities,andaccom-plishmentsthroughjobsearchdocuments,socialmedia,andnetwork-ing.Thechallengesfacedbyjobseekersdiscussedinthisarticleincludeovercomingthestereotypesofolderemployeesbycarefullycraftinganddeliveringthemessagethattheyarehighlyqualifiedandmotivated.Theroleofthejobsearchcoachistoassistinovercomingthesebarriersbyfacilitating the translation of a lifetime of experience into a focused mes-sageofemployability.

ReferencesSok,Emy.2010.Recordunemploymentamongolderworkersdoesnotkeepthemoutofthejobmarket.Issues in Labor Statistics. March. Summary10-04.


Rodriguez,Daniel,andMadelineZavodny.2000.Aredisplacedworkersnowfinishedatageforty?Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta Economic Review, Second Quarter: 33-47.

Tugend,Alina.UnemployedandOlder,andFacingaJoblessFuture.The New York Times, July27,2013.

Tishman,FrancineM.,SaraVanLooy,SusanneM.Bruy.2012.Employer strategies for responding to an aging workforce. NTAR Leadership Center.

Lee,JoA.,andTanyaClemons.1985.Factorsaffectingemploymentdecisionsaboutolderworkers.Journal of Applied Psychology 70 (4). November1985.785-788.

Trapp,Rodger.ForCEOpastperformanceisnoguaranteeoffuturesuc-cess. Forbes,November11,2013.

Evans,W.2012.Youhavesixsecondstomakeanimpression:Howrecruitersseeyourresume.http://info.theladders.com/our-team/you-only-get-6-seconds-of-fame-make-it-count.LastmodifiedMarch21,2012.

Beyond.com.2012.NewStudy:TheMulti-GenerationalJobSearch.http://millennialbranding.com/2012/09/multi-generational-job-search-study/.LastmodifiedSeptember24,2012.

About the AuthorLorraine BeamanearnedtheBachelor’sDegreeinSocialSciencesattheUniversityofCalifornia,Berkeley,andtheMaster’sDegreeinSociologyatCaliforniaStateUniversity,Chico.SheholdstheprestigiousACRWresumewritingcertificationinadditiontocertificationsinsocialnetworkingandworkingwithindividualsfacingemploymentbarriers.Hercommitmenttoassistingjobseekersfacinguniquechallengeshasbeenthebasisforthedevelopmentanddeliveryofinnovativejobsearchstrategies. She created the Partner Opportunities Program to support the jobsearchesofthepartnersandspousesoftopexecutivesandacademicsattheUniversityofCalifornia,Davis.Movingbeyondthecampus,shecofoundedtheHigherEducationRecruitmentConsortium,aninternetjobsearchtoolthatgrewfromaregionaltoanationalprogram.Utilizingthejobsearchstrategiessherecommendsforjobseekers,shesecureda director-level position at the age of 58, competing against candidates intheirthirties.Sheiscurrentlyassistingjobseekersofallagesmoveforward in their careers as the owner of JLB Careering Consulting.



Chapter 11

TECHNIQUES and TOOLS for EFFECTIVE COVER LETTERS and e-NOTES by Kristin JohnsonFormanyjobseekers,coverlettersareeitheramysteryoranuisance–generallynotsomethingpositive.Whatifwe,ascareerprofessionals,could empower them to view writing these documents in a more positive light?Byprovidingsomestraightforwardtechniquesandtools,wecanmake this task much easier and more effective for them.

Mostofmyclientstellmetheydon’thatewritingcoverletters;theyjustdon’tknowwhattosayinthem.Theyalsohavemanyquestionsaboutthingsthey’vereadnottodoanymore,howlongtheirlettersshouldbe,orwhethertheyneedthematall.Soundfamiliar?

Thepurposeofthisarticleistoprovidesupporttoyou,thecareerprofes-sional,inencouragingjobseekerstowritetheseverynecessarydocu-mentsbetterandmorequickly.But,beforeIlaunchintotechniquesandtips,adefinitionofthemoderncoverletterisinorder.

AccordingtoavirtualseminargivenbyTheResumeWritingAcademy(2013),acoverletter“is a communication sent with a resume to convey a job seeker’s qualifications.” Itisfirst-personcorrespondencethataccom-paniesaresumetoexplainwhythepersonissendingit,andtomakethecaseforbeingthebestcandidate.Traditionallysentinthepostalmail,coverlettersarenowprimarilysentelectronically.Eitherinthebodyof an email, as an attachment, or uploaded into an Applicant Tracking System(ATS)foranemployerorjobboard,theseelectroniccoverlettersarecalled“E-Notes.”

Nowthatwe’reclearonwhatacoverletteris,I’llclarifyhowyoucananswerthemostcommonquestionsjobseekersmightapproachyouwith.Also,you’llgetsomepracticaltipstowritingtheselettersmoreef-fectively,aswellassomehelpfulresourcesforfuturereference.

Question #1: Do I really need a cover letter?Thebiggestquestionjobseekershaveiswhethercoverlettersareevenneededatall.They’veheardthatnoonereadsthemanymore.Well,aswas true with Mark Twain, rumors of the demise of the cover letter have


beengreatlyexaggerated.It’struethatmanyemployersdiscardthecoverletterandgostraighttotheresume,butit’salsotruethatmanydon’t.

Infact,accordingtoCareerDirectorsInternational’sGlobalHiringTrendsSurvey(2012),26percentofhiringauthoritiesstatethattheycontinuetoreadcoverletters.That’smorethanonereaderoutofeveryfour!So,yes,acoverletterisstillsomethingjobseekerswillwanttousetogainthebestoddsofgettinganinterview.Andwhilethecoverletterdoesn’tneedtobelong–infact,itshouldbeshort–jobseekersshouldputalltheeffortintoitthattheywouldiftheywere100percentsureitwasgoingtoberead.Becausetheyjustdon’tknowwhichhiringmanag-ers will read it.

Question #2: What is the point of the cover letter anyway?Thecoverletteroffersthecandidateachancetoconnectthedotsbe-tween his resume, where he presents a more formal, professional skill set,totheenthusiastic,productive,engagedworkerwhoperfectlymatch-esthecompany’scorporateculture.It’sthechancetousethewords,“I,”“me,”and“my,”transformingthejobseekerfromanumberintheATSintoareal,hirableperson.

According to the RWA seminar, cover letters serve as a/an: • Introductionofthecandidatetothecompany.• Marketing document to sell thecandidate’sskillsandtalents.• Prioritylistofthejobseeker’sbestqualifications,accomplishments,

andotheritemsthatcausehertoriseaboveallotherapplicants.• Persuasivecall-to-action,primingtheemployertoreachouttothe

candidate for an interview.

Ifjobseekersdon’tmakethemostofthisopportunity,they’regoingtobeatadisadvantage.Acoverletterprovidesthemwith:• Morekeywordsintheirsubmitteddocuments,allowingforahigher

ATS score.• Additional accomplishments to strengthen the case for hiring.• Personal stories or connections, explaining an interest in the com-

pany.• Another avenue to demonstrate written communication skills and

attention to detail.• Persuasivelanguagetoinspirequickaction.• Atangiblewayforjobseekerstoshowtheirreliability(iftheyfollow

upwhentheysaidtheywould).

Theabovepointsshouldconvinceanyjobseekertotakethetimetowriteacoverletterore-note.OneoftheCDIsurveyrespondent’scommentperfectlysumsthevalueofcoverletters:“They often provide insights two-dimensional resumes fail to provide.”


Manypeoplethinkthattoaccomplishallofthosethings,thecoverletterwouldneedtobeseveralpagesofdenselypacked,longparagraphs.Thiscouldn’tbefartherfromthetruth,whichbringsustothenextquestionjobseekershave.

Question #3: How long does it need to be? Can I just send it in an email?Inthecurrenteraoftextsandtweets,withreaders’attentionspansquick-lyshrinking,brevityiscrucial.And,yes,sincesomanycoverlettersarenowemailedinthee-noteformat,aneffectivelengthcouldbeasshortasacoupleofparagraphswithseveralbulletsbetween.Whenrecommend-ingcoverletterlengthtojobseekers,keepinmindthesestatistics:

Morethan8outof10HRprofessionalsspendlessthanoneminuteread-ingacoverletter,accordingtoaSHRMsurvey(2005).Notethatthissurveywasconductedin2005—beforetherecession.Sincethen,themarkethasbeenfloodedwithapplicants,puttingevenmoredemandsonhiring managers.

Accordingtoasurveyconductedin2011bySaddlebackCollegeinOrangeCounty,California,of87respondents:12.6 per cent preferred a full-page cover letter43.7 per cent preferred a half-page19.5 per cent had no preference24.1 per cent stated “the shorter the better”

Whether writing an e-note or cover letter to mail with a resume, less is decidedlymore.Condensingthesecareercommunicationscanbemuchharderthanwritingalongerletter,it’strue.So,howdocareerprofession-alsinstructjobseekerstoaccomplishthisseeminglyimpossibletaskofwriting “tight”?

ThebookWrite Tight: Say Exactly What You Mean With Precision and PowerbyWilliamBrohaughisagreatresourceforlearningmoreconcisecommunication.Considersharingthefollowingtipswithyourclients:• Prepareyourselfforwriting.• Haveaclearfocusonthepurposeforwriting.• Outlinethreemainpointsyouwanttocover.• Detailthreebrandattributesthatsetyouapartfromyourcompetition

thatyouwanttobesuretocover.• Removeemotionalityfromthewordsyouchoose.Ifyouaremarried

toaparticularword,editingbecomesmoredifficult.• Chopwordswhenyouedit.Beonthelookoutforredundantphrases,

carefullyexaminingtheadjectivesyouchoose.• Copyyourfirstdraftintoanewdocumentbeforeeditingsothatyou


cancutwordsoutwithoutworry.• Avoidjargon,clichés,trendywords,orflowerylanguage.• Gettothepointclearly,asopposedtosayingthingsinaroundabout

way.• Keepshorteningandclarifying:Checktomakesuretheflowofthe

writingmakessense.Rearrangesentencesifthingsgetjumbledoroff-track.Reinyourselfin!

• Ifdescriptionsbecometoolong,referthereadertoanothersourceformoreinformation.ALinkedInprofile,professionalblogpost,orcompanywebsitearegreatwaystoelaborateonthebriefinformationpresented in a cover letter.

• Continuetoaskyourself, “Does this strengthen my case for hire? Will readers really value this information? Is this in alignment with my most important brand attributes?”

Tohelpmyselfwriteconcisely,IfollowtheadviceofpretendingthatI’mbeingchargedmoneyforeverywordIwrite.Ialsoalways have a second setofeyesreviewwhatI’vewritten.

Learningtowriteshortercoverletterscanmeanthedifferencebetweenajobseekergettinganintervieworendingupintherejectpile.Usinge-notescangiveacandidateanevenbiggerlegup.Thereareseveralad-vantagestowritingane-noteversusatraditionalcoverletter,onebeingthatitforcesthewritertobeveryclearandconfidentaboutthereasonswhytheyshouldbeconsidered.Thereislessroomforrambling.

Accordingtoaward-winningresumewriterGayleHowardofTop Margin, other advantages are that an e-note:• Givestheimpressionofamoremodernandtech-savvycandidate.• Deliversamoreconsiderate,to-the-pointcommunication;saysthe

writervaluesthereader’stimeandattention.• Providesadditionalbrandingopportunitiesinthesubjectlineand

signatureblock.• Allows for a higher likelihood that the message will at least receive a

quickscan,sinceitissobriefandisvisuallysegmented.• Startssellingthejobseekerquickerandmoreeffectivelythana

lengthyletter.• Permitsthewritertobypassmoreacceptablyasalutationtoaspe-

cificpersonwithoutappearingrude.

Mostofthetime,yourjobseekerswillwanttoreaptheadvantagesofus-ingane-note,especiallywhenapplyingviajobboard,email,orcompanywebsite.Whentheyarecommunicatingwithsomeonetheyknowdoesn’tusuallyreadcoverletters,orisparticularlypressedfortime,Ihighlyrecommend using an e-note.


However,clientsmaywonderwhatisappropriateforthisnewertypeofcommunication.

Question #4: How different is an e-note, really? What does it consist of?E-notesdiffermostlyinthelength.E-notesalsohaveshorter2–3lineparagraphsandoftenabulletedpresentationstyle.Whenwritingane-note,extraattentionisplacedondirect,clear,extremelybriefpointsthatsupportacentralstrategyinconveyingthecaseforhire.Ane-noteconsists of • Targeted subject line,ideallyincludingthejobtitleandbranding

statement.

Example:Subject:BusinessandFinancialITDirector:Initiative-DrivenGrowth and Process Improvement

• Opening statement of one or two sentences where the candidate conciselyspellsouttheobviousreasonwhysheiswriting.(Don’tmakeahiringmanagerguess.)Starttheletteroffstronglybygivinga solid example or metric that illustrates how past accomplishments willbeanassettothehiringcompanyinthefuture.

Example: Under my leadership, the IT department at XYZ Corp. deliv-ered more than $2M in savings through technology upgrades and process improvements – at a cost of less than $20K. I am confident my proven leadership skills and technical expertise will be valuable as your next Business and Financial IT Director.

Awordaboutname-dropping.Ifyourclientcanmentionapersonalre-ferralintheopeningstatement,heshoulddoso!Peoplehirepeopletheyknow and like. Candidates increase their chance of gaining an interview if an internal contact or other trusted source will vouch for them.

• Bulleted bodytosubstantiatethebrandstatementandgarnerinter-est.

Example: Further proof of my impact on operational efficiency and the corporate bottom line:PROCESS IMPROVEMENTS – Slashed time to release new policies in halfduringfirstsixmonthsasVPofOperations.TEAM ENGAGEMENT – Boosted attendance of operations center staff by75percentinninemonthsthroughrecognitionandcollaborativeprograms.TECHNOLOGYIMPLEMENTATION–Improvedproduction40percentinbillingdepartmentbymodernizingtechnologyandtransitioningto paperless environment.


Conclusion:Inthissection,thewritershouldbeprofessionallyassertive.Thisistheplacetoinformthereader,politely,thatthecoverletterandresumearenotthefinalmessagesthey’llreceivefromthecandidate.Infact,thereader can expect a follow-up call next week.

Example: I welcome confidential discussions of how I may add addi-tional value to MetLife. I will contact your executive assistant early next week to schedule a meeting. In the meantime, please see my enclosed resume.

• Closing: Signingoffwith“Sincerely,”“BestRegards,”or“Thankyouforyourconsideration”isacourtesynottobeforgotten.

• Candidate’s name: Ifthejobseekerhasacommonname,sheshould consider adding her middle initial or credentials at the end of thenametopreventidentityconfusionwhentheemployersearchesonlinetolearnmoreabouther.

• Signature block: This is a must. The writer will want to provide contactinformationtomakeiteasyforthehiringauthoritytocontacthim.Thesignatureblockshouldincludeaphonenumber,email,LinkedIn URL, and other social media information. She should also listanybrandinginformation,tagline,orwebsite.Mentioninganawardwonornotableaccomplishmentisanotheropportunitytosellhimself.

• Just use a dashed line or symbolstoseparateyoursignaturefromthe e-note, as in these examples:

==========================Jamie Johnson, MBA Cell: 920-555-1212 Email:[email protected]:www.linkedin.com/jjmbaTwitter:@jjmba

++++++++++++++++++++++++++EduardoC.FloresCell:312-555-1212**Email:[email protected]**LinkedIn:Linke-din.com/jcflores

->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->-Elena KimVoted“BestRealtorinOrangeCounty2013”Cell: 405-555-1212Email:[email protected]: linkedin.com/elenakim


Ane-noteistheperfectwaytostartthehiringconversation.Jobseekersshouldbeonthelookoutforaresponse.Theymaybepleasantlysur-prisedwhenthehiringmanagerwritesback!

Question #5: When is a traditional, mailed cover letter still the way to go?Candidateswillwanttomailacoverletterwheneverthatisrequested.It’snotuncommonforgovernmentpositions,positionsfilledbyapanel,orcompaniesusingaveryformalhiringprocess.I’vealsoheardanecdot-altestimoniesfromcolleaguesinHRthattheydon’tatallmindwhenacandidatefollowsupwithamailedletterafterapplyingonline.Althoughtheseanecdotesarenotaformalsurvey,tryingnewthingswithajobsearch can sometimes produce positive results.

Question #6: Who do I address it to?RememberthedayswhenyouhadtosendacoverletterTo Whom It May Concern?Theworldhaschanged.Today,ahiringmanagerwillappreciateajobseekergoingtheextramiletousehername(andspellitcorrectly).Websiteslikejigsaw.com,Glassdoor.com,andLinkedIn can help in locating the decision maker.

If the applicant is not sure who to send the letter to even after searching online,hemaytryusinginformationalinterviewingtechniques(blogpost,2013)tofigureoutagoodcontact.Whenaddressingacoverlet-ter to someone whose gender is uncertain, encourage him not to make anyassumptions.Aquicksocialmediasearchoftenwillshowaprofilepicture to clear up the confusion. If all searches and strategies still lead nowhere,theSaddlebacksurvey(2011)showedthefollowingpreferenc-esforaddressingacoverletter.Hereisthebreakdownforthequestion,“Ifcandidatesdonotknowwhotosendthecoverletterto,howshouldtheyaddressit?”

40.5 per cent: Dear Hiring Manager27.4 per cent: To Whom it May Concern17.9 per cent: Dear Sir/Madam8.3percent:Leaveblankifdon’tknowthename6 per cent: Dear Human Resource Director

Shortofknowingaliving,breathinghumanbeingtoaddressitto,Dear Hiring Managerappearstobethenextbestoption.

Question #7: What’s the best way to send an e-note?Thecoverlettershouldnotbeincludedasanattachmenttoanemail.Thisapproachaskstheemployertotakeafewadditionalmomentsandhitafewadditionalkeystoactuallyopentheletter,andsomeemployerswillnotbewillingtodothat.Instead,includethetextofthecoverletterintheemailbodyitself.


Question #8: How do I write a strong, personalized cover letter — without sounding pompous?Afteraddressingthelettertothecorrectpersonandclearlystatingthepositionbeingappliedfor,thecandidateshouldquicklygettotheheartofwhatshecancontributetothecompany.Thebestapproachistosticktothefactsofrelevantaccomplishments,avoidjargonunlesscompletelynecessary,andusebrief,readablelanguage.Itispossibletopackalotofcompellinginformationintoasmallspace,asyoucanseeinthisex-ample:

Advancingcomplex,multi-departmentaloperationalprojectstocomple-tioninhighereducation–withservantleadershipstrengths–ismyspecialty.PleaseconsiderallowingmetocontributemyexpertisetotheUniversityofWisconsin–MadisonforyourDirectorofCustomerRela-tionship Management position in the Department of Information Tech-nology.I’veexcelledinthisfieldbysystematicallyanalyzingpolicies,procedures,andteammemberdynamics,thenapplyingrelationalleader-shiptechniquestomanageteams.Mysignatureaccomplishments:

Electronic Systems:Saved$1.4MinthefirstyearofinstallingATMsandexecutingHigherPay,same-dayelectronicrefundsforstudents–adramaticimprovementoverprior5–7daywaittime.

Electronic Storefronts:Implementedwebsystemtotakepaymentforcourses,extra-curricularlessons,anddonationstofoundation,bolsteringcollegerevenueby$2.2Minfirst6months.

Automated Payments: Overhauledpaymenttothird-partyvendorsfromissuingpapercheckstousingDigitechERPsystem,savingresourcesandoverhead.

Steering change to attain initiative-driven staff development, operations processimprovement,andtechnologymodernizationistheexpertiseIbringtotheUW.Iwillfollowupearlynextweektodiscusshowmysuccessinfinancialandbusinessmanagementmightaddvaluetoyourorganization.

Thankyouforyourconsideration,EvelynDouglasAttachment: Resume~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Cell:(608)555-1212Email:[email protected]:linkedin.com/evelyndouglasSkype:@evdouglas


Thecontentaboveshowsthecandidate’sstrengthswithoutusing“fluffy”wordingthatmaybeoff-puttingtoahiringmanager.

Question #9: How do I avoid just regurgitating what’s on my resume?Mostjobseekershaveheardthatit’snotgoodtoberedundantintheircoverletters.Inthatregard,theyknowwhat not tosay.So,whatto say?Again,theyshouldsimplystate,rightoffthebat,whattheycontributetosolvingthecompany’sconcerns.Thecoverletteristheplacetoprovideadditional information that will tie what is in the resume to the com-pany’sneeds.Researchcanhelpjobseekersfigureoutthecompany’schallengessothattheaccomplishmentswillresonatewiththem.Herearesomethingsjobseekerscandotogettheseinsights:

• Readrecentpressreleasesontheirwebsite.• UseGoogle,Yahoo!Finance,andGlassdoor.comtofindoutwhat

insidersaresayingaboutcorporateculture.• Checkoutwhatfollowersonsocialmediaaresayingaboutthecom-

panyandhowthecompanyhandlesthosecomments.• Doinformationalinterviewswithconnectionsinthecompany(or

theircompetitors)touncoverissuesthatmaynotbepublic.• Askthemselves,isthecompanygrowing?Or,goingthroughreorga-

nizationanddownsizing?WhatskillsdoIhavethatwouldcontributewithregardtotheissuestheyareexperiencing?

Inaddition,jobseekersmaywishtoaddtotheircoverletteradditionalinformationthatwillhelpmaketheircase.Theycan:

• Includeclearstatementsthatdemonstratehowtheiruniquevaluecouldprovidebenefitstotheorganization.

• Statewhythecompanyisofinterest,makingthee-notemoreper-sonal.

• Spelloutexactlyhowthetheirskills,workstyle,orpersonalityre-latestowhatisknownaboutthecompany.

• Paint a picture of future success to get the hiring manager thinking abouthowthecandidatecanfitintotheirorganization.

• Describeanyprofessionalorpersonalhistorywiththecompany.

Thecoverletteriswherethecandidatetruthfullyexplainswhyhewantstoworkspecificallyforthatcompany.Pointingtoaspectsoftheresumeisacceptable,butexpandingonkeysuccessesandmakingclearconnec-tionstotheemployeriskeytogettingthecoverletterread.

Question #10: Do I have to write about how I lost my last job in my cover letter?Althoughjobseekerscanexpecttoanswerquestionsduringaninterviewaboutwhytheyarelookingforajob,thisfactdoesn’tnecessarilyneedto


bementionedinacoverletter.Itdependsgreatlyontheperson’ssitua-tion.Ofcourse,thepurposeforcommunicatingwithanemployershouldbetouchedon.Butifthedetailswouldhurtthejobseekerandimmedi-atelyruleheroutoftheinterviewprocess,itisvitaltoputapositivespinonthesituation.Obviously,aletterstating, Since I was fired from my last job for stealing, I thought I’d apply with your company,wouldbeapooropening.

The applicant could instead write, I’ve always been skilled at recogniz-ing and protecting process loopholes in your company’s industry and was pleased when my colleague, Bob Smith, informed me of an opening in your auditing department.

Inthisopening,thesenderisstatingwhyheiswriting:toapplyforthepositionhisfriendtoldhimabout.Noneedtomentiontheincidentthatmight hurt him if it were revealed too soon.

Ifitreallyisinthebestinterestofthecandidatetogiveaspecificreason,it’simportantthatit’sconsistentwithpublicrecordandsocialmediacontent,concise,plausible,andultimately,framedinapositivelight.

Question #11: Do I have to give salary information in my coverletter?Thisisatrickyquestionandrequiresathoughtfulstrategy.

Iftheinformationisrequestedinthejobposting,orbytherecruiterforaposition,ajobseekerwhofailstoincludeitmaybeconsideredrude,lazy,orinattentivetodetail.Toavoidbeingdisqualified,theissuewillneedtobeaddressed.Butwhethernumbersaregivenisupfordebate.

DonnaSvei,AvidCareerist,recommendsaddressinganypossiblepaycuthead-on(2013).Herclientwaslookingformorerewardingwork,notalargesalary.Becausetheissuewasaddresseddirectly,itwasnotperceivednegatively.

Thereareseveraloptionsfordealingwitharequestforsalaryrequire-ments.AccordingtocareerexpertAllisonDoyle,ofAbout.com,thecandidate could:

Givearealisticrange,basedonindustryresearch,My salary requirement is $90K–$100K.Statethatsheisflexiblebasedonthetotalcompensationandbenefitspackage.Ifasalaryhistoryisrequired,itiscriticaltobehonest.Theem-ployermayaskforproofofcompensationlaterandthejobseekerwouldnotwanttobecaughtinalie.

Anotherrecommendationistonotprovideinformationthatwouldbecauseforanemployertoeliminatethecandidateoutright.Instead,state


thatsalarycanbediscussedatalatertimeoncetheapplicantdeterminesthatthepositionwouldbeagoodfit.Ultimately,itisatouchysituationwithnouniversalrightorwronganswerbutwherecareerprofessionalscanprovidevaluableguidancetojob-seekingclients.

Cover Letter RecapThebottomlineforcoverlettersande-notesistowriteaclearandtightmessage,denselypackedwithaccomplishmentsthatwillresonatewiththehiringmanager.Itdoestakeforethoughtandpractice,butwithoneinfiveworkerspreparingtochangejobsin2014,accordingtoarecentsurveybyMonster.com(2014),itmakessenseforjobseekerstomakethebestimpressionpossible.

ReferencesBrohaugh, William. Write Tight: Say Exactly What You Mean With Precision and Power (2007).

CareerBuilder.OneinFiveWorkersPlantoChangeJobsin2014,Ac-cordingtoCareerBuilderSurvey(2014).http://cb.com/1nmOQ3X

DeCarlo,L.GlobalHiringTrends2012.CareerDirectorsInternational.http://bit.ly/1fy3Wy4

Doyle,Allison.DisclosingSalaryRequirementsandSalaryHistory.About.com.http://abt.cm/1fy3GPI

Enelow,Wendy&LouiseKursmark.Today’sModernCoverLetter:TheE-Note(2013).ResumeWritingAcademy.http://www.resumewritinga-cademy.com/esummit-enote.php

Howard,Gayle.TheTraditionalCoverLetter.IsitOutdated?(2013).http://bit.ly/1icerJU

Johnson,Kristin.HowtoAskforanInformationalInterview(2013).http://bit.ly/1k9XwrU

SaddlebackCollegeResumeSurvey(2011).http://bit.ly/1iMPJCs

SocietyforHumanResourceManagement.SHRMCoverLettersandResumesSurvey(2005).http://bit.ly/1cw6mi5

SocietyforHumanResourceManagement.SHRMResearchSpotlight:SocialNetworkingWebsitesandOnlineSearchEngines(2011).http://bit.ly/1jLhmMA

Svei,Donna.CoverLetters:TakingaPayCut(2013).http://bit.ly/1b8QVbn


About the AuthorKristin Johnson,CARW,CCMC,CJSS,CertifiedG3Coach,CertifiedReach360Analyst,COPNS,isaTORIaward-winningresumewriter,jobsearchcoach,andsocialmediaconsultant.Herapproachiscutting-edge, creative, and kind. As owner of Profession Direction, LLC, she workswithprofessionalsandaspiringexecutivesacrossthecountry.Herclientsenjoythereassuranceofhavingprofessionallywritten,SEO-optimizeddocuments.Theyfindclarityanddirectionintheirjobsearch,feel at ease with social media and in-person networking, and earn more income faster. To provide the most current resources to her clients, she attendscareersindustrytrainingfromCareerDirectorsInternational,Ca-reer Thought Leaders, The Academies, and The National Resume Writers Association.SheearnedBachelorofSciencedegreefromtheUniversityofWisconsin–Madison.Recently,herwebsite,professiondirection.com, was named one of Forbes’ Top100CareerWebsitesfor2013.





Chapter 12

WHY the LINKEDIN PROFILE may be MORE IMPORTANT than the RESUMEby Laura M. LabovichIt’sofficial:theworldhasturnedsocial.WiththenumberofLinkedInusersatwellover200millionandgrowing(Nishar,2013),it’snosur-prise that recruiters and companies alike are turning to the social giant to discoverqualifiedcandidatesandturnthemintolastingemployees.Aswithsomanyotherindustries,careermanagementhasturneddigital.Asemployersbecomeincreasinglylessloyalandmorefickle,evenhappilyemployedprofessionalsmustmaintainanactiveLinkedInpresencetobereadyforanythingatanytime.And,ascareerprofessionalshavebeensayingforyears,jobseekerswithoutaLinkedInprofileareputtingthem-selves, and their careers, at a severe disadvantage.

The Traditional Job Search Doesn’t Work Any LongerTraditionalresumesarelikelytoremainacrucialpartofthejobsearchprocess,buttheirsignificancereallycomesintoplayaftercandidatesarefound byarecruiterviaajobboardorasaresultofasearchinanappli-canttrackingsystem(ATS).Anoft-debatedstatisticisofthepercentageofpeoplewhogethiredthroughanonlinejobposting.Thenumberhasbeentoutedtobeaslowas2percentandashighas15percent,depend-ingonthesource.(Whatallexpertscanagreeonisthatit’sextremelylow.)Despitethestatistics,manyjobseekersspendfartoomuchtimepursuingonlineopeningsandoftenarerewardedwithaone-waytriptotheblackholealongwithhealthycompetitionforthepositionstowhichtheyapply.

In an article on ere.net, Dr. John Sullivan (2012) shared staggering num-bers:Awhopping46percentofallhiresattop-performingfirmscomethroughreferrals,andnotonlyarereferralsthenumberonesourceofhires,theyarealsothenumberonesourceofqualityhires!Butcandi-datescanbereferralsonlywhentheystoptargetingjobs(andgettingintothecompanyasanunknown)andstarttargetingpeople(whocanendorsetheminadvanceofanopening).Havingalistoftargetcompa-nies,alongwithastrategyforgettingintotheseorganizationstobecomeaknowncandidate–viaalumniclubs,professionalassociations,formercolleagues,mentors,sponsors,orother–isthebestwaytobeaninternalreferralandhaveatopchanceatlandingajob.


ALinkedInprofileofferstheproverbial foot in the door thatisultimatelymoreessential,especiallyasjobseekersreplacetheineffectiveapproachofapplyingtoonlinejoblistingsinfavorofnetworkinginadvanceofanopening.Attheendoftheday,theresumeisgreatfortargetingjobs,buttheLinkedInprofileisgreatfortargetingcompanies,whichisreallythewaytogetajobin2014.

Your LinkedIn Profile Acts As A Billboard.Itisalwaysworkingonyourbehalf,evenwhenyou’renotontheroadto witness it. “Employers are reviewing your profiles to see what kind of person you are outside of work, who you’re connected to, and how you present yourself,”accordingtoauthorandbrandingexpertDanSchaw-bel(2011).“Each gives clues to how well you can fit into the corporate culture.”

Beforesocialmedia,recruitersandhiringmanagershadverylittleproofaboutacandidate’sability,shyofwhatinformationthejobseekerhim-selfcouldoffer.Now,recruiterscanachieveabroaderpictureandbetterideabeforeanycontactisinitiated.Thisallowsjobseekerstheopportu-nitytowowtheiridealaudience,showupinmoresearches,andbemoreinterestingandappealingcandidatesoncetheyarefound.

Bybuildinganonlinepresence,employerscanfindtheiridealcandidatesand,inturn,jobseekerswillhavemoreopportunitiesattheirdisposal.Incontrast,thosewhodon’tbuildanonlinepresenceandinsteadrelyontheirresumewillseeminglyappearinvisibletomostemployersandwillgetpassedoverinfavorofmoresavvyapplicants.

Transformingapush-basedmarketingapproach–focusedonsendingout resumes to online postings – to a pull approach – focused on making onlinecontentinteresting,engaging,andsticky,thusbringingeyeballstoit–canenablejobseekerstotakeadvantageofthemoreeffectivewaytolandajob:throughtheirconnections.Additionally,jobseekerssimplylandfasteriftheyadoptanentrepreneurialmindsetandowntheirmar-ketingmessage.Anentrepreneurialmindset–takingtotalresponsibilityforyourselfandthewayyoumakeyourmoney–isbecomingmoreandmore accepted and even preferred. Entrepreneurs live in a world that makesthemhighlyaccountable,wheretheygetareportcardeveryfewweeksormonths.Likesalespeople,entrepreneurswakeupeverymorn-ingandknowtheymusttakeinitiative,executetheirbusinessplan,andcultivateexistingandnewrelationshipsiftheyaregoingtomakeanymoneythatday.

AsBenFranklinoncesaid,the early bird gets the worm, and this adage isaproposforjobsearchaswell.Bycreatingacompellingonlinepres-ence,jobseekerscanuseLinkedIninthewayentrepreneursuseaweb-


site,tocreateanexcitinglandingpage,orbillboard,towhichtheycandrivetheiridealaudience,insteadofwaitingforthatperfectjobtoopen.

The LinkedIn Profile is Easy to Modify and UpdateEventhebestresumesbythemosttalentedresumewritersandjobseek-ersdepictthepast.Theyactasacareersnapshot,displayingcarefullyselectedskillsetsandachievementsfromthecandidate’shistorybasedonhiscurrentorfuturejobtarget.Althougharesumeisstillaneffec-tivewaytodisclosequalificationsforaspecificjob,itcantooquicklybecomeastagnantdocument,frozenandimmobilewhiletheworldcontinues around it.

Incontrast,aLinkedInprofilecanbeavibrant,robust,livedocumentthatdoesnotstagnate.MakingchangestoaLinkedInprofiletakesamat-terofminutes.Addingacertificationtoyourexperienceorincorporatinga new skill into the skills and endorsements section can take as little as 30seconds,whilealteringacarefullycraftedtwo-pageresume–perfect-ed over months of trial-and-error, or via the help of a professional – can takehoursordays.

Moreover,jobseekerswhotakeanactivepartintrackingthesenewachievements, accomplishments, awards, degrees, skills, and more will findthattheirLinkedInprofilecanbeafunplacetoarchiveitallonaregularbasis.

LinkedIn Isn’t Solely For the UnemployedDuringaperiodofemployment,itisequallyimportanttomaintainanup-to-dateLinkedInprofileasitistomaintainanupdatedresume–ifnotmoreso.Keepingbothdocumentscurrentwillalleviatesubstantialpres-sureandsavepreciousjobsearchandnetworkingtimeintheeventofacutbackordownsizing.

Shouldapassivecandidateunexpectedlybecomeanactivejobseeker,theLinkedInprofileservesasasourceforrelevantqualificationstotailoraresumeforeachjobapplication.“ThinkofyourLinkedInprofileasyour‘masterresume,’andthenpullthemostrelevantinformationfromit,”saysRezScoreCEOGerritHall(2012).SinceaLinkedInprofileisgenerallymoreextensivethanatraditionalresume,surplusdetailscanbelistedalongwitheachposition;detailsthatmaybeirrelevanttoonejobcouldprovefundamentaltoanother.Beingabletopullfromaprofilereplete with awards, photos, presentations, accolades, endorsements, certifications,andmoreisinvaluablewhenitcomestimetoupdateandcustomize each resume.

Humor, Personality, and Pictures, Oh My! ALinkedInprofilecanbefun!Photos,humor,andvideo,thingsthat


can’t–orshouldn’t–beonaresume,canbeshowcasedhere.ConsidertheLinkedInprofileforYolandaArrington,aDigitalMediaProducerinDC:“Whobettertorepresentyouthanyou?Again,I’mthechiefcookandbottlewasherbutthistime,forme.Ifreelanceasavideoproducer,socialmediaspecialist,andblogger.Oneday,I’llturnmydot-comintoanactualLLC.Babysteps.”

And,asGuyKawasaki,AdvisortoMotorolaMobility,admitsonhiseducationsection:“AsagoodAsian-American,Iwenttolawschooltomakemyparentshappy.Unfortunately(ormaybefortunately),Icouldn’tstanditandquitaftertwoweeks.It’soneofthebestthingsthatI’veeverdone.”

Well-placedwitandpersonalitycanpropelacandidatetothetopofthepile,whilearesume,particularlyonethatispoorlywritten,willliewasted among a pile of its peers.

Infact,digitalengagementonLinkedInisnotjuststronglyrecommend-ed,it’simperative.LinkedInprofileswithaphotoareseventimesmorelikelytobeviewedthanthosewithoutaphoto(Politi,2013).Incontrast,a photo on a resume could cause a hiring manager to forgo the applica-tion altogether for fear of facing discrimination or harassment accusa-tions.Thoserisksaresignificantlyreducedonline,wherethevastmajor-ityofprofiles(should!)includeaphoto.

LinkedInoffersawiderangeoffeaturesthatjobseekerscantapintotocreateamorelivelyandanimatedpictureoftheirprofessionalexperi-ence:thecareersummary,medialinks(video,photos,audiofiles),slideshows,publications,awards,classes,recommendations,skillsand,lestweforget,theopportunitytoattachafullresume.AsWilliamArruda(2013),CEOofReachPersonalBranding,putsit,“Youcandevelopatrulythree-dimensionalviewofyourbrand.Usingallthefeaturesofthispowerfulonlinetoolwillhelpyoupaintacompellingpictureofwhoyouareintherealworld.”LinkedIngoesdeeperthanaresumecanorshould.

The Resume Can Be Seen As SubjectiveAccordingtoere.netarticlebyDr.CharlesHandler(2013),“Resumesarehighlysubjectiveandthereisalackofstandardizationfortheinfor-mationtheypresent.”Asaresumewriter,Iwouldagreethatembellish-ments(notexaggerations)areshowingupwithmorefrequencyinourprofession:color,textboxes,quotes,endorsements,andthelike.But,inturningtoLinkedIntocullcandidates,employerscaneasilycompareoneto another. (Candidate A has 5 recommendations while candidate B has 52 or Candidate A has awards and honors and Candidate B has none.) Whenusingthistooltomineforpassivejobseekers,recruitersfindthatLinkedIn’s“standardization”isahugetimesaver,shavingoffhours,if


notdays,inrecruitmenttimeandeffort.

LinkedIn Enables Engagement in a Way the Resume Does NotLinkedIn connects candidates with more companies in more locations thananyorganic,self-guidedjobsearchevercould.“LinkedInhasbecomethefirstplacetoconnectwithhiringmanagers,executives,andother decision makers. The social network is the place to go to create a powerfulnetworkofprofessionalcontacts,”says HR News Daily (2013). LinkedInallowsjobseekerstoconnectwiththeactualpeoplebehindthecompany,ratherthanthealternative:theATSblackhole.Forexample,ifconnectedtoenoughoftherightpeopleattheirtargetcompanies,jobseekerscanutilizestatusupdatestocreateredflagsfortheircontacts.

The Bottom LineThemajorityofcompaniesandrecruitersareusingLinkedIntofindcandidates.AccordingtoJobvite’s2013SocialRecruitingSurvey,94percent of recruiters use social media in their recruitment efforts, while 78 per cent of them made a hire through social media. Of those hires that weremade,92percentwerethroughLinkedIn.Whilemanyrecruitersuse other social media sites in the hiring process, LinkedIn leads the pack incandidatesearches,jobpostings,andvettingcandidatesbeforeinter-views. And, 93 per cent of recruiters admitted to using LinkedIn to keep tabsonprospectivecandidates–watchingforstatusupdates,awards,presentations,affiliations,andotheractivity–stalkingthemforfutureopportunities.Whilearesumeisstillacriticalcomponenttofindingagreatjob,aheartyLinkedInprofileisthepathofleastresistance.Afterall,aresumedocumentsacareer;LinkedInshowcasesthepersonbehindit.

References2013SocialRecruitingSurveyResults.Jobvite.http://web.jobvite.com/rs/jobvite/images/Jobvite_SocialRecruiting2013.pdf

Arrington,Yolanda.LinkedInProfile.www.linkedin.com/in/yolandaar-rington

Arruda,William.9ReasonsWhyYouMustUpdateYourLinke-dInProfileToday(2013).Forbes.com.http://www.forbes.com/sites/williamarruda/2013/11/25/9-reasons-why-you-must-update-your-linked-in-profile-today/

FiveJobSearchSecretstoGetYoutheNextGreatJob(2013).HRNews-Daily.http://hrnewsdaily.com/five-job-search-secrets/

Hall,Gerritt.SixThingsonYourLinkedInProfilethatShouldn’tBeOnYourResume(2012).Mashable.com.http://mashable.com/2012/05/12/linkedin-profile-resume/


Handler,Charles.Profiles:TheNewResume?(2010).ere.net.http://www.ere.net/2010/05/26/profiles-the-new-resume/

Kawasaki,Guy.LinkedInProfile.www.linkedin.com/in/guykawasaki

Nishar,Deep.200MillionMembers!(2013).OfficialLinkedInBlog.http://blog.linkedin.com/2013/01/09/linkedin-200-million/

Politi,Stacey.SixWaystoAttractRecruiterstoYourLinkedInProfile(2013).Mashable.com.http://mashable.com/2013/11/17/linkedin-tips-2/

Schawbel,Dan.5ReasonsWhyYourOnlinePresenceWillReplaceYourResumein10years(2011).http://bit.ly/1lX1uWL

Sullivan,John.10CompellingNumbersThatRevealthePowerofEm-ployeeReferrals(2012).ere.net.http://bit.ly/1ff2XnB

About the AuthorLaura M. Labovich,MLRHR,GuildCertifiedFiveO’ClockClubCareerCoach,JCTC,CMRW,CPBS,isChiefExecutiveOfficerofTheCareerStrategyGroup,aboutiquecareermanagementfirminBethesda,Maryland.Withjobsearchmanagementexpertiseasanaward-winningcareerinnovatorandresumewriter,masternetworker,andHRinsiderofFortune500companies,sheisoftenaffectionatelyreferredtointhemedia as a job seeker’s best friend. Sheisknownforsayingthatshewas“born and raised professionally at Disney”andhasbeentoldthatshehaspixiedustinherblood.Afterreceivingherfirstpromotionoutofthepolyestercostume,sherecruitednationwideforthehighlycompetitiveWaltDisneyWorldCollegeProgramandledtherecreationrecruitingandstaffingeffortsforDisney’swaterparks.AtAmericaOnline,shedevelopedandlaunchedAOL’scollegeinternshipprogramandcoachedhundredsofemployees–fromentry-leveltoexecutive–onhowtofitin,standout,andmoveupinthecompanyandintheircareers.Hernationaljobsearchexpertise,passionatedelivery,andeasy-to-implementap-proach have garnered attention from such national news media as The WashingtonPost,SiriusXMRadio,Fox5(DC),NBC6(Miami),U.S.NewsandWorldReport,USAToday,ChicagoTribune,Yahoo,andMon-ster.com.Asaformeramateurnightclubsinger,knowshowtotackle,inspire,andentertainatoughcrowd.Sheistheco-authorofthebook 100 Conversations for Career Success: Learn to Network, Cold-Call and Tweet Your Way to Your Dream Job(LearningExpress,2012),aForbes2013topcareerbookaboutwhat to say and how to say itinyourjobsearch.



Chapter 13

HUMANIZING the LINKEDIN PROFILEWhy Resume Content Isn’t Enough by J. Melissa CooperBackintheolddays–thatis,ten-plusyearsago–yourclient’sresumewastheprimarypublicrepresentationofhiscareerandeducationalaccomplishments. This one- or two-page document gave a prospective employeryourclient’sworkhistory,education,professionalassociations,andperhapsalistofhobbies.Atthetopyourclientmayhaveincludedashortobjective,suchasHelp bring new personal care products to the global marketplace.

Aprospectiveemployerwouldreadtheresumeandthencallyourclientinforaninterview.Theinterviewwasprobablythefirsttimetheem-ployersawcandidatesinpersonorevenanimageofthem.However,allof that has changed.

Sincethelate1990s,theInternethasvastlyincreasedthequantityofpersonalinformationthatyourclientscancreateandmakeavailableaboutthemselves.Anypotentialemployer,client,orbusinesspartnercangoonlineandviewinformationaboutanindividual,bothwhattheyhavepostedandwhathasbeenpostedaboutthem.SomeoneneedsonlytoGoogleanindividual’snameandperhapshometownorcompanytofindinformation online.

SinceitslaunchonMay5,2003,LinkedInhasbecometheleadingglobalsocial networking site for professionals, with more than 259 million users inmorethan200countriesandterritories.It’savailablein20languages,andasofOctober2013,QuantcastreportsLinkedInhas65.6millionmonthlyuniqueU.S.visitors.Globally,thenumberis184million.

LinkedInisn’tFacebookoranyotherpurelysocialmedium.Ithasadecidedlyprofessionalfocusandisapowerfultoolforindividualsseek-ingtraditionaljobsinorganizations,freelanceandcontractworkers,andthosewhowanttobroadentheirprofessionalnetwork.Itprovidesatransparentwayforuserstoseehowpeopleareconnectedtooneanothersothattheycanbuildstrongrelationshipsandrequestappropriateintro-ductions for networking.

Manymembersuseitasmuchmorethananaddressbookoffriends,col-leagues,andprofessionalcontacts.Infact,yourclientswillsignificantly


increasetheirchancesofnetworkingsuccessiftheytakeadvantageofmanyofLinkedIn’sfeatures.Justastheirpersonalfriendscanhelpthemmake a connection, so can their LinkedIn friends and connections. In fact,anestimated80percentofmid-tosenior-leveljoboffersaretheresult of networking, and LinkedIn is a powerful networking tool.

LinkedInallowsyourclientstocomparetheirprofessionalonlinepres-encewiththeirpeers.Forexample,reviewingtheprofilesoftheircontacts lets them see how others with similar skill sets and experiences presentthemselves.Thiscangiveyourclientsgreatideasonhowtopresenttheircareers,usingbothtextandLinkedIn’svariousmultimediafeatures.Ifyou’rewritingtheLIprofileforyourclients,theexerciseisstillhelpfulsinceitwillhelpyourclientsthinkbeyondtheirnormalboundariesofwhattoincludeinaresume.ALinkedInprofileissomuchmorethanaresume!

Yearsago,therewereplacesyourclientcouldpostaresumeonlineandhopethatanemployermightfinditwithakeywordsearch.LinkedInhasnowchangedtherulesofthegame.Today,simplypostingaresumeonLinkedInandnotusingthesite’smanypowerfulfeaturesispracticallyawasteoftime.TogetthemostoutofLinkedIn,eachjobseekerfirstneedsawell-written,keyword-optimizedprofile.Thensheshouldtakethetimetounderstandthevariousoptions,tools,andcapabilitiesthatLinkedInprovidesthatwillhelpinherjobsearchandthroughouthercareer.

Recommendations for Writing the LinkedIn ProfileAwell-writtenprofilewillhelpboostonlinepresenceandjobsearchsuccess.ThestrictcharactercountimposedbyLinkedInforcesthewritertobeconciseandontarget.Yet,thecharactercountisoftengreaterthanwhat we can include in a resume. We have the freedom to include a lot ofinformation–informationthatison-brand,impressive,andpositionseachjobseekerfortherightopportunities.

SomeprofessionalresumewriterswriteLinkedInprofileasabbreviatedresumes(althoughtheydotendtoincludemorecomprehensivesummarysections),whileotherprofessionalresumewriterscreateprofilesthatresembleportfolios,allowingthemtoshowcasemuchmoreinformationthan a resume.

Optimize KeywordsKeywordsandsearchengineoptimization(SEO)bothareimportanttoconsiderincreatingtheprofile.IfyouGoogleanindividual’sname,thatperson’sLinkedInprofileusuallylandsonthecovetedfirstpageofsearchresults–oftenitistheveryfirstlisting!Infact,that’sgenerallyourgoal–getaclient’sLinkedInprofileasnumberoneinsearchresults.


Ifyou’veaccomplishedthat,you’vealreadygivenyourclientsacom-petitive edge.

InwritingthetextofeachLinkedInheadlineandprofile,youmustcon-siderthekeywordspeoplemightusetofindsomeonelikeyourclient.Forexample,ifyourclient’sactualjobtitleis Network Analyst,butwhathereallydoesiswritereportsandmanuals,besuretousetermslike Writer and Tech Writer,aswellastheformaljobtitle,tobecertainthatyourcli-entgetsnoticed–ifthosearethetypesofopportunitieshe’spursuing.

FilltheheadlineandentireLIprofilewithsearchterms(keywords),asmanyasyoucanlegitimatelyuse.Recruitersusekeywordsastheirpri-marysearchtoolsoyoumustbecertainthateachperson’sprofileisfilledwiththerightkeywordsforthepositionsheistargeting.Ifyou’renotsurewhichkeywordstouse,lookthroughtheJobssectionofLinkedIntofindadsforopenpositionsthataresimilartoyourclient’srecentandtargeted positions.

Humanize the SummaryTheLinkedInsummarysection,withits2000-characterlimit,canbelongerthanthesummaryonatraditionalpaperresume,andinstyleandtoneitisverydifferent.Thinkofthesummaryasawayforyourclienttoexpresshervoiceandpersonality.Writeitinthefirstpersontogiveitenergyandpersonality.

Becausesomanypeoplearecompetingforthesamejobswithsimilarqualificationsandeducationalcredentials,anengagingsummarycangiveyourclientanedgewithprospectiveemployers.Writeprofilesaboutrealpeopleandnotjustaboutfactsandfigures(althoughthoseareimportantas well).

Andalwaysrememberthatthefirstthreelinesofthesummarysectionarevitallyimportant.Sometimespeoplereadonlythefirstfewlines,sobesuretomakethemcount!

Use a High-Quality Headshot Unlikeapaperresume,theLinkedInprofilemustincludeaphotograph.Profileswithoutphotographsseemsuspiciousandarealmostalwaysimmediatelydisqualifiedfromconsiderationbyrecruitersandhiringmanagers.Ideally,itshouldbeaprofessional-qualityheadshotshowingasmilingfaceandaportionofshoulders.Anditshouldlooklikeyourclient.Weareoftenourownworstjudgesofourappearance,soyourclientshouldaskfriendsandcolleaguestheiropinionsinpickingthebestphoto.

Dependingonhercareer,yourclientmaybeabletogetmorecreativeandexpressivewithherprofilepicture,butitdependsonherfield,level


ofexperience,andreputation.You’dexpecttheprofilepictureofawriterofthrillernovelstolookdifferentfromthatofabrainsurgeon.

Other tips for the photograph:Keep it businesslike.Nodog,nospouse,nocutebaby.Thephotoismeanttoshowyourclientatherprofessional,notpersonal,best.

Don’t misrepresent his appearance. Older people who are worried aboutagediscriminationmaybetemptedtouseaphotoofthemselvesintheirthirties,butanewcontactmaybeunhappytoseetheunexpecteddifference.Thecontactmayeventhinkyourclientistryingtobedecep-tive.Unlessyourclientisgettinghiredasafashionmodel,employersarelookingforskills,passion,andenergy,whichcanbecommunicatedthroughtheirsmile,openeyes,andgreatposture.

Find an alternative if the headshot is not an option. While a headshot isideal,thereareotherpossiblesolutions,allofwhicharebetterthannopicture.Forexample,ifforreligiousreasonsyourclientcan’tpostapor-trait,trytofindaprofessionallogoasasubstitute–perhapsalogofromhiscurrentcompanyorcollege.Dothisonlyasalastresort!

Expand the Work HistoryOnatraditionalresume,yourclientdoesn’tlistnon-relevantorearlyjobs.Butunlikearesume,onLinkedInthereisnoneedtolimitthecon-tenttooneoreventwopages.Goaheadandlisttheentireworkhistory,withasmuchdetailasisrelevant.Youdon’tknowwhatcriteriapotentialemployers,clients,andnetworkcontactsarelookingfor,sotheprofileshouldbeasrobustaspossible.Yourclientcanevenlistthoseoddjobsfromherteenageyearsiftheyincluderesponsibilitiesandaccomplish-mentsthatareevenmildlyrelevant.Youneverknowifthehiringman-agerlookingatherprofilehadasimilarjobandisattractedtoyourclientforthatreason.Anddon’tdiscountvolunteerwork.Employersknowthatvolunteersareoftengivensignificantresponsibilities.Includeanyvolun-teerworkthesamewayyouwouldanyjob,describingtaskscompleted,skillsacquired,andachievementsdelivered.

Choose the Right EndorsementsWhileit’susefulandimportanttobecomprehensiveintheprofileandincludemuchmorethanyoucouldwithastandardresume,keeptheendorsementstightlyfocused.Endorsementsrepresenteachperson’spro-fessionalbrand,andnooneisajack-of-all-trades.Whensomeoneviewsyourclient’sprofile,ifeverythingisimportant,thennothingisimportant.Yourclientneedstobeviewedastheexpertinhisfield.Visitorsshouldunderstandthatyourclientistrulyaspecialistonanarrowrangeoftop-ics.


Include Videos, Images, and Links TheLinkedInprofiledoesn’thavetobejustplaintextandastaticphoto.LinkedIngoesfarbeyondthetraditionalresumewithamultimediafeaturethatletsyourclientsincludedocuments,graphics,slideshows(using Slideshare), and links to other online content. Adding rich media isagreatwaytoexpandandhumanizetheprofile.Whattoinclude?Thepossibilitiesareendlessandshouldbechosentobenefityourclientsandthosewhovisittheirprofilepages.Hereareafewideas:

• A restaurant chef could link to reviews of the restaurant, pictures of hisbestdishes,aneventschedule,andavideointerview.

• A photographer might want to incorporate a mini-portfolio of her bestwork.

• Awriterwouldprobablywanttoincludelinkstohisarticles.• A retail store owner or manager could post images of current mer-

chandise,coupons,flyers,andthestoreitself.

Theprocessofaddingmediaisfairlyeasy.Itemscanbeadded,edited,moved,orremovedfromtheEditProfilepage.ToaddmediasamplestotheSummary,Education,andExperiencesections,justmovethecur-soroverProfileatthetopofthehomepageandselectEditProfile.Thenscrolldowntothesectionwhereyouwanttoaddasampleandmoveyourcursoroverthe“AddMedia”icon(itlookslikeasquarewithaplussign).Selecteither“UploadFile”or“AddLink.”Ifyouchoosetoaddalink,typeorpastethelinkintotheAddaLinkfield.Thenclick“Save.”

Take Advantage of LinkedIn’s Many FeaturesOncetheprofileiscompleted,yourclientshouldtakethenecessarytimetolearnandusethemanyfeaturesofLinkedIn.Thismaybeatopicyouwillwanttocoverinacoachingsessionasitiscriticallyimportanttocareer management and is what the remainder of this article will focus on –themostimportantfeaturesandtoolsavailableonLinkedIn.

Get – and Give – RecommendationsWhatyourclientssayaboutthemselvesholdsafractionoftheinflu-enceofwhatotherssay.Recommendations,whicharetestimonialsfrompeoplewhoknowyourclientprofessionallyandcanspeaktothecaliberofherwork,areanextremelypowerfultoolwhenitcomestostrengthen-ingherprofessionalbrand.

Onatraditionalresume,there’slittleornospacetoincluderecommenda-tionsfrompreviousemployersandcolleagues.OnLinkedIn,recommen-dationsareintegratedintotheprofilepage.

Yourclientsshouldsendpersonalizedrecommendationrequeststoformercolleaguesorsupervisors.Agoodstrategyforsecuringarecom-


mendationistoofferoneinreturn,andit’salsoconsideredgoodform.Howmanytheygetisuptothem;ifthey’renotsurewheretheystandrelativetotheirpeergrouptheycanalwaysviewtheprofilesofotherprofessionalsandmakesurethenumberofrecommendationstheirpeershaveiscompetitivewiththenumbertheyhave.There’salevelofprivacybuiltintothesystem.Recommendationsreceivedarevisibleonlyto1st-degree,2nd-degree,and3rd-degreeconnectionswhentheyaresignedintoLinkedIn.Peopleoutsideyourclient’snetworkwillnotseetherecom-mendations.Thepublicprofiledisplaysthenumberofrecommendationsbutnottheactualrecommendationsthemselves.

Take Advantage of GroupsManypeoplethinkthatjusthavingaLinkedInprofileisenough,butpotentialbusinesspartnersaren’tgoingtostumbleacrosstheirprofile,beamazedbytheirbrilliance,andofferthemacontractorjobonthespot.AndwithmillionsofusersonLinkedIn,itcanbedifficultforanyonetostandoutfromthecrowd.Oneusefulsolutionistheformationofsubsetsorgroupsbuiltaroundacommontopic,profession,orindustryofinter-est.

OnLinkedIn,it’sagoodideaforyourclientstojoingroupsrelatedtotheirfieldortheirpersonalinterests.AsofMarch2012,therewereroughly1.3millionsuchgroupswithmembershipsrangingfromoneper-sonto700,000people.Whileawiderangeoftopicsiscovered,mainlyaroundprofessionalandcareerissues,themajorityofthelargestgroupsareemploymentrelated.Therearealsosome128,000groupsforbothacademicandcorporatealumni.Groupskeeptheirmembersinformedthroughemailswithupdatestothegroup,sharingthemosttalked-aboutdiscussions within their professional circles.

LinkedIngroupssupportalimitedformofdiscussion,moderatedbythegroupownersandmanagers.Sincegroupsoffertheabilitytoreachawideaudience,therehasbeenconcernaboutspampostings.Now,thereareanumberoffirmsthatofferananti-spammingserviceforthisverypurpose.

Accessibilityvaries.Groupsmaybeprivate,opentomembersonly,ormaybeaccessibletointernetusersingeneraltoread,thoughtheymustjoininordertopostmessages.

Connect With PurposeThosewhouseLinkedIntomakeprofessionalconnectionsseeitverymuchlikeavirtualconferencetheyareattending,butinsteadofbeingrestrictedbywhohappenstobeintheroom,theyhaveaccesstopeopleall over the world.


Giventhisenormouspotentialpopulationofconnections,rememberthatLinkedInisdesignedtohelpyourclientadvanceintheircareers.Theirconnectionsshouldmakeadifferenceandnotbetheresimplysothattheycantellthemselvesthatthey’vegotthousandsofcontacts.Build-ing connections for the sake of having a large following is not a sound strategyiftheywanttoeffectivelygrowtheirbusinessoradvancetheircareersusingLinkedIn.Everyconnectionneedstoberelevanttotheirprofessionalgoalsandobjectives,bothnowandinthefuture.

TobesuccessfulonLinkedIn,yourclientsneedtoensurethatallcom-municationwiththeirconnectionsisaspersonal,specific,andtargetedaspossible.

It’sagoodideatokeepconnectionsorganized.Yourclientscansegmenttheir connections into topic categories within LinkedIn through a process known as tagging.Connectionsneedtobesegmentedintheirspecificfieldssothatatanygiventimethey’reabletoeffectivelycommunicatewithanyoneoftheircontacts.Yourclientcanusetagslike“directmar-keting”or“socialmedia”tofurtherrefinewhattheircontactsknowandcareabout.

WhenyourclientinvitessomeonetoconnectonLinkedIn,therequestisaccompaniedbyashortnote.Yourclientshouldalwaystailorthemes-sageandnotrelyonthedefaultmessagethatreads,I’d like to add you to my professional network.Evenifyourclientisreachingouttosomeonewhomshe’snevermet,thebeststrategyistodoalittleresearchonthatpersonandcustomizetheconnectionrequesttomaketherecipienttakenoticeandrealizethattheinvitationispersonal,notgeneral.Forex-ample: I read the article you wrote about challenges in the field of human resources. I’m also building a career in HR and would appreciate being connected to you.

PeoplewhoareusingLinkedIneffectivelywanttobeconnectedtopeoplewhomakethemlookgood.Employersmayvaluethoseconnec-tions.Theymightevenhireyourclientbecauseheknowspeopleintheindustryandcanreachacrossboundariestogetthingsdone.

Stay Engaged and Add ValueWhetherthey’reconnectingwithapotentialclient,partner,oremployer,yourclientsneedtobuildvalueandrapport.Acceptanceoftheconnec-tioninvitationisonlythefirststep.Yourclientsshouldcreatesteadyvis-ibilitywithintheirnetwork.Hereareanumberofoptionsfordoingthat:

• Share information and demonstrate professional expertise through postings and comments in appropriate LinkedIn groups.

• Recommendothers,withspecificcommentsaboutthatperson’spro-


fessionalskillsandabilitiesthatwilllikewiseshowcaseyourclient’sprofessional expertise.

• Sharestatusupdatesaboutprofessionalaccomplishmentsandprog-ress.Yourclientshouldpostastatusupdateeveryfewdaystokeeptheprofilefresh.Anditdoesn’thavetobeallabouthim–hecouldcongratulate a colleague for getting a promotion or share a helpful blogpost.Statusupdatesareagreatwaytoshowheisactiveandengaged.Ifhedoesn’tshareit,noonewillknowwhathe’sdone.

Turn on Notifications for “Who Has Viewed Your Profile” LinkedIn has several active features that encourage engagement. One featuretellsyourclientwhensomeonehaslookedatherprofile.It’sagreatwaytobeinformedaboutpeopleororganizationswhoareinter-estedinher.Iftheprospectiveclientsoremployerscheckingoutherprofileareofinterest,yourclientmighttakestepstoengagethem,suchasfollowingthemonTwitterorreachingoutdirectlytothatpersonforaphone or email conversation.

ThefreeLinkedInaccountprovideslimitedinformationonprofileviews.GotoProfile>Who’sViewedYourProfiletogetanoverview–thetotalnumber,trendupordown,andtheactualnamesofthefivemostrecentviewers.

Toreceiveemailnotifications,gotoSettings>Communications>Setthefrequencyofemails>Notifications>Notificationssummary,andbesuretoturnondailydigestemail.

Clients who upgrade to a paid account can see the complete information ofthosewhohaveviewedtheirprofiles.

Rememberthatwhenyourclientvisitsanotherperson’sprofile,thatper-sonwillknow–unlessyourclientchoosestobeanonymous.Tobecomeanonymous,gotoPrivacyandSettings>Profile>Select what others see when you’ve viewed their profile.Choosebetweenbeingidentifiedoranonymous.

Maintain Appropriate Privacy SettingsNoteveryonehastoknoweverylittlethingthatyourclientdoes.Manypeopledon’trealizethatLinkedInhasprivacysettings.Whenyourclientisactivelyengagedinhiscurrentjobbutislookingforanewjob,hewantstobediscreet.Asuddenprofileupgrademaybeawarningsigntohispotentialemployerthathe’slookingforanewopportunity.Assuch,heshouldadjusthissettingssohisbossdoesn’tseeheistrollingforanewjob.

Theprivacysettingsareeasytofind:SelectSettings from the drop-down menu, under the name in the upper right-hand corner. Six


Privacy Controlsallowyourclientstodeterminewhocanseeactivitybroadcasts(includingprofileupdates)andotherinformation.

SummaryThetraditionalresumewasfineinitsdayandstillservesavaluablefunc-tion. But LinkedIn has changed the game. The humanized and optimized LinkedInprofileallowsclientstopresentamorecomprehensivepictureofthemselvesandtheircapabilitiesthanatraditionalresume,createa positive online image, and use the power of connections for career advancementandsuccess.What’smore,LinkedInisheretostay…foryears.Learntouseitwiselyforyourselfandforyourclients!

About the AuthorJ. Melissa Cooper is the co-founder and co-CEO of RezBiz, LLC, the parentcompanyofJCResumes.com,Resume2Hire.com,andseveralotherresumewritingandcareerdevelopmentwebsites.ThemissionofRezBiz,LLC,istomakeprofessionalresumewritingservicesaffordableforthegeneralpublicinaccordancewithCPRWstandards.Atriple-cer-tifiedresumewriter,shebeganhercareerinagencystaffing,whereshequicklymoveduptherankstobecomeapartnerinherfirstfirm,Logix,Inc.,beforegoingontostartherownrecruitmentagency,BackBaySearch, Inc. She is a recognized human resources expert and has more than9yearsofexperienceinthefield.SheearnedaMasterofScienceinHumanResourceManagementatNewYorkUniversityandaBachelorofArtsatBrandeisUniversity,concentrationonCreativeWriting.Aself-declared net-trepreneur and micro-enterprise advocate, she has dedicated hercareertoallfacetsofthejobmarketandorganizationaleffectiveness.SheisamemberoftheWomenPresidents’Organizationandispassion-ateaboutmentoringotherwomenentrepreneurstobesuccessful.Heradditionalinvolvementsincludepartnershipinaboutiquerecruitingfirm,BackBaySearch,Inc.,andnon-profitworkinIndonesia,India,andBangladesh.



Chapter 14

WRITING a LINKEDIN PROFILE to get FOUND by RECRUITERSby Lisa RangelRecruitersuseLinkedInprolificallytosearchfortalent.Therefore,thebestwaytooptimizeaLinkedInprofileistostartthinkingfromtheper-spectiveofthecorporateorsearchfirmrecruiterdoingthehire.

AJobvite2013surveyfound94percentofrecruitersuseLinkedIntofindcandidatesfortheiropenpositions.Withthatstaggeringnumber,itisimperativethatjobseekersnotonlytobeonLinkedIn,butthattheyreverse-engineer the search and recruitment process to increase the like-lihoodoftheirprofilesbeingfoundbyrecruiters.Thisarticlewillexplainthat process and much more.

How Does A Recruiter Find Candidates Using LinkedIn?RecruitersstartasearchinLinkedInbyfocusingontheuniqueparam-etersofanopenpositiontoserveascorecommondenominatorsbetweenviablecandidates’profilesandthejobrequisitionrequirements.Forex-ample,foraDirectorofFinancecandidatesearch,therecruitercanfocusonthefactthatthepositionisaDirectorofFinancebasedinAtlanta,Georgia,workingonanOraclefinancialmoduleplatform.Thecommondenominatorscouldbe<Oracle,Atlanta-GA,andDirectorofFinance>tostartthatsearch,usingtheAdvancedSearchfunctiontoidentifyviablecandidates.Manyadditionalparameterscanandshouldbeaddedtothissearchtofine-tunetheresultsandgeneratethespecificfindings–theidealjobcandidate.

Keywordsandkeywordphrasesarecriticaltoarecruiter’ssearch.Jobseekerscanpeppertheirprofilecontentnaturallywiththesekeywordsandphrasestoincreasetheirplacementinsearchresults.Forinstance,ifthejobseekerispursuingaMarketingDirectorrolewithinthephar-maceuticalindustry,theword pharmaceutical willneedtobenaturallyblendedintotheheadline,summary,employmentsections,andpossiblyskillsareaoftheprofile.Withoutthiskeyword,thereislittlelikelihoodthejobseekerwillshowupinsearchesforcandidateshavingthisspe-cificindustrybackground.

Identifying Keywords and Keyword PhrasesFindingcoreandsecondarykeywordsandkeywordphrasesisthecrucialfirststepinbuildingaLinkedInprofilethatcanbefoundbyrecruiters.


Thejobseekerneedstoidentifykeywordsandkeywordphrasesthattherecruitermayusewhensourcingforthejobsthecandidatewants.Tobegin,finddescriptionsforjobsthecandidateistargetingviajobboardsandcompanywebsites.

Oncetwoorthreeviablejobdescriptionsarelocated,considerusinganonline word cloudfunctiontozeroinonkeywordsthatarerelevanttosearchesforthatposition.ThebestknownwordcloudtoolisWordle.com,butarecentblogarticlelistednineothers(Smitty,2013).Makingwordcloudsisveryeasy–copyandpastethecontent,click,andit’sdone!

Inidentifyingkeywords,firstdefinethosethatrecruitersaremostlikelytousetofindaspecifictalentorskill.Then,asyouexaminevariousjobdescriptions,focusongeography,titles,anduniqueskillsnotfoundinother roles or companies.

Thesekeywordphrases–derivedfromacombinationofthejobfunc-tion(e.g.,MarketingorFinance),job-level(e.g.,Associate,Director,orCFO),location(e.g.,Atlanta-GAorTriStateNYCarea),andrequiredand preferred skills (i.e. Oracle, ecommerce marketing, customer ser-vices)–arethefoundationforoptimizingaLinkedInprofilesorecruiterswillfindyourclients.

Optimizing LinkedIn Profiles ThereismoretooptimizingaLinkedInprofilethanjusthavingtherightkeywords,althoughkeywordoptimizationisaverycrucialpartoftheprocessasmentionedabove.Thissectionofthearticleaddressestheothercomponentsofprofileoptimizationthatshouldbeemployedinconjunctionwithidentifyingandincorporatingtherightkeywords.

Haveacropped,professionalheadshotfortheprofilepicture.Accordingto a Wall Street Journal article (2011), having a proper picture increases thelikelihoodarecruiterwillopenaLinkedInprofileby7timesversusif no picture is present. It is paramount the right picture is placed on the LinkedInprofiletocomplementallofthekeywordoptimizationandcon-tentwritingeffortsmadebythejobseekerorresumewriter.

Besuretoincorporatethekeywordsandkeywordphrasesidentifiedfromthe earlier steps into the headline – the 120-character section found under thenameontheLinkedInprofile.Forinstance,acontrollerinSeattlewhohasexperienceusingHyperionwithintheadvertisingindustrymaywanttohaveataglinesuchas,Hyperion Financial System Expert & Controller | Marketing & Advertising Industry | Seattle Metro. This taglineisunderthe120-characterlimitandusesthejobfunction,title,location,andskillkeywordspertinenttoasearcharecruiterwouldusetofindthesetypesofcandidates.


CreateaLinkedInvanityURL(jobseeker’sname)toimprovetheopti-mization within LinkedIn. Remove the series of random letters and num-bersfromtheassigned,defaultURLgiventothememberbyLinkedIn.ChangetheURLtobeaversionofthecandidate’snameasdemonstratedin this example: http://www/linkedin.com/in/lisarangel.

Takethosesamekeywordsandphrasesandintegratethemintotheaccomplishment-focusedcontentthroughoutthesummarysectionthatoutlinesthecandidate’svaluepropositionanddifferentiatingfactors.Thiswillkeeptherecruiter’seyeontheprofileonceithasbeenopenedfromthesearchresultsummary.Youhaveupto2000characters(letters,numbers,spaces,etc.)forthesummarysection,soitshouldbefilledwithvaluableinformation.

Writeachievement-richcontentusingthekeywordsintheemploymentsection. This will show the recruiter how the experience is related to the positionheisfilling.Ensurethatboththetitleanddescriptionclearlycommunicatehowthecandidatesucceededatvariousjobresponsibili-ties,whilestayingwithinthe2000-characterlimitgivenbyLinkedInforthis section as well.

Finally,tomaximizeLinkedInprofileoptimizationandrecruiteratten-tion,showcaseskillsandtopicalareasofexpertisebyusingadditionalkeywordsandkeywordphrasestopopulatetheskillssectionofeachprofile.

Inspire Recruiters To Connect With Vibrant Profile ContentThestrategybehindtheprofile–whateachpersonwritesandwhy–willvaryaccordingtotheuniquecircumstancesofeachindividual.Strategiesandtacticsforsomeonewhoisgainfullyemployedmightbedifferentfromthoseusedbysomeonewhoisinbetweenpositions.Astaff-levelemployeemightusedifferentwritingtacticstopositionhimselfinhisprofileascomparedtoanestablishedcorporateexecutiveorbusinessowner.

Questions your clients can ask themselves in determining their LinkedIn profile strategy are:

• Whoistheaudiencethatwillbeseekingoutmyprofileusingmyname?

• Whoistheaudiencethatwillbestumblinguponmyprofilethroughasearch?(Thiscanbeadifferentaudiencethan#1.)

• Whatisthemainpurposeofmyprofile?(Isittoattractrecruiters,tomarketabusiness,topromoteservices,ortoenhanceonlinereputa-tion?)


• WhatnegativeconsequencesdoIwanttoavoidthatcouldresultfromcreatingaLinkedInprofile?

Thecontentforthesummaryandemploymentsectionsoftheprofilecanbecraftedtomeettheanswersgiventothosestrategyquestions.Know-ingthestrategy–beforeyoubegintowrite–willhelpaligncontentwiththeLinkedInprofile’spurpose,targetaudience,andsought-afterresult.

Oncethestrategyisoutlined,writecontentinshortsectionssuchas2–3lineparagraphs,singlelinesoftext,andshortbulletpoints,andsurroundthecontentwithwhitespace.Yourgoalistoavoidlargeblocksoftextandkeepthereader’seyesmovingthroughtheprofile,thusincreasingunderstanding and engagement and leading to a call, email, and/or inter-view with the recruiter.

Writetheaccomplishment-ladenprofilecontentinfirstperson,butstillinaprofessionaltone.Incorporatingaspectsofacandidate’spersonalityintheprofileispreferredonsocialmedia,andLinkedInisnoexception.However,refrainfromfocusingsomuchonpersonalitythathardandsoftemploymentskillsareminimizedornotincluded,adverselyaffectingthepurposeoftheprofile.LinkedInis notFacebook!

Endorse and Be Endorsed – Recommend and Be RecommendedLinkedIn endorsements and LinkedIn recommendations are not the same thingandservedifferentpurposesinthecontextofLinkedInprofiles.Arecommendationisawrittenreferencefromamanager,peer,subordi-nate,client,vendor,orprofessionalconnectionthatsupportsone’sworkproduct,workethic,skills,andcharacter.Conversely,endorsementsarealistingofrelevantskillsthatcanbeaffirmedbyotherLinkedInusersbyclickingontheskill,similartoFacebook’s<like>button.

LinkedInrecommendationsaremorevaluedbyhiringmanagersandrecruiters.Whendoneproperly,theyareaqualitativetestamenttoaLinkedInconnection’sexperiencewiththatparticularjobseeker.Third-partytestimonialsarealwayspowerfulinjobsearch.

LinkedInendorsementsareveryeasytogiveanyperson,whetherornotthepersonisaconnection.Thevalueisquestionedbyhiringmanagersandrecruiters,butitisunknownhowendorsementsarevaluedbytheLinkedInalgorithminrankingprofilesinsearchresults.Untilmoreisknown, do not ignore either.

Inadditiontoreceivingthesetestimonials,itisvaluabletogiverecom-mendationsandendorsements,becausethepersongivingtherecommen-dationorendorsementnowappearsontheotherperson’sprofile.Thisisanotheropportunityforexposure.


Participate In LinkedIn Groups Where Recruiters Discover CandidatesLinkedIn groups offer a plethora of opportunities for candidates to net-work among colleagues, prospective hiring managers, vendors, clients, former co-workers, and new connections in a segmented, common inter-est-basedmanner.LinkedInuserscanjoinupto50groups.Thesegroupsnumberinthehundredsofthousandsandaresegmentedbylocation,profession,industry,hobby,cause,mission,corporate/schoolalumni,andmanyotherspecialinterests.

Withregardtobeingdiscoveredbyrecruiters,thevalueforjob-seekingcandidatestojoinandengageingroupsisthree-fold:

Byjoininggroups,jobseekersincreasetheirreachexponentiallybeyondtheirthreedegreesofconnections.Thisenablescandidatestoshowupinthesearchresultsofmanymorepeople,sincethejobseekerisnowapartofmoreconnectionwebs.

Bycontributingquestions,articles,andanswerstothegroupviathegroup’sfeed,acandidate’sprofilebecomesrepeatedlymorevisibletogroupmembers.Recruitersseethejobseekerofferingexpertiseandhelpfulassistancetogroupmembersinaproactivemanner–averyde-sirabletraitforhiringentities.

Byvolunteeringtoassistwithgroupmoderation,ajobseekergainsexposure while showing leadership and coordination skills in the digital arena–skillsthatcanbesoughtafterformanypositionsregardlessofdiscipline,level,orindustry.

ItisessentialforthejobseekertorealizeLinkedIngroupsareanoutletto network and increase contacts. The goal is to make connections and taketheconversationsofflinetobeginnurturingasymbiotic,fruitfulbusinessrelationship,justasonewouldwithanin-personnetworkingevent,conference,orconvention.LinkedInGroupsisatooltobeopti-mizedtoyieldmoretargetedcontacts.

Share Updates via the LinkedIn Activity FeedTheLinkedInactivityfeed,whichresidesonthehomepagewhenaLinkedIn user logs into her account, is a treasure trove of information from her connections and companies she follows. Posting information totheactivityfeedviatheupdatefunctionisagreatwayforaLinkedInuser/jobseekertostaytopofmindwithherconnections.Hiringmanag-ersandrecruiterswithintheuser’scontactwebstarttoseethepersonasagenerous,knowledgeableresourcetoreachouttoforreferralsandinquirieswhenopenrolesareavailable.


Information to consider posting includes:• Congratulationstoothersonjobchangesandotherachievements• Promotionsreceivedandnewprojectsawarded• Topics needing advice and insight• Announcements on accolades, testimonials, and awards received• Conferences, conventions, and networking events attended• Informationalmaterials(videos,publications,podcasts,slides,white

papers)• Articleswrittenbyothersthatthejobseekerfindsinteresting• Interestinginformationpostedinothers’activityfeeds• Commentsonothers’postsandresponsestocommentsonownposts

EngagementishighlyvaluedbyLinkedIn,butexactlyhowitismea-suredandweightedisunknown.Sharinginformationviathesetypesofinformationalpostswillcross-pollinateone’sprofiletogeneratemoreandmoreexposurewellbeyondthefirstdegreeofconnections.Increasedactivitybooststhelikelihoodofrecruitersandhiringmanagersfindingthecandidate’sprofileandwillpushtheprofilehigherinsearchresultsdue to the engagement and common connections.

Search Powerfully Using LinkedIn’s Advanced Search to Find Recruiters WhileoptimizingLinkedIntobefoundbyrecruitersisacrucialcompo-nentofajobsearchstrategy,itisequallyasimportanttouseLinkedInto reach out to recruiters and hiring managers to generate opportuni-ties.LinkedIn’sadvancedsearchfeaturecanhelpjobseekersgeneratejobleadsforthemselvesandfindrecruiterswithwhomtoconnectinaproactivemanner.Therearemyriadsofwaystodothis,butafewproventacticsthatcanbeusedrepeatedlytoproducenewinformationtoactonareoutlinedinthenextparagraphs.Tofindtheadvancedsearchfeatureon LinkedIn, click on the word AdvancedtotherightofthesearchboxlocatedattheverytopoftheLinkedInHomePage.Ascreenwithaseriesofsearchfieldswillappear.Certainfieldscanbeaccessedonlywithahigher-level(paid)membership,butthefreeversionwillworkwellformanyjobseekers.Jobseekerscanconsiderupgradingiftheyfindtheyneedtoaccessinformationthatisreservedforpremiummembers.Tospecificallyfindrecruiterswhocatertotheexpertiseofacandidate,putthekeywordsrecruiter, recruiting, or recruitment manager inthekey-wordortitlefieldoftheLinkedInadvancedsearchscreen.Theinitiallistgeneratedincludesrecruiterswhoarewithinthejobseeker’sthreedegreesandgroupmembershiplists.Tofine-tunethesearch,theusercanenterintothekeywordfieldanyworddescribingthenicheorspecialty,such as marketing or finance,thatwhencoupledwiththerecruitingkey-wordswillfindarecruiterwhoworksspecificallyinthatfield.Tofindalist of recruitment companies, search companies in the LinkedIn search


function(fromthedrop-downmenutotheleftofthesearchboxatthetopoftheLinkedInmainscreen).Usethesamekeywordsemployedtofindindividualrecruiters(e.g.,TechnologyRecruitersorFinanceRe-cruiting) to produce a list of niche recruiting companies. The user then cansearchthroughhisthree-degreeconnectionstofindaconnectiontotherecruitingcompany.Additionally,theusercanfollowthecompanyfor more information through its status updates.

ConclusionJobseekerswhotakethetimetounderstandthesourcingandrecruit-mentprocess,determinehowLinkedInisamajortoolinthatprocess,andfollowthethreadbackwardstostarttheirjob-seekingeffortsfromtherecruiter’sperspective,willsoondiscoverthatthey’retheonesbeingfoundandhired!

ReferencesJobvite.com.RecruitersIncreasinglyAdoptMarketingTacticsinFierceCompetitiontoHire,2013JobviteSocialRecruitingSurvey.September5,2013.http://bit.ly/M6eiw1

Smitty,Kate.Edudemic.com.9WordCloudGeneratorsThatAren’tWordle, August 29, 2013. http://www.edudemic.com/9-word-cloud-gen-erators-that-arent-wordle/

Tan,CherylLu-Lien.TheArtofOnlinePortraiture.Wall Street Journal, October20,2011.http://on.wsj.com/1gkNlTc

About the AuthorLisa Rangel is the Managing Director of ChameleonResumes.com, whichhasbeenrecentlynamedoneofForbes.comTop100CareerWebsites.SheisaCertifiedProfessionalResumeWriter,ModeratorforLinkedIn’sPremiumJobSeekerGroup,aformersearchfirmrecruiter,andholderofsixadditionalresume,profile,andjobsearchcertifications.Asaformerrecruitingmanagerformorethan13years,sheknowsfirst-handwhichresumesandLinkedInprofilesgarnertheattentionfromre-cruiters,filterthroughApplicantTrackingSystems,andlandinterviews.ShehasreviewedthousandsofresumesandLinkedInprofilestoiden-tifytalentforpremierorganizationsasarecruiterandnowdrawsfromthathands-onhiringexpertiseasaleadingglobalexecutiveresumeandprofilewriter.ShehasbeenfeaturedonBBC,Investor’sBusinessDaily,Forbes.com,LinkedIn,About.com,Monster,USNews&WorldReport,FoxBusinessNews,andGoodMorningAmerica.Sheisanauthoroffiveebooks,contributortotwocareerbooks,producednumerouswebinars,and is the Career Services Partner for eCornell. She earned the Bachelor’sdegreeatCornellUniversity.Contact her as follows: [email protected]


Chapter 15

EXECUTIVE and BOARD CANDIDATE BIOS: Executive Presence on Displayby Paula Asinof Goodexecutivebiosarehardtofind.Badonesareeverywhere.Biosarefoundonwebsites,inmarketingbrochures,insalespresentations,inpublicprofiles,andinpromotionalpressreleases–andsometimesareusedforjobsearches.Biosareoftenrequestedbyprofessionalandphilanthropicorganizationsconsideringanexecutiveformembershiporleadershiproles.Giventheplethoraofpersonalinformationeasilyavail-abletotheglobalcommunity,oftenintheformofabio,itisessentialthat executives attend to managing the presentation and content of this information.Forthoseexecutiveswhohaveshiedawayfromapublicpresence,itismoreimportantthanevertoestablishthemselvesvisibly.

Foracareertobevibrantandsuccessful,especiallyintoday’sFree Agent Nation(Pink,2002),theexecutiveneedstobeeasilyfoundandprofessionallypresented.Andabiogivesreaderstheirfirstimpressionoftheexecutive.AsSusanBixler,apioneeringcoachinthefieldofprofes-sionalimage,pointsout,althoughpeopleshouldbejudgedbytheirin-nateworth,itisoftenafirstimpressionthatdetermineswhethersomeonewill stick around long enough to let them reveal it (Bixler, 2001).

Forcareerprofessionals,wiseandcompetentcounselontheuseofprofessionalbiosisnolongerjusta nice to haveskill,butratheritisanessentialcompetencyforworkingwithexecutivesonanupwardcareertrajectory.Biosareanimportanttoolforenhancingexecutivevisibilityinnumerousways.Morethaneverbefore,strongpositivevisibilityisakeycomponent of successful lifetime career management.

Characteristics of Effective BiosMostbiosaredullandboring,providinglittleinsightintothepersonbehindthewords.Biosoftensayheld this job, did this, held that job, did that, went to school there, grew up somewhere, married the high school sweetheart, and had 1.8 children. Change the names and locations and thosebioscouldbeabout80percentofexecutives.Whiletheycanbeimpressiveinthedisplayofcredentials,essentiallyamini-resume,theyarenotlikelytoengagethereaderwiththeperson.Onereasonfortheoverwhelmingblandnessisthatbiosarefrequentlywrittenbythirdpartieswhodonotnecessarilyunderstandtheexecutive’sstoryorthe


targetedaudience.Thesebiosaresimplycomprisedofdatathathasbeendroppedintoamoreorlesspredeterminedformat.Inaddition,manyare too long with too much information. With the rise of LinkedIn, even recruitersarenowturningtherefirst,andinterestinthistypeofbioforrecruitingpurposeshasradicallydiminished.

While a mini-resumebiomaybeusefulincertaincircumstances,asaprofessionalmarketingtool,itisnotenough.Thebestbiostellastorythatenticesthereadertowanttogettoknowtheexecutivepersonallyandunderstandhisorheruniquetalentsandvalue.Itistheexecutive’spersonal press release designed to wow the reader.

Whetherusingtheirbiosforbusinesspurposes,foradvancingtheirvisibilitythroughprofessionalorcommunityactivities,orforjobsearch,executivesthesedaysmustreachbeyondbeingacommodityinanovercrowdedmarketofsimilarlyaccomplishedpeers.Executivesmustvisiblypositionthemselvesandberecognizedasthoughtleadersinfocusedareasandtrulystandapartfromthecompetition(Armon,2008).In addition, the concept of personal branding that was taken mainstream byTomPetersin1997(Peters,1997)hasspawnedanentireindustry.Thenotion is now so pervasive that it took its place in the Dummies series in 2012(Chritton,2012).Awell-doneexecutivebioisakeydocumentforarticulatinganexecutive’spersonalbrand.

Bios and Executive PresenceThedevelopmentofapersonalbranding-focusedbio,especiallywhenthe executive participates in the development process, often moves it from a marketing communication to a vehicle that helps strengthen “executivepresence.”AsdescribedinShe’s Gotta Have It, a Business Week article (Conlin, 2002), It is executive presence, and the lack of It canpreventeventhemostqualifiedexecutives,especiallywomen,fromachievingpromotionsforwhichtheyareotherwisestrongcontenders.

As Business Week describesit,“Executive presence refers to … mak-ing a polished entrance … taking hold of a room, forging quick personal connections … inspiring that I’ll-follow-you-anywhere-loyalty … convey-ing an aura of warmth and authenticity …”Notably,thearticlepointsoutthatself-confidenceandself-promotionarecritical.

Awell-writtenexecutivebioframesapersonalbrandthatispresentedwith conviction and panache. And, furthermore, the process of developingonewiththeexecutivefullyengagedstrengthenshisorherabilitytodeliveritinpersonwithstyleandconfidence.Careercoachescanbeinstrumentalinassistingtheirclientsindevelopingandinternalizing their professional personas.


DavidD’Alessandro,theformerChairmanandCEOofJohnHancockFinancialServices,makesthepointexplicitly:“Everyone in organiza-tional life is constantly being watched and evaluated by bosses, clients, vendors, peers, and subordinates. Every day, with every bit of human interaction you engage in, some member of this crowd forms an opinion about you” (D’Alessandro,2008).

Sowhetheritisthebioitself,theprocessofcreatingit,theinfluenceonhow the executive presents him or herself in person, or all of these, there isnodoubtthatthisdocument,properlydesigned,developed,andused,addresses essential aspects of career management.

Executive Bio Samples(1)Whatdoesthistypeofexecutivebiolooklike?BelowisaclassicexamplethatwouldbeappropriateforavarietyofexecutiveusesaswellasforBoardofDirectorscandidacy.Bio of Rhonda Levene [see Appendix]

(2)Here’sanotherexamplethatisalwaysafavorite.Itwascreatedfrominformation gathered from Internet sources that researched and compiled dataonthePottercharacterintheacclaimedtelevisionshowM*A*S*H.Bio of Colonel Potter [see Appendix]

Bio StructureThebasicstructureofanexecutivebioisadocumentofabout350wordsthatfitsontoasinglepageusinganappropriatefontandpointsize.Cur-rently,agoodchoiceisCalibri(ahybridfontthatreadswellbothinaprinted document and on an electronic screen) using a point size of 10.5 or11.Biosarewritteninthethirdperson,consistentwiththeliterarygenreofbiographies.Biosmayormaynotincludeheadshots.Gener-allyaprofessionalheadshotisrecommended.Itservestoreinforcetheexecutive’sprofessionalstatureandhelpstoengagethereader.Thewell-known adage, a picture is worth a thousand words,isespeciallyrelevant.Bio Structure [see Appendix]

Thecoreofthepersonalbrandappearsinthedescriptorsthatalignwiththeheadshot.Thereareasmanyvariationsastherearepeopleandsitua-tions–withorwithoutBoardexperience,currentlyemployed,retiredorintransition,title,company,functionalarea,areasofexpertise,ortag line. Thegoalofthissectionistodescribetheexecutivewithlaserfocussuchthathisorhervalueisgraspedimmediatelybythereader.Thisinformationisthensupportedinthebodyofthebio.Hereareafewadditionalexamplesofheaders:


JOHNM.SMITHPartner and Managing DirectorConsulting Solutions LLC

Business Development ExecutiveStrategy–BusinessCapture–MajorAccounts

KEISHAC.JACKSONChiefLearningOfficerBig Church of Los Angeles

Learning Organizations EnterpriseStrategy–AdultLearning–LeadershipDevelopment

GEORGEMARTINEZPresident/CEOSmall to Medium BusinessManufacturing&Distribution

Business PerformanceShareholder Value – Operational Excellence – Customer Experience

CHARLESLEEHealthcareManagementExecutive–HospitalSystemsCooperative Business Strategies: Alliances – Joint Ventures – Partnership Execution

DIVYA KATDARE Senior Partner & Program Director, TDGCLarge-Scale Program ManagementEngagingDiverseConstituenciesintheDynamicsofChange

Structuring the paragraphs is straightforward, keeping in mind that the goalofthedocumentistocreate“WOW”inthemindofthereader.Forexample,“WOW,”youdidthat?“WOW,”I’mimpressed!“WOW,”Ineedtotalkwithyourightaway.Thebioshouldimmediatelyandac-curatelycreateapictureofthepersonbeingdescribed,portrayapersonwithdistinguishingcapabilitiesandqualities,andcommunicatethesub-ject’slevelofauthority,responsibility,andexpertise.Takenasawhole,itshowcasesanaccomplished,polished,authentic,andpersonallypowerfulexecutive.Increatingthefirstparagraph,Positioning,itisimportanttokeepinmindthatthiswheretheexecutivecomestolife.Itiseasytoslipintoarehashofcompetenciesorexperienceoverviews,soitisnecessarytobevigilanttostayfocusedontheperson.Herearesomequestionsforbrainstormingthatareeffectiveforsurfacingtherightinformation.Thebestresultscomefromdrillingdownintothespecificsbeyondtheinitial,oftengeneral,responses.Simplyask,Specifically what do you mean by that?


What do you love about what you do? What is your mission, your pas-sion? What about your work gets you up in the morning and keeps you motivated? What makes you good at what you do? What innate abilities, unique talents, or special gifts do you have that others don’t have? How specifically do you think about things that contribute to your success?Why do people like to work with you? Not just subordinates but also peers, bosses, customers/clients, vendors, regulators, politicians, etc.What do people say about you? What would a reference say? What positive things get documented in performance appraisals and letters of recommendation? How does the press characterize you?

Essentially,anexecutive’sbrandincludesthefollowingthreefactors(Asinof, 2008):

Essence Factor–whotheyareGuru Factor –whattheyknowStar Factor –whattheydoandhowtheydoit

Specificityisthekey.Wordslikeleadership skills or communication abilityaretoobroadtobedescriptive.Itisessentialtohighlightexactlywhat makes the executive a great leader or outstanding communicator. It isthespecificsthatsettheexecutiveapartfromothergreatleadersandoutstandingcommunicators.Inthebestbios,thereaderwillcometotheconclusionthattheexecutiveisexceptionalbasedontheinformationpresentedratherthanbeingtoldbytheexecutivethatheorsheisgreat.Afterall,one’spersonalopinionofone’sowngreatnessissurelysuspect.

Thesecondandthirdparagraphscherry-picktheexecutive’saccomplish-mentsforthecoupleofcontributionsthathadrealimpact–themoreim-pact,thebetter.Theseshouldbeearthshaking,company-saving,award-winningeventssupportedbyquantitativeresultswherepossible,andberelated to the interests of the targeted audience.

Sensitivecorporateinformation,especiallyfinancialnumbers,strategicprograms,orcompanystatisticsthatarenotamatterofpublicrecordandthatcouldinfluencethemarketorstockpriceofthecompany,shouldnotbeincludedinthebioorshouldbestatedingeneralitiessuchasmultimillion-dollar.Thisalsoappliestoclientcompanynamesthatwouldprovidecompetitiveintelligenceorwhichthecompanyorclientviewsasconfidential.ThebioisnottheplaceforWallStreetanalyststofindoutwhattheexecutive’scompanyisdoingorplanningtodo.Usually,thesecondparagraphdealswiththeexecutive’scurrentormostrecentposition while the third paragraph sums up all the rest, with attention to providingaconcisecareerprogressionandoneortwotrulysignificantand relevant achievements.


Thefourthandfinalparagraphshouldincludeeducation,certifications,languages,professionalaffiliations–whatevercredentialsareimportant.Inalmostallsituations,faith-basedaffiliationsandfamilyinformationarenotrelevanttoaprofessionalbio.

Board BiosForBoardofDirectorcandidatebios,thecredentialsectioniscriticalandasaresultusuallylongerthaninastandardexecutivebio.ForaBoardcandidate,thecareerportionmaybeshortenedtoachievethetargetedlengthandfocus.Boardslikecandidateswhohavealreadybeendis-coveredbyotherorganizations,soitisbeneficialtoincludecorporateornot-for-profitBoardsonwhichtheexecutivecurrentlyorpreviouslyhasserved.Inaddition,leadershiprolesinindustry,civic,orcharitableinstitutionsthatdemonstrateabilitytoguideanorganizationstrengthenthebio.Additionally,Boardslikeexecutiveswhohavebeenrecognizedfortheiraccomplishments,especiallywithawardsorhonorsfromoutsidetheirowncompanies.Personalmediacoverage,publications,andspeak-ingengagementsshouldalsobeconsidered.WithnotableBoardexperi-ence,thebiomightincludeaparagraphliketheonebelow.Itsplacementinthebiowilldependonitsimportanceandrelationshiptothepurposeofthebioandhowitfitsintotheoverallcareerprogression.

Since20xx,[name]hasbeenamemberoftheBoardofDirectorsofABCInternational,wherehecurrentlychairstheNominating&Governance Committee, serves on the Compensation and Executive Committees,andpreviouslyservedontheAuditCommittee.Duringhisdecade-longaffiliation,ABChasmadeawell-managedCEOtransition,grownorganicallyandthroughacquisition,diversifieditsportfolio,andexpanded its geographic footprint.

Finally,inevaluatingaBoardcandidatebio,itisusefultoconsiderthekeyqualitiesthatBoardsarelookingforandjudgehowtheexecutive,aspresentedinthebio,comparestothosecriteria.Cachet: Boardswanttheirmemberstobewellrecognizedsothattheybringanelementofstardomandcredibilitytothecompany.Functional Expertise:OnaBoard,itisimportanttohavemanybusi-nessfunctionsrepresentedsothatdecisionsaremadewithabalancedperspective.Valuable Relationships:Boardmembersareexpectedtobeabletoopentherightdoorsfortheircompany.Theyareoftenselectedbecausetheyknow who to call and can get things done through their networks.Skilled Governance: Acompany’sstrategicpolicydecisionsaremadebyitsBoard,witheachboardmembercontributingtotheoverallgover-nanceoftheorganization.TheBoardisresponsibleforbringingthought-ful sophistication to the process of leadership.


For not-for-profit Boards, two additional criteria are applicable:

Passion for the Mission:Not-for-profitBoardswantBoardmemberswhobelieveintheorganizationandserveasitsvoice,bothformallyandinformally,internallyandexternally.

Monetary Contributions: Not-for-profitBoardsgenerallyexpecttheirBoardmemberstomakematerialpersonalmonetarycontributionsinadditiontohelpingtheorganizationraisemoneyfromothersources.

Finally,thebioforaBoardcandidateneedstobeassessedfromtheperspectiveofaBoardselectioncommitteeandpossiblyshareholders.WhywouldaBoardwantthisexecutivetojointhem?Whatisthemostimportantanddifferentiatingcontributiontheexecutivewouldbemakingto the group?

IftheBoardbioistargetedtoaspecificcompanyororganization,theas-sessmentshouldbeevenmorespecific.Whataretheneedsofthispartic-ularBoardandhowwouldthisparticularexecutivecontributetothem?ItiscrucialthatBoardcandidatesnotsimplyassumethatexecutiveexpertise in a functional area makes them attractive to a Board. A useful questionis, If a Board member does ‘that,’ then what does the CEO (or CFO, CMO, CIO, CPO) do?Boardcontributionsmustalwaysbeviewedfrom a strategic governance perspective, not from an organizational or functionalleadershippointofview.OneorganizationthathasembracedtheBoardbioisTheBoardConnection(TBC)(www.TheBoardCon-nection.org)inDallas,Texas.TheBoardConnectionisanot-for-profitfoundedtoincreasethenumberofwomenservingoncorporateboardsthroughprogramsdesignedtodevelop,influence,andconnectqualifiedcredentialedwomenwithboardgovernanceopportunities.Member-shipisbyapplicationonly,andacceptanceisbasedonanassessmentofBoardreadiness.Sinceitsfoundingfiveyearsago,TBChasprovidedopportunitiesforitsmemberstoattendworkshops,participateinwork-ingsessions,andobtainadditionalpersonalguidanceincreatingtheirBoardcandidatebiosinastandardTBCformat.TBCmaintainsalibraryofmemberbiosfordistributionforspecificopportunitiesandpublishesa comprehensive Board Bio Book that is shared with executive recruit-ersandBoardsearchcommittees.Recently,theBoardcandidatebiohasbeenintegratedintoTBC’sproprietaryBoardReadinessAssessmentprogram.

ConclusionBusinesstodaymovesfast.And,itisunforgiving.Firstimpressions,goodorbad,aredifficultandperhapsimpossibletochange.Inacom-petitivemarketfortalentandtheglutcreatedbytheincreasingeaseofdisseminatinginformation,personalbrandingandmarketinghasmoved


front and centerforexecutivesinmanagingcareers.Theexecutivebioasa personal press releaseprovidesavehiclefordisplayingexecutivepres-ence and standing out from the crowd with polish and pizzazz.

ReferencesArmon, K. (2008). Market Your Potential, Not Your Past.AuthorHouse.

Asinof, P. and M. Brown. (2008). Be Sharp: Tell Me About Yourself in Great Introductions and Professional Bios.BookSurgePublishing(nowCreateSpace).

Bixler, S. and L.S. Dugan. (2001). Five Steps to Professional Presence. Adams Media Corporation.

Chritton, S. (2012). Personal Branding for Dummies. ForDummies.

Conlin,M.(2002,July22).She’sGottaHave“It.”BusinessWeek.

D’Alessandro,D.(2008).Career Warfare: 10 Rules for Building a Suc-cessful Personal Brand on the Business Battlefield.McGraw-Hill.

Peters,T.(1997,August/September).TheBrandCalledYou.Fast Com-pany.

Pink, D. (2002). Free Agent Nation: The Future of Working for Your-self. Business Plus.

About the AuthorPaula Asinof, CCM, MCD, NLPC, MBA, is an experienced career man-agementexecutive,authorityonbiosandresumes,andfounderofYellowBrickPath,acareercoaching,consulting,andresumeservicesfirm.Sheisknownforhelpingclients,colleagues,andsubordinatesrecognizetheiruniquecapabilitiesandpositionthemselvesasA players through career strategyandprofessionalpositioningandvisibility.Shehasacontagiousenthusiasmandpassionatebeliefinpeoplethatinspiresthemtobecomeprouder,stronger,andmorevaluablecontributorstotheirorganizations.Shehasalsoledinnovativeinitiativestobuildtop-performingorganiza-tionswithstayingpower.InadditiontofoundingYellowBrickPath,sheisaco-founderofCoachAcademyInternational,acutting-edgecoachtrainingprogram.Herbackgroundincludes10yearsofExecutiveSearchrecruiting as well as serving as Director of Career Services for Sanford-Brown College. Earlier, she held leadership positions in Information TechnologyandFinancewithGTE(nowVerizon),RandMcNally,andtheMidwestStockExchange.ShebeganhercareeratLaventhol&Hor-wath CPAs. She earned the MBA at The Wharton School of The Uni-versityofPennsylvania;theMAatColumbiaUniversity,andtheBAatWashingtonUniversity-St.Louis.SheisaCredentialedCareerManager


(CCM), a Master Career Director (MCD) and an Associate of Career ThoughtLeaders(CTL).SheisalsoanNLPPractitionerandaCertifiedNLPCoach(NLPC).Sheistheauthorofthreebooks:(1) Be Sharp: Tell Me About Yourself, in Great Introductions and Professional Bios; (2) Quick Start Coaching Kit: Fast Track to Coaching Success; (3) Be Smart: Sail Past the Hazards of Conventional Career Advice.

Contact her as follows: [email protected] APPENDICES:

I. Executive Bio Sample: Bio of Rhonda Levene

II. Executive Bio Sample: Bio of Colonel Potter

III. Bio Structure


RHONDA LEVENE

COO & CFODaymon Worldwide

Consumer Products Transformation through Brand Strategy

BOARD EXPERIENCE GS-1, Global Industry Standards Association

Supply and Demand Chains

Daymon WorldwideAudit Committee ESOP Investment Committee

University of North Texas, Board of GovernorsSchool of Hospitality & Merchandising

RHONDA LEVENE takes a vision and makes it reality through sound strategy development. She intuitively sees the threads of opportunity that wind through an organization, brings them together into a coherent whole, helps others extend their thinking, and drives material business advantage. She is an inspirational leader who tells stories that inspire action while at the same time is grounded in financial information that levers the business. Respected as a credible voice in decision making, finding strategic financing partners, and establishing governance boundaries, Rhonda earns a seat at the table wherever she serves.

Currently, as COO and CFO at Daymon Worldwide, a privately held, global retail branding and sourcing company, Rhonda oversees the operations of a billion-dollar-plus organization. She led the successful buyout of the founder and transitioned the company to a 100 per cent employee-owned

Appendix I. Executive Bio Sample: Bio of Rhonda Levene


company. She is now spearheading major strategic shifts for transforming IT from a functional focus to an enabler of innovation for the business and integrating the finance organization so that it supports a truly global company.

Previously, as Senior Vice President and General Manager, Rhonda led business development for the foodservice division of PepsiCo after heading their $1.5 billion U.S.-based multi-channel business. During this time, she drove the acquisition of market share from Pepsi’s largest competitor, repositioning Pepsi as a recognized and credible player in the foodservice industry. Earlier she rose through the ranks of The Coca-Cola Company, transitioning from finance to sales and marketing. She began her career in public accounting with Ernst & Whinney.

Rhonda holds an MBA from the University of Dallas, BBA from Southern Methodist University, and a CPA. She serves on several Boards of Directors, including GS-1, a Global Industry Standards Association, the Audit and ESOP Investment Committees of Daymon Worldwide, and the University of North Texas Board of Governors for the School of Hospitality & Merchandising. 555.555.5555 [email protected]


Colonel Sherman T. Potter, MD

Associate Medical Center Director Harry S. Truman Memorial Veterans’ Hospital

General Surgeon – Hospital Administrator – Decorated Wartime Field Officer

Colonel Sherman T. Potter is both an excellent surgeon and a leader who is frequently called upon for his knowledge of wartime surgery. He leads mainly by example, always doing his best and encouraging others to do the same. While he is easygoing by nature, no one doubts his authority – he is direct and decisive when he needs to be. He is respected not only by his troops but by his peers and those up the ranks. He is recognized for his ability to balance the spirit of army regulations with the difficulties of life in a war zone. Potter is a man of integrity and able to make the tough calls when necessary.

Recently appointed Associate Medical Center Director, Colo-nel Potter leads the organization, direction, and coordina-tion of all administrative functions of the hospital, including acting as liaison with the Veterans’ Benefits Regional Office. Prior to his appointment, he headed the MASH 4077th deployed to Korea. Under his command, this unit consis-tently ranked among the top-performing units during the

Appendix II. Executive Bio Sample: Bio of Colonel Potter


Korean War. Edward R. Murrow, one of broadcasting’s most illustrious journalists, covered the 4077th after returning from touring the Korean battlefields.

Previously, Potter completed medical school and served in various Army administrative roles after returning from active duty in France during World War I. He began his military career at a young age in the cavalry, and his love of horses continued throughout his life.

Potter was decorated numerous times during his career and proudly wears the Army Commendation Medal, Purple Heart, Army Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Korean Service Metal, and the United Nations Service Medal. He served his medical residency in St. Louis and established his surgical practice in 1932.

555.555.5555 [email protected]


Appendix III. Bio Structure

NAME

TitleCompany

KeywordsKeywords

Paragraph #1: Positioning

Paragraph #2: Current or Most Recent Position

Paragraph #3: Rest of Career

Paragraph #4: Credentials

Contact information


RESUME or BUSINESS PLAN?Helping Job Seekers Hire Themselvesby Grant CooperAsresumewritersandcareercoaches,ourmissionistoequipourclientswiththetools,documents,andguidancetheyneedtosucceedintoday’scompetitiveeconomy.Inmostcases,thatmeansprovidingarangeofca-reer development products and services, including preparing new resumes andcoverletters,improvingLinkedInprofiles,offeringjobsearchtrain-ing, educating clients in social media networking, and enhancing their interview skills.

However,Ihavefoundthatanincreasingnumberofmyclientsarestronglyconsideringthepossibilityoflaunchingasmallbusinessasanalternativetopursuinganewjob.Moreandmoreclientsarerequestingmyservicestoassistthembycreatingabusinessplanthattheycanusetoeffectivelyidentifythestepstheywillneedtoputtheirbusinesslaunchinmotion, while also attracting potential partners and funders.

AlthoughitistruethatthesuccessrateofsmallbusinessesintheU.S.(ac-cordingtoIntuit.com)isonly44percentsurvivingfouryears,thatdoescomparefavorablytojobtenure.AccordingtotheU.S.BureauofLaborStatistics,themediannumberofyearsthatwageandsalaryworkershadbeenwiththeircurrentemployer(referredtoasemployeetenure)was4.6inJanuary2012.

LongbeforeIlaunchedmyresumewritingbusinesstwodecadesago,Ipreparedbusinessplansonanintermittentbasisformyfamily,associates,andfriends.Asanentrepreneurfrommyearliestdays,havingopenedtwobusinessesasauniversitystudent,Ifindthattheprocessofbusinessplan-ningcomesnaturallytome.Akeycomponentofmybusinessacumenhasbeenmyloveofwriting.Whetheritwasaschoolwritingproject,creatingmarketingcollateralandcontentformybusinesses,orgeneratingpublic-ity,writinghasprovedtobeanassetandskillthathasservedmewell.

Fastforwardtothemid-1990swhenIlaunchedStrategicResumes,myresumewritingbusiness.AlthoughIrealizedthenthatthepreviousex-perienceIgainedinpreparingbusinessplanswouldapplyinmanywaystomynewventure,atleastintermsofsharpeningmytechnicalwritingskills,Ididnotrealizethatbusinessplanwritingitselfwouldonedaybecomeakeyprofitcenterwithinmyresumewritingpractice.Iamhappy

Chapter 16


toreportthatitnowrepresentsasignificantandimportantpercentageofmyoverallbusinessrevenue.

Job Seekers & Business PlansThefirstpayingbusinessplanclientinmyresumewritingfirmwasMichael,a57-yearoldattorneywhohadworkedinregionallegalcom-plianceatalargebankinginstitutionfornearlytwodecades.Michaelcametomeforaresumeafterhislayofffromanationalbankthatshiftedhisresponsibilitiestothecompany’sNewYorkheadquarters.Inhisjobasanin-houseattorneyforthebank,Michaelhadreviewedbrochures,marketingmaterials,printandbroadcastadvertisingcopy,massemails,andwebsitecontentoriginatedbytheregiontoensurethatitmetallap-plicablefinancialindustrystandardsandcompliedwithappropriatelegalrequirements.

Michaelhadinitiallyorderedaresumefrommetoexploreworkingforanotherbank.Whenpickinguphisnewresume,hesharedhisconcernthatagemightprovetobeahurdleinobtainingnewemployment.Healsostatedthatsincehislegalspecializationwassonarrow,typicallawfirmsmightnotbeinterestedinhim.Headdedthathewouldnotwanttorelocatetoanotherstateandthatonlyverylargebankshiredattorneyswith his specialization.

With these concerns in mind, Michael then stated that he was consider-inglaunchinganewbusinessdesignedtoprovidehisexpertiseincom-pliancetosmallerfinancialinstitutions.Hereasonedthatthereweremanyindependentbanksthatcouldnotaffordtohiretheirownin-housecomplianceattorneys,andsincetheirassociatedlawfirmswerenottrulyspecialistsinthisarea,hewouldhavethepotentialtoprofitablymarkethis services.

Withtheincreasingadventofonlinemarketingandweb-basedcontent,Michaelbelievedthathisknowledgewasbecomingmoreessentialandindemand.Herealizedthattomaximizehischancesofsuccess,hewouldneedacomprehensivebusinessplanandperhapsfundingforhisnewventure,andinquiredwhetherIcouldassisthimbypreparingthebusi-ness plan.

ThebusinessplanthatIwroteforMichaelwasintegraltothesuccess-fullaunchofhisnewbusiness.Perhapsduetotheeraofincreasingexecutivelayoffsandresurgenceofentrepreneurialenergynationwide,Ihavefoundmoreandmoreclientsrequestingbusinessplanpreparationservices.ThisisdespitethefactthatIhaveonlyrecentlymarketedthisserviceandhavedependedalmostentirelyonreferrals.

Anotherexamplewasayoungclientwhosefatherwaswellknownintheregionaloilandgasindustry.Myyoungclienthadworkedonsomeoil


rigsandhadagoaltoopenabusinessprovidinghard-to-getparts,equip-ment,andsuppliestoclientsinthatfield.Todothis,hewouldneedfund-ingtoleaseawarehouse,hirestaff,orderequipment,purchasetrucks,and cover related startup expenses.

Iwroteabusinessplanshowinghowhecouldleveragehisfamilycontactsintheindustry,provideworld-classservice,andspecializeasaniche-basedsuppliermeetingtheneedsoftheenergyindustrythrough-outtheregion.LessthanayearafterheobtainedhisfundingbasedontheplanIwrote,Ireceivedanicethank-younotefromhimstatingthathe had “exceeded the plan’s sales projections by over 400 per cent” and wasdoinggreat.Ialwayscraftmyplanstobeconservative,sothefactthatheexceededtheprojectionswasunderstandable.

Should You Add Business Plans to Your Services?Ifyouareconsideringaddingbusinessplanpreparationtoyourmenuofservices,Iwouldrecommendthatyouconsideranumberoffactorsthatcouldplayaroleinyourdecision.Ifyoucanansweryes to these four questions,thenbusinessplanwritingmaybeagoodfitforyou.

Are you open to change and willing to expand into new markets?

Do you enjoy learning about new fields, and are you able to conduct online research with an emphasis on facts and statistics?

Can you harness the patience, focus, and time commitment it takes to create detailed documents that can easily range from 8 to 36 pages?

Are you generally knowledgeable about and willing to learn the basic principles of business[suchascapitalization,breakevenanalysis,busi-nessdevelopment,personnelmanagement,finance,siteselectionfactors,marketing, and accounting]?

Ifyouanswered yestothesequestions,andyouwishtosignificantlyexpandyourresumewritingservicestoincludebusinessplanwriting,Icantellyouthatthetransferableskillsyoualreadypossess,intermsoftechnical writing, formatting, interviewing clients, and researching, are alldirectlyapplicabletobusinessplanwriting.

Myfirstpieceofadviceistoneveroverpromiseorassureclientsthattheirnewbusinessplanwillguaranteeasuccessfulbusinesslaunchorresult in funding. Just as a well-prepared resume alone does not guaran-teeajoboffer,oreveninterviews,nobusinessplancanguaranteethatabusinesswillbefundedorsuccessful.

Intermsofobtainingasmallbusinessstart-uploan,thereareseveralfac-torsthatyourclientsshouldkeepinmind.Ingeneral,youshouldempha-


sizethatnoonewilllikelylendstart-upmoneysimplybasedonagoodbusinessplan.However,itisequallyimportanttorememberthatafunderwill,innearlyallcases,notlendstart-upmoneywithoutit.

Thereareseveralconditionsabankerorfunderwillendeavortosatisfybeforebettingonanewventure.First,theapplicantmusthaveagoodcreditrecord.Whenanentrepreneurisaskingothersfortheirmoney,hemustshowthathehaspreviouslytakencareofhisown.Poorcreditisahugeredflagtobanksandventurecapitalists.

Second,yourclientshouldhaveadetailedbusinessplanthatcoverseverything,includingabiographicalprofile,anexecutivesummaryoftheproject,marketingplans,capitalizationneeds,siteselection,costs,breakevenanalysis,andin-depthbusinessresearch.

Finally,yourclientmusthavecollateral.Yourclientmayask,“WhyshouldtheyneedcollateraliftheideaisgreatandIhavegoodcreditwithastablebackground?”Thesimpleanswer,asIdiscussedearlier,isthatsmallbusinessesoftendon’tmakeit,withfailureratesthatcausepo-tentialinvestorstocringe.Accordingtoonestudy,herearethe10mostimportantreasonsthatsmallbusinessesfail:

1)Lackofexperience,2)insufficientcapital,3)poorlocation,4)poorinventorymanagement,5)over-investmentinfixedassets,6)poorcreditarrangements,7)personaluseofbusinessfunds,8)unexpectedgrowth,9) competition, and 10) low sales.

Butyoucanbesurethatbanksdesperatelywanttolendmoneyforbusi-nessstart-upsbecausethatisalargepartofhowtheymaintaintheirprof-itability.Particularlyintoday’slow-interestenvironment,wherebankscanacquiretheircapitalathistoricallylowrates,theyareeagertofinancenewbusinesses,iftheriskisunderstandableandmanageable.Whiletheydogenerallyrequiresomeformofcollateralforstart-uploans,makenomistakeaboutit,thebankorfundingagencydoesn’twanttogothroughthearduousprocessofrepossessingyourclient’scollateral.Theyareverymuchhopingforthebusinesstosucceed.

Inevaluatingapotentialbusinessplanclient,Iconductabriefintaketolearnthebasicsoftheirbusinessconcept,theirsuitabilityintermsof experience and skills, and their commitment and drive to make their businessdreamscometrue.WhileIdonotwishtobeagatekeeper,IalsodonotacceptclientswhenIdetectadeepdividebetweentheiraspira-tionsandtheircapabilities.Ofcourse,theyarefreetoseekoutwritinghelpelsewhere,butIwillnotknowinglyassisttheminwhatIsurmiseisa doomed endeavor.


How to Add Business Plans to Your Service OfferingsOnceyouhaveacceptedyournewbusinessplanclientandhaveacon-tractagreementcoveringyourpriceandterms,youcanbegintheintakeprocess.Itypicallyrequiremybusinessplanclientstohaveanexistingprofessionalresumefortworeasons.OneisthatIwillbasetheirbio-graphicalprofile,inpart,ontheirresume,andtheotherreasonisthatfundersgenerallyprefertoseeadetailedprofessionalresumeinadditiontothebusinessplan.Ifmyclientdoesnothaveaprofessionalresume,orhasonethatisdeficient,IsuggestthatIprepareherresumeandaddthefee for that service to the total.

Theintakeprocessislargelysimilartotheresumeintakeprocess.Somewriterspreferalongquestionnaireelicitingthedesiredinformation,somepreferaverbalinterviewprocessandnote-taking,andothers,likeme,useacombinedprocess.Igetbasicinformationthroughaninterviewsessionandfollowupwithalistofemailquestions.

Onceyouhavegatheredbasicinformationfromtheclient,theresearchphasebegins.Anyonewhohaswrittenaresearchpaperforacollegecourse,orconductedonlineresearchtowriteablogarticleorsimilarresearch-basedproject,candothisjustfine.ThetypeofresearchIamspeakingofistopical,general,andrepresentsabasicreviewoffactorsthatwillgointothebusinessplan.Ipersonallyprefertoincludeamyriadofcharts,photos,andgraphicsinmyplans,andanyonewithaboveaver-agedesktoppublishingskillscanaccomplishthisreadilythroughMicro-softWord.Ihavefoundthattheseaddedvisualelementsgreatlyincreasereader interest.

Anotherphaseofthebusinessplancreationprocessrelatestofinancials,breakevenanalysis,monthlyoverhead,repaymentofprincipal,budget-ing, and forecasting. While I do document and explore these factors in mybusinessplans,therearemuchmoredevelopedspreadsheets,some-timeswithfive-yearmonthlyprojections,thatarenormallypreparedbyaccountants.Iadvisemyclientsthatprojectsseekingfundingbetween$50,000and$500,000oftendonotrequirethesetypesofmonthlyfore-castprojections.However,thatdeterminationistotallyuptotheprospec-tive funder.

Shouldadetailedprojectionberequired,IurgemyclienttoseektheservicesofaCPA.Infact,accountantswhopreparethosetypesofspreadsheetsforclientsnormallydonotdothetypeofexpositoryandpersuasive writing I do and often refer their clients to me for descriptive businessplanwriting.

Intermsofpricing,therearemanydifferentmodelsforgeneratingreal-isticandprofitableprices.Iuseaper-pagemodelthatiscurrentlypegged


at$250perpage.Othersmaychargebythehourorbyproject.Ihaverarelypreparedaplanthatislessthaneightpagesorexceeds32pages.Thisplacesmypricerangeforbusinessplansfrom$2,000to$8,000formostprojects,andIhaveestimatedthatwhenallisconsidered,Ispend60 to 90 minutes of writing time per page.

Itismyunderstandingthatlargeaccountingandpublicrelationsfirmsroutinelycharge$20,000andupforhighlydevelopedbusinessplans.Asinthefieldofresumewriting,thereareonlinefirmsthatmaychargelessandsomemaychargemore.Myclientsaremoreconcernedwiththeper-sonalserviceIprovide,thetestimonialsofmypreviousclients,andtheirabilitytoworkdirectlywiththeirwritertotweaktheplanastheywish.

SummaryBusinessplanwritingiscertainlynotforeveryone.Itrequiresdedicationandexperience.ButIhavefoundittobeanaturalextensionoftheskillsrequiredforprofessionalresumewritingand,asasmallbusinessownermyself,anexcellentsourceofdiversifiedandprofitablerevenue.

In addition, entrepreneurship is an essential part of our economic land-scapeandisatrendthatcannotbeignored.Itisestimatedthatsince1990,bigbusinesseseliminated4millionjobs,whilesmallbusinessesaddedinexcessof8millionnewjobs.

Thefactthatsmallbusinesseswithfewerthan100employeesnowaccountfor99%ofallbusinessesandgenerate30%oftotalU.S.busi-nesspayrollisanindicationthatentrepreneursrepresentahugemarketwaitingtobetapped.Ifanything,thetrendtowardentrepreneurshipasaviablecareeroptionformanywillonlyincreaseinyearstocome,andthosewhoareequippedtoprovidebusinessplanwritingservicesfortheir clients will thrive.

About the AuthorGrant Cooper, founder and president of Strategic Resumes & Business Plans,hasauthoredsuccessfulbusinessplansthatresultedinprivateinvestor,bank,andSBAfundingforlaunchesinmorethanadozendifferentindustries.Healsowroteanon-profitbusinessplanthatwasfundedbyBradPittforahalf-milliondollars.NewOrleans’onlyCerti-fiedAdvancedResumeWriter(CARW),hewritesaweeklycolumn(NewOrleansJobGuru)forGambit Magazine, NewOrleans’#1weeklynewspublication,andhasbeenacontractarticlewriterforAmericanExpressBusinessKnowledgeSharewebsite.Heauthoredanationallydistributedsoftwareprogram,Resume Critique Writer, that was sold to 4-yearuniversities,communitycolleges,theU.S.military,andresumewritingfirmsthroughouttheU.S.andinternationally.HehasconductedBusiness Plan Writing seminars at national conferences, including Career


DirectorsInternational.Hehasalsopublishedarticlesinprofessionaljournals,hasbeenselectedasaseminarpresenterandexpertpanelistatnationalconferences,isusedasaconsultantbyrecruiters,mediareport-ers,andcorporations,andhasbeenfeaturedinnewspaper,radio,andTV.HeattendedLouisianaStateUniversitySchoolofLaw,earnedacademichonors for his undergraduate degree in Political Science/Pre-Law at LSU, andcompletedadditionalpostgraduateworkatbothSanJoseStateandGoldenGateuniversities.Hewasselectedtoa5-yeartermontheNewOrleansSaintsNFLAdvisoryBoard,andduringhisfamily’sevacuationfromHurricaneKatrina,wasselectedasContractTechnicalWriterattheAmericanRedCrossHeadquartersinWashington,D.C.





Chapter 17

THE IMPACT of APPLICANT TRACKING SYSTEMS on JOB SEARCHby Joni HoldermanGiven the increasing prevalence of computerized applicant tracking systems(ATS)withinthejobsearchdiaspora,agreaterunderstand-ingbenefitsbothcareercounselorsandtheirclients.Inlessthantwentyyears,ATShavetransformedtherecruitinglandscape(Zielinski,2011).Jobcandidateswhodonotappreciatethesechanges,orwhoattempttonavigatethemwithouthelp,mayfacesignificantobstacles.Inparticular,thesesystemsofferuniquechallengestoyoungjobseekerswithlittlework experience, to candidates returning to the workforce, and to clients undergoingvoluntaryorinvoluntarycareertransitions.

In1995,fewerthan300companies(allmajorcorporations)usedap-plicanttrackingsoftwaresystemstostore,organize,andsearchresumes,according to Training & Developmentmagazine.Todaysomeindustryexpertsestimatethat80percentofallcompanies,largeandsmall,relyon the computerized ATS as the first readerforeveryresumereceivedfromanysource.

Thisevolutioninhiringmethodologyhasmajorimplicationsforclients,sinceformanycandidates,theATSisalsothelast reader – 75 per cent oftheresumesinanycompanydatabaseareneverseenbyahumanrecruiterorhiringmanager,becausetheydonotmeettheemployer’spre-establishedcriteriaforaspecificposition.Insomecases,highlyqualifiedcandidates are included in this group of lost resumes (Levinson, 2012), foravarietyofreasonsdiscussedbelow.EmpiricalevidencesuggeststhatATScaneliminateeventhemosthighlyqualifiedcandidates.Bersin&Associates,atalentmanagementresearchandconsultingfirminOak-land,California,testedanATSbywritingaresumeforaclinicalscien-tistposition.Thefirmusedknowledgeofthejobrequirementstocrafta resume for a theoretical ideal candidate who met 100 per cent of the desiredqualifications.TheATSrankedthis perfect candidate as meeting just43percentofthequalifications,arankingfartoolowtomeritaninterviewwithinmostcompanies.Infact,thecandidatewasrejectedasnotmeetingtheminimumeducationalcriteria,simplybecauseofthewayadvanced degrees were formatted on the resume (Levinson, 2012).


Advantages of Using ATS for CompaniesApplicanttrackingsystems,alsocalledtalentmanagementsystems(TMS)orapplicantmanagementsystems(AMS),offernotablebenefitsfor companies of all sizes and their human resources departments. The adventofonlinejobapplicationprocessesinthe1990sunleashedatsunami of resumes for vacant positions. Google is said to receive 75,000 resumesperweek.Employersfrequentlyreceive1,000resumesforasingleposition,andaninternalrecruiterhandlingmultiplejobopeningsmayreceive900resumesperday(Meade,2000).

Typically,resumesareuploadeddirectlyintotheATSbycandidatesonjobboardsorcompanywebsites.Resumese-mailedbycandidatesareforwardeddirectlytotheATS,oftenwithoutevenacursoryglancefromtheinternalrecruiterorhiringmanager.Themajorityoftheseresumesdonotmeettheminimumqualificationstheemployerhaspre-establishedforeachposition,suchaseducation,languagefluency,orlengthofexpe-rience(Jenkins,2009;Levinson,2012).Itisnotcosteffectiveforcom-paniestopayahighlytrainedhumanresourcesprofessional(orevenanentry-levelassistant)tothoughtfullyperuseeachresumeindividually.

AnATScanincreaseconsistencyofhiringacrossmultiplelocationsanddriveimprovementsinHRkeyperformancemetricssuchastime-to-hire(Hansen,2006).Amid-sizedcompanymayfindthetimetofillanhourlypositiondiminishesfromweekstojustfivedaysutilizingATS.

TheATSallowsinternalrecruiterstoidentifyandmaintainaconnectionwithhighlyqualifiedpassivecandidates.Nearly75percentofcurrentlyemployedworkersareopentothepossibilityofanewopportunity,yetonly18percentareactivelyengagedinajobsearch(Coombs,2013).Awell-integratedtalentmanagementsystempermitsrecruiterstoidentifythese top candidates through social media networking and pushjobpost-ingsproactivelytothem,ratherthanwaitforcandidatestoapply.

Thestakesarehigh.Anecdotally,amid-sizedmanufacturingcompanyachievednetrecruitingcostreductionsofslightlymorethan$1,000,000annuallybyvirtuallyeliminatingthird-partyrecruiterexpenses.ThecompanyimplementedanATS,pairedwithincreasedLinkedInnetwork-ingcapabilitiesandafewadditionalinternalrecruiters.Althoughthisperformancemaynotbetypical,theaveragecompanycanrecoupthepurchasepriceofanATSbyeliminatingtheexpenseofasingle$30,000third-partyrecruiterorheadhunterfee(Meade,2000)forajobwithanannualsalaryof$100,000.

Equallyimportant,usinganATStoobjectivelyrankresumesbasedonpre-definedcriteriaisaproactivemeasureemployerscantaketomiti-gateriskandreducepotentialliabilityforillegaldiscriminationinhiring


(Zielinski,2011).EmployersareawarethattheATSprovidesthisprotec-tiononlyifeveryresumeisputthroughthesameobjectivetechnologicalvetting process. In fact, circumventing the ATS to hire a candidate not includedinthatdatabasecarrieswithitariskofdefactodiscrimina-tion.Forthisreason,theoverwhelmingmajorityofemployerswillusethe ATS to rank resumes from all sources, including internal candidates, employeereferrals,networkingcontacts,andthird-partyrecruiters.

CombinedwiththeautomatedEqualEmploymentOpportunityandOf-ficeofFederalContractCompliancePrograms(OFCCP)non-discrimina-tionreportingcapabilitiesofferedbyATS(Hauser,2011),thissoftwarehasbecomeanessentialtoolinmanagingtheriskandpotentiallegalliabilityinherentinhiring.

In addition to improvements in parsing software, the second-generation ATSoffersimprovedintegration.Mostapplicanttrackingsystemsofferanonlinecompanycareerportalthatattractstopcandidateswithentic-ingdescriptionsofthecompany,careerprospects,jobopenings,andworkingconditions.Manyallowarecruitertopostjobopeningsonthecompanycareerportalwhilesimultaneouslyuploadingthemtomultiplejobboards.Mostapplicanttrackingsystemsincludeacandidate(client)relationshipmanagementorCRMsystemthatallowsrecruiterstotrackanapplicant’sprogress,fromprescreeningtophoneinterview,videoorin-personinterview,aptitude/personalityassessments,subsequentinter-views,andultimatelythehiringprocess.

Themostadvancedapplicanttrackingsystems–second-generationsystems–arefullyintegratedTalentManagementSystems(TMS)thatinterfacewiththeHRIS(HumanResourcesInformationSystem)totrackcandidatesfromresumesubmission,throughscreening,interview,hiring,onboarding,training,talentdevelopment,successionplanning,andeven-tuallyexitinterview.ThesesystemsseamlesslycombineTMSprocesseswithpayroll,employeeleave,andbenefitsadministration.Somepermitrecruiterstosearchthesocialnetworksofcurrentemployeestoidentify,contact,andmaintainarelationshipwithhighlyqualifiedindividualswhohavenotyetevensubmittedaresume.

TheATSofthefutureisafullyintegratedTMS/HRISthatincludesad-ditionalmobileapplications,allowingcandidatestobrowsecompanywebsitesandapplywithafewclicksfromtheirsmartphones.Itwillof-fermoremobileappsforcorporaterecruiterstoengagepotentialcandi-datesthroughsocialnetworking,quicklypublishjobpostingstomultiplespecializedjobboards,andconductthebusinessofrecruitingviatextmessage(Zielinski,2011).


Large and Small Companies Use ATSPerhapsthegreatestincreaseinATSutilizationwithinthepastfiveyearshasbeenwithinthesmallbusinesssector.Thishasasignificantimpactonjobseekers,sincethenearly28millionsmallbusinessesintheU.S.employabouthalfofallprivate-sectoremployeesandcreatedthemajor-ityofjobgrowthoverthepastfifteenyears,accordingtotheU.S.SmallBusiness Administration.

Partoftheincreasedadoptionratebysmallbusinessisdrivenbyeco-nomicfactorsandtechnologyinnovation.SaaS(SoftwareasaService,or cloud computing) has eliminated the need to purchase an ATS, with systemsranginginpricefrom$5,000tomorethan$1,000,000.Instead,smallemployershaveavarietyofresourcesavailablefrommorethan200ATSvendors(Zielinski,2011),includingmonthlysubscriptionsrangingfromlessthan$50tomorethan$1,500permonth.

SeveraloftheATSvendorsofferafreetrialorafreesubscriptionforthefirstrecruiter(SHRM,2011;Hauser,2011).Somepay-as-you-gosystemschargesmallemployersbasedonthenumberofcandidateshired(Meade,2000.)Whilenationwidethecosttohireanemployeeis$3,655,forverysmallemployersitmaybeashighas$8,000,accordingtoSuccessPerformance Solutions. In addition, one ill-advised hiring decision has amagnifiedeffectwhenacompanyemploystenindividuals,ratherthan10,000.

Advantages for Job SeekersDespitemuch-publicizeddrawbacks,ATSoffersomebenefitstojobseekers.Foremostamongthesearedurabilityoftheresumeandconsid-erationformultiplejobopenings.Employerscansetapurgedateforresumesreceived,buttheytypicallyretainresumesinthedatabaseforayear,twoyears,ormore.Resumesofcandidateswithhighlysought-afterskillssuchassoftwareengineeringmayberetainedevenlonger.Attimes,anemployermayidentifyhigh-potentialinternalorexternalcandidates and track their progress over time with future openings in mind.Whilethistypeofsuccessionplanningisroutineinternally,anATSintegratedwithLinkedInandFacebookpermitstheemployertoexpandbeyonditscurrentemployeebase.

Everyresumeinacompany’sATSgoesintothedatabase,andvirtuallyeveryresumeissearchedforeachopening–notjustthepositionthecandidatehadinmind.Thisresultsinthecandidatebeingconsideredforagreaternumberofopenings(Quible,1998).Thiscanhaveunexpecteddividends for applicants.

AclientwhoappliesforapositionasRegionalDirectorofSalesmaybecontactedforaV.P.ofSalesopening,basedontheATSrankingofhis


resume.Or,hecouldbecalledtointerviewforaTerritorySalesRepre-sentativeposition,basedontheassessmentofhisresume.Ineffect,oncethecandidate’sresumeisinthesystem,sheisapplyingforallopeningswithinthatorganizationforthenextyearortwo.Often,affiliatedcom-panieswithinaconglomeratewillshareadatabaseofcandidates.Thiscanbeaboonfortheclientwhenacompanyhassubsequentopeningsinrelatedfields,orwhen(unbeknownsttotheclient)asistercompanyhasopenings at multiple locations.

TheATSmayincreasediversitybyofferingalevelplayingfieldandobjectiveassessmentforallclients,includingthoseinprotectedgroups.Manyhumanresourcesexecutivesbelievethatobjective,rational,computer-baseddecisionmakingisstrongerthanaprocessthatreliesexclusivelyonsubjectivehumaninteractionsandassessments.

TheCRMinterfacewithinanATSmeansclientsareoftennotifiedwithinsecondsviae-mailthattheirresumehasbeenreceived.Theacceleratedpaceofautomatedrecruitingmeanstheymaybecontactedforaninter-viewwithinhoursordays(viae-mail,phone,ortext)ratherthanweeks.Unfortunately,thisalsomeansthatacandidatewhosequalificationsdonotmeetjustoneoftherigidlypredeterminedrequirementssetbytheemployermayhavethedemoralizingexperienceofreceivinganauto-matedrejectionwithinseconds,aswell,despitetheclient’senormouspotentialorstellarqualificationsinotherareas.

Disadvantages for Job SeekersTheprimaryandpervasivedisadvantageforcandidatesisthattheATSdoes not explore individual potential, encourage career transitions, or support self-actualization. Instead, it measures candidates against an arbitrarylistofqualificationspredeterminedbytheemployerforeachposition(Jenkins,2009).Typically,onlythetoptentotwentycandidatesare contacted for interviews, even if thousands of resumes are received.

ClientsmayinterpretanalmostinstantaneousSorry, but you are not qualified for this positione-mailasablanketdenialoftheirworthasanemployeeorasaperson,ratherthanthemoreaccurateSorry, but you were not a near-perfect match with our quixotic, arbitrary list of key-words.

Evenworse,theATSmayrejectclientsneedlesslybymisinterpretingtheresumebasedonformat.PlaintextandMicrosoftWord(doc)filesseemtoperformbetterinATSthandocx,jpg,rtf,orotherfiletypes.PDFfilesmaybeparticularlyproblematic.Althoughsomeofthemostexpensive,sophisticatedapplicanttrackingsystemscanreadthem,othersuseOCR(opticalcharacterrecognition)softwaretoscanPDFresumes.EvenminorvariationsinspellinginsertedbytheimperfectOCRsoftwarecan


resultinamismatchwithjobqualifications.ResumeexpertsrecommendthatclientsusebothaWordandaplaintextversionoftheirresume.

Inaddition,minorresumeformattingchoicescantorpedothejobsearch.AnexampleisahighlyqualifiedSeniorVicePresidentcandidatewhowasrepeatedlyinformedbytheATSthatshedidnotmeettheminimumqualificationsfortheposition.Herself-writtenresumelistedthedatesofemploymentattheleftmargin,beforethecompanyname,aformattheATSwasunabletoparse.Althoughshehadmorethan20yearsofhigh-levelexperiencewithinindustry-leadingfirms,theATSshowedthatshehadzeromonthsofworkhistory.

Candidateswithnarrow,well-definedcareergoalsandhighlytargetedresumeswillperformbetterinATS.Forclientscontemplatingdualcareerpaths,acommonstrategyinthepastwasgeneratingtwoversionsoftheresume,witheachreframingpastexperiencesignificantlytohighlightadifferentskillset.However,manyapplicanttrackingsystemspenalizecandidateswhosubmitmultipleresumes,especiallyiftheworkexperi-enceorprofessionalbrandingmessageisframeddifferently.Thiscanbeproblematicforclientswhomaynotrealizethattwodifferentfirmsare sister companies within a single conglomerate, sharing a single ATS resumedatabase.

TheinterfaceoftheATSandcareerportalmaymaketheprocessofapplyingforapositionmorecumbersome.Insomecases,thisisin-tentional.Companiesthatreceivetoomanyresumesfromunqualifiedcandidatesmaycreateacareerportalthatrequiresfortyminutesormoretonavigatesuccessfully,toweedoutallbutthemosthighlymotivatedcandidates.

ManycompaniesusetheATStoadministerprescreeningquestionnaires.Insomecases,theseonlinequizzeshavereplacedthebriefphoneinter-view.Typicallythesescreeningquestionsaresimplepass/failitemsandone wronganswerdisqualifiestheclient.Somejobseekersreportthatthequestionnairesarenotconsistentwiththejobpostingandrejectcandi-dateswhoarefullyqualified.

One example is an experienced Administrative Assistant who applied forapositionrequiringbachelor’s degree or equivalent work experience (two to four years.)Theonlineprescreeningquestionnaireaskedifhehadabachelor’sdegree.Nooptionfordemonstratingequivalentworkexperiencewasprovided.Whenhetruthfullyprovidedanegativean-swer,hewasinstantlyinformedthathewasnotqualifiedfortheposition.Answeringthequestionuntruthfullyintheaffirmativewouldbeequallydistasteful,sincehewouldbefalsifyinghisjobapplication.


Themostcommonsearchcriteriaincludespecificyearsofexperiencewithinanindustryorjobtitle.SomeemployersuseATStoselectivelyinterviewonlycandidateswhoarecurrentlyemployed,whilerejectingallunemployedcandidates.Othersusethesystemtoselectcandidatesbylocation(zipcodeorareacode)andsomeasktheATStoidentifycandi-dateswhohaveworkedfor(orarecurrentlyworkingfor)specificcompa-nies or competitors.

ATS Software is OpaqueTheinnerworkingsofresume-parsingtechnologyarecloselyguardedproprietarysecrets.LiketheGooglesearchrankingalgorithms,theyareintentionallyopaque.TransparencyabouttheATSprocessincreasestheoddsofuserssuccessfullymanipulatingthesystemfortheirownben-efit,whichultimatelyreducesthevalueoftheproduct.Additionally,thisrelativelynewtechnologycontinuestoevolverapidly(Meade,2000),introducingconstantinnovations.However,itispossibletomakesomegeneralizations across products.

EarlyATSsoftwaresimplyparsedresumesandsearchedtheresultingin-formationforkeywords(nouns,modifiers,verbs,andphrases)predefinedbytheemployerforeachposition.WhilemanyATSvendorsprovidegenerickeywordsetsforcommonjobcategories,mostemployersusetheseprefabricatedsolutionsonlyforentry-leveljobs.

Inlessthantwentyyears,ATShasmovedwellbeyondsimplekeywordmatchingtechnologyintotherealmofartificialintelligence.Themostcomplexsystemsuse750,000rulesandmorethantenmillionresumeterms to rank candidates.

Moreadvancedsystemsusecontextualinformationtoidentifybet-termatches.Inearlyapplicanttrackingsystems,whenarecruiterforarestaurantchainsearchedforageneralmanager,theATSsimplylookedfor the characters general managerinthatorder.Today,themostsophis-ticatedsystemsarecapableofrecognizingthattheGeneralManagerofaminorleaguebaseballteamhasasignificantlydifferentskillsetfromtheGeneral Manager of a restaurant.

Overburdeningresumeswithrepetitiouskeywordsisnotaneffectivestrategy.Whenthefirstsystemswereimplemented,jobseekersutilizedavarietyofstrategiesto keyword load resumes, including inserting invis-ibleparagraphsofkeywordsinwhitefontonwhitepaper,orinfontsotinyitappearsasahorizontallinetothehumaneye.Otherscopiedandpastedtheentirejobpostingintothebodyoftheirresume.Manyap-plicanttrackingsystemsnowpenalizecandidateswhousethesetactics,assigning them the lowest search rankings.


Adroituseofkeywordsisstillanimportantfeatureinawell-craftedresume,butitisonlyonefactoramongmany.Instead,itisimportantthatahighlyskilledresumewriteridentifytheclient’sgreateststrengthsandtheuniquewaytheclientaddsvalueforaprospectiveemployer.

Thesequalificationsandabilitiesarethenconvertedintowidelyrecog-nizedtermswithintheclient’sindustryandrecruitingecosystem,whichissimplyanotherdefinitionofkeywords.Usingthissystemresultsinaresumethatattractsemployersandopeningsthatareanexcellentmatchwiththeclient’sskillset,goals,andinterests.Thisapproachalsocreatesa resume with appeal for human readers, a document that performs well beyondtheTMS.

TheATScalculatesyearsofworkexperiencebysubtractingstartdatesfromenddatesforeachjob.Itanalyzeswhetherthisexperienceisrel-evantornotbylookingatjobtitlesandresponsibilitiesincontext.There-fore,thereislittlevaluetothejobseekerinovertlystatingten years of work experience in… within the resume.

Itistemptingtoreplicatethekeywordsfromasinglejobpostingintheresume–andthismaybeaneffectivestrategyforahighlymotivatedcli-entwhoisinterestedonlyinasinglejobopportunity(perhapsaninternalpromotion or other dream job.)However,itisimportanttobearinmindthatkeyword-optimizingaresumeforonejobpostingmaycauseittoperformpoorlyforsimilarpositionswithothercompanies.

Abetterstrategy(andanessentialfeatureofawell-crafted21st-centuryresume)isidentificationandseamlessincorporationofkeywordshighlyrelevanttotheclient’sprofessionalbrandingmessage.Withaclearandconcisemessage,thejobseekerwantstocommunicatetheuniquevalueheofferstotheprospectiveemployer.

AnexampleofadroitkeywordusageisclientLiz, an accomplished marketing executive whose self-written resume is not attracting the attentionshemeritsfromemployers.Itnotesthatshehasexpertiseincombining marketing groups and using tech tools to ‘get the word out’ and implement good marketing programs while nurturing workers. Liz’sprofessionalresumewritertranslatedthosetermsintotherightkey-words(notedinboldfacetype)tohighlightherdiverse strengths in M&A integration, talent development, and strategic leadership of innovative, award-winning interactive media campaigns that deliver excellent ROI. ThatlanguageincorporatesthekeywordsthatwillattractthetypeofemployerLizwants,onethatcanofferapositionthatisanexcellentfitwithhercapabilities.


Pragmatic Considerations in the Job SearchIdeally,clientsneedahighlytargetedresumethatsupportsaclearlydefinedcareergoal.Inmanycases,awell-trainedresumewritercanreframetheclient’sexperiencetosupporthiscurrentcareergoalsinawaythatiscompletelyethicalandaccurate,whilemaximizingperfor-manceacrossATSplatforms.JobseekersshouldusebothaMicrosoftWord resume and a plain text version without formatting features. Ide-ally,whenapplyingonline(onajobboardoracompanywebsite),theywill upload (not cut and paste) the text resume. When emailing a resume asanattachment,clientscanincludeboththeWordandtextversions,unlessanemployerspecificallyrequestsanotherformat.TheATScannotread contact information within the header of a Word document. Nor can itparsenamesorotherwordswithaccentmarks.Ironically,thisincludesthe word résumé, whichisconvertedtogibberishsuchas“r?sum?”or“r#233sum#233.”Networkingstillcountsinthejobsearch,butinnewways.ManyATSprovidespecialportalsforandgivepreferencetojobseekersreferredbycurrentemployees,becausethosecandidatestypi-callyhavehigherretentionrates.Awell-integratedATSallowsinternalrecruiterstoidentifyandcontactpassivecandidatesthroughsocialmedianetworksonLinkedIn,Twitter,andFacebook.Italsopermitsrecruiterstostayintouchwithpromisingcandidates,evenifthecompanydoesnotimmediatelyhaveasuitablejobopening(Zielinski,2011).Socialnet-workingisanincreasinglyimportantATSfunctionandacriticalvenueforcandidatestocapturetheattentionofrecruiterswithhighlyprofes-sional,well-craftedbrandingmessages.

SummaryTheATSposessignificantchallengesforclientsofcareerprofessionals,butaskillfulresumewriterwillknowmultiplestrategiestoovercomecommonchallengesinawaythatisentirelyethicalandaccurate,yethighlyeffective.AgreatresumewillperformwellacrossmanyATSplatforms,ratherthanfocusingononesystemoronejobposting.Thereisnoone-size-fits-allsolutionorstandardizedkeywordlistforeveryjobseeker. Clients still need compelling career search documents that cap-turetheattentionofhumanreaders,serveasaspringboardforadiscus-sion of stellar accomplishments in the interview, and survive a stringent backgroundcheck.However,thosecareerdocumentsmustalsoperformwellintheATSortheymayneverbeenseenbyahumanbeing.

ReferencesCoombs,Joseph(2013).TechnologyisChangingNatureofRecruiting,JobSearching:Accessibility,costofrecruitingtechnologiesshapebothsmall,largecompanies’recruitingstrategies.SocietyforHumanRe-sourcesManagement.http://bit.ly/1feRLpz


Hansen,Fay(2006).LearningCurveVariesasCompaniesGrowintoTheirApplicantTrackingSystems.Workforce Management, 11/6/2006, 85 (21) pages 42–44. ,

Hauser,S.G.(2011).TechTurboBoostersonHyperdrive.Workforce Management, August 2011, 90 (8), pages 24–26.

Jenkins,Rob(2009).HowtoMakeYourApplicationStandOut.Chronicle of Higher Education 56 (14) page A32.

Levinson,Meredith(2012).FiveInsiderSecretsforBeatingApplicantTrackingSystems.CIO Magazine.http://bit.ly/1efln86

Meade,Jim(2000).WhereDidTheyGo?:Newsystemshelphumanre-sourcestrackjobapplicants.HR Magazine,SocietyforHumanResourceManagement.http://bit.ly/1n1hrsK

Quible,ZaneK.(1998).TheElectronicResume:Animportantnewjob-search tool. Journal of Education for Business.November/December1998, 74 (2) pages 79–82.

Ross,Jamie,andWerner,Karen(2012).StaffingMetrics:“TimetoFill”CanKillProspectsofLandingTopTalent.SocietyforHumanResourceManagement.

Zielinski,Dave(2011).ApplicantTrackingSystemsEvolve:SystemsplaynewroleintalentacquisitionandotherHRnecessities.SocietyforHumanResourceManagement.http://bit.ly/1bBH5yH

About the AuthorJoni Holderman,ACRW,isfounderofThrive!Resumes,aboutiquefirmfocusingoncraftingcompellingcareermarketingtoolsthattargetthe future, rather than summarize the past. Educated at Northwestern UniversityinEvanston,Illinois,shemajoredinpsychologywithaminorincreativenonfictionwriting.Afterasuccessfulcareerinhumanresourc-esandhospitalitymanagement,shesuccessfullynavigatedavoluntarymidlifecareertransitiontobecomearesumeprofessionalin2006.Resumewritingistheidealblendofherbusinessacumenwithdualpas-sions for writing and helping clients achieve their career goals. In 2010, sherelocatedfromthesnowyChicagoareatosunnyMyrtleBeach,SC,whereshealsoworksasaprofessionaleditoroffictionandnonfictionmanuscripts.Todayshetakesgreatsatisfactionincreatingpowerful,con-ciseresumesandLinkedInprofilesthathelpclientsattaintheirprofes-sionalgoalsinmanyindustries.

Contact her as follows: [email protected].


Chapter 18

APPLICANT TRACKING SYSTEMSHow to Navigate the ATS Resume-Writing Landscape by Robin SchlingerBeforetheInternetandonlineapplications,resumeswouldbesent,opened,andreadbyhumanbeings.Today,upwardsof80percentofresumesarefirstscannedbyApplicantTrackingSystems(ATS).Ifare-sumedoesnotpasstheATScriteria,itislikelytheresumewillneverbereadbyahumanbeing.Andatmanycompanies,evenifaresumeisreadbyahumanbeing,italsostillmustpasstheATScriteriaforapersontobeconsideredforajob.

Mostjobapplicantsbecomefrustratedbecausetheirresumesdisappearintothe“blackhole”ofATS.Ascareerprofessionals,wecanbestserveourclientsbyhelpingthemnavigateATSsothattheyrisetothetop.This article explains how ATS work, provides strategies for navigating the ATS landscape, and gives examples that illustrate how to write good resumecontentinconformancewithATSlimitationsandrequirements.

What is ATS Technology?HumanResourcedepartments,hiringmanagers,andrecruitersuseAp-plicantTrackingSystemstostreamlineandacceleratetherecruitingprocess.Byusingautomated,computer-based,ATStechnology,hiringmanagerscanmoreeasilyandcosteffectivelyseekandhirethebestqualifiedjobcandidates.SincetheadventofResumix,thefirst-everATS,introducedin1988,theindustryhasbeenmarkedbyenormousgrowth,technologicaladvances,consolidations,thebirthanddeathofentirecom-paniesdedicatedtopostingjobsandparsingresumes,andthelandscapewehavetoday–80percentofresumesgoingthroughATSasthefirststepintheemploymentprocess.

Reasons for ATSWhyhaveATSemergedasadominantforceintheemploymentindus-try?Severalreasons:

Monstereffect:Hiringmanagersneedawaytomanagethenumberofapplicantstoeachjob.Withthousandsoffolksrespondingtoeveryjobposting,itisnolongerpossibletoreadeveryresumeforeveryopenposi-tion.


Matching Ability: Withtheeaseofapplyingforjobs,manyapplicantsdonotmatchthejobrequirements.ATScanhelpthehiringmanagerfindcandidatesthatmatchwithoutexpendinghoursreviewingirrelevantresumes.

Ability to Find Candidates:Manycompaniesprefercandidateswhoalreadyareworkingandmaynotbeactivelylookingforajob.ATScansearchLinkedInprofilesandothersocialmediaformatchestothejob.

Regulations: TheU.S.FederalGovernmentrequiresemployerstoreporthiringstatisticsandtoensurehiringpoliciesfollowEEOrequirements.ATS makes this easier.

Automation: Withsomanycandidatesapplyingtoeachjob,theburdenofmanuallytrackingcandidatesanddocumentationbecomescostly.ByautomatingthehiringprocessfromthebeginningandtyingtheATSintotheexistingHRISplatform,companiesincreaseefficiencyandsavesignificantcosts.

How ATS Work to Select Candidate ResumesEveryATSisdifferent.Thatsaid,inlayman’stermshereishowAppli-cantTrackingSystemsworkfromthecandidate’spointofview.

Thecandidateselectsajobtoapplyfor.Thecandidateuploadsaresumeandmayneedtofilloutformsandansweradditionalquestions.TheATSthenwill“read”andparsethecandidate’suploadedresume.Basedonhowthesoftwarealgorithm“reads”theresume,informationfromtheresumewillbeputintosetfieldsintheATSdatabase.ManyATSuseclues from the resume, such as standard headings, to determine where to puttheinformationinthedatabase.

Oncetheresume,LinkedInProfile,othersocialnetworkinformation,andapplication answers from the candidate are in the ATS, the ATS will use algorithmstoscorethecandidatesbasedonthejobannouncement.ManyATSusekeywords,eitherenteredbythehiringmanagerorusingselec-tionalgorithmsbasedonthejobannouncementitself.

TheATSthenusethescoringalgorithm(equation)todeterminehowwellthecandidatefitsthejobrequirements,basedonkeywordmatchingand/oranswersthecandidatemadetothequestions.Manyrecruiterswillselectonlytheresumeswiththehighestscoretoeverberead.

Ideally,theATSwillselectthebestcandidate(s)tobereferredtothehir-ing manager.

How ATS Really Does Not WorkApplicantTrackingSystemsscreenoutmanywell-qualifiedcandidates.MostcandidatessubmitresumesnotoptimizedforATS,withincorrect


headings, formatting, characters, and wording. If a resume is not format-tedcorrectly,manyitemsintheresumemayendupignored.Inaddition,aresumethatisgoodforoneATSmaynotbegoodforanother.

ATSrequireapplicantstolistalltheirknowledge,skills,andaccomplish-mentsthatmatchthejobrequirements.Thisgoescountertowisdomperpetuatedforshorterresumes.Ifakeyword,phrase,orrequirementisnotlistedontheresume,aresumemayenduprejected,basedonATSal-gorithmsandgovernmentrequirements,evenifitisformattedcorrectly.

ATSmaynotreallyfindtherightcandidates.ManyATSuseautomaticalgorithmstodeterminekeywords.Thesekeywordsmaynotreallymakesenseforcandidatestouseintheirresumes.ItispossibleforanATStofindnoqualifiedcandidatesifthewrongkeywordsareused,especiallyiftheyaretoospecific.Ifrecruitersareenteringkeywords,theyneedtoselecttherightones.Ifacandidate’sinformationdoesnotincludethosekeywordsevenifhehastheskills,hewillbeoverlooked.

SomeATSnowaretryingtouseneuro-linguisticprogramming(NLP)techniquestoovercomethelackofkeywordsinqualifiedcandidateresumes,LinkedInprofiles,orothersocialmediaprofiles.Thesesystems,newtothemarket,stillneeddevelopmenttoworkproperly.

SincemostapplicantsdonotknowtheATSrules,theydonotincludetherequiredinformationintherightformat.ATSdoesnotworkfortheseap-plicants.Wecanhelpthesejobseekersbyguidingthemthroughtherulesandensuringtheyincludetherequiredinformationintherightformattobeselected.

ATS RealityAs I work with candidates, I have found several myths and realities sur-rounding ATS.

Myth1:AnapplicantwhonetworkscanavoidATS.Reality:In2012,60to70percentofallbigandsmallcompaniesusedATS, according to Preptel (a reverse-engineering service to help re-sumespassATS;thecompanyclosedin2013).Todaythatnumbermaybereaching80percent.ATSuseisincreasing.Recruitersscanpaperresumes and place emailed resumes into ATS. Based on experience with dozensofapplicants,evencandidatesknownandwantedbyhiringman-agersneedtopassATStomeetgovernmentrequirements.

Myth2:AcandidatewhousesATScanavoidnetworking.Reality:Hiringmanagersliketohirepeopletheyknoworarerecom-mended.PerasurveybyHR Daily Advisor (2012), referrals are still the #1 recruiting source. Networking allows the hiring manager to select the candidate once the resume passes the ATS. In addition, if a hiring


managerwantsaparticularcandidateforajob,thehiringmanagercanchangethejobrequirementsand/orkeywordstomatchthecandidate’sbackground.

Myth 3: All ATS are the same.Reality:ATSdiffer;thereisnoone-size-fits-all.EvenATSimplementa-tionsdifferwithinthesameATStechnology.Ahiringmanagerand/orcompanycanchoosetosetdifferentoptionsinthesystem.Differentver-sionsofATSsoftwaremayactdifferently.

Myth4:ATScanreadallfiles,formats,andcharacters.Reality:SomeATScanreadonlytextorWord2003files.ManyATScannotreadtablesorgraphics.SomeATScannotscanitalicorunder-linedwords.ManyATScannotreadspecialcharacters(suchasaccentmarks, curlyquotes,andampersands)andwillreplacethemwithmean-ingless characters.

Myth5:ATScanfigureoutwheretoputallthedata.Reality:ManyATSneedguidance,usingheadings,todeterminewheretoput data.

Myth6:ATSusealltheinformationonaresume.Reality:ManyATSuseonlyinformationthatmatchestheirformattingrules.

Myth7:ATSareunfair.Reality:ATSdealthesamewaywithallapplicants.

Myth8:Itisbettertohavea1-to2-pageresume.Reality:ATS-optimizedresumes,oftenlongerbecausetheyhavemorekeywords,generallyscorehigher.

Myth9:PassingATSalonewillgetyouthejob.Reality:Apersonwillreadtheresumebeforeselectingacandidate.Un-lessalreadyknownbythehiringmanager,acandidatewillneedtobeinterviewed–probablyseveraltimes–togetthejob.

Myth10:CompaniesareusingATSbecausetheydon’tcareaboutpeople.Reality:CompaniesareoverwhelmedandATSofferthepromisetofindbettercandidates.CombinethatwiththefactthattheU.S.GovernmentisrequiringcompaniestoreportEEOstatistics,andATSmakegoodbusi-ness sense.

Myth11:Companiescareaboutfindingallthegoodcandidatesforajob.Reality:Companiesreallycareonlyaboutfindingonegoodcandidateforthejob.


How to Overcome ATS IssuesAsnotedabove,notallATSarethesame.Butthefollowingguidelineswillhelpyouinadvisingyourclientssothattheirdocumentswillworkformostsystems.

Conform With ATS RequirementsIncludeallrequiredcontactinformation:Includename,address,city,state,zip,phonenumber,andemailaddressatthetopoftheresume.NotethatmanyATSwillselectcandidatesonlyfromthelocalarea,andmanywilleliminateapplicantswhodonotenterzipcodesatleast.Irecommendcandidatesgetalocaladdresstoapplyforjobsonlineiftheyarenotlookingtobereimbursedforrelocationexpenses.Usestandardheadernamesforeachsection:Forthesummarysectionatthebeginningof the resume, use the words Professional Profile or Summary. Include thejobtitleandkeywordsfromtheannouncementandaddaskilllistifyouwant.Justbesurethatthesummaryisreadablebyhumansaswell.Ofcourse,that’struefortheentireresume.

Experience: Use the Professional Experience heading. Use a reverse chronologicalformat.Forproperidentification,youmaywanttoaddtheword company aftereachcompanyname.Enterindates,includingmonthandyear.Enterthecompany’scityandstate.Writejobdescriptionsandaccomplishmentswithkeywordsandphrasesfromtheannouncement.Repeatthekeywordsfrompositiontopositiontomaketheresumescorehigher and show the depth of experience.

Acronyms: Spelloutacronymsthefirsttimeyouusethemandputtheacronyminparenthesesfollowingthefulldefinition.Forexample:Appli-cantTrackingSystems(ATS).Thereafter,youcanusejusttheacronym.Education: Use the Educationheading.Typethefullnameandabbrevia-tionforeachdegree,major,schoolname,andlocation.Consideraddingdegreedates,gradepointaverage(ifhigh/relativelyhigh),andhonors(ifany).Consideraddingacourselisttoincludeevenmorekeywords.Training: Use the Trainingheading.Typeinnamesforallrelatedtrainingcoursessoyoucangetthosekeywordsinonemoretime.

Certifications: Use the Certificationheading.Typeinallcertificationinformation in detail, as noted for Education.

Skills: Some ATS consider skills while other ATS will recognize that informationinthesummarysection.UseaSkillsheadlineifyouwanttoincludethatsection,andfillitwithlotsofrelatedskillsandkeywords.Readability:EnsurebothhumansandtheATScanreadeveryresume.Evenifanapplicantemailsaresumetoafriend,theresumemaybeenteredintothecompany’sATSsystem.Candidateshavelimitedcontrolhowtheresumewillbeused.Inaddition,inmanycasestheresumethat


isreadbytheATSisstillstoredinitsoriginalformintheATS.Thehir-ingmanagermayaccessthatresumeratherthanthemangledATSformatto read it.

Other considerations: Be careful with formatting and capitalization. Checktheresumeforgrammarandspelling.Avoidusingfancycharac-ters,graphics,andtables.Modifytheresume,asappropriate,foreachjobapplication.

Select the Right Job Announcement:Usethejobboardsand/ornet-worktofindjobannouncementswherethecandidatemeetsallthebasicandmostofthedesiredrequirements,andwherethecandidatehasexpe-rienceinmostofthejobduties.IntheU.S.,manycompaniescannothireacandidateforajobiftheydonotmeettheadvertisedjobrequirements.Applicantshavethebestchancetobeselectedforajobiftheycanad-dressthejobrequirementsandthejobduties.Ifthereisaquestionnaire,applicantsmustbeabletoindicatetheyareexpertinalltheareasinthequestionnaireandthenjustifytheiranswersintheirresumes.

Find Keywords and Keyword Phrases:Readjobannouncementsandselectkeywordsandkeywordphrasesintheannouncement,eventhosethatmaynotmakesense.IftheATSisusinganautomaticselectional-gorithm,thosekeywordsandphraseswill,mostlikely,beincludedintheannouncement.Toidentifykeywordsahiringmanagermaybeusingthatarenotintheannouncement,applicantscanuseO*Nettolookupcareerfieldsandfindkeywords.Theycananalyzeagroupofannouncementsandcreateawordcloudtoidentifycommonkeywords(withatoolsuchasWordle.com,whichisveryeasytouse).Or,theycanuseonlinetoolssuchasBright.comtofindkeywordsbyprofession.

Example: Writing an ATS-Optimized ResumeIn the following sections I share an example of how to create a resume thatwillperformwellinATSsearches.Iidentifythreestepsinthepro-cess and walk through each step, demonstrating how I created the content foraresumetomatchthissamplejobannouncement.

STEP1:IdentifyKeywordsBelowisasamplejobannouncement,withkeywordsunderlined. I chose thisexamplesinceitmet,inmanyways,myownbackground.

CHEMICALPROCESSENGINEERABCCompanyisagloballeaderinfertilizer manufacturing and distri-bution and the thirdlargestphosphatefertilizerproduceramongpublic companies.CFIndustriesownsandoperates world-scale phosphate plants and serves agricultural and industrial customers through its best-in-classdistributionsystem.


KEY TASKS AND RESPONSIBILITIES- Plan, organize, and supervise process-relatedlaboratoryand plant trials and experiments. - Evaluate processequipmentandprocessflows for plant expansions, operationsefficiencyimprovements,costsavings,newproductdevelop-ments, and Best Manufacturing Practices. - Develop process packages and mass/energybalance.- Develop projectconcepts.- Develop and effectivelycommunicateprocesstechnologies from concept to production and ensure successful commissioning.- Perform and communicate process assessments and audits.- Participate as a TeamMember in related Safety,Environment,Quality,Production, Maintenance, and EngineeringProjects as a Process Engineering resource.-Manageandprioritizevariousprojectstomeetorexceedbudgetandtimeline expectations.-AssistcompanyTechnical,Quality,andR&D departments as a resource forbothinternalandexternalcustomerassistanceasrequired.- Best Practice development and execution at numerous sites within North America.-PerformotherdutiesasassignedbyManagement.

REQUIREMENTSBS, Chemical, Mechanical, or Materials EngineeringMinimum8yearsProcessEngineeringexperiencespecificallywithdrygrinding and milling.

ProjectManagementExperienceMinimum5yearsprocessengineeringexperienceinCarbonateand/orClayfield,wetordryprocess.Technical ProjectManagement and Plant Operations Experience are required.

-ProficiencyinEngineering,Chemistry,andMath- Process knowledge in mineral processing, mineral process chemistries, dryprocessgrinding and milling, process control, plant automation and qualitytechniques.- Experience with ISOqualitystandards preferred.-ProficiencyinProjectManagement,experimentaldesign,processstatis-tics,andproblemsolvingtechniques.- Experience in Lean Manufacturing, 6 Sigma, Value Stream Mapping, andothermanufacturinganalysistechniques.- Communication skills, including technical writing and presentation.- Interpersonal skills with a good rapport with management, scientists, engineers, technicians, and plant personnel.


-Skilled in financialassessment and budgetmanagement.

Theprimaryfunctioninvolvestheactiveprocess engineering of multiple industrialmineralstypes at numerous sites within North America for the largestglobalindustrial minerals producers.

Theprimaryjobpurposeistodevelop,engineer,andanalyzeprocesssystems and technology for improvingefficiencies on existingsystems or new processes. In this role, the Process Engineer is expected to 1) quantifyandcommunicateprocesstechnology to Management, Production, Maintenance, Administrative, and Plant Personnel, 2) troubleshootproductionissues, 3) lead and perform plant trials, 4) directlyparticipate in the commissioning of process technologies, and 5)participateasrequiredoninternal or customer process improvement teams.

STEP2:IncorporateKeywordsandPhrasesInworkingwithclients,startbytakingeverydutyandrequirementinthejobannouncementandturningitintoaquestion.Addaphrasesuchas“Whatisyourexperiencein…”or“Howhaveyoudemonstratedyourabilityin…”or“Howhaveyouusedyourskillsorknowledgein…”tothefrontofeachduty,responsibility,orrequirementtocreatequestions.Addaquestionmarktotheendofeachsentence.Asktheapplicanttoanswereachquestionwithanexamplefromhisexperience.

Forexample,forthefirststatementintheChemicalEngineeringjobdescription,“Plan,organize,andsuperviseprocess-relatedlaboratoryandplanttrialsandexperiments,”thequestionwouldbe:“Whatisyourexpe-rienceinplanning,organizing,andsupervisingprocess-relatedlaboratoryandplanttrialsandexperiments?”

Irecommendhavingclientsanswereachquestioninthefollowingman-nerwithaccomplishment(s)tojustifytheanswer.

Ask clients to provide all of the following information:

Haveyoudonethis?Accomplishment Name:Background (Context):Challenge:Action (steps):Results(includequantification):Reasonaccomplishmentisimportant(Whysomeonewouldcare):Role:Budget:Numberofpeoplesupervisedandtheirroles:


Numberofusers:Who interacted with:Technologies used:Awards(ifany):WhichJob:

Based on my experience, here is how I answered the question:Haveyoudonethis(plan,organize,andsuperviseprocess-relatedlabora-toryandplanttrialsandexperiments)?Yes.AccomplishmentName:ReduceVolatileOrganicCarbon(VOC)emis-sions.Background(Context):EnvironmentalProtectionAgency(EPA)requiredVOC emission reduction to approve plant expansion.Challenge:HowtomeetEPArequirementandkeeptheproductqualitythe same.Action(steps):IdentifiedsourcesofVOCemissions,researchedalterna-tivetechnologies,developedprojectplanttotesttechnologiesinthelab,obtainedapprovalandorderedequipment,ranlabandconsumertests,testedproductinplant,andrevisedprocedurestoachieveplantquality.Results:Savedmorethan$10millionincapitalequipmentcostsand$1.3million/yearmaterialcosts.Reason Accomplishment Important: Could not implement plant expan-sionwithouttechnologychange.Yourrole:ProjectleaderBudget:$10,000Numberofpeoplesupervisedandtheirroles:1labtechnicianNumberofusers:N/AWhoyouinteractedwith:Plant,ResearchandDevelopment(R&D)andLaboratorypersonnelTechnologiesused:GasChromatography(GC),consumerpanels,con-stanttemperaturebaths,stirrers,plantprocesscontrolsystemsAwards(ifany):Woncompanyprojectinnovationaward.Whichjob?SeniorProcessEngineer,BrownandWilliamson

Based on the above, I then created the following accomplishment statement that incorporated the keywords:

SecuredEnvironmentalProtectionAgency(EPA)approvalofplantex-pansionandsaved$1.3million/yearexpensesandmorethan$10millioncapitalcostswithaward-winningtechnologytoreduceVolatileOrganicCarbon(VOC)emissions.Ledentireproject,conceiving,planning,or-ganizing,andsupervisingprocess-relatedlaboratoryandplanttrialsandexperimentsusingGasChromatography(GC)andplantprocesscontrolsystemexpertise.


A general format for accomplishment statements can be:<Accomplishedwhat>by<describewhatwasdone>throughusing<technologylist>.

Note that even when writing for ATS, we are still creating strong accom-plishmentstatementsandnotsimplylistingkeywordsthatmatchourcli-ent’sexperience.Bothelements–astrongkeywordmatchandauniqueachievementemphasizingresults–arenecessarytopasstheATSbarrierand appeal to the hiring manager.

Increatingclientresumes,usekeywordsandphrasesfromtheannounce-mentinasmanyaccomplishmentsaspossible.Ifyoufindakeywordthatrepresentssomethingyourclienthasdonebutforwhichshedoesnothaveanaccomplishment,includethatkeywordinthejobdutiesdescrip-tion.Note,youcanalsousetheProfessional Summarysectiontolistkey-wordsandkeywordphrases.Donotusetablesfortheseskills.Instead,listthemaswords.Forexample,forthisannouncement,Icouldusethefollowinginthesummarysection:

LaboratoryExperiments|PlantTrials|ProcessEquipmentandProcessFlowsOperationEfficiencyImprovements|CostSavings|NewProductDevel-opmentBestManufacturingPractices|Mass/EnergyBalance|QualityManage-mentResearchandDevelopment|TeamMembership/TeamLeadershipLean Manufacturing | 6 Sigma | Value Stream Mapping | Technical Writ-ing and PresentationsProjectManagement|PlantOperations|ClayField|WetandDryPro-cessingChemistry|Engineering|Math|ISO9000StandardsandAudits|Ex-perimental DesignMilling|PlantAutomation|FinancialAssessmentandBudgeting|Troubleshooting

AlthoughATScaneasilyreadallofthewordsabove,itisalotoftextforthehumaneye.Assuch,sinceweallknowthathumanreadabilityisimportant,you’dmostlikelyre-formattheaboveas:

LaboratoryExperiments|PlantTrials|ProcessEquipmentandProcessFlowsOperationEfficiencyImprovements|CostSavings|NewProductDevel-opmentBestManufacturingPractices|Mass/EnergyBalance|QualityManage-mentResearchandDevelopment|TeamMembership/TeamLeadership


Lean Manufacturing | 6 Sigma | Value Stream Mapping | Technical Writ-ing and PresentationsProjectManagement|PlantOperations|ClayField|WetandDryPro-cessingChemistry|Engineering|Math|ISO9000StandardsandAudits|Ex-perimental DesignMilling|PlantAutomation|FinancialAssessmentandBudgeting|Troubleshooting

Ifacandidateismissingaparticularkeywordorphraseinherexperi-ence,anditisnotanabsoluterequirementforthejob,shecouldaddthefollowingtohersummary:

Capableoflearning/performingthefollowingfunctions:<listthemissingkeywordsandphrases>.

Byaddingthestatementabove,youcantruthfullyincludekeywordstheclienthasnotdoneyetandstillallowtheclienttopass the ATS hurdle.

ATS Resume FormatIhavedevelopedaWord2003resumetemplatethatcanbeusedbyap-plicantstocreateafairlypretty human-readableandATS-readableresume.IrecommendapplicantsusethistypeofformatiftheythinkthereisanychancetheresumewillbeenteredintoanATSsystem.Iamhappytoshareitwithyou–simplyemailmeatrobin@robinresumes.comandindicateyouwantacopyofthetemplateforyouruse.

SummaryThepreponderanceofApplicantTrackingSystemscanmakeitchalleng-ingforresumewriterstocreateresumesthatwillactuallyworkfortheirclients.Yetbycarefullymatchingresumecontenttokeywordsandkey-wordphrasesfoundthroughreviewofthejobpostingandothereasilyavailableresources,resumewriterscanhelptheirclientsrisetothetypeoftheATSfindings.

ReferencesBright.www.bright.com/labs/analyses#title-skills

HR Daily Advisor.e-mailcommunicationNovember12,2012.

O*Net.www.onetonline.com

Weide, Bridget (2000). Resume Writer’s Digest, Volume 1, Issue 6, p. 1.

Wordle. www.wordle.net


About the AuthorRobin Schlinger, BSChE,MCD,CMRW,CPRW,CFRW,CECC,JCTC,360ReachBrandingAnalyst,hasbeenaddingvaluetoresumesandothercareer marketing documents that get her clients the interviews for the jobtheywantsince2001.AsownerofRobin’sResumes,shespecial-izesinexecutive,technical,student,andfederalresumes.Shehasbeenan invited speaker at several national conferences. In 2013, she spoke on ApplicantTrackingSystems(ATS)attheCareerDirectorsInternational(CDI) Conference in Orlando. She also was an invited panel speaker on resumes at CDI Conferences in 2011 and 2012. In 2011, she made a pre-sentation on federal resumes at the Career Management Alliance confer-ence in Las Vegas. She uses her previous experience as a Senior Chemi-calEngineer,QualityEngineer,ProcessEngineer,PlanningAnalyst,andApplications Engineer to help her clients. She earned a BSChE with a concentration in Writing at MIT.





Chapter 19

COURAGEOUS NETWORKING CONVERSATIONS for MID-CAREER PROFESSIONALS in TRANSITIONby Karen Reiff and Laura LabovichSuccess is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.~ Winston Churchill

Throughoutourcareerinprivatepractice,we’veassistedthousandsofindividuals aged 17 to 75. The most challenging group, and the one with whomweenjoyworkingthemost,ismid-careerprofessionalsfacingcareertransition.Fearplaysabigroleinmostchangeandtransition,butforthisworkforcecohort,itisespeciallytrue.Itdoesn’tseemtomatterwhatprecipitatesaneedforcareertransition.Feelingsofvulnerability;fearoftheunknown,ofrejection,ofnetworking;orfearoffailuretendtoderaileventhemostmotivatedandqualifiedjobcandidate.Hereareafewofthecommentswehearclientssay:

“I’veneverhadtolookforajob.”“I’mtooold.”“MaybeI’vebeenatmypreviousemployertoolong.DoIlookoutoftouch?”“I’vehadmyheaddownandhavenotcultivatedanetwork;IthoughtI’dbeatthiscompanyforever.”“Iamafraidofchange.”“Ihavenoskills!”“I’mnotmuchofapeopleperson.”“I’membarrassedaboutmysituation.”

Soundfamiliar?Whiletheseconcernsareunique,thesolutionsrequireaspecial kind of courage, a leap-of-faith, and an action-oriented approach –alongwithgenuineconversationalability.Thinkofthisabilityasthefoundationforacareermanagementmansion.Theabilitytoteachyourclientstoexpressthemselvesnaturally,andthusnetworkconfidently,canenablethemtoquicklyreducetheiranxiety,helpingthemquietthatinnerdialogue,andpavethewaytosuccess,howevertheywilldefineit.

Whetheryouarecoachingaclientwhois32or66,with10or30yearsofprofessional work experience, tap into these courageous conversational networkingstrategiesasyouassistyourclientsintheirtransitionjourney.


Afterall,your“networkisyournet worth(O’Donnell,2013).

How to bravely and quickly Tell Your Network You’re Looking for a JobPicturethis:Yourclient,Joanna,shareswithyouthattoday,sheranintoherneighbor,whoaskedherasimple(harmless)question:“What’s going on?”Joannacallsyouinapanic:Herthoughtsranthegamut. But, instead of delivering a calculated answer, she spewed: “Well, I’m not having much success in this long, frustrating job search; I’m adrift; I’m afraid; nothing much, just unemployed; I need help; Long story!”Nowshereallyneedsyourhelptocraftaready-made,snappyanswerforwhenthesesituationsoccuragain,asyoubothknowtheywill.snap·py: adj.snap·pi·er,snap·pi·est;excitingorlively;movingorabletomovequickly

JosephearnedthePhDinBiochemistry.Heisashy50-year-oldwhowasrecentlylaidoff.Heneededtolearnhowtotalk–convincingly,genu-inely,andinavarietyofsocialsituations–abouthisneedforemploy-ment.Hewasconvincedthatheneededtotellpeoplewhyhewaslaidoffandwasuncomfortablerevealingtoomuch.Heidentifiedhissocialcircleaschurchmembers,friends,neighbors,son’steachers,formercol-leagues and professors, and other trusted acquaintances. Most of these folks were familiar with his work, his accomplishments, and, of course, hisbrilliantbrain.

Joseph,withcoaching,developedwhatLabovichandSalpeter(2013)call a PMP (personal marketing plan). The purpose of the PMP is to facilitateproductiveconversationswithotherswhocanassistinthequestforajob.Amongotheritems,Joseph’splan,whichhecallshisto-do list, includedspecificscriptsforhismostpredictablesocialsituations.Hisdauntingchallengewastowritetheminawaythatwascourageous,safe,fromtheheart,andcompelling.Healsolearnedthatwhilehedidnothavetotellalongstory,hisanswersneededtobesnappy.Snappy,asinshort,concise,unique,andespeciallyimpactful.

ArrudaandDixson(2007)identify3C’sofbrandcommunications:clar-ity,consistency,andconstancy.Clarityisbeingclearaboutwhoyouareandwhoyouarenot.Consistencyissteadfastlyexpressingyourmessagenomatterwhatcommunicationvehiclesyouchoose.Constancyisalwaysbeingvisibletoyournetwork.ItwasimportantforJosephtosendthesame message to his LinkedIn contacts as he does to those with whom herunsintoatchurchoraneighborhoodparty.AfterclarifyingJoseph’suniquemessage(hestruggledwithsoundingnatural),hefinallyfoundhis voice. This presented additional challenges for him, however, as he


begantorevealtoomuch,gothimselfintosituationsforwhichhewasunprepared,andoccasionallyconvincedfolksheactuallywasaloser.Yikes! – the dreaded I’m a loser and a fraud feelings do tend to surface whenweareatourmostvulnerable.

Wewentbacktothedrawingboard.Weworkedonthreescripts.Theyare as follows:

I’m looking for a job in the local biotech field. I would be interested to know if you know anyone at GeneSplice.

I’m making a career transition. I know you’re friends with Vaughn. Would you be willing to provide an introduction? He would be a great source of information about GeneSplice.

I’m looking for a biotech job in the Ann Arbor area.

Joseph’ssuccessrequiredrehearsal.Hepracticedwithhisfamily,withhiscoach,infrontofthemirror,aswellaswithhiscoach’scontacts:safeprofessionalswithwhomhecouldtellhisstory.Healsodevelopedaseriesofsnappyreplyscripts:shortanswersthataddressedhissituationwithoutrevealingmorethannecessary,whichhelpedhimdramaticallyboosthisconfidence.

Additionalresults:-Josephstartedbelievinginhimself,andalsoun-blaminghimself.Henowfeelscompletelycomfortablewithhismessageandiscurrentlyparticipatinginauniquecareertransitionprogramforseasoned mid- and late-career professional talent going through, or pre-paring to undergo, a career transition.

How to courageously Answer the Question You Hope They Won’t Ask!Foreveryjobseeker,thequestionisdifferent,butthere’salwaysonethattheyhope(andpray)theinterviewerwon’task.Thiselephant-in-the-room istheonethingthatkeepsyourclientsupatnight,createsnight-mareswhensleeping,andcausesneedlessanxiety.Itcouldbe:

Why did you leave your last job? (When you were fired?)

What’s wrong with your ____? (Notnecessarilyvoiced,butimaginedbecauseofsomeperceiveddisabilityordefect.)

I’m not sure why you would even want this job. Isn’t it sort of beneath you?

Interviewsaredisconcertingenoughwithoutpilingontheterrifyingquestionforwhichtheonlyanswercouldgarneryourclientarejec-tionletterasaconsolationprize.Howdoesasavvyjobseekerrespond


creativelyandcourageouslytosuchpointed(evenpossiblyunfair)ques-tions?

Sandrawasa45-year-oldlawyerwiththeEnvironmentalProtectionAgency.Asa20-yearveteranofherlegaljob,shewasreadytodosome-thingnew.Herlastinterview,whenBillClintonwasinoffice,wasmadeeasybythestrongrecommendationofaninternalemployee–heraunt!(Anearlyslam-dunk interview,theywouldlatersay.)A20-yearhiatusfrominterviewingisanxiety-producingenough,butitwasn’ttheinter-viewthatconcernedSandra.No,Sandrawasconfidentinheraccom-plishments at the EPA and had no issue tooting her own horn.

But Sandra had a tremor. Whether she was nervous or not, her hands shooknoticeably.Shehadlearnedtolivewithhertremor,havingexpe-rienceditsincebirth.Butnowherfearsresurfaced,andsheworriedthattheinterviewerwouldbedistracted,eventhoughsheknew he could not legallyaskaboutit.Wediscussedtheoptions:

Don’tmentionit!Hey,theycan’taskaboutit,sowhyofferupanyinfor-mationthatisn’trelevanttothejobathand.Whocaresifthey’recurious!Theydon’tdeservetoknow.Shareitinadvanceoftheinterview,perhapsafterthephoneinterview,sotheairisclearwhenIgetthere!Revealitasyouwalkintotheinterview.Nosecretsforthisgal!

In outlining her options, Sandra had a profound a-ha moment. It occurred toherthattryingtohide,orcoverup,hertremorwasn’tgoingtoeaseheranxietyintheinterview;shefearedthatshewouldstillbedistractedbyit.And,inaninterview,confidenceiskey.Sherealizedthataddressingithead-onwasthebestapproach,inthiscase,andshefeltbestaboutdoingitinperson,gettingitoutoftheway.Sherealizedthatbynamingit,sherendereditpowerless.Asshesatdown,beforetheinterviewstarted,shesaid:“I just wanted to let you know that I’ve had this little tremor since birth, and it has never interfered with my job duties. Just thought I’d get that out of the way!” Phew! (Nowwecangetontothebusinessofnailingthisjobinterview.)

Whilewe’renotendorsingafulldisclosureeachandeverytime,webelievethatwebesthelpourclientsbyencouragingthemtoprepare,inadvanceofinterviews,forhowtheywillhandletheseconcernsthatcouldconsumethem,and,ultimately,derailthem.

Lookingattheothertwoquestionsweposed.Inthefirstexampleabove– (Why did you leave your job?–ifyourclientwasfired)–weencourageyoutoempoweryourclientstofacethequestionhead-onandprepareananswerthatispositiveandfirm,butnotatallbitter.


Our advice for the last example (Isn’t this job beneath you?) is to encour-agethemtoaddressitbeforeitisasked. I know it may seem strange that with my experience at the director level, I’d be applying for an analyst position. But, I’ve thought long and hard about what I want my next move to be, and I realized that I was happiest in my career when I was closest to the work as an individual contributor. I’m in a phase in my life where I just want to do my best work and make a difference.

Whilethetimingfordisclosingthisinformationwillvary,inalmosteverycase,jobseekersshouldbepreparedwithagoodanswerwhenthequestiongetsasked,asitinvariablydoes.Unfortunately,hopingtheelephant-in-the-roomissuewillgoawayorsomehowbesidesteppedisn’tafeasibleorrecommendedstrategy.Thetruthisthis:Ifthisques-tiondoesn’tgetanswered,it’sunlikelytheprocesswillmoveforwardforyou.Theinterviewerwillalmostalwayshaveaconcern,whethersheannouncesitaloudornot.Soencourageyourclientstobecourageousintheir interview communications – after all, courage is powerful.

How to creatively Invite Accomplishments and Successes From Your NetworkThefeelingofinternalizingaccomplishmentsinyourcareercanbelikenedtogettingagoldstaronyour3rdgradebookreport;thisisoneofthemanygiftswecangivetoourclients.Regardlessofhowminuteorgroundbreaking,uncoveringanddistillingtheseaccomplishmentshasanundeniablypowerfuleffectonjobsearchmotivation,morale,andattitude. Yet, in our work with mid-career professionals in transition, we frequentlyhear:I didn’t really do anything earth-shattering in any of my jobs. I just came in every day and did what I was asked to do!Aswe’veallwitnessed,jobseekerswhostruggletouncovertheiraccomplishmentsandcommunicatethemeffectivelytotheirtargetaudienceincreasinglyfindthemselvesinalonganddauntingjobsearch.

Whenfacedwithanaccomplishmentsexercise,long-termunemployedjobseekers,mid-careerprofessionals,andothersintransitionoftenfeelvulnerableandexposed,especiallyifwhattheyfindaddsuptoawhole lot of nothing.(Thechildren’ssong:Nobody loves me, everybody hates me, I think I’ll eat some worms comes to mind.) But, to catapult them past the know thyself stage into the market thyselfphase,it’snotupfordebate:Theyneedaccomplishmentstories.

RelationshipexpertDr.Philsaysthateveryhappypersonneedsasoft place to fall,apersonwithwhomtheyhaveasacredtrustandbond.Duringfrustratingperiodsinjobsearch,encourageyourclientstotapinto their soft place to fall toreceivefeedbackonwhatmakesthemunique.Whiledoingsoevenwiththesafestaudiencecanstillbeabit


terrifying,theresultcanbehugelyenlighteningandcanhelppushthempastaroadblockintheirsearch.

Thesepeople–yourclients’family,friends,relatives,andcloseconnec-tions–mayknowtheirtrueaccomplishmentsandbrandattributesbeforeyourclientsareevenawareofthem.Here’showtoencouragejobseekerstoinvitefeedbackinacreativeandcourageousway:If you had to describe my legacy, how would you do it?If you were to introduce me to someone I didn’t know, how would you describe me? What adjectives would you use?When I was a kid, what did I do really well?If I wrote a best-selling book, what would it be called?Helpingyourclientstoaccesstheiraccomplishmentscantrulysetthemfree.

Final ThoughtsWefullyappreciateandhonortheconversationalchallengesthatmid-careerprofessionalsfaceintransition.Weunderstandtheenergyrequiredtosimplystartover,toplan,togetourmindsright.Werecognizethediscipline it takes to write out a PMP and to craft messages with clar-ity,consistency,andconstancy.We’vedoneit.It’srough.Frustratingattimes.Scary,intimidating,overwhelming,and,yes,evenfun!RalphWaldo Emerson once said, “The reward of a thing well done is to have done it.” Thisisalwaystruewhenmovingthroughthere-careeringprocess. Just one courageous conversation, as our clients have demon-strated,isenoughtocreatethatcovetedconfidencemomentumduringaperiodwhenmanymid-careerprofessionalsgetstuck,likeaVWBeetleinan18-inchsnowdrift.Youcanguideandencouragethemastheystart,shovelinhand,andclearapathtotheirnext(great!)job.

ReferencesArruda, W. & Dixson, K. (2007). Career Distinction. Standing Out by Building Your Brand.NewJersey:JohnWileyandSons,Inc.

Labovich,L.&Salpeter,M.(2012).100 Conversations for Career Suc-cess. New York: NY Learning Express, LLC.

O’Connell,J.T.(2013).http://www.careerealism.com

About the AuthorsLaura M. Labovich,MLRHR,GuildCertifiedFiveO’ClockClubCareerCoach,JCTC,CMRW,CPBS,isChiefExecutiveOfficerofTheCareerStrategyGroup,aboutiquecareermanagementfirminBethesda,Maryland.Withjobsearchmanagementexpertiseasanaward-winningcareerinnovatorandresumewriter,masternetworker,andHRinsiderofFortune500companies,sheisoftenaffectionatelyreferredtointhemedia as a job seeker’s best friend.Sheisknownforsayingthatshe


was born and raised professionally at Disneyandhasbeentoldthatshehaspixiedustinherblood.Afterreceivingherfirstpromotionoutofthepolyestercostume,sherecruitednationwideforthehighlycompetitiveWaltDisneyWorldCollegeProgramandledtherecreationrecruitingandstaffingeffortsforDisney’swaterparks.AtAmericaOnline,shedevelopedandlaunchedAOL’scollegeinternshipprogramandcoachedhundredsofemployees–fromentry-leveltoexecutive–onhowtofitin,standout,andmoveupinthecompanyandintheircareers.hernationaljobsearchexpertise,passionatedelivery,andeasy-to-implementap-proach have garnered attention from such national news media as The WashingtonPost,SiriusXMRadio,Fox5(DC),NBC6(Miami),U.S.NewsandWorldReport,USAToday,ChicagoTribune,Yahoo,andMon-ster.com.And,asaformeramateurnightclubsinger,shecertainlyknowshow to tackle, inspire, and entertain a tough crowd. She is the co-author ofthebook100ConversationsforCareerSuccess:LearntoNetwork,Cold-CallandTweetYourWaytoYourDreamJob(LearningExpress,2012),aForbes2013topcareerbookaboutwhat to say and how to say it inyourjobsearch.Contactherasfollows:[email protected]

Karen J. Reiff isthefounderandownerofHumanResourcesDevel-opmentServices,LLC,acoachingandconsultingfirmspecializingin career counseling, career assessment, and career development and servingmid-careerprofessionalsandbusiness/industry,education,andgovernmentsectors.SheiscurrentlyanadjunctinstructoratOaklandUniversity,wheresheteachestheGlobalCareerDevelopmentFacilita-tor(GCDF)certificationcourse.Mostrecently,sheservedasAssociateDirector,MichiganStateUniversity(MSU)MBACareerServicesCen-ter, and Director of Experiential Learning, College of Social Science at MSU. She has also conducted workshops for career coaches and teachers inEgyptandTurkey.PriortohertenureatMichiganState,shewastheCareer Preparation Coordinator at Ingham Intermediate School District for23years,coordinatingwork-basedlearningprogramsandservicestosecondarystudentsin12localschooldistricts.Significantaccomplish-ments include designing and facilitating the Professional School Coun-selors Matter!yearlongmentoringseries,andco-authoringcurriculumforthreebusiness/educationpartnershipsinhealthcare,computerscience,andmanufacturing.ShehasalsoworkedasaJobPlacementSpecialist,Counselor,andInstructoratLansingCommunityCollege,Michigan.SheearnedtheMasterofArtsinCounselingandEducationalPsychology(Specialization: Career Development and Placement) at Michigan State UniversityandtheBachelorofSciencewithHonorsinSocialWorkatWesternMichiganUniversity.



Chapter 20

THE INFORMATIONAL INTERVIEW POWER CHART:An Aid to Communicating Your Value by Steven E. BeasleyIlearnedhowtomarketmyselfbyaskingquestionsaboutmybestfitinanindustry.Thisprocessconsistedofpresentingmybackgroundexperi-ence, education, skills and achievements related to the needs of compa-niesinthatindustry,thenrequestingadviceastomybestfit--specifically,myappropriatepositiontitleandjobfunctionswithinthatindustry,andnamesofpeopleIshouldcontactforfurtheradvice.Iwastrulyintriguedbythisprocess.Theprocessiscalledreferralnetworking.Onesuchinter-viewledtoalargenumberofreferralstoprominentleadersinthemetroareawhereIlived.Subsequentreferralinterviewswiththesecontactsledtoasharpeningofmycareerobjective,afocusingonmybestfit,andagoldmineofcontactswithunadvertisedopportunitiesmatchingmygoalsveryclosely.Inall,afterlearningof--andapplying--thisprocess,Iproceededtoacceptmultipleofferscovering100percentofmytimeasan independent contractor. This was a life-changing experience. Later I found out that the career advising profession calls this process informa-tional interviewing.

Atanotherstageofmycareer,Idevelopedasimplemethodofpresenta-tioninthesereferralnetworkinginterviews,knowingmybackgroundhadsomanydetails,stemmingfromtheexperiencesandlearning,aswellasdevelopmentofmultipleskillsduringalifetimeembracingseveralverydifferentcareers.Ihavebeenaconstructionworker,medi-calresearchtechnologist;sciencewriter/editor;publicaffairsexecutive;programanalyst;non-profitfundraiser;collegelecturer/teacher;militaryofficer;publicationsmanagingeditor;corporateexecutive.Ineededtobuildtoolsthataidedinfocusingmypresentation.

Howdoesonefocusaninformationalpresentationthatdistilssuchawiderangeofexperiencesandindustries,jobfunctionalresponsibilities,diverse skills and accomplishments? I came up with an idea with which I proceededtomarketmyself,andwhichsubsequentlyhelpedmanyothersdoso.ThiswasthebeginningofwhatlaterbecameknowninthecareeradvisingorganizationswhichIinfluencedastheInformationalInterview-ing Power Chart.


What is a Power Chart as it has been utilized in career marketing? Wellknowninthecareeradvisingindustry,powerchartshavezippedallovertheinternalinternetofverylargecorporations,andhavespreadtotheirsubsidiarycompanies.Thepowercharttemplateisquitesimple.Itconsistsofverybasicheadingsalongitshorizontaltopfromlefttoright:

Competency & Related Achievements Reference Requisite Skills to verify

To organize the Power Chart, competencies are named. Because a competencyiscomplex,andembracesaskillsetnecessarytoperformajobfunctionatahighdegreeofproficiency,thisneedstobedefinedbylistingtheserequisiteskills.Relatedachievementparagraphsdescribeac-tions the presenter has taken at some point in his/her life which led to the solutionofaproblem,orasuccessfuloutcomeofaproject.Theindivid-ualachievementsareselectedbecausetheydemonstratethepresenter’slistedcompetency.Theachievementlistingmustbeaccompaniedwiththe details of where, when, and under what auspice it was done, and must includeavalidreferencetoapersonwhowillbackupthepresenter’sas-sertions.Ithelpsaddcredibilityiftheparagraphincludesadescriptionoftheproblemorsituation,theapproachthepresentermadetotheproblem[i.e. the solution], and the results achieved. This is often called the PSR paragraph,standingforproblem—solution—result.

How does one make a presentation using the Power Chart? Whenteachingthismethodtomycorporateclientsinsmallgroupsessions,Ifirstaskeachpersonintheaudiencetoindividuallychoosean interview partner. Then the partners interviewed one another for the purpose of uncovering some of their proudest achievements. Now, once each person had named some of their achievements, we had their partner suggestwhatskillsandcompetenciesweresuggestedbytheindividualachievements.

Oncecompetencieshadbeenidentifiedbyallofthegroupmembers,wehadeachindividualstandbeforethegroup,nameonecompetencyandbrieflydescribeitssupportingachievement.Theaudienceofco-workersthen would offer supportive advice to sharpen up the presentation, and thenwewouldmoveontothenextperson’sstatement.Thisusuallyworkedoutwell.Manyofthesepeopleappliedthispresentationmethodintheircareermarketingprocess.Alltheyhadtodointherealreferralnetworkinginterviewisaskthesimplequestions:WherewouldIbestfit?Whatotherpersonwouldbethebestsourceforfurtheradvice?Onceareferralcontactisidentified,wecoachourclienttoresearchthatperson’scompany,industry,trackrecord,andthecompany’sneedsandproblems.


Often,thePowerChartattractsinterestinourclientbyareferralcon-tact. If this happens, we coach the individual to follow out this interest in whatever direction it leads. We prepare them to follow that interest trackintheinterviewwithappropriatequestions.Thisiswhenonemustbeextremelycarefulnottoconverttheinformationalinterview—thebasisforobtainingthemeeting—intoaskingforajob.Ofcourse,thejobinterviewmaybetheultimateresultofmultipleinterviews.First,onemustidentifythecontactperson’swishes.Doesshewanttocontinuethediscussionandgetintothecompany’sneeds,orwouldsheprefertodeferthattoasecondgettogether?Askingforandobtainingcommitmenttoafollow-up interview if so indicated, is the preferred action for our candi-date.

Thisiswhenthecareeradvisorcomesinhandy.Shehelpsthecandidatepreparethenextgenerationpowerchart,directlyaddressingthecompa-ny’sneeds.Thesecond,orfollow-upinterviewprovidesanopportunityto present a Second Generation Power Chart, revised and expanded to encompassallofthecompany’sneedswhichwererevealedinthefirstinterview.Thissecondversionmaybecomethecompetencylistingforacreatedposition,withundreamedofopportunitytonegotiateone’struevalueinwhateveroffermaycome.

Wecoacheachpersontobelieveintheprocess,tofollowitssimplecoursetotheoutcome.Whathappensvariesbetweenindividuals.Somepeoplereceivejoboffersonthespot,withoutevengettingadvice!Othersmaynotgetanything.Stillothersmayleavetheinterviewloadedwithadvice, information, and multiple referral contacts. Such is the endless varietyandwealthofpossibilityinthisprocessthatonemarvelsthatweallarenotdoingreferralnetworking!Whateverhappens,wesaytoourclient: “Be grateful for the opportunity to meet, and send a gracefully written thank you letter to every contact.” Sometimes these notes them-selves produce unexpected positive results.

Werevieweachreferralnetworkinginterviewinade-briefingsession,to see how well the individual did. Coaching each person through this processbecomesajoy.Referralnetworkingthroughoutone’scareerisvaluable,becausetheexperienceproducessuchhighpositiveresultsandgoodfeelingsofone’sworthinessthattheindividualsIcoachdonotwantittoend!

Letmetellyouaboutoneofmyclients,EmilyJohnson.Hereiswhatshetold me:“I was talking among friends about career plans and dreams. One person, a colleague at the bank, asked if I wanted to pursue a position in higher management at the bank.”


So, without preparation, I said ‘sure!’ Ever helpful, my colleague said: ‘I will set you up with a job interview.’ Suddenly, I was stuck with a dilem-ma. What is the goal in a job interview? To get the job! But I have other dreams and was actively pursuing them on the QT – with very promising results. In fact, I was about to have an informational and exploratory interview with a key contact in a consulting firm that matches my main career objective: business consulting. So how do I pursue my dream career but retain my present position at the same time? How do I handle the offered job interview?”IsaidtoEmily,“take a breath! We can solve that one when we get to it. First, let’s make you a Power Chart!”

Information and Referral InterviewingInformationalinterviewingisanactivityinwhichwelearnofpossibili-ties, and sometimes we open doors we never knew existed. We gain in-sightintoourownbestcapabilitiesandhowthesefitintothejobmarket.Onaverage,weworkapproximatelyonethirdofourlifespan.Itfollowsthatitisinourbestinterestthatwechoosethecareerthatisthemostsatisfyingtous.Icoachmycareer-adviceclientsonhowtomanagetheirinformational/referralinterviewprocesssothattheygaininsightfromotherpeopleabouthowtheymightfitintotoday’swork.Thinkfirstaboutour purposes in having these informal get-togethers. What do we want to get out of an informational/referral interview?

•Oneobjectiveistogainadviceastothepossibilitiesinourpreferredcareerfield.•Averysignificantgoalistoleaveafavorableimpressionwithourinterviewee—toberememberedfavorably.•Avaluableproductofthiskindofmeetingisthereferraltopersonswhom we can also meet for similar advice. These referrals are golden.

WhenImeetwithaclientforthefirsttime,wecoverhercareerthoughts,currentsituation,anyspecificplansshehas,andherbackground.Were-viewherachievements.Intheprocesswetalkaboutherfamily,friends,andcommunityactivities.Thenweexplorewhatkindofcareershewouldliketohave.Welookatherpreferencesbasedonpersonalfac-tors,includingtheskillsshehasdemonstratedandenjoysusing,personalvalues,andinterestsinspecificoccupationsandindustries.Thiskindofreviewhelpsmyclienttoseeherselfinapositiveway,perhapsforthefirsttimesincethereasonthatsenthertomeinthefirstplace,whetheritwasajobloss,graduationfromcollege,ordiscoveringtheneedtochangecareers.Someofmyclientsmakethatdiscoverywhilereceivingcareeradvising.Afterthisfirstmeeting,Iassignprofessionalassessmentworkfortheclienttoperformbeforeournextmeeting.Theworkin-


cludesself-assessmentwiththeMyers-BriggsPersonalityTypeIndicatorandtheStrongInterestInventory.Sheisalsoaskedtolistherfavorableexperiences, or achievements. When we next meet, our discussion on thesethreeitemsleadsustoafurtherphaseofself-analysis:Theclientdiscoversthosestrengthsinherlifethatareconsistentlythereinmanyofthefavorableexperiencesshelisted.ThesebecomethesubstanceofthePowerChart.Beforemyclientsmeetwithanyoneforinformation/refer-ralinterviews,theyprepareaPowerChart,whichcanbeusedasdiscus-sionpointsintheinterviews.ThePowerChartisverysimple.Theclientmerelyneedstoanswerthequestion:Whatareyourmostsignificantstrengths[orskills]thatyoufindmostenjoyabletouse?Thatanswer,foreachclient,isveryimportant,becauseitholdsforhertheessenceof what motivated strengths she offers the world. When she decides on thesemostsignificantstrengths,wegoontothenextone,andthenext,and so on, until we have a good list. The next part of the Power Chart processconsistsofmatchinggroupingsoftheclient’sstrengths[thesegroupings are called competencies] with a related achievement or favor-ableexperience(fromthepreviousexercise).

Oncewehavemanycompetencieswithrelatedexamplesoffavorableexperiences,wethenfield-testusingthechartwithawillingintervieweewhocanbeacolleague,friend,neighbor,orrelative.Theideaistogivetheclientconfidence-buildingexperiencewiththiskindofpresentation.WhensheishappywiththeseexperimentaltrialsusingthePowerChart,then we practice the Informational Interview on closed circuit video, soshecanseehowshepresentsherself.Afterthat,it’sontotheinfor-mationalinterviews,gainingfavorableallies,receivingreferrals,andeventuallybeinginvitedtoajobinterview!

Oh,aboutEmily’sjobinterviewatthebank?Shedidareferral/informa-tional interview using her Power Chart [expanded with much more detail fromtheexampleabove]andcreatedherownjob–VicePresident,Busi-nessConsulting.Shegotit,withabigraise!

BelowisasimplifiedexampleofpartofEmilyJohnson’sPowerChart.[See Figure 1: Sample Power Chart, Business oriented]

Powerchartsforpersonswhohavetechnologicalachievementsmaybeutilizedtofocustheinformationalinterviewonspecifictechnicalcom-petencies.Fromoneofmycorporateclientsconductingapersonalcareermarketingcampaigninsidehiscompany,anexampleofsuchatechnology-orientedPowerChartispresentedbelow.[See Figure 2: Sample Power Chart, Technology oriented]


Figure 1: Sample Power Chart [Business oriented]

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Figure 2: Sample Power Chart[Technology oriented]

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References

Video: ReferralnetworkinginterviewusingaPowerChart.ProducedbyCenter for Career Growth, Los Gatos, CA. http://youtu.be/Hv87O2OeKwk

Conference PresentationsBehavioral Interviewing Using the Power Chart of Competencies and Achievements.StevenE.Beasley,Leader,ProfessionalDevelopmentSeminar.CareerCounselors’ConsortiumofNewEngland,Boston,MA.www.careercounselorsne.org,May14,2004

BehavioralInterviewingUsingCompetencyExamples.StevenE.BeasleyandTomWashington,presentationandpaperatthe2002 International Career Development Conference, Oakland, CA.

BehavioralInterviewingApplyingthePowerChart,StevenE.Beasley,presenter.2001GoingforGoldCareerDevelopmentConference, Vancouver, Canada. Sponsor, Career Management AssociationofBritishColumbia.

Competency-BasedBehavioralInterviewing:HowToPrepareandWin!StevenE.BeasleyandTomWashington,presentationandpaperattheInternational Career Development Conference, Seattle, Washington, November2001.

PublicationsSimonsen,Peggy&Smith,Tom.Competency-BasedBehavioralInter-viewing,In:CompetenciesfromtheIndividual’sViewpoint,EditedbyDavidDubois.Career Planning and Adult Development Journal, Vol 18, No 4, Winter 2002-2003. Pages 60-68.

Beasley,StevenE.andWashington,Tom.Competency-BasedBehavioralInterviewing. International Career Development Conference, Seattle, Washington,November2001.PublishedasSeminarProceedings.Avail-ableintheNationalLibraryofAustraliacollection.RetrievedMarch23,2014 at http://catalogue.nla.gov.au/Record/5686196.

About the AuthorSteven E. Beasley came up with the Power Chart idea and used it successfullywithmorethan3,000individualcareeradvisingclientsandwithmorethan650personsincorporatesmallgroups.HeisManagingEditor of the Career Planning and Adult Development Journal.



Chapter 21

FROM INTERVIEW to OFFER:The 30-60-90 Planby Jan MelnikJobsearchesrequireaconsiderableamountoftime,fromcandidatesourcing and prescreening through to the multiple stages of interviewing, finalcandidateselection,andajoboffer.Whatusedtobeatimeframeofperhapsafewweekscaneasilyextendacrossseveralmonthstoaslongasfourtosixmonthsinduration.Thisisreflectiveofcompaniesandorganizations recognizing the value of careful hiring decisions, often as a result of experiencing the high cost and pain of poor hiring decisions in the past.

Bythetimeacandidatehasbeencontactedinaprescreeningcallorevenforthefirstroundofinterviewing,sheknowsthatherpreliminarycareercommunications–typicallyaresume,coverletter,andLinkedInprofile–haveeffectivelyworkedtoadvanceherqualifications,experience,andbackground.Shehasstoodoutamongthemanylikelycandidatesandisinasmallerfieldofprospects.

Savvyjobseekerswillinvestconsiderabletimeandenergyinrole-playingfortheirfirstinterview,conductingtheirduediligenceastheyresearchasmanysourcesaspossibletolearnabouttheirtargetcompany,department, and position. Some will engage coaches to help them prac-ticeandperfecttheirinterviewingskills.Andmanywillcarefullyandpromptlywriteoremailathank-younotefollowingtheinterview.Theseareallsuggestedbestpracticesfortoday’sjobseeker.

But what tends to happen as the pool of top candidates narrows to a groupmovingontothesecondroundofinterviews?Anumberofcandi-dateswilldutifullywriteoremailanothersetofsimilarthank-younotesfollowing round two of interviews and perhaps even rounds three and four.Manyrecyclethesamelanguagefromtheirfirstmessage.Whilethesemeasuresarecertainlypreferabletotheinactionofthosecandi-dateswhodon’tbotherwiththank-younotesatallaftertheirinterviews,there’salotbeingleftonthetable.Itissomewhatsurprisinginthiseconomy,butemployersnotethattheyneverhearfrommanyapplicantspost-interview.

Tool to Give Candidates a Competitive AdvantageThroughouttheprolongedstagesoftoday’sinterviewprocess,candidates


haveauniqueopportunitytodifferentiatethemselvesandgetclosertoanofferbyusingwhatIcallthe30-,60-,90-day“businessplan”approachintheirthank-you/follow-upcorrespondence;we’llcallthisthe30-60-90planforsimplicity.Thistried-and-truetoolservestocombineacandi-date’suniquevaluepropositionwithbrandinginwaysthatarefreshandreflectduediligenceontheapplicant’spart,allofwhichhelpstoopti-mallypositiontheindividualforthetargetjob.

Thereisagreatdealofflexibilityinthecreationofthe30-60-90plan.Forcareerpractitioners,itisarobusttoolthatcanbeofsignificantvalueinacandidate’scareercollateralspackage,bothfromthestandpointofresults gleaned for the applicant and an added revenue stream for the practitioner.Let’sfirstdissectwhattheplanlookslikeandhowitisused;we’llthenexplorehowitiscreated.

Format: The 30-60-90 PlanMyrecommendationisthattheplanbecreatedasanattractivelyformat-tedMicrosoftWorddocumentandultimatelytransmittedviaemailasanattachmentalongwiththecontentpastedintothebodyofanemail.ThisenablesrecipientstoreadthecontentonsmartphonesandtabletswithouttherequirementtodownloadtheWorddoc.

Thelengthwillvarydependingonthequalityanddepthofinputfromthecandidate,theamountofresearchhehasdone,andthecomplexity/levelofthetargetposition.My30-60-90plansrangefromtwotofivepages.Contentissingle-spacedwithstrategicuseofboldedsubheadsandgood white space for a strong visual appearance.

Theplaniscreatedexactlyasabusinessletterwouldbewithaproperin-sideaddressandbusinesssalutationintheWordversionthatisattached.I’veselectedanexampleforthisarticlethatfeaturesacandidateforthepositionofManagerofInternalCommunicationsatHoustonChildren’sMedicalCenter;theactual30-60-90planwasfivepagesinlength(editedfor space in this article). The plan leads off with a short paragraph ex-pressing appreciation for the interview with a strong initial pitch.

IsincerelyappreciatedtheopportunitytomeetwithyouonTuesdayandthankyouforaninsightful,opendiscussionabouttheworkofyourdepartment and the role of the Manager of Internal Communications. IamconfidentofmyabilitytomakeasignificantcontributiontotheHoustonChildren’sMedicalCenterinthiscapacityanddeliveracreativeapproachandprovenexpertisetotherequirementsandchallengesofinternal communications.


Thenextparagraphortwooftheplanshouldrecapbrieflythehighlightsofthecandidate’sbackgroundthataremostrelevanttotheopportunity,followedbykey,transferableskillsthataligndirectlywiththepositionrequirements.Forinstance,continuingforourManager of Internal Communications candidate:

Asyouknow,mybackgroundincludesprogressiverolesmanaginginter-nalcommunicationsfor4differentorganizations–aninner-cityschooldistrictcomprising30,000students…a5-starresortwithstaffnumber-ingmorethan400inseason…anationalassociationwithhundredsofmembers…andanot-for-profitagencyservingtheneedsofthousandsofresidentsacross12Texascities.Ineveryrole,Ihavebeenabletobringpragmaticleadership,enhancingeachorganization’sabilitytocom-municateclearlywithitsconstituentsandstakeholders.

WediscussedsomeofthedemonstratedskillsandexperienceIbringtothe role, including:

•Proventrackrecordofsuccessfullybalancingcompetingprioritiesandeffectivelyjugglingmultipleprojectsanddeadlines–withcalm,finesse,andcompetence.ThiswillprovevaluabletotheroleofManagerofInternalCommunicationswhenconsideredfromthestandpointofkeyprojectdemands:fromtheHRprojects,employeeengagementstrategies/outreach,andintranetredototheIT/electronichealthrecordsprojectand new initiatives to support internal communications throughout the HCMCcommunity.•Skillinworkingeffectivelyanddiplomaticallywithconstituentswithwidelyvariedviewsandperspectivesacrossalargeorganization.•Deeprespectforthedignityandvalueofpeopleatalllevels–notonlythe staff, professionals, medical caregivers, administrators, and individu-alcontributorsthroughoutHCMC,butthepatientsandfamiliesweserve.•Reputationasakeycontributor,ideagenerator,andchangeagent–willingtoshareinnovativeconcepts,brainstormopenly,andcollaboratecreativelywithallteammembers,carefullylisteningtoothers,askingquestions,anddrawingoutthebestideasforenactment.•StrongbackgroundinmanagingITprojects,collaboratingeffectivelywith technical experts to achieve successful outcomes.•Talentturningaroundorganizationsandoptimizingperformancethrough sincere and effective interpersonal skills and a genuine desire to achievethebestresults.•Commitmenttobuildingtrustandrapport,workinghard,deliveringvalue, and achieving goals.


The next section of the plan introduces the pitch:

RecappingsomeofthemostimportantareaswhereIcanplayanintegralrolecontributingwithininternalcommunicationsandforthedepartmentasawholeatHCMCinmyfirst90days,I’dliketopresentthefollowing30-60-90dayplan.

Thebodyoftheplanisdividedintothreetimeframesof30,60,and90dayseach.Theconceptistocraftspecificgoalsforeachofthoseinter-vals – those initiatives, steps, and actions that the candidate would antici-patetakingwithasmuchspecificityaspossible,yetwithlanguagethatsuggeststheseareworkingideasandpreliminaryconcepts.Mytechniqueistolisteachoftheobjectivesorinitiativesplannedwithintherespectivewindowoftime,thenamplifythepurpose/goalsinanexpandedpara-graph or two for each. Continuing with the Manager of Internal Com-municationsexample,I’llsharealloftheobjectivesinthefirstmilestoneintheirentirety,thentruncatethedetailsintheamplifiedparagraphsforspace considerations thereafter so that readers can get a feel for how the plan comes together.

Milestone: 30 DaysInitialobjectivestoundertakewithinthefirst30daysincludethefollow-ing highlights:Meet for in-depth discussions with direct manager (John Smith) and Se-nior VP, Strategic Planning, Marketing & Business Development (Sarah Rodriguez)toclarifyspecificshort-andlong-termgoalsandobjectivesfor Manager of Internal CommunicationsMeetwithallmembersofourteamtogainbetterunderstandingofindi-vidualandgroupgoalsandobjectivesMeetwithITprogrammanagerforsharedprojectdiscussionsandmeetother IT staff as appropriateMeetwithotherconstituentsasidentifiedbydirectmanager/SeniorVPtoestablishinitialfoundationforworkingtogetherReinvigoratethecollaborationwithITandadvancetheelectronichealthrecordsprojectMeetwithselectmembersofHumanResourcestodiscusssharedvisionand goalsUnderstandandadvanceemployeeengagementinitiatives

1-4) Methodical Schedule of Meetings Across Multiple Organizational Levels & DepartmentsInmyfirst30days,Iwouldundertakearigorousscheduleofmeetingwithmanagers,teammembers,selectstaffwithincomplementarydepart-ments, and constituents throughout the organization to listen-and-learn,


tobringmyselfuptospeedasquicklyaspossibleontheoverallcultureofHCMCaswellasidentifyopportunities,issues/concerns,andareasforfuturedevelopment/implementation.Thebottom-lineobjectiveforthefirst30dayswillbetolearneverythingIpossiblycanabouthowourdepartmentsupportsthemissionofHCMCandhowwebestserveourconstituents.Iwouldwanttoaugmentmyeffortswithanyformal(orinformal)trainingandorientationprogramsyouwouldrecommend.I’dalsobeveryinterestedinvisitingthedifferentsites(19,Ibelieve)thatcompriseHCMC.

5)ReinvigorateITCollaboration–ElectronicHealthRecordsProjectImplementationTogetuptospeedasquicklyaspossibleandrefocusattentiononthismission-criticalproject,asyou’vesuggested,IwouldmeetwiththeITprojectmanagerandsuggestedothersaswellasallidentifiedconstitu-entstodevelopanddeepenmyunderstandingoftheprojectprecepts,thenbeginmovingtowardend-goalsofcommunicatinganddisseminat-inginformationregarding…

6)SolidifyConnectionbetweenHumanResources&InternalCommu-nications Integral to the role of Manager of Internal Communications is the strong tiebetweentheHumanResourcesfunctionandInternalCommunica-tions.Tothisend,ahighprioritywouldbeplacedonestablishingafoun-dationandbuildingastrongworkingrelationshipwithkeymembersoftheHumanResourcesfunctionthatIwillworkwithandsupport.Withinthefirst30daysinposition,Iwoulddevelop…

7)Understand&AdvanceEmployeeEngagementInitiativesWithinthefirst30days,IplantoimmersemyselfinlearningaboutallofHCMC’sexistinginternalcommunications,fromtheinternalemployeesurveyandprintednewsletterstothe…

Milestone: 60 DaysInitialobjectivestoundertakewithinthefirst60daysincludethefollow-ing highlights:ComefullyuptospeedontheITprojectContinueworkingcloselyontheHRsideofthehousetogetuptospeedquicklyandputinplaceprograms/toolstosupportmutualobjectivesCraftsocialmediapolicyLaunchnewinitiativeswithsocialmediaplayingpivotalrole

IwouldanticipatefeedbackfrombothyouandJohn,touchingbasetoen-sureI’montherighttrackinfocusingmyenergiesandattentiononthose


areasmostcritical–andthatIhadachievedinthefirst30daysthosegoalsyouhadprovided.IwouldalsoprojectthatmyresponsibilitieswouldincreaseasIdelvemoredeeplyintoallareasofresponsibility.

1)ContinuetoAdvanceWorkonElectronicHealthRecordsProjectConsistentwithspecificmilestonesestablishedinthefirst30daysforthisimportantproject,Iwouldcontinuetoprioritize…

2)OngoingCollaborationwithHR&InternalCommunicationsInitia-tivesThisareaoffocuswouldalsobemanagedinlockstepwithmyotherresponsibilities,recognizingtheimportanceofimplementingandsustain-ing…

3)CraftSocialMediaPolicy:CommunicationsDepartmentWithrespecttoconfidentialityofinformation,socialmediapolicies,anduseofsocialmediaitself,I’dcertainlybeinterestedinfurtheringdiscus-sionsaboutHCMC’spolicies.Organizationsandstatesarestrugglingtocomeuptospeedonthetypesoflimitationsthatareappropriatetoplaceonuseofsocialmediabytheiremployees–balancingbetweenfreedomofspeechconcernsandacross-the-boardprohibitionssoastostraddletheappropriatelegalline.ANewYorkTimesarticleearlierthisyearreported…

4)LaunchNewInitiativesTappingSocialMediaCapabilitiesExpandingontheideawebrieflybrainstormed,Ibelievetherearesyn-ergistic opportunities to involve students from area universities with an interestinmedia/communications/videowith…

Milestone: 90 DaysInitialobjectivestoundertakewithinthefirst90daysincludethefollow-ing highlights:Achievefullintegrationofsupport/liaisonrolewithHumanResourcesinplanning,executing,andimplementinginitiativeswithameasurablesetof criteria in place to sustain effort and ensure successProvidevisionaryleadershipintheformofinnovativeideasforconsider-ation and launchUndertakenewprogramsandresponsibilitiesasanintegralteammember

Iwouldexpectthatwewouldagainrevisitmyperformancetodateatthestartofthistimeframe–andclarifymyeffortsgoingforward.Iworkextremelywellautonomouslyandasacommittedteammember.Fromourdiscussion,Iappreciatedyourclearcommunicationsstyle.


At90daysinposition,Iwouldbefullyuptospeed,movingforwardwithindependenceasyouandJohndeemappropriateandcontributingsignificantlytotheorganization.Youcananticipatemybringingini-tiatives and ideas to the forefront, implementing programs, and effec-tivelymanagingpriorities.Iwouldanticipateattheendofthe90-daytimeframeabriefrecapofperformanceandgoal-settingforthenext12months.

1)OngoingHRProjectPlanning&ManagementAt90daysinposition,aseamlessandwell-managedintegration…

2-3) Advancement of New Directives & Ideas for GrowthWiththeopportunitytohavefullyintegratedintomyroleatthe3-monthpoint,Iwouldbepoisedtocontinuetoaddvalueandthoughtleadership,proposingnewinitiatives…

Thisproposed30-60-90dayplanisintendedtoserveasapreliminaryvisionforwhatmyroleasManagerofInternalCommunicationsmightlooklikeforthosefirstcriticalmonthsinposition;ofcourse,thisisalsointendedtobeaspringboardtodiscussionwithJohnandyourself–edit-ing,tailoring,andamplifyingtoreflectthosegoalsandobjectivesyoubothdeemmostcriticaltotheorganization.

IamveryexcitedabouttheprospectofworkingwithyouandtheteamatHCMC.You’llfindmetobeahigh-energycontributor,someonewhocanpartnereffectivelywithpeopleacrossourentireorganization.Ithriveinchallengingenvironmentsthatembracecollaboration,creativity,in-novation, and results.

IamveryexcitedbytheopportunitytobringmysignificantexperiencetoHoustonChildren’sMedicalCenterasapartofadynamicorganiza-tionandprovidestrategicleadershipandstronghands-onskillstobuildemployeeengagement.Ilookforwardtothenextstepintheprocess(andtheprospectofmeetingwiththeVicePresidentofHumanResourcesandtheITprogrammanagerwithwhomI’dbeworking).Thankyou,again,foryourconsideration.Sincerely,

Thedetailsintheplanshoulddovetailasmuchaspossiblewithinforma-tionthattheapplicantlearnedinthefirsttwointerviews.Wherethereisalackofclarity,ideascanbecouchedintermsthatinclude“forpossiblediscussion,”“forpotentialconsideration,”and“fromapreliminarystand-point.”Obviously,thetwoclosingparagraphsaredesignedtosolidifytheconceptsandreinforcethecandidate’sbrandandsuitabilityforthejobwhilereiteratingthatthedocumentreflectspreliminaryideas,invitingfurther discussion.


Strategic Use of the PlanIrecommend30-60-90plansbeusedfollowingthesecondjobinterviewandnotthefirst.ThisisbecausethefieldofcandidatescanstillbetoowidefollowingthefirstroundofinterviewsfortheretobeagoodROIonthetimeandmoneyinvestedtodeveloptheplan.

Theotherreasonfordelayingtillroundtwoisthatmostcandidateswillnotbeabletofullygleanthelevelofpain,problemsrequiringsolutions,and“layoftheland”injustoneinterview.However,asecondinter-viewissometimesprefacedbyanin-depthphonecallfollowingthefirstinterviewwithanopportunitytoaskmorepointedquestions.Itmayverywellincludetheopportunitytomeetwithmultiplestakeholders,furtherdeepeningthecandidate’sabilitytounderstandopportunitiesandchal-lengesfacedbytheorganizationordepartment.Allofthisbackgroundknowledge serves as the ideal foundation for crafting the 30-60-90 plan.

Variationsoftheplancanbeextrapolatedforusefollowingsubsequentstepsintheinterviewprocess.Sometimesitisjustamatterofreferenc-ing a few strategies or tactics from the plan in a post-third-interview follow-up.Forinstance,followingtheinitialthank-youlanguage,acommentcanbeincluded:“IwasgratifiedtolearnthatthepointsI’dpostulatedinmy30-60-90daybusinessplanmirrorthedirectionyouenvisionforthisdepartment.Ofcourse,thesewerepreliminaryideas,butI’mexcitedtoseewe’reonthesamepagewiththeopportunitiesthatareavailabletoachievethisyear’sobjectives…”

ForC-suiteandverysenior-leveljobopportunities,therewillnearlyalwaysbeadditionallayersofinformationtobringintotheplanthatcanbeexpandedandforwardedbacktotheoriginalinterviewersfromroundtwo as well as funneled up the pipeline to the executive team and even theboardofdirectors.

Creating The 30-60-90 PlanA career practitioner, of course, cannot create the 30-60-90 plan in a vacuum.Atthecoreofthisserviceofferingistheinterviewdebriefingsession. Planned in advance, candidates who opt for this leveraged, add-onserviceshouldsecureadebriefingappointmentwiththeircoachassoonasaninterviewisscheduled,ideallyholdingthedebriefingwithinanhourortwoofthecloseoftheinterview.Ischedulealldebriefingap-pointmentsbyphoneandtrytobesomewhatflexibleascandidateswillrarelyknowtheexactlengthoftimethey’llbeinterviewedwhenitisround two.

Thedebriefingappointmentisusuallyabout30minutesinlength(moreifthecandidatehasbeeninterviewedseparatelybymultiplepeople).Icoachmyclientsinadvancetopersonallydebriefthesecondtheyareout


oftheelevator/intheircar/inaquietspace,immediatelyafterleavingtheinterview,andtojotdowneveryandanythingthatcomestomind,butwithafocusonfourkeyareas:

Recollectionofopportunities,problems,points-of-painforwhichtherewasdiscussionshowingamatchbetweenapplicantandthesituation.Ifideasbubbleupaftertheinterviewwherethecandidatecansharenewinformation/experiences,thisshouldalsobenoted.Creativeideasthatspringfromtheinterview–after-the-factbrainstorm-ing,ideasthatfloodtheapplicant’smindaboutwhathemightdointheposition;likebrainstorming,theseshouldn’tbeedited(yet),justdata-dumped.Concernsexpressedorsimplyperceivedaroundanyinadequacies/short-comingsthatneedtobereinforcedasskills/strengthsintheplan.Like-wise,ifthereareanyquestionsthecandidatedidnotfeelfullypreparedto address or to which responses felt lukewarm, as much detail as possi-bleshouldbenotedsothatthiscanberolledintotheplan.Forexample,“When you asked me about my experience managing new employee ori-entation programs, I neglected to mention that my role in Austin included a back-to-school event each August for all new educators in the system, typically several hundred per year. I created …” Additional research – conductedeitherbeforethesecondintervieworimmediatelyafter–thatcouldincludemediacoverage,YouTubeandsocialmediavisibility,busi-nessjournals,annualreport,etc.Anysalientpointswouldbewovenintosome of the recommended actions or strategies.

Tomaximizetheefficacyoftheplan,it’sessentialthatthedocumentbewrittenthesamedayasthedebriefing;thenprovidedtothecandidateforediting and transmission to the hiring manager/interview team no later thanthemorningaftertheinterview.Obviously,qualityisimportant,sopushingthetimelineoutadayispermissible,butitshouldn’tgooutbeyond48hourspost-interviewifatallpossible.

Partofthesuccessoftheplan(whichisgettingthecandidatetothefinalinterview stage – and/or to the offer – as well as serving as an effective roadmapforthefirst90daysinposition)isitsabilitytodemonstrateacandidate’sskillinpromptlysynthesizingagreatdealofinformation,encapsulatingitinameaningfulandstrategicmanner,andeffectivelyshowingan“above-and-beyond”approachthatprovesherprofessional-ismandfitfortheopportunityathand.

Asarevenuestream,thisadd-onservice–forthedebriefingsessionandeditorialservicestowritetheplan–shouldreflectafeerepresentingfromfourtosixhoursatthepractitioner’shourlyrateforcoaching/writ-ingservices.Manyofmyclientsaugmentthisbyalsoschedulinginter-


view coaching prior to each step of the interview and will further engage myassistancewiththefirstroundofthank-youlettersandothercommu-nications throughout the interview process.

Thebottomlineisthatfew,ifany,individualswillgotothislengthtohighlighttheircandidacyforaparticularposition.Whenusedforahighlycovetedpositionforwhichthereisstrongcompetition,the30-60-90dayplancanbeakeydifferentiatorwithtremendouspowerinmovingajobsearchforwardtoasuccessfulconclusion.Forthecareerpractitio-ner,thiscanbeauniqueandprofitableserviceofferingthataugmentsthebestpracticestheyrecommendtotheirjob-seekingclients.

About the AuthorJan Melnik, M.A., MRW, CCM, and CPRW, author of seven career and businessbooks,foundedAbsoluteAdvantageinDurham,CT,in1983.Shehasbeenfeaturedinnumerouspublications,isaregularcareerexpertonNBCandMoneyWiseradio,andspeaksfrequentlyatsuchvenuesastheCareerThoughtLeadersConference,theUniversityofWisconsin,theNationalResumeWriters’AssociationConference,theUniversityofHartford,UCONN,CentralConnecticutStateUniversity,andhighschoolsthroughoutConnecticut.SheisanadjunctbusinessprofessoratBayPathCollege,thecareermanagementthoughtleaderwithCareerThought Leaders, and the CMO coach working with senior-level execu-tivesinsalesandmarketingthroughC-SuiteCareerCatalysts.

Sheearnedthemaster’sdegreeatWesleyanUniversityandtwounder-graduate degrees. She helps clients coast-to-coast with career strategies, resumes, and coaching services. While she specializes in working with senior-levelandC-suiteexecutives,shehasanaffinityforworkingwiththehighlymotivated(andsometimesunfocused)childrenofthesecli-ents.Sheispassionateaboutherworkandhelpingclientsatalllevelstoachievetheirgoals.Hersloganis,“Be inspired. It’s your career. It’s your life.”



GUIDELINES FOR AUTHORS

The Career Planning and Adult Development Journal welcomes original manuscripts on career planning and adult development topics and issues. Ifyouareinterestedinandhavedoneresearchonaparticularissue,worked in a model program, dealt with special clientele, worked in an unusual setting or with innovative materials, write an article and send it in.Allmaterialshouldbewrittenclearlyforareadershipcomposedpri-marilyofpractitioners.Criteriaforselectionofanarticleare:relevancetothetopicoftheJournalissue;contentthatisofvaluetopractitioners;writingthatisreader-friendly.Theoreticalpaperssupportedbyfieldexperiencearewelcome.YoudonotneedtobeamemberoftheCareerPlanningandAdultDevelopmentNetworkoranyotherorganizationtobeeligibletosubmitanarticleforconsideration.EachissueoftheJournalisfocusedonaspecifictopic,withaGuestEditorknowledge-ableinthesubject.IfyouwouldliketobeaGuestEditor,orwriteanarticle,contacttheManagingEditorattheaddressbelowforascheduleofupcomingtopics.UnsolicitedmanuscriptswillbeacknowledgeduponreceiptbytheManagingEditorandsenttoanappropriateGuestEditorforconsideration.SomewillbesenttotheEditorialBoardforreview.Wewillnotifyyouwhenyoursubmissionhasbeenacceptedforpublica-tionorrejected.Ifthearticleispublished,theauthorwillreceivetheelectronic version of the Journal in pdf format.

Manuscript Guidelines1. Authors should e-mail the manuscript to the Guest Editor, and to the Managing Editor of the Journal. Authors who are writing articles which requirespecialformatting[art,graphics,tablesdrawings,chartsandgraphs]shouldsubmittheoriginalandoneclearcopytyped(doublespaced)on81/2X11inchwhitebond.2. Use end notes, not foot notes.3.Tablesandfiguresshouldbetypedonaseparatesheetofpaper.Thegraphs,illustrations,anddrawingsshouldbecamera-readyartwhereverpossible.Wewillsetfigurecaptionsinappropriatetype.4.Authorsbearresponsibilityforaccuracyofinformation,references,quotations,tables,figures,andobtainingpermissionsfromcopyrightholders.5.Onaseparatepage,provideabiography,includingyourname,title,position,placeofemployment,degrees[withDegree,Major,Institution,anddate];workhistory;honorsandawards;majorbookswritten;signifi-cantarticlesauthored;leadershippositionsheldinprofessionalsocieties[withdates];mailingaddress,phone,fax,ande-mailaddress.


6.ReferencesshouldusethePublicationManualoftheAmericanPsychologicalAssociationformat,asfollows: Forbooks:Author(s)lastname,initial(s),dateofpublication,title,city,state,publisher.Example:

Gysbers,N.C.,&Moore,E.J.(1987).Careercounselingskillsandtechniquesforpractitioners.EnglewoodCliffs,NJ:Prentice-Hall.

Forarticles:Author(s)lastname,initial(s),dateofpublication,titleofarticle,publicationname,volume,number,pages.Example:

Henton,J.N.,Russell,R.,&Koval,K.E.(1983).Spousalperceptionsof midlife career change. Personnel and Guidance Journal 61(5), 287-291.

7. Avoid the use of the generic masculine pronoun and sexist terminol-ogy.Aimforareadable,approachable,immediatestyle,avoidingthepassivevoiceandthedetachedtoneoftypicalacademicjournals.8.Donotsubmitmaterialthatisunderconsiderationbyanotherperi-odical.Ifyouhavepublishedanarticleinanotherpublicationthatyoubelieveisofmerit,youmaywishtosubmitittotheCareerPlanningandAdultDevelopmentNetworkNewsletterforconsiderationasasummaryorabstract.Weacceptreviewcopiesofbooks,butdonotguaranteethatwecanfindareviewer.9.Manuscriptsshouldnotexceed4,000words.Atypicalarticlewouldrunfrom6to12pagesofdouble-spaced,word-processedcopy.How-ever,pleasedonotletlengthinhibityoufromexpressingyourideas.10.Wereservetherighttoeditallsubmissionsforlength,style,andclar-ityofpresentation.Wewillcommunicatewithyoudirectlytoclarifyanyconfusionastothecontentofyoursubmission.11.Submitmanuscripts,ideas,orquestionsto: Steven E. Beasley, Managing Editor Career Planning and Adult Development Journal 453 Alberto Way, Suite 257D Los Gatos, California 95032 USA Telephone (408) 354-7150 e-mail: [email protected]

Revised 2014


Available Issues of CPAD JournalCostforeachis$7.50plus$1.50shippingandhandling.

Contact: e-mail: [email protected]

InnovationsinCollege,University,andCommunityCareerCenters.Editedby Steven E. Beasley and Jeanne M. Hinkelman. Vol 16, No 1

Career Counseling in an InformationAge.EditedbyK Richard Pyle. Vol 16, No 3

BookReviews2000-2001.EditedbyBarbara Grauer. Vol 16, No 4

CoachingandMentoring.EditedbyFrederic M. Hudson. Vol 17, No 1

FamilyInfluencesonCareerChoiceandSuccess.Editedby Sally Gelardin. Vol 17, No 2

CareerPortfolios.EditedbyMartin Kimeldorf. Vol 17, No 3

Resumes,EditedbyWendy Enelow. Vol 17, No 4

Building Your Career Development e-Business.EditedbySteven E. Beasley. Vol 18, No 3

CompetenciesfromtheIndividual’sViewpoint.EditedbyDavid Dubois Vol 18, No 4

Book Reviews 2002-2003 EditedbyBarbara Grauer. Vol 19, No 1

TheInfluenceofBernard HaldaneEditedbyKate Duttro. Vol 19, No 3

Nurturing the Creative Side in All of Our Clients.EditedbyCarol Eikelberry. Vol 19, No 4

Women and CareersEditedbyCaitlin Williams. Vol 20, No 1

Distance Learning and Career Development.EditedbyBarbara Pevoto. Vol 20, No 2

Book Reviews 2004. EditedbyBarbara Grauer. Vol 20, No 3

Career Development in Spanish-Speaking Countries.EditedbySusan Zgliczynski. Vol 20, No 4

Career Practitioners Gain an Edge:Understanding Cognitive Development TheoryCanHelpUstoHelpOurClients.EditedbyLeigh Mundhenk. Vol 21, No 1

21stCenturyWorkSearch.EditedbyLinda Hodge. Vol 21, No 2

Book Reviews 2005-2006. EditedbyWendy Enelow. Vol 21, No 3

Social Justice and Career Development. EditedbyRobert C. Chope. Vol 21, No 4

TheImpactofSpiritualityandPersonalValuesUponOne’sCareer.EditedbyRichard Nelson Bolles. Vol 22, No 1

The Entrepreneurial Career. EditedbyDan Strakal, Vol 22, No 2

Book Reviews 2006-2007. EditedbyWendy Enelow, Vol 22, No 4

A Storied Approach to Career Counseling: Theories and Applications. EditedbySarah Toman. Vol 23, No 1

The Science of Chaos and CareersEditedbyWilliam Stone. Vol 23, No 2

TheFederalGovernment:APlacetoWorkand a Place to Serve. EditedbyDale S. Brown,.Vol 23, No 3

Making a Career of Counseling and Advis-ingCaregivers.EditedbySally Gelardin. Vol 23, No 4

Book Reviews 2008. EditedbyFreddie Cheek. Vol 24, No 1

CareersoftheFutureEditedbyCaitlin Williams. Vol 24 No 2

Working Across Generations. EditedbyMaggi Payment. Vol 24, No 3


HowCareerProfessionalsNavigatetheirownCareers.EditedbyNancy Parsley. Vol 28, No 3

WomeninIndustryToday...andTomorrow.EditedbyCarol Christen. Vol 28, No 4.

Book Reviews 2012-2013EditedbySarah Michalos-RispintoVol 29 No 1

STEM-Centric Career Development for a Competitive WorkplaceEditedbyRich Feller andJackie Peila-Schuster Vol 29 No 2Social Media and Career DevelopmentEditedbyMelissa A. Venable, PhDVol 29 No 3

TheFutureisHere:CareerDevelopmentGraduate Student Special Issue. EditedbyJackie Peila-Shuster and Debra Osborn. Vol 29, No 4

Book Reviews 2014Editedby Maggi Payment KirkbrideVol 30, No 1

Career CommunicationsEditedbyWendy Enelow andLouise Kursmark. Vol 30, No 2

Career Development and Consulting in Asian Countries, EditedbySusan Zgliczynski & Xiaolu Hu. Vol 24, No 4

The Education of Career Development Professionals.EditedbyDebra S. Osborn. Vol 25, No 1


Online Career Advising & CoachingEditedbyRobert C. Chope. Vol 25, No 3

Strategies for Career AssessmentEditedbyJames C. Sampson. Vol 25, No 4

Mid-LifeCareerCrisis:HowChaosTheoryandPositivePsychologyCanHelp.Editedby Helen Harkness &William Stone. Vol 26, No 1

GoldenBoomers!EditedbyHelen Harkness. Vol 26, No 2

Volunteering.EditedbySarah Toman. Vol 26, No 3


Career Development in Middle East and North African Countries. EditedbyRich Feller. Vol 27, No 1

Dealing with Mid Life Career CrisisEditedbyDarrell W. Gurney. Vol 27, No 2

Book Reviews 2011EditedbySarah Toman and Sarah Michalos. Vol 27, No 3

CareerFutures.EditedbyWilliam Charland. Vol 27, No 4

CulturallyCompetentCareerDevelopmentPractice.EditedbyCourtland Lee. Vol 28, No 1

The Interface Between Career Planning and RetirementEditedbyJackie Peila-Shuster.Vol 28, No 2


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