I am very curious about something. Am I wrong, or is trying a job when you do not have one, a very stressful time? From everyone I talk to on a daily basis, they are stressed to varying degrees. They may have little stress as they have plenty of resources to carry them over until they find the position they want. The other end of the spectrum is those that are extremely stressed due to the lack of resources to carry them over. One of the unfortunate occurrences that has always happened but is more prevalent now, is that those that start out with low stress become highly stressed. One reason is they assume they will get the next position. The reasons why they feel that way are long and varied.
The stress manifests itself in a myriad of ways. It can be depression, anger, lack of self-confidence, and many other emotions. All of them are unfortunate. All make everyone that knows a person with the issues very concerned.
With all those serious issues from a personal standpoint of individuals seeking a new job, I come back to the question. If this is such a difficult time, why does everyone want free information and many reluctant to pay for a solution?
The reason I ask is that most if not all the free information I have ever read on finding a job is useless. It is almost always in bits and pieces of parts of other useless information. Why is it useless, because it does not work for the job seeker. Yet people flock to that information and try to apply it to one of the most critical acts they will perform. I think most would agree that finding a job that will support themselves, their family, and provide for their future is extremely important to most people.
If I can put this in perspective, if you had a disease or medical condition that required the attention of a doctor, would you go to the internet and take the advice given there? Would you take it if the advice giver was not really qualified to give the advice, but it was free?
I think that is a fair comparison. I think you would agree these are two serious situations that require a remedy.
Most of the time the advice on seeking a job, writing a resume, taking an interview, or negotiating an offer is given by those not qualified.
I think I will leave it like this, is your ability to find your next job in the highest unemployment, by numbers in history, worth nothing, or is that critical life situation (having the job you want with the company you want) worth something?
Monday, March 15, 2010
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Job Search Success Stories
It may come to you as a shock, but I am always amazed with the success people have when we train them to conduct their own successful job search.
My amazement is not that they were successful. I always expect success. My amazement is even the most skeptical people who are adamant about the traditional process of send a resume and wait, will eventually come to the conclusion there is a better way.
Here is a difficult situation with a great ending that illustrates what I mean. I recently met with an individual who wanted me to help him individually. I usually recommend either the live webinar or the streaming webinar due to the great price difference of $250 per man hour versus $299 for the live webinar (five hours) or $69 for the streaming webinar (also 5 hours). They all teach exactly the same skills the same way.
Anyway, he was adamant about private help. I was happy to provide the training to him. His background was a bit different, but most people have something that makes them unique. Tim, had only three jobs in his life. They were all in the same industry and he had had success with each company. He did construction supervision (an hourly position) and was very good at it.
Unfortunately, during work hours on company business, almost a year ago he was in a bad car accident. He suffered severe injuries to his back. Fortunately, he did not have any paralysis. He had surgery twice to correct his injuries and had the usual fights with Workers' Compensation and his company. His company fired him due to his injury (I won't pretend to understand that). Keep in mind he was not at fault for the accident. Now he had to find work while wrestling legally with the company for a settlement.
He came to me after reading some of the articles and reviewing the website outline of the course. He was very concerned that while he was now physically able to do what he had always done, companies would not want to hire him because of his injuries, surgeries and year off work.
I spent the entire five hours teaching the skills we teach to him and showing him how to apply them to his particular situation since that was his major concern. He also opted to have me teach him how to create powerful credential presentation materials that we teach in our webinar, The Secrets of Powerful Resume Creation.
From the training he set off to find a new position with a new company. It only took three weeks and he was made an offer with a company he wanted to work for in the position he wanted.
What amazed me about this particular individual was he was so skeptical at the beginning, yet willing to invest in individual training versus an equally effective, less expensive option. Every step of the way his favorite comment was, this can't work. His only positive comments were, this certainly is different than anything I have ever seen. My concern was he was spending a considerable amount of money and with his negative comments he would not follow through.
When he started talking with prospective employers he started to change his comments. By the time he had interviewed with a couple of companies that were a fit for him he was now saying, I see why following your process brings results.
He admitted the only reason he came to me for the training was he concluded that if my partner, Doug Beabout and I have been using the same skills we teach for years with success, there had to be something to it. Now he tells everyone he meets about his skill at finding a job. We are thrilled for him.
By the way, the fact that he was out of work for an entire year did not have a negative effect with any of the companies he interviewed with. He did not have to relocate which was a goal of his even though I cautioned him he might have to consider it.
I love happy endings, don't you?
My amazement is not that they were successful. I always expect success. My amazement is even the most skeptical people who are adamant about the traditional process of send a resume and wait, will eventually come to the conclusion there is a better way.
Here is a difficult situation with a great ending that illustrates what I mean. I recently met with an individual who wanted me to help him individually. I usually recommend either the live webinar or the streaming webinar due to the great price difference of $250 per man hour versus $299 for the live webinar (five hours) or $69 for the streaming webinar (also 5 hours). They all teach exactly the same skills the same way.
Anyway, he was adamant about private help. I was happy to provide the training to him. His background was a bit different, but most people have something that makes them unique. Tim, had only three jobs in his life. They were all in the same industry and he had had success with each company. He did construction supervision (an hourly position) and was very good at it.
Unfortunately, during work hours on company business, almost a year ago he was in a bad car accident. He suffered severe injuries to his back. Fortunately, he did not have any paralysis. He had surgery twice to correct his injuries and had the usual fights with Workers' Compensation and his company. His company fired him due to his injury (I won't pretend to understand that). Keep in mind he was not at fault for the accident. Now he had to find work while wrestling legally with the company for a settlement.
He came to me after reading some of the articles and reviewing the website outline of the course. He was very concerned that while he was now physically able to do what he had always done, companies would not want to hire him because of his injuries, surgeries and year off work.
I spent the entire five hours teaching the skills we teach to him and showing him how to apply them to his particular situation since that was his major concern. He also opted to have me teach him how to create powerful credential presentation materials that we teach in our webinar, The Secrets of Powerful Resume Creation.
From the training he set off to find a new position with a new company. It only took three weeks and he was made an offer with a company he wanted to work for in the position he wanted.
What amazed me about this particular individual was he was so skeptical at the beginning, yet willing to invest in individual training versus an equally effective, less expensive option. Every step of the way his favorite comment was, this can't work. His only positive comments were, this certainly is different than anything I have ever seen. My concern was he was spending a considerable amount of money and with his negative comments he would not follow through.
When he started talking with prospective employers he started to change his comments. By the time he had interviewed with a couple of companies that were a fit for him he was now saying, I see why following your process brings results.
He admitted the only reason he came to me for the training was he concluded that if my partner, Doug Beabout and I have been using the same skills we teach for years with success, there had to be something to it. Now he tells everyone he meets about his skill at finding a job. We are thrilled for him.
By the way, the fact that he was out of work for an entire year did not have a negative effect with any of the companies he interviewed with. He did not have to relocate which was a goal of his even though I cautioned him he might have to consider it.
I love happy endings, don't you?
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Job Search Wheat and Chaff, How to Separate
I recently had a brief email conversation about an article I just wrote in three parts. It covered how a hiring manager sees candidates. I received a comment that was reasonable. The bottom line is there is so much information out there, how do you know what is helpful and what is not. It also is really saying what is worth paying for and what is not worth paying for. Very good questions that I am sure most people ask themselves. I agree.
I just did a search on the internet for, job search advice. It had over 90 million results. No wonder it is a difficult decision. I think there are a number of things that what you say bring to mind.
How do you separate the wheat from the chaff of quality versus worthless information, advice and tips?
Now, while it is difficult to separate the wheat from the chaff, it is not impossible. One has to separate the assumptions that most start with that result in the false conclusions they come up with. Let me see if I can illustrate what I mean.
I pointed out in this and several other articles, the method the vast majority use to find a job is antiquated at best. I also wrote an article about the origins and evolution of the job search methodology. In the late 1940s and 1950s into the 1960s companies were struggling to find people. That is when employment agencies came into existence. They ran ads (either real or fictitious) to attract a job seeker to their office. When the individual went there they were interviewed. It wasn’t what you and I would expect as an interview. It was rudimentary and just to collect basic information. The recruiter filled out paper work and then the candidate waited in a holding pen. The recruiter immediately called numerous companies that might need a person like the one they had just interviewed.
When they came upon one, they sent the person to an interview with the company. They reported back to the recruiter with the results. In this case the candidate paid the employment agency not as it is today, where the company pays the recruiter. It evolved slightly when people became more mobile for their jobs. They might answer ads in the newspaper in a locale. They sent a cover letter and resume (work history) to the company. They got a call to interview over the phone, then a face to face.
It has not gone much further than that today as you know. Yes, we have added the technology of computers, Blackberries and the speed and distance it can cover. It also adds to the job seekers ability to research companies. Other than that not much has changed. You can see that it really was a strong demand for people and many people seeking jobs so it was a matching process and not much more. Today, it is a weak demand for people, a large supply and very little process wise to match the two.
You may have read my description of how jobs have become very complex today. Think back over your career and how your work has changed in complexity for many different reasons. That is not taking into consideration the complexity of the challenges and the culture of companies today.
The question becomes why are people still trying to simply match what is on paper with what a company says it needs in an ad (job posting)? I think you can see how difficult that is for the employer. It is obviously equally difficult for the job seeker to know what the employer wants and present it on the old standard resume.
All of that long winded explanation leads back to the separation question. The assumption job seekers should make is, what advice, information, training, coaching, etc, is offered that is not the 1950s, 1960s style process.
My partner and I have been following our process for many years. My partner recognized long ago what I just explained. He learned how to find out from an employer, specifically what a hiring manager, wanted as the ideal candidate for that specific position they needed right then. From there he developed and we have refined over time, how to follow that process to finding the exact person that would fit and qualify them to know they were qualified. Then, we presented them to the client. But, not just present them, but present them in a manner that showed the hiring manager they were exactly what he/she was looking for in the position. We then prepared the candidate to present themselves properly, asking questions only we knew to ask because we asked the right questions up front. The candidate’s education, skills, experience and accomplishments matched with the questions as the answers. We prepared the candidate how to get an offer and how to properly negotiate it so it was as win-win for both employer and candidate. It takes a great deal of work. It works every time.
That is not anywhere close to the traditional method. I could go on for what would seem like hundreds of pages with the details.
I don’t know how much research you have done to find good information on a job search, but neither my partner, our researchers, nor I have been able to find a process near to what we have put together. All others we have encountered have some variation that leads to the traditional process.
My advice is simply to question every piece of advice and ask why would that advance what I am trying to accomplish? If it won’t do anything different then it probably isn’t a help. Just changing how a resume looks isn’t going to get anyone’s attention. Knowing how to answer the question, what are your strengths ten different ways, isn’t going to wow a hiring manager. If you present yourself with information of how you can solve their specific problems, then you will get their attention.
That is just a sample of the issues. There are many more to overcome. Everyone’s mind set is so ingrained on the rules. The fact is there really aren’t rules yet everyone is fixated on them instead of thinking through what does the hiring manger want? And, it is beyond that, because every hiring manager wants something different even for the same titled position. We teach how to know all of that and how to respond to all of it. We go further to teach how to get the offer and how to get the one you want.
I hope that brings some clarity and not muddy the waters further.
This is why we take 5 hours to explain it in our webinars and another hour just for resumes.
I just did a search on the internet for, job search advice. It had over 90 million results. No wonder it is a difficult decision. I think there are a number of things that what you say bring to mind.
How do you separate the wheat from the chaff of quality versus worthless information, advice and tips?
Now, while it is difficult to separate the wheat from the chaff, it is not impossible. One has to separate the assumptions that most start with that result in the false conclusions they come up with. Let me see if I can illustrate what I mean.
I pointed out in this and several other articles, the method the vast majority use to find a job is antiquated at best. I also wrote an article about the origins and evolution of the job search methodology. In the late 1940s and 1950s into the 1960s companies were struggling to find people. That is when employment agencies came into existence. They ran ads (either real or fictitious) to attract a job seeker to their office. When the individual went there they were interviewed. It wasn’t what you and I would expect as an interview. It was rudimentary and just to collect basic information. The recruiter filled out paper work and then the candidate waited in a holding pen. The recruiter immediately called numerous companies that might need a person like the one they had just interviewed.
When they came upon one, they sent the person to an interview with the company. They reported back to the recruiter with the results. In this case the candidate paid the employment agency not as it is today, where the company pays the recruiter. It evolved slightly when people became more mobile for their jobs. They might answer ads in the newspaper in a locale. They sent a cover letter and resume (work history) to the company. They got a call to interview over the phone, then a face to face.
It has not gone much further than that today as you know. Yes, we have added the technology of computers, Blackberries and the speed and distance it can cover. It also adds to the job seekers ability to research companies. Other than that not much has changed. You can see that it really was a strong demand for people and many people seeking jobs so it was a matching process and not much more. Today, it is a weak demand for people, a large supply and very little process wise to match the two.
You may have read my description of how jobs have become very complex today. Think back over your career and how your work has changed in complexity for many different reasons. That is not taking into consideration the complexity of the challenges and the culture of companies today.
The question becomes why are people still trying to simply match what is on paper with what a company says it needs in an ad (job posting)? I think you can see how difficult that is for the employer. It is obviously equally difficult for the job seeker to know what the employer wants and present it on the old standard resume.
All of that long winded explanation leads back to the separation question. The assumption job seekers should make is, what advice, information, training, coaching, etc, is offered that is not the 1950s, 1960s style process.
My partner and I have been following our process for many years. My partner recognized long ago what I just explained. He learned how to find out from an employer, specifically what a hiring manager, wanted as the ideal candidate for that specific position they needed right then. From there he developed and we have refined over time, how to follow that process to finding the exact person that would fit and qualify them to know they were qualified. Then, we presented them to the client. But, not just present them, but present them in a manner that showed the hiring manager they were exactly what he/she was looking for in the position. We then prepared the candidate to present themselves properly, asking questions only we knew to ask because we asked the right questions up front. The candidate’s education, skills, experience and accomplishments matched with the questions as the answers. We prepared the candidate how to get an offer and how to properly negotiate it so it was as win-win for both employer and candidate. It takes a great deal of work. It works every time.
That is not anywhere close to the traditional method. I could go on for what would seem like hundreds of pages with the details.
I don’t know how much research you have done to find good information on a job search, but neither my partner, our researchers, nor I have been able to find a process near to what we have put together. All others we have encountered have some variation that leads to the traditional process.
My advice is simply to question every piece of advice and ask why would that advance what I am trying to accomplish? If it won’t do anything different then it probably isn’t a help. Just changing how a resume looks isn’t going to get anyone’s attention. Knowing how to answer the question, what are your strengths ten different ways, isn’t going to wow a hiring manager. If you present yourself with information of how you can solve their specific problems, then you will get their attention.
That is just a sample of the issues. There are many more to overcome. Everyone’s mind set is so ingrained on the rules. The fact is there really aren’t rules yet everyone is fixated on them instead of thinking through what does the hiring manger want? And, it is beyond that, because every hiring manager wants something different even for the same titled position. We teach how to know all of that and how to respond to all of it. We go further to teach how to get the offer and how to get the one you want.
I hope that brings some clarity and not muddy the waters further.
This is why we take 5 hours to explain it in our webinars and another hour just for resumes.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
New Jobs Bill - Help for the Unemployed (Not)
Why are we doing another jobs bill? Last year a $154 billion bill was passed. It hasn't made a bit of difference. Now, we are doing it again with a bill of only$15 billion. I guess that means less is more? I thought if a lot did little then a little will do less.
Once again, job seekers will read about the bill and get optimistic their situation will change. The President and Congress have done it again. They are playing on the hopes and fears of the people to spend more money they don't have. What is the saying, "fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me." Who is fooling who?
Elementary economics taught to freshmen is that job creation is a result of savings and investing. Who is foolish enough to believe that taking tax dollars from some one's pocket and printing money to spend will create a job. The only job it creates is for the printer and the IRS. If they are government jobs they are not producing any goods or services that are paid for by a buyer and a profit is made to be reinvested. Did the WPA work during the Depression? No. Why is the government foolish enough now to think it will work now? For that matter why would they think any of the policies started by Hoover, adopted by Roosevelt and advanced by him would work when they prolonged the Depression? We are going down that very same path. I thought we were supposed to learn from history?
Let's stop the nonsense. Let's tell the emperor we actually know he doesn't have any clothes on. We were just being polite and his cronies are just yes men (and women).
Let's help the unemployed in real terms. Let's have a sound monetary and fiscal policy that takes the power to regulate interest rates and puts it where it works best, in the market place. Let's stop propping up bad businesses and let their assets go to companies that are well managed and wants to buy them with real money. Then the workers can go to work with an ease of mind. Let's stop the printing presses so our money does not devalue. Finally, let's stop spending money we don't have so we don't have to continue to sell the country to China tomorrow.
All of that would help those unemployed by allowing for real job creation not smoke and mirrors. Then the unemployed would consist of former politicians and bad business managers.
Wow, glad I got that off my chest. Seriously, this is what it takes. Career Talk Guys know what we offer helps individuals in good and bad economic times . We created our program from what we have been doing for others for years because of the severity of the times. We know to really end the problem it will take courage and efforts of the great people of this nation to say enough to bad politics, bad economics and the government's self interest disguised as being in our best interest.
In the mean time we will continue to help those who want to gain employment learn the skills that will create their success. You can see other articles at our site and our programs at http://www.careertalkguys.com/.
Once again, job seekers will read about the bill and get optimistic their situation will change. The President and Congress have done it again. They are playing on the hopes and fears of the people to spend more money they don't have. What is the saying, "fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me." Who is fooling who?
Elementary economics taught to freshmen is that job creation is a result of savings and investing. Who is foolish enough to believe that taking tax dollars from some one's pocket and printing money to spend will create a job. The only job it creates is for the printer and the IRS. If they are government jobs they are not producing any goods or services that are paid for by a buyer and a profit is made to be reinvested. Did the WPA work during the Depression? No. Why is the government foolish enough now to think it will work now? For that matter why would they think any of the policies started by Hoover, adopted by Roosevelt and advanced by him would work when they prolonged the Depression? We are going down that very same path. I thought we were supposed to learn from history?
Let's stop the nonsense. Let's tell the emperor we actually know he doesn't have any clothes on. We were just being polite and his cronies are just yes men (and women).
Let's help the unemployed in real terms. Let's have a sound monetary and fiscal policy that takes the power to regulate interest rates and puts it where it works best, in the market place. Let's stop propping up bad businesses and let their assets go to companies that are well managed and wants to buy them with real money. Then the workers can go to work with an ease of mind. Let's stop the printing presses so our money does not devalue. Finally, let's stop spending money we don't have so we don't have to continue to sell the country to China tomorrow.
All of that would help those unemployed by allowing for real job creation not smoke and mirrors. Then the unemployed would consist of former politicians and bad business managers.
Wow, glad I got that off my chest. Seriously, this is what it takes. Career Talk Guys know what we offer helps individuals in good and bad economic times . We created our program from what we have been doing for others for years because of the severity of the times. We know to really end the problem it will take courage and efforts of the great people of this nation to say enough to bad politics, bad economics and the government's self interest disguised as being in our best interest.
In the mean time we will continue to help those who want to gain employment learn the skills that will create their success. You can see other articles at our site and our programs at http://www.careertalkguys.com/.
Saturday, February 20, 2010
The Resume and CV - Exposed
Everyone who really likes their resume raise your hands. Now, everyone who feels theirs is really better and different from everyone else’s raise your hands.
When those two questions are asked, the results are always the same. A fair number will raise their hand in response to the first question. A few or less will raise their hand to the second. Isn’t that odd in this day and age when you can find truckloads of information about that special resume, or advice from experts, all claiming your resume will be special, unique to you?
Resumes have been around for decades. Resumes are the accepted and habitual standard for presenting your credentials in a potential employment situation. Everybody uses them. Everybody is continually trying to find the best one that will get the attention they want from a potential employer.
There is a complete industry of those who believe they are experts in writing resumes, and they probably are experts in that traditional format. At the same time, they simply take the same information you had on your previous resume and rearrange it in another format. They may change some wording to make it read better or make suggestions about how to express your experience better. Some may go as far as to replace the standard format with one built on action terms or vague suggestions. The bottom line is it is still the same, a resume. It does not express your qualifications in a different light that a hiring manager would sit up and take notice.
The problem is a two way street. Hiring managers and HR professionals would love to see something that would make their task easier. For decades we have heard a continual cry of dissatisfaction with “resumes”. To review mountains of resumes that very quickly all start to look alike is not advantageous to anyone. You and all other job seekers get frustrated with the lack of response and the negative responses received. The prospective employers get frustrated, because the start to believe there is no well qualified individual that will solve their problem.
When an interview is obtained, it is difficult for those conducting the interview to look carefully at the resume and ask effective questions. Too many times the questions asked can be answered by the resume had the interviewer read it. Time may have been a factor, but the information may have been a factor as well. The information did not tell them anything different than the prior resume.
How do you change this? Can it be changed? It would appear that decades of use have cemented resumes to be the credential presentation tool forever. It has conditioned job seekers and prospective employers both into expecting a resume, in the expected format, with the expected information. And, no one is really excited about any of it.
There are a couple of factors that can show the resume trap can be changed and a welcome change it is!
The first factor is that job seekers want to send their resume to anything that remotely looks like a potential job for them. They know very little real facts about the position other than what a job posting explains or what a job description reveals. Ask yourself the question; “How can a hiring manager get anything concrete out of a generic resume that is sent for any job?” Sure, you can tailor to the position description as some would advise you. However, it is still only a resume for any job no matter what anyone tries to claim. You know that to be true, because you get the same results, little or no response.
This leads to the question of how do you change that situation? Before we answer that, consider the potential employer.
The second factor is the employer’s perspective. The hiring manager is expected to ferret out of a sea of sameness the one or two that meet the multi-dimensions of their unique position. Every position is different from every other regardless that the title may be the same and the job description is very similar. The challenges are different and the culture is different among other factors. How can a hiring manager know anything about a candidate, if all they see is a resume based on a one dimensional description? This one dimensional resume causes a lack of response. If there is a response it may be an unproductive (dreaded by everyone) telephone interview.
How do you resolve this situation? It has to happen like this:
The job seeker needs to know to what industry and companies are they best suited and therefore should contact.
Skilled research is required to learn and understand what might be a fit.
Effectively executed contact with companies and associations is necessary to learn important information that focuses your search.
Developing a presentation format of your credentials that matches a company’s needs for the position you want.
Finally, you now stand out among others in the industry where you will be best recognized for your talents and accomplishments.
There is a great deal more to this, but to be very elaborate would take volumes of pages.
What this type of strategy does is change the process completely. It puts you in charge. It empowers you to present what the prospective employer wants (provided you match, and your research will tell you that).
Career Talk Guys have decades of success helping candidates master this process and get the job they want. This process places you in the position the obtain job you want with the employer who most values your abilities to contribute.
We teach people the skills to present their professional abilities in the manner the hiring manager desperately wants to see. This revolutionary, but highly effective means of presentation creates a confidence in gaining results you simply lack when suing a standard resume We train you in the skills to conduct the process of a job search throughout the process and ending in your first day with your new employer. But, if you do not choose us, find someone that can teach you these skills. You will never regret it and it will change your odds dramatically and positively impact those to whom you present your credentials.
Career Talk Guys are not resume writers. We have 50 years of combined experience of learning what employers seek in a qualified candidate. We are masters at conducting skilled research into new opportunities. Our experience is unmatched at the creation of interviews. We know what it takes to prepare the professional and employer to meet and achieve mutual success. Now, we are making those skills and techniques available to anyone who is tired of a lack of results applying old school, worn-out practices centering on a resume.
We changed the process for your success.
When those two questions are asked, the results are always the same. A fair number will raise their hand in response to the first question. A few or less will raise their hand to the second. Isn’t that odd in this day and age when you can find truckloads of information about that special resume, or advice from experts, all claiming your resume will be special, unique to you?
Resumes have been around for decades. Resumes are the accepted and habitual standard for presenting your credentials in a potential employment situation. Everybody uses them. Everybody is continually trying to find the best one that will get the attention they want from a potential employer.
There is a complete industry of those who believe they are experts in writing resumes, and they probably are experts in that traditional format. At the same time, they simply take the same information you had on your previous resume and rearrange it in another format. They may change some wording to make it read better or make suggestions about how to express your experience better. Some may go as far as to replace the standard format with one built on action terms or vague suggestions. The bottom line is it is still the same, a resume. It does not express your qualifications in a different light that a hiring manager would sit up and take notice.
The problem is a two way street. Hiring managers and HR professionals would love to see something that would make their task easier. For decades we have heard a continual cry of dissatisfaction with “resumes”. To review mountains of resumes that very quickly all start to look alike is not advantageous to anyone. You and all other job seekers get frustrated with the lack of response and the negative responses received. The prospective employers get frustrated, because the start to believe there is no well qualified individual that will solve their problem.
When an interview is obtained, it is difficult for those conducting the interview to look carefully at the resume and ask effective questions. Too many times the questions asked can be answered by the resume had the interviewer read it. Time may have been a factor, but the information may have been a factor as well. The information did not tell them anything different than the prior resume.
How do you change this? Can it be changed? It would appear that decades of use have cemented resumes to be the credential presentation tool forever. It has conditioned job seekers and prospective employers both into expecting a resume, in the expected format, with the expected information. And, no one is really excited about any of it.
There are a couple of factors that can show the resume trap can be changed and a welcome change it is!
The first factor is that job seekers want to send their resume to anything that remotely looks like a potential job for them. They know very little real facts about the position other than what a job posting explains or what a job description reveals. Ask yourself the question; “How can a hiring manager get anything concrete out of a generic resume that is sent for any job?” Sure, you can tailor to the position description as some would advise you. However, it is still only a resume for any job no matter what anyone tries to claim. You know that to be true, because you get the same results, little or no response.
This leads to the question of how do you change that situation? Before we answer that, consider the potential employer.
The second factor is the employer’s perspective. The hiring manager is expected to ferret out of a sea of sameness the one or two that meet the multi-dimensions of their unique position. Every position is different from every other regardless that the title may be the same and the job description is very similar. The challenges are different and the culture is different among other factors. How can a hiring manager know anything about a candidate, if all they see is a resume based on a one dimensional description? This one dimensional resume causes a lack of response. If there is a response it may be an unproductive (dreaded by everyone) telephone interview.
How do you resolve this situation? It has to happen like this:
The job seeker needs to know to what industry and companies are they best suited and therefore should contact.
Skilled research is required to learn and understand what might be a fit.
Effectively executed contact with companies and associations is necessary to learn important information that focuses your search.
Developing a presentation format of your credentials that matches a company’s needs for the position you want.
Finally, you now stand out among others in the industry where you will be best recognized for your talents and accomplishments.
There is a great deal more to this, but to be very elaborate would take volumes of pages.
What this type of strategy does is change the process completely. It puts you in charge. It empowers you to present what the prospective employer wants (provided you match, and your research will tell you that).
Career Talk Guys have decades of success helping candidates master this process and get the job they want. This process places you in the position the obtain job you want with the employer who most values your abilities to contribute.
We teach people the skills to present their professional abilities in the manner the hiring manager desperately wants to see. This revolutionary, but highly effective means of presentation creates a confidence in gaining results you simply lack when suing a standard resume We train you in the skills to conduct the process of a job search throughout the process and ending in your first day with your new employer. But, if you do not choose us, find someone that can teach you these skills. You will never regret it and it will change your odds dramatically and positively impact those to whom you present your credentials.
Career Talk Guys are not resume writers. We have 50 years of combined experience of learning what employers seek in a qualified candidate. We are masters at conducting skilled research into new opportunities. Our experience is unmatched at the creation of interviews. We know what it takes to prepare the professional and employer to meet and achieve mutual success. Now, we are making those skills and techniques available to anyone who is tired of a lack of results applying old school, worn-out practices centering on a resume.
We changed the process for your success.
Friday, February 19, 2010
The Resumes and CVs – Exposed
Everyone who really likes their resume raise your hands. Now, everyone who feels theirs is really better and different from everyone else’s raise your hands.
When those two questions are asked, the results are always the same. A fair number will raise their hand in response to the first question. A few or less will raise their hand to the second. Isn’t that odd in this day and age when you can find truckloads of information about that special resume, or advice from experts, all claiming your resume will be special, unique to you?
Resumes have been around for decades. Resumes are the accepted and habitual standard for presenting your credentials in a potential employment situation. Everybody uses them. Everybody is continually trying to find the best one that will get the attention they want from a potential employer.
There is a complete industry of those who believe they are experts in writing resumes, and they probably are experts in that traditional format. At the same time, they simply take the same information you had on your previous resume and rearrange it in another format. They may change some wording to make it read better or make suggestions about how to express your experience better. Some may go as far as to replace the standard format with one built on action terms or vague suggestions. The bottom line is it is still the same, a resume. It does not express your qualifications in a different light that a hiring manager would sit up and take notice.
The problem is a two way street. Hiring managers and HR professionals would love to see something that would make their task easier. For decades we have heard a continual cry of dissatisfaction with “resumes”. To review mountains of resumes that very quickly all start to look alike is not advantageous to anyone. You and all other job seekers get frustrated with the lack of response and the negative responses received. The prospective employers get frustrated, because the start to believe there is no well qualified individual that will solve their problem.
When an interview is obtained, it is difficult for those conducting the interview to look carefully at the resume and ask effective questions. Too many times the questions asked can be answered by the resume had the interviewer read it. Time may have been a factor, but the information may have been a factor as well. The information did not tell them anything different than the prior resume.
How do you change this? Can it be changed? It would appear that decades of use have cemented resumes to be the credential presentation tool forever. It has conditioned job seekers and prospective employers both into expecting a resume, in the expected format, with the expected information. And, no one is really excited about any of it.
There are a couple of factors that can show the resume trap can be changed and a welcome change it is!
The first factor is that job seekers want to send their resume to anything that remotely looks like a potential job for them. They know very little real facts about the position other than what a job posting explains or what a job description reveals. Ask yourself the question; “How can a hiring manager get anything concrete out of a generic resume that is sent for any job?” Sure, you can tailor to the position description as some would advise you. However, it is still only a resume for any job no matter what anyone tries to claim. You know that to be true, because you get the same results, little or no response.
This leads to the question of how do you change that situation? Before we answer that, consider the potential employer.
The second factor is the employer’s perspective. The hiring manager is expected to ferret out of a sea of sameness the one or two that meet the multi-dimensions of their unique position. Every position is different from every other regardless that the title may be the same and the job description is very similar. The challenges are different and the culture is different among other factors. How can a hiring manager know anything about a candidate, if all they see is a resume based on a one dimensional description? This one dimensional resume causes a lack of response. If there is a response it may be an unproductive (dreaded by everyone) telephone interview.
How do you resolve this situation? It has to happen like this:
The job seeker needs to know to what industry and companies are they best suited and therefore should contact.
Skilled research is required to learn and understand what might be a fit.
Effectively executed contact with companies and associations is necessary to learn important information that focuses your search.
Developing a presentation format of your credentials that matches a company’s needs for the position you want.
Finally, you now stand out among others in the industry where you will be best recognized for your talents and accomplishments.
There is a great deal more to this, but to be very elaborate would take volumes of pages.
What this type of strategy does is change the process completely. It puts you in charge. It empowers you to present what the prospective employer wants (provided you match, and your research will tell you that).
Career Talk Guys have decades of success helping candidates master this process and get the job they want. This process places you in the position the obtain job you want With the employer who most values your abilities to contribute.
We teach people the skills to present their professional abilities in the manner the hiring manager desperately wants to see. This revolutionary, but highly effective means of presentation creates a confidence in gaining results you simply lack when suing a standard resume We train you in the skills to conduct the process of a job search throughout the process and ending in your first day with your new employer. But, if you do not choose us, find someone that can teach you these skills. You will never regret it and it will change your odds dramatically and positively impact those to whom you present your credentials.
Career Talk Guys are not resume writers. We have 50 years of combined experience of learning what employers seek in a qualified candidate. We are masters at conducting skilled research into new opportunities. Our experience is unmatched at the creation of interviews. We know what it takes to prepare the professional and employer to meet and achieve mutual success. Now, we are making those skills and techniques available to anyone who is tired of a lack of results applying the old school, worn-out practices centering on a resume.
We changed the process for your success.
When those two questions are asked, the results are always the same. A fair number will raise their hand in response to the first question. A few or less will raise their hand to the second. Isn’t that odd in this day and age when you can find truckloads of information about that special resume, or advice from experts, all claiming your resume will be special, unique to you?
Resumes have been around for decades. Resumes are the accepted and habitual standard for presenting your credentials in a potential employment situation. Everybody uses them. Everybody is continually trying to find the best one that will get the attention they want from a potential employer.
There is a complete industry of those who believe they are experts in writing resumes, and they probably are experts in that traditional format. At the same time, they simply take the same information you had on your previous resume and rearrange it in another format. They may change some wording to make it read better or make suggestions about how to express your experience better. Some may go as far as to replace the standard format with one built on action terms or vague suggestions. The bottom line is it is still the same, a resume. It does not express your qualifications in a different light that a hiring manager would sit up and take notice.
The problem is a two way street. Hiring managers and HR professionals would love to see something that would make their task easier. For decades we have heard a continual cry of dissatisfaction with “resumes”. To review mountains of resumes that very quickly all start to look alike is not advantageous to anyone. You and all other job seekers get frustrated with the lack of response and the negative responses received. The prospective employers get frustrated, because the start to believe there is no well qualified individual that will solve their problem.
When an interview is obtained, it is difficult for those conducting the interview to look carefully at the resume and ask effective questions. Too many times the questions asked can be answered by the resume had the interviewer read it. Time may have been a factor, but the information may have been a factor as well. The information did not tell them anything different than the prior resume.
How do you change this? Can it be changed? It would appear that decades of use have cemented resumes to be the credential presentation tool forever. It has conditioned job seekers and prospective employers both into expecting a resume, in the expected format, with the expected information. And, no one is really excited about any of it.
There are a couple of factors that can show the resume trap can be changed and a welcome change it is!
The first factor is that job seekers want to send their resume to anything that remotely looks like a potential job for them. They know very little real facts about the position other than what a job posting explains or what a job description reveals. Ask yourself the question; “How can a hiring manager get anything concrete out of a generic resume that is sent for any job?” Sure, you can tailor to the position description as some would advise you. However, it is still only a resume for any job no matter what anyone tries to claim. You know that to be true, because you get the same results, little or no response.
This leads to the question of how do you change that situation? Before we answer that, consider the potential employer.
The second factor is the employer’s perspective. The hiring manager is expected to ferret out of a sea of sameness the one or two that meet the multi-dimensions of their unique position. Every position is different from every other regardless that the title may be the same and the job description is very similar. The challenges are different and the culture is different among other factors. How can a hiring manager know anything about a candidate, if all they see is a resume based on a one dimensional description? This one dimensional resume causes a lack of response. If there is a response it may be an unproductive (dreaded by everyone) telephone interview.
How do you resolve this situation? It has to happen like this:
The job seeker needs to know to what industry and companies are they best suited and therefore should contact.
Skilled research is required to learn and understand what might be a fit.
Effectively executed contact with companies and associations is necessary to learn important information that focuses your search.
Developing a presentation format of your credentials that matches a company’s needs for the position you want.
Finally, you now stand out among others in the industry where you will be best recognized for your talents and accomplishments.
There is a great deal more to this, but to be very elaborate would take volumes of pages.
What this type of strategy does is change the process completely. It puts you in charge. It empowers you to present what the prospective employer wants (provided you match, and your research will tell you that).
Career Talk Guys have decades of success helping candidates master this process and get the job they want. This process places you in the position the obtain job you want With the employer who most values your abilities to contribute.
We teach people the skills to present their professional abilities in the manner the hiring manager desperately wants to see. This revolutionary, but highly effective means of presentation creates a confidence in gaining results you simply lack when suing a standard resume We train you in the skills to conduct the process of a job search throughout the process and ending in your first day with your new employer. But, if you do not choose us, find someone that can teach you these skills. You will never regret it and it will change your odds dramatically and positively impact those to whom you present your credentials.
Career Talk Guys are not resume writers. We have 50 years of combined experience of learning what employers seek in a qualified candidate. We are masters at conducting skilled research into new opportunities. Our experience is unmatched at the creation of interviews. We know what it takes to prepare the professional and employer to meet and achieve mutual success. Now, we are making those skills and techniques available to anyone who is tired of a lack of results applying the old school, worn-out practices centering on a resume.
We changed the process for your success.
Monday, February 15, 2010
Special Announcement
Doug Beabout and Kevin Sutton have a combined experience of over 50 years as talent acquisition consultants. We have helped hundreds of companies solve problems and thousands of candidates advance their careers.
Our most recent efforts have been to help anyone who is seeking their next opportunity. We developed skill-based training to teach job seekers the same skills we have used so successfully for them to achieve the success they want. Our training is created from real world, current success in this tough economy.
Recently a highly respected company also with many decades of years in training of various types has been using the words, Career Track, for a long time. They have requested that we choose another name for our company even though Career Track Experts is not their name.
One of our principals has always been to conduct our business with the highest level of honor and integrity. Remaining consistent with those values, we want to distance ourselves from anything that can be misinterpreted as inappropriate. Therefore, we are changing the name of our company to Career Talk Guys. We can be found now at www.careertalkguys.com.
For a short time, if someone uses www.careertrackexperts.com they will be redirected to www.CareerTalkGuys.com.
Our site addresses and career resource sites are:
Website www.careertalkguys.com
LinkedIn www.tinyurl.com/careertalkguys
Twitter www.twitter.com/CTGtweet
Google Group www.googlegroup.com/group/careertalkguys
Blog www.careertalkguys.blogspot.com
Ezine articles http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Kevin_R_Sutton for Kevin
http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Douglas_Beabout for Doug
We hope this has not caused any inconvenience to you. We appreciate your interest and your participation in our webinars. We look forward to continuing to help all those seeking a new job for the very long term with www.CareerTalkGuys.com.
Sincerely,
Doug Beabout & Kevin Sutton
Principal Partners
www.CareerTalkGuys.com
Our most recent efforts have been to help anyone who is seeking their next opportunity. We developed skill-based training to teach job seekers the same skills we have used so successfully for them to achieve the success they want. Our training is created from real world, current success in this tough economy.
Recently a highly respected company also with many decades of years in training of various types has been using the words, Career Track, for a long time. They have requested that we choose another name for our company even though Career Track Experts is not their name.
One of our principals has always been to conduct our business with the highest level of honor and integrity. Remaining consistent with those values, we want to distance ourselves from anything that can be misinterpreted as inappropriate. Therefore, we are changing the name of our company to Career Talk Guys. We can be found now at www.careertalkguys.com.
For a short time, if someone uses www.careertrackexperts.com they will be redirected to www.CareerTalkGuys.com.
Our site addresses and career resource sites are:
Website www.careertalkguys.com
LinkedIn www.tinyurl.com/careertalkguys
Twitter www.twitter.com/CTGtweet
Google Group www.googlegroup.com/group/careertalkguys
Blog www.careertalkguys.blogspot.com
Ezine articles http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Kevin_R_Sutton for Kevin
http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Douglas_Beabout for Doug
We hope this has not caused any inconvenience to you. We appreciate your interest and your participation in our webinars. We look forward to continuing to help all those seeking a new job for the very long term with www.CareerTalkGuys.com.
Sincerely,
Doug Beabout & Kevin Sutton
Principal Partners
www.CareerTalkGuys.com
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