Downloaded 10 times
More Related Content
Resume & Interview TRAINING
- 1.
- 2. TODAY’S AGENDA: Top Trendsin the recruitment & job placement industry The process of applying for jobs Selling yourself beyond your resume Keys to an effective resume Keys to interviewing
- 3. TRENDS 74 percent offull-time workers are either open to hearing about or are looking for new opportunities. (Careerbuilder.com) One third of Americans are freelancers (17 million people), contractors and consultants right now and there will be more of them than full-time employees in six years. (danschawbel.com/blog) 18% of boomers will retire within five years and 68% of HR professionals say that boomers retiring will have a major impact on the workforce….succession planning will be key & new opportunities will be created for younger generations who are more loyal to their companies. (danschawbel.com/blog) Today people have about eleven jobs between the ages of 18 and 34. 94% of employers are using social networks for recruiting (Jobvite.com) 80% of jobs are not posted on average job sites
- 4. THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS •Don’tapply for every job that is out there! •Stop before you hit APPLY! •How does this job relate to my experience? •What does this company do? What is their culture? •Do I know anyone at the company? •Does my resume reflect what they are looking for in the posting?
- 5. SELLING YOURSELF BEYONDYOUR RESUME •Build your network! •Online – google, facebook, linkedin •Locally – networking events, meetup.com, job fairs •Think outside of the box! •Where can I meet people? •Who do I know that works at good companies in the area? •What about outside the area?
- 6.
- 7. CREATING YOUR USP! Your“Unique Selling Proposition!” How do your unique skills tie to the results of the company! •"Under my leadership, turnover in my department was the lowest in three years, which solved a major challenge for the company—and helped boost profits by an estimated X%. ("Turnover" is the melted chocolate.) •"You'll find from my references that I closed every deal in record time." ("Delivered in 30 minutes.") •"I was able to increase staff by 10%, but also trim extraneous costs that offset the expense. (A double-win proposition.)
- 8. YOUR VALUE PROPOSITION Creatingyour own personal value propositionis one of the most effective ways to get hired. It works because it: •Sets you apart from the competition •Uses persuasion and sales techniques by focusing on the benefits you offer an employer •Clarifies and deepens your understanding of the recruiting equation – what employers want and what you have to offer
- 9. YOUR VALUE PROPOSITION Askyourself: How will Company ABC benefit financially by hiring you? What experience can you offer that may provide value to Company ABC? What additional skills do you have that set you apart from the other candidates?
- 10. WRITING AN EFFECTIVERESUME Key Tips (Julie Shifman, Act Three: Create the Life you Want) Streamline it for the “20-second look” Make your resume “robot” friendly Hybrid/Combination format vs. Chronological format Match your resume to the job List your volunteering experiences, especially if you had an authority role Ensure your Linked In resume is great and complete!
- 11. WRITING AN EFFECTIVERESUME Things to omit: (Lisa Johnson Mandell, Career Comeback) College/High School Graduation Date Career Objective Outdated Technical Skills Anything that would lengthen it beyond 2 pages Buzzwords Type smaller than 10 points
- 12. WRITING AN EFFECTIVERESUME Things to omit: (Lisa Johnson Mandell, Career Comeback) Contact information, at the top Career summary, at the top w/bullets Key words that relate to the job Employment history Professional skills, especially technical skills Education and certifications Interest, activities and professional memberships
- 13. YAY! YOU HAVEAN INTERVIEW!!!!! •Phone Interview •In Person Interview •2nd Interview The # 1 Key to the Interview Process is: PREPARATION
- 14. INTERVIEW TIPS •Behavioral BasedInterviews •Practice • Write it down • Say it out loud • Roll play with someone! •Remember it is as much about them as it is about you! •Come prepared with: • Extra copies of your resume • Samples of your work • Questions • A list of references
- 15. TOP INTERVIEW QUESTIONS Whatcircumstance brings you here today? How would your best friend describe you? What would you say are your 2 greatest weaknesses? How do you alleviate stress? What are your short and long term goals? What type of work environment do you prefer? What is your typical way of dealing with conflict? What tools or habits do you use to keep organized? Tell me about a time when you had to go above and beyond to get a job done. What was a major obstacle you were able to overcome in the past year? In what ways do you raise the bar for yourself and others around you? Tell me about two memorable projects, one success and one failure. To what do you attribute the success and failure? What unique experience or qualifications separate you from other candidates? Where do you see yourself in five years?
- 16. CLOSING THE INTERVIEW •Leaveyour interviewer with the right picture of you. Think of at least five skills or traits you want remembered after the interview. •Ask if there is anything else you can provide, such as references, background information or work samples. •State your interest in the position. Don't be overly anxious, but act interested. Remember to mention the added value you can bring to the job. •Ask about the next step in the process. It's important for you to know the next step so you can follow up. Ask for the decision date. •Find out how to contact them. If you don't hear back, you will need to know who to contact and whether they will accept calls to check the status.
- 17. FOLLOWING UP • Agood old fashion THANK YOU Note! •Connect with the interviewer via linked in? •Remember, if it is appropriate and not stalking like! •Stay connected, but not pushy!
- 18. KEY TO PICKINGTHE RIGHT REFERENCES(WWW.QUINTISENTIALCAREERS.COM) • Don’t use Generic Letters •Never list names of references on your resume •Think strategically about reference choices •Consider different categories of references •KEY!!!! Get permission to use someone as a reference •Have all the details for each reference •Keep your references informed •Be sure to thank your references!
- 19. YOUR NEXT STEPS! CleanUp and Beef Up your Online Profiles Put some networking opportunities on your calendar Write Your Value Proposition Letter Review and write your resume Start preparing for your interview Contact Me for Help!
Editor's Notes
- #3 85 % of recruiters are checking online profiles
- #5 Don’t apply for every job that is out there!
- #7 Currently has over 300 million users Step 1: Explain your unique skill set quickly and clearly right at the beginning Where have you built up the most professional experience? In what area does your expertise lie? What can you do exceptionally well? These questions help you to figure out your unique offering to a company. It’s extremely important that you understand exactly what makes you the best employee for whatever type of position you want. Being able to clearly express this is what will attract an employer or recruiter. Step 2: Make the most of the 2,000 character limit by using strong verbs and quantifiable evidence First, we should address what’s meant by “strong” verbs. Strong verbs are action verbs, or dynamic verbs. They detail action(s) taken. The following are examples: organize instruct plan sell create Step 3: Make your background summary easy to read LinkedIn allows you to use up to 2,000 characters to showcase your professional self. Use all 2,000 characters, but make it easy to read. You do that by breaking up long paragraphs and using short sentences. Step 4: Finish with a specific request This is the final step to enhancing the most important section of your professional profile. This is where you get to tell readers what you want from them. Write your background summary as if the reader is the boss at a company where you’ve always wanted to work. Right at the end, make your closing statement(s) a command. This is commonly known as a “call-to-action.” Here is an example: “If your office is missing a friendly but firm receptionist to handle the busy flow of traffic, email me today at email@address.com.”
- #8 How do you develop a USP? Think of yourself as a product and employers as the buyers of your tool kit or skills set. A USP conveys how your unique skills set is of value to the hiring manager. There's always a way to tie your unique skills to results. Your abilities may translate into a more streamlined or technologically advanced approach to the job at hand—or more directly, to profits or reduced costs. famous unique selling propositions Rosser Reeves, a pioneer in TV advertising in the 1950s, developed the term USP. He believed that ads must make a proposition (such as "Buy this and you'll get these benefits"). The proposition must be unique and the promise must be desirable enough to sell. Consider the following classic USP ad slogans. 1. M&M's: "Melts in your mouth, not in your hand." 2. Domino's Pizza (DPZ): "Hot, fresh pizza delivered in 30 minutes or less, guaranteed." 3. Colgate toothpaste (CL): "It cleans your breath while it cleans your teeth." I have heard countless stories of candidates who, via a USP, presented such articulate arguments for their potential contributions that companies altered the job positions to better fit their backgrounds. Tying your USP to the job at hand requires an ultra-careful reading of the job description—and some rereading for nuances. In each sentence, there's an opportunity to reflect on every project you've handled in that arena. For example, if a job advertisement in your field requires "strong analytical skills," and you excel at sifting through complex research, highlight that ability as part of your USP, citing various projects. (This exercise can also be handy because after you've read an ad several times, you may find that a position isn't for you, saving significant time and energy.) Also consider what the prospective employer presents to the general public. If, for example, the company's advertising tag line is about excellence in serving customers, you can align your specific customer service expertise with that broad mission. Via social media and blogs, you can find ways to determine what's important to a department or company. Do all the research you can on the Web, and then go live and personal with people you feel would make good sources for you. Assuming that you're a good fit for the job, all you need is your USP and the company's core wish list. Sync them up, and your pitch will be memorable to hiring managers. No balloons or candy required.
- #11 1. Streamline it for “the 20-second look.” These days, hiring managers (or the résumé-reading computer programs they use, known as Applicant Tracking Systems) generally spend no more than 20 seconds scanning the average application. So you’ll want to keep your résumé shorter than one and a half pages. Employers are looking for quick clues about whether you can offer what they need. Save space by leaving off the “Objective” section. Why would an employer care what your objectives are? It’s all about the employer’s objectives. “You need to highlight the skills and accomplishments that are most relevant to the employer,” says career coach Carole Haper, who works with me at Act Three. Use the top part of your résumé to summarize the strengths that are most applicable to the job. 2. Make your résumé robot-friendly. It’s essential to make your résumé readable by Applicant Tracking Systems, since so many employers use them to initially weed out job applicants. You'll want to pepper the résumé with keywords that were in the job posting. A résumé is scored for relevancy and the robot looks for words that match the employer's search terms. Avoid anything that could confuse these programs, like abbreviations. Be certain, too, that your résumé has no misspellings, especially in the keywords from the job ad. Also, upload your résumé as a PDF when applying online, rather than cutting and pasting it into an email. This will avoid the employer’s computer program being unable to read it because of your fonts. 3. Go with a hybrid format, not a chronological one. Traditionally, hiring managers have preferred chronological résumés, which list employment positions by dates, starting with the most recent one. But for the 50+ applicant, if done cleverly, a hybrid résumé can avoid attention to employment gaps and decades-ago dates. With a hybrid format, you briefly summarize your professional history, highlight your skills and accomplishments, then note your most relevant work history at the end of the résumé. Workbloom.com, a career resources site, has an excellent example of a hybrid résumé. “Since hybrid résumés are accomplishment-focused, they showcase your capabilities and provide you with a structure that highlights your most relevant skills and accomplishments, while drawing emphasis away from the chronology section,” Haper says. 4. Match your résumé to the particular job. This means some extra work for you. Don’t try getting away with writing a one-size-fits-all résumé that you’ll send out for every potential job. Instead, alter your résumé for the particular position and highlight your accomplishments to portray yourself as the ideal candidate for the specific job you’re seeking. Also, double-check that your résumé emphasizes the particular skills and strengths that make you the perfect applicant for this precise opportunity. 5. List your volunteering experiences, especially if you had roles with authority. “If you’ve held a leadership position within a volunteer organization, include this in the professional experience section of your résumé,” Haper says. “The skills you learned volunteering are as valuable as ones you picked up during paid employment. Consequently, there’s no need to distinguish between paid and unpaid work-related skills on your résumé.” Volunteer experience also gives you an opportunity to show your ability to work with different kinds of people, including ones of different ages. If you’ve volunteered as a mentor, include this on your résumé. One more tip: Create a great LinkedIn résumé online. Some employers now ignore traditional résumés and instead review candidates’ profiles on the social media website for business networking, LinkedIn. “If you don’t have a LinkedIn profile, you’re not in today’s world,” Bugg says. (Read the Next Avenue article on how to create a great LinkedIn profile.) A LinkedIn profile shows potential employers that you’re tech savvy and keeping up with social media. If the hiring manager Googles you, your LinkedIn profile will be one of the first things to show up in the search results.
- #13 Contact information, right at the top That means your name, phone number, email address and, if you have a website or blog, its URL. Leave out your street address. (If it’s too posh, you might be perceived as not needing the job; if it's too far away, a long commute might make you less desirable.) By the way, if you’ve been using the same email address forever and it’s a cutesy one that doesn’t include your real name, get a new one that does and use it for your job search. You can get a free Gmail address by going to Google’s site. Career summary This is a list of your best accomplishments and should be featured, with bullets, right under your contact information. It should not be a big block of type in a paragraph format. (MORE: Job-Hunters: Here’s How You Can Stand Out From the Pack) Key words Take a look at the job descriptions of the positions that interest you and note the skills and phrases in their postings. Sprinkle those key words liberally throughout your resumé, but don’t overuse any of them. If the employer's computer scans your resumé and doesn’t see the words or phrases it’s programmed to look for, you’ll end up in the discard pile. Employment history When describing previous duties, make sure you point out accomplishments and achievements — the more specific, the better. For instance, you might say you increased sales by 30 percent or successfully launched three product lines. Accomplishments and achievements are where applicants over age 40 shine; you probably have more of them than your younger competition. A list of professional skills, especially technological ones Include them within your job descriptions if you’re running up against the two-p age limit. Education List any degrees and honors, plus work-related courses you’ve taken. If you took classes many years ago, leave off the dates. Interests, activities and professional memberships These set you apart. If you are a volunteer at a nonprofit or belong to a trade group, say so. List any interests or hobbies that could make you a more valuable employee or show that you’re energetic (to counter an employer’s perception that older workers are lethargic). One Final Resumé Tip You should also avoid the No. 1 mistake people make when submitting resumés by email or online: Titling their Word document simply “Resume.doc.” Doing so will make it virtually impossible for an employer to distinguish yours from ones sent in by other applicants. In fact, many employers ignore all submissions simply slugged “Resumé.”