While most people think of resumes as employment histories, today’s resumes are marketing tools designed to sell you (the product) to a potential employer (the buyer).

They are not boring lists of responsibilities. They are a place to document everything you do on a day-to-day basis.  They don’t include every job you’ve ever had or every single thing you’ve done during your career.

That style of resume is sometimes called a “Tombstone” resume because it focuses on the past, not the future.

To be effective, your resume needs to highlight the skills and achievements that make you valuable to potential employers.

What Future-Focused Means

The days of getting a job based on your experience or job title alone as long gone. You may think managing a $MM budget or having executives reporting to you is impressive. But, on it’s own, it’s not.

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The biggest mistake you can make with a virtual interview is not taking it seriously. In the past, phone interviews were used primarily for screening. A recruiter or human resources associate called potential candidates to get basic information: are they still looking, do they meet the essential qualifications, do their salary requirements fall in the employer’s range, etc.

They also screened for basic communication skills. Can this person carry on a conversation?

If the candidate passes the initial screening they were invited in for an interview.

Virtual interviews, even for local candidates, was becoming more common when I was a recruiter almost 10 years ago. When COVID hit virtual interviews became the only option.

And it looks like virtual interviews are here to stay.

Interviews 2022

Today, candidates will likely have have several virtual interviews before being invited for an in-person discussion.   

• A screening interview – with a recruiter or HR associate
• A longer interview with senior HR personnel
• A phone or Skype interview with the hiring manager’s assistant or someone else on the team
• A phone or Skype interview with the hiring manager

While these steps are a generalization, the point is that you should expect to have 2 to 3 video or phone interviews before meeting anyone in person.

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Welcome to 2022

Yes, the last two years have been challenging to say the least. But the job market improved in 2021, and 2022 is expected to be even better.

Now that the holidays are behind us, it’s time to kick start your 2022 job search.

Not tomorrow.

TODAY!

Get Your Resume Recruiter Ready

Yes, the economy has made a comeback. There are more jobs out there. That’s great news if you’re looking for a job.

The bad news is people who have been hunkering down, staying in jobs they didn’t like for the past 2 years are now actively looking. So, the pool of candidates is more significant.

Make sure your resume is recruiter and employer ready. That means creating a resume that highlights your achievements.

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Despite our seemingly 24/7 business culture, most job seekers think you can’t find a job during the holiday season. Even looking for work from Thanksgiving to January 1st is widely considered a waste of time.

This is a big holiday myth.

HUGE.

I say that from personal experience.

In 2006, when I was still working in corporate, my phone rang just as I arrived home from our company’s holiday party. Although I had applied for a few positions, I was shocked to find that someone from HR at one of them was calling to conduct a screening interview.

The conversation went well and a few days later someone else called to set up a face-to-face interview with the hiring manager. The interview was scheduled during the week between Christmas and New Year’s.

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The Great Resignation and an improving economy, which has turned passive lookers into active jobseekers, have increased competition for open positions. That means, if you want to find a new job, you may have to work harder than you have in a decade.

Sitting at your computer responding to ads won’t cut it. You need a multipronged job search plan.

These 7 job search strategies work if you work them.

#1 Make a list of target employers, companies where you would most like to work. See who you may be able to connect with at those businesses by sharing your list with friends, family, and former colleagues.

#2 Check the career sections of your target employers for open positions. According to Glassdoor for Employers, ads on job boards get an average of 250 applications, cited in Inc.  So it’s likely you’ll have less competition when applying directly through the company’s website.

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All career professionals, particularly resume writers like me, say that you need to focus on your achievements. The best way to stand out from your competition is to demonstrate your value to employers. That’s true.

But even the most compelling resume won’t get you far if it’s not compatible with ATS (applicant tracking software system). Because important content, like your name and email address, may not be seen by recruiters and employers.

ATS Don’ts

While ATS systems are getting smarter all the time, and some are better at reading documents than others, your resume should be formatted to be read by most of them. Here are a few things to avoid.

Headers and Footers

Many ATS systems don’t read heads and footers, yet I still see resumes with the person’s name and contact information in the header. Headers are a suitable place to put your name and the page number. Footers on the second page are an excellent place to put your name and contact information if the printed pages are somehow separated.

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You never know when you’ll find yourself unexpectedly out of work. It’s happened to me more than once.

I had a variety of full-time jobs while earning my BA. I’ll never forget the day I lost the job that paid all my bills, including rent. Since I was the company’s bookkeeper, I knew the business was struggling.,

But when they gathered the staff and told us they were closing the next day, I was stunned. Each of us would receive a few days of pay.

I quickly landed a restaurant gig, but other employees, some married with kids, weren’t so lucky.

The average severance is 1 or 2 weeks for each year worked. If you’ve been there for 5 years that’s 5 to 10 weeks.

In September, however, 34.5% of the unemployed had been out of work for 27 weeks or more, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Situation.

While you can’t predict the future, you can take steps to shorten your job search if you do find yourself suddenly unemployed.

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LinkedIn is your face to the business world. It’s often the place recruiters looking for candidates will meet you. It’s the place recruiters and employers who are impressed with your resume will go to learn more about you. While LinkedIn is considered a business platform, it’s important to remember that it’s also a social network. Like many things, you’ll get as much out of LinkedIn as you put into it.

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Over the years I’ve looked at a lot of resumes. Some are dreadful. Those that are not as bad need work to get a recruiter’s attention. Particularly, once you reach the executive level.

Common Resume Mistakes

While the resumes are lacking in different ways, they all have some combination of the same problems.

Weak Content

Boring task-focused bullets (managed teams, developed new markets, etc.) or tons of metrics (reached 110% of quota, generated $8M revenue) with no story.

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Differentiating yourself from other candidates with similar backgrounds is essential in today’s job market. One way to do that is by creating a portfolio.

Portfolios are not just for creative folks. Wherever your field or industry, a career portfolio can help set you apart.

If you haven’t heard the term, a career portfolio is used to showcase your accomplishments, training, and experience. Your current career level and target position will help determine the contents.

Certainly, if you’re in a creative field, you want to have samples of your work. If you’re an executive a summary of ventures you designed, implemented, and led might prove valuable. Copies of articles and/or white papers you’ve authored can be a good addition too.

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