Resumé Remedies

Let's assume you have read my book, Hired!, and you have followed the Four-Step process I describe there. That means

1. You have identified the skills or knowledge you have to offer a potential employer
2. You have identified the companies you want to contact, who will benefit from hiring you
3. You have made a first contact with one or more of these candidate companies

And now it is time to move to Step Four: Get to Know Each Other.

Getting to know each other means having a meaningful, planned interaction with a view of a possible job relationship. This interaction is normally a formal interview, but the interview is usually preceded by a presentation of your job qualifications in a written resumé. And the resumé is one of the major tollgates that can scuttle your job search in a digital heartbeat.  Here are some of the resumé factors I discuss in Hired! about making your resumé presentable and readable.

Fonts

One font is sufficient, and don't use more than two fonts in your resumé. Make sure these fonts are complementary. Serif fonts like Georgia or Palatino Linotype are easier to read and look better on a computer screen than a non-serif font like Arial or Verdana. I admonish you not to use Times New Roman. It may be the default font in Microsoft Word, but Times New Roman is not the best font for on-screen display. Keep your font size at 10 or 12 point. You may have great eyesight, but going smaller than 10 point will make your printed resumé difficult to read for a visually challenged reader. Going larger than 12 point will simply convey the impression that you are trying to be cute or fill empty space.

File Format

You may use Microsoft Word, but not everyone does. If you submit a resumé via an e-mail attachment the safest format is one that is available on all the major computer operating environments of Windows, Macintosh, and Linux. The best cross-platform file format is Adobe PDF (Portable Document Format). You can buy a program to convert your resumé to PDF format. Your computer or word processor may already provide a way to output the PDF format. If not, you can search the Internet for free conversion programs compatible with your operating environment.

Plain Text Version

You may need to submit your resumé directly in an email rather than in an attached PDF file. Or you may need to paste your resumé into an input field on a company's Careers web page. The latter situation will probably strip out all your resumé formatting, and the former scenario may result in a plain-text delivery to the recipient e-mail address which also means your formatting will be removed. So, to assure that your resumé layout still looks good, prepare a plain-text version of your resumé. On Windows you can start by pasting your resumé into Notepad! You will lose bold text, and all words will be in the same font. Insert blank lines to offset headings, change the width of your Notepad window and make sure the word-wrap does not result in distortions of the layout. When you get it the way you want it, Save it so you will have it ready when needed.

Naming Your Resumé

HR people have told me that a common resumé submittal mistake is that the candidate submits a file titled "Resume.docx." How is an HR person, or a hiring manager, going to find your resume with a generic name like that?  Put your full name in the name of your resumé file: "Resume of Gary K. Evans.docx."

Your E-mail Address

The last major mistake people make is to submit their resumé by e-mail from a totally non-professional address. Get an innocuous e-mail address from which you will send your electronic resumés. An address of "tootiredtopayattention@hotmail.com" will be an instant turn-off, as will "UFGatorman@yahoo.com." Use an e-mail address with your real name, and don't make it cute. You are looking for a professional position, not rushing a fraternity or sorority.

Defeating Discouragement

I have been inactive for a few weeks. Four weeks ago I broke 4 bones in my face playing soccer (but the striker did not score!). During my recovery I admit I have had some moments of discouragement. I am not healing as quickly as I wish. I am totally inactive and feel like a slug. I know I will be back on the field eventually, but as I reflected on my own discouragement I thought of how many job seekers are now discouraged to the point of just giving up.

Last Friday the March 2013 U.S. employment figures were released and they are dismal. What struck me profoundly in these statistics is the number of people who have just stopped looking for a job. And, in case you are not aware, if you are not looking you are not counted as unemployed. Think of that: if all 23 million unemployed and underemployed just stopped looking the unemployment rate would fall to zero! And the government would claim total vindication of its policies. Well, as it has been said, there are lies, damn lies, and statistics.

Discouragement is erosive. It feeds upon itself. It becomes the focus of your mind...until you decide to focus on the POSSIBLE.

Is it possible that your difficulty stems from looking in the same, wrong place over and over? Is it possible that you are appealing to the wrong gate-keeper?

What I am referring to is Human Resources (HR). One of the main themes in my book, Hired!, is how and why to avoid HR at all costs. Let me explain why.

First, the role of HR is not to find a job for you. The central function of HR is to assure corporate alignment and compliance with Federal, State and other regulatory requirements regarding their current employees.

Second, the other role of HR is to eliminate you as a job applicant. When I was a hiring manager my own experience with corporate HR was occassionally adversarial, and too often confrontational. They would not bring me candidates with the skills I needed, and sometimes fought me tooth-and-nail when I wanted an offer made to a candidate.

Third, when you follow the conventional approach of filling out a web application form or paper form, that application is fielded first by HR. In the case of web applications there is now usually a digital tool that scans your application for keywords, and HR people have fallen into looking just for keyword matches rather than actually reading your application, which takes too much time for them to do. And, when you consider that in today's job market a company may receive fifty to a hundred applications or resumes in a single day, you can appreciate why they would cut every corner they can.

Last, when you follow the conventional approach you are joining dozens or hundreds of other persons following the same approach of appealing to a nameless, faceless entity you cannot contact until they contact you - if they ever do. You stand a very good chance of being lost in the crowd.

Is it possible that this is the situation which is causing you discouragement?

Your only options are a) stop looking entirely, which I certainly do not recommend, or b) pursue a different path, a new path of possibilities. I do not have space to go into detail about these other paths in this blog entry, but here are some ideas to consider:

1. Start your own contract business. I discuss how to go about this at the end of Hired!

2. Contact every temporary agency in your area. Pursue temporary opportunities in the area you have been working, and in other related areas so you can broaden your job history and prepare yourself for new job opportunities.

3. Personally seek out hiring managers in companies you would like to work for, and let them bring in their HR after the manager has first talked to you. This can be as simple as walking into a retail business and asking to speak with a department manager, or it can be as involved as asking for referrals from business contacts in your life. I found a client by asking my dentist if he had any patients running financial or medical businesses. He gave me a name and number, I called and said I was referred by Dr. Jones, and that conversation led to another that led to an engagement.

4. Read all of your local business magazines. Look for the names of "People on the Move" and call them. Tell them you saw the announcement of their promotion on the magazine. They will be flattered. After all these magazines are really "vanity" publications. People call the magazine to put these announcement into the publication just for the purpose of marketing their promotion, award, or accomplishment.

5. Follow TV, radio, newspapers, and magazines to get names of anyone who is already employed in a decision-making capacity in any business or industry you want to work in. Call them. Call the company's main number and ask the receptionist to connect you with them. If you get a voicemail announcement do not leave a message, and if you are really lucky the person's voicemail will give you their direct extension so you can bypass the receptionist on the next attempt. In Hired! I give examples of how to introduce yourself in 10 seconds. I did this for years in my business. It really is not difficult to get past the initial anxiety!

There are so many ways to do job search differently than you might be thinking. Is it possible for you to stretch a bit and try something totally new? Of course it is. Think about it, write down a little plan, and get started. If you mess up the first few calls that is part of learning. But you won't get any learning until you start!