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Recruitment Strategy Development Approach

Sunday, June 28, 2009

Recruiterguy believes that many companies do not understand how to approach developing a recruitment strategy. The Human Resource Department is pulled in many directions and formal recruitment strategy development can be pushed back until it’s too late. Then the decision is made to “do the same thing we did last year.” This is a very costly way of recruiting because recruiting is a very fluid dynamic, unlike benefits or compensation where you may have black and white contracts or ranges.

In addition to cost, why is developing an effective recruiting strategy important?

What is a business’ most important resource? Many times I have heard intellectual property or capital as the response to that question. Those resources certainly are important. Who controls or develops those resources? Who meets or interfaces with your clients? Who manages your capital? Who sets the marketing direction? Who develops new intellectual properties to keep you ahead of your competition? Who manages the people? People. Shouldn’t the attraction and retention of people who can make positive, measurable impacts be a priority? If it is a priority, shouldn’t there be a formal plan to attract them? This is one of those quiet fundamentals that determine whether your company will be wildly successful or another company that will simply run its course.

What is the first step? How do we develop a budget? How do we decide what resources to use? The purpose of this blog is to get you started. After this blog, we will not answer why develop a recruitment strategy any longer. We will focus on the work – and it is a lot of worthwhile work. In our last blog of the RecruiterGuy recruitment strategy development series of blogs, we will put it all together for the budget.

In developing a recruitment strategy, the first step is to take inventory. What is your culture? Do you like very creative people or very steady conservative people or someone in between? Will you agree that someone who is an Impact Performer in a very creative environment may be very frustrated in a very conservative environment? Of course they will. Therefore, in order for someone to be an impact performer in your business, everyone has to agree on your culture – or in a larger company, in that division or department.

What do you feel was crazy successful in your recruitment effort last year? What was not so successful? Why not? How did the economy affect your recruitment effort? Has it changed now? Is management the same or have you had a management change or “shake-up”? If so, how does the new management want to approach recruitment? Did you have a recruitment budget last year? If so, how did you do versus your budget? If you “blew your recruitment budget”, what did you learn from that experience? Did you track the sources of candidates you hired? What worked and what did not work? In the 1980’s, I once had a large company tell me that they were not going to use my contingent services any longer because I did not introduce enough candidates to them. However all five IT professionals that I introduced to them the prior year were hired by that manager. The manager was a little upset to find out that the Human Resource recruiter refused to work with me any longer. Not sure what metric they were using. Later they did come back as a client.

One way of approaching your sourcing strategy is to understand the levels of new positions that are in the budget for the next year. Begin at the higher level positions. Ask the CEO/CFO/COO if there are internal candidates who are being considered for those positions? If so, do they want to backfill the position the internal candidate is leaving? Work backwards until you finally reach the level where someone will be hired from the outside. Obviously you can’t tell the lower level managers that they will lose someone prior to the interviewing process. In seemingly casual conversations with them you can get a sense if they believe someone is prepared to move up. Just get them used to you asking those kinds of questions by doing so regularly. If you do that what other benefit do they gain? You are casually coaching them on succession planning. See how something simple may impact your recruitment strategy? If the C-level manager is seeking someone outside of the organization, do they have someone in mind? Do they have a method of sourcing that they prefer or are they leaving that up to you?

How is your employee retention? Do you have one or more managers who typically have more difficulty keeping employees than other managers? Do your executives understand the cost and social impacts of having to continually recruit for the same positions? What are you doing differently to improve retention? Are those costs included in your recruitment budget? In order for them to attract the needed attention, shouldn’t they be included in that budget?

Once you have a handle on these areas, it’s time to consider sourcing for the different levels. We will discuss the sourcing plan in our next blog on Monday, July 6, 2009.

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Why Develop a Recruitment Strategy?

Sunday, June 21, 2009

Recruiting is a Sales process. It is very dynamic. Recruiting today is driven by your competition, by technology (Facebook, Twitter, Internet Postings), and more importantly by the economy. Every 8 to 10 years our economy goes into an economic correction called a recession. You can plan for a recession if you watch the signs.

There is an interesting impact in this particular recession. Since 2003 different groups have been discussing the potential impact of the retirement of the Baby Boomer generation. There have been government studies on the retirement preparation by the members of the Baby Boomers and many news articles like this one http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2002185894_boomers21.html that discuss the impact of these mass retirements on businesses.

The good news for business is that they got a pass in 2008 and 2009 because the crash of the financial markets also crashed many 401(k) and pension funds to the point where people could not afford to retire on what was left. What do you think will happen when these funds recover? After experiencing the stress of working through this recession do you feel the Baby Boomers will remain in the workforce for a long period – or will they retire?

This is my generation. I talk with these people regularly both professionally and personally. You know recruiters are people magnets (or should be!). Trust me. Unless there is a compelling reason for them to remain in the workforce, i.e. they love what they do or need to pay off their children’s college loans; they will retire when they can enjoy retirement. We have seen our fathers pass away right after retirement without enjoying the fruits of their work.

As a business, how much time do you have to develop a recruitment strategy? My feeling is that you have until January 2010. Unless all of the government spending brings too much weight on business through additional taxes, my feeling is that we should be scratching and clawing our way out of the recession in 2010 – this recession just as every recession since World War II will run its course.

This series of blogs is a service to you to give you a blueprint to base your recruitment strategy. Every blueprint may be changed, and most probably are. However, you will have the tools to develop a recruitment strategy that best matches your company and culture. Developing a recruitment strategy takes time and diligence. The positive, measurable results are worth it.

Each blog will focus on a specific segment of the recruitment strategy. This will be fun for me to develop; and hopefully will be useful for you. RecruiterGuy will help you through this process!

Since I am currently consulting with a client, my blogs will be written on weekends. Look every Monday for the next installment.

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Recruitment Strategy Development Series of Blogs Beginning This Week!

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Since our last series was focused on job seeking candidates, it is time to create a series of RecruiterGuy.com blogs that focus on corporate Recruitment Strategy Development.

The economy is slowly, very slowly improving. Is your company prepared to begin recruiting again?

What will happen when the much ballyhooed retirement of the Baby Boomers begins to kick in again? Remember, this past year companies received a pass as the Baby Boomers could not afford to retire because their 401(k) tanked. Therefore a buildup of soon to be retirees is being created – and now they Really want out of the workforce!

The foundation of every recruiting program should be a plan. We will discuss elements of that plan in the series on Recruitment Strategy Development.

Look for our series to begin later this week.

Laid Off? The Art of Salary Negotiation

Sunday, May 24, 2009

One of the most painful aspects of a job search for most people is discussing compensation with the potential new employer. What are your services worth to a new company? Every company is different, even in the same industry.

In my first blog, I discussed taking stock of your skills. Later we discussed the importance of including your impacts in your resume and interview. Some people have told me that “I just did my job. I don’t have any impacts.”

If you “just did your job” of course you made impacts! Hopefully you did the best job that you could. For instance, let’s say you were a cashier. When you are finished with your shift, does your cash drawer balance every time? Isn’t that a positive, measurable impact? You can talk about being detail oriented and dependable, qualities that every hiring manager seeks. Wouldn’t it be cool to be able to say that “My cash drawer balanced every day for the past 4 years?” Even some modest “C” level candidates have made that comment during the distress immediately following a reduction in force. One place to look for your impacts is your old annual reviews.

Therefore it doesn’t matter whether you are an executive or a cashier. The complexity of the work is the difference between the jobs. Both levels of work are important to the successful company.

Let’s get back to discussing compensation conversations. First of all, Congratulations on receiving an offer!! As a candidate, it is important to understand the value that a company puts on a job. If you were contributing at a high level within a large company, you may be surprised how the value may change in a smaller company. In some smaller companies, your value may be valued substantially higher. Whereas in another company, they may feel that you were over compensated. It’s a minefield out there!!

Actually it’s not that bad. While many companies do not understand that “Recruiting IS Sales”, you may use that to your advantage. Most recruiters do not want to waste their time. If they ask you what you were making at a previous job, respond by asking “What is the compensation/salary/hourly range for this position?” Many times their response will save everyone time. Simply put – if the company does not value the work produced by this position you either have a wonderful opportunity to prove them wrong; or you may have a situation that will provide you with many frustrating days if your work is not valued.

For instance, a couple of weeks ago I received a call from a recruiting firm asking if I would be interested in a contract recruiting consulting assignment in Des Moines. I said “Sure.” Then I asked the hourly rate the client was willing to pay. She replied, “$17.50 per hour.” I chuckled and told her that I haven’t worked for so little since the 1970’s. Obviously they did not value recruiting very highly.

Hourly workers have less room for negotiation than higher compensated salary workers. A way for anyone to try to begin a salary negotiation is to ask “if there is any flexibility in the offer?” They may say, “Why do you ask?” If they do, they have cracked open the door for a discussion to increase the offer. Then you may mention some of your “wish I would have said comments” from your review of the interview. Then ask if they may be willing to increase the offer base or give a signing bonus. Sometimes companies are willing to give an extra week of vacation or increase the relocation package if that is required. Don’t expect a large increase in your base compensation. Generally they have extended an offer that is within a range in their budget or comparable to others in similar positions in their company.

If the person who is extending the offer says that it is their final offer, you have a decision to make. As a result of your interviews with them, do you feel they are going to promote you if you do a great job and make positive measurable impacts? If the answer is yes, and the offer is close to your requirements, then you may accept. If the answer to that question is no, then you should think hard about declining – but do so in a positive manner and ask that they get back to you if another position opens where you may be able to make impacts. As the RecruiterGuy, I have had several experiences where the company realized that a candidate turned out to be the right one, realized the offer was too low, and they later came back with a higher compensation package. That doesn’t happen often, but it does happen.

Negotiation is an art not a science. Most importantly, remember not to take the negotiations personally. While I realize that it is personal to you and your family, remember that essentially you are “selling” your services to the new company. Therefore this is a sales situation and objectivity is important. Don’t be afraid to walk away from an offer that is too low. It obviously is the wrong position for you. We spend too many hours working to be frustrated in our job. Again, if they do not value the position highly enough to pay your worth, you will be frustrated almost daily.

Please do not fall into the trap of asking “for a week to think about an offer” that you know you are going to accept. What do you gain by doing that? What do you lose? They may feel that you will accept but keep looking. That’s not a positive way to begin a working relationship. On the other hand, what happens when you accept that same offer immediately? You send a message to your future manager and company that you are excited about working with them. Isn’t that the way to begin your professional relationship?

Now I am going to touch on a sensitive subject. Even if you are religiously devout, it is best if you do not say that you are going to “pray on this offer”. If that is the case, hopefully you have been praying through the whole process. God probably has already indicated whether it is right for you. You just need to listen. The reason that I mention this topic is I received that response more than you would believe over the years. If you insist to respond in that fashion, the result may be that the company will find a way to rescind the offer because you concerned them that you may spend time proselytizing during work hours, not working. Just say, “I’m excited about your offer. May I get back to you tomorrow?” Keep it simple.

Once you accept your offer, honor your commitment. When an offer is accepted, a company stops all recruiting on that position. The manager is excited that you accepted and has probably already penciled you into some projects or scheduled you to work. If you change your mind, they have to begin recruiting from the beginning and that may put them months behind. Obviously, you should never expect to work with them in the future because your integrity is now called into question.

If you are employed, it is best to give two weeks’ notice. It is the expectation of your current employer. You never want to burn bridges. In another blog I will discuss the trap of counter offers.

Hopefully the information presented here helps you in your negotiations! Remember; use examples of your impacts at other companies and REMAIN POSITIVE! Good luck!

Laid Off? Effective Interviewing to Land Your Next Job

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

You have now had the opportunity to decide what job you wanted to target. You have set a goal that stated the job and when you will be working. You have developed your resume that can be tailored for each job that you are targeting. You have networked and spent a little time responding to Internet postings (no more than 10% of your search time). And now you have an interview scheduled!! At the time that the interview is scheduled, ask if the company can send you the application. It is far better to complete the application when you have the information handy – and you are not under the stress of the interview. Tell the truth on your application and in your interview.

RecruiterGuy coaches his clients (companies) that Recruiting Is Sales. Now RecruiterGuy is telling you (the candidates) that Recruiting Is Sales! It is important that you understand this concept while searching for a job. What are you selling? You are selling your skills and abilities! If you haven’t developed any skills over the years, why would someone want to hire you?

In my earlier blog, I suggested that you develop a skills inventory (those skills that you do well). Prior to an interview, take the time to look at the inventory. For every skill that is asterisked, develop a succinct story that relates a time when you successfully used that skill. Jot a few words down that will help you recall that example. Why relate a story to demonstrate the skill? There are two major reasons. The first reason is that hiring managers look for proof that you have a skill. Simply responding that you have a skill generally is not a successful effective interviewing technique. The second reason is that humans remember stories. This is important. When I was on a recruiting contract with a major telecommunications firm, the managers were interviewing 6 candidates per day. Many times they later referred to a candidate by “He/She was the candidate that told the story about…”

Research the company as you would if you were going to sell to them. What does their online marketing look like? What do their press releases say? If it is a public company, take a look at their financials. It is important to be an educated candidate. This research helps you develop better questions to ask the hiring manager. For instance, “On your website, I saw that your company is…How is that going to impact your group?” You can learn an awful lot about a company before you interview – Knowledge is Power. You may decide during your research before the interview that you do not want to interview for them. If that is the case, it is best to make that decision earlier than later – and call them to let them know. It’s okay. No point to waste people’s time.

Now it is the day of the interview. How do you prepare? Go through all of your notes and the job description. Review the company’s press releases to see if there is any late breaking news that is valuable to you. You may want to add or change one of your short stories. If you smoke, don’t. Nonsmokers can smell smoke on your breath and your clothes. Today, smoking can cost you a job offer. Like it or not, insurance research demonstrates that smokers are sick more often. You make your own decisions. If the job is an office or sales job, wear professional clothing – suit, tie, polished shoes. Women should wear conservative jewelry and cosmetics, if you decide to wear either. If it is an outside job, for instance construction, wear appropriate business casual clothing. You only have one chance to make a good first impression.

I worked a career fair once where a candidate told his friends that he was so good, he could even get a job offer if he walked around with a clown costume on. What a schmuck! He even dropped off his resume. No offers for him then – or probably later. His arrogance really stood out.

If you will be even 2 minutes late, call ahead and tell your connection (HR or the hiring manager). Where did that courtesy go? Everyone has a cell phone now!

When you walk in the office for your interview, treat everyone with respect. Period. I generally ask everyone to tell me if the candidate was not respectful. This is when you should be on your best behavior. Respect the receptionist and act professionally through your interviews.

Go back to the top of this blog and re-read it. That’s how important all of this information is to your success – and you haven’t even sat down in front of an interviewer yet!

Well here comes your first interviewer. Approach them with confidence, appropriate eye contact and a friendly smile. Give them a firm handshake – don’t break their fingers, just firm. Never give anyone a wet fish handshake! Yuck! It just says so many bad things about you – lack of confidence is among them. It used to surprise me when a woman gave me a firm handshake. Now women seem to be taught the importance of a firm handshake and do so more consistently than some men. Congratulations to them!

When you go into the office or conference room, wait until your interviewer indicates that you should take a seat before sitting. Once I had a manager candidate go behind the desk when we entered the office. I smiled and said, “I can see what side of the desk you are used to sitting.” He laughed and said “Oops!” He was fine. We offered the job and he accepted. Generally it is better that the interviewer gestures towards the seat.

When I present “The Secrets of a Successful Job Search”, I tell the audience that a good interview is like a racquetball game. The first questions are very easy – “Tell me a little about you.” Generally they ask this question while they are reading your resume (sometimes for the first time). Then they may ask a little about your most recent job. Now that you are warmed up, a skillful interviewer will begin the behavioral questions mixed in with the specific skill questions. You know you just had a great interview when you emerge from the interview sweating and smiling! Remember to ask good informed questions based on your notes and based on what the manager has told you. I once worked with a senior manager who laid out a situation in her interview. If the candidate did not ask a specific question, she would not extend an offer to them. You need to be an active listener. (She never shared with me the specific question). If you can focus on the hiring manager and their questions, it is a good idea to jot down some notes. These may help you develop questions. Remember if you do not understand how an organization is set up or why a company has a specific process or why something that you heard sounded off, ask the interviewer a question to clarify your thinking. That is more than okay, it is expected.

As you interview, you are measuring the company, the hiring manager, and the position in real time. Once both of you have completed your interview, generally you know your level of interest. This is a great time to tell the hiring manager that you are interested in the position because…”I feel… (Give them some solid reasons regarding the job duties, the manager’s management style, and/or the company’s culture)”. As you leave (if you are interested in the position), it is a good time to ask “Is there anything that would prevent you from offering this position to me?” Why do you ask that question? If you are interested in the job, that question will tell you if there is information that you need to explain either in a different way or be a little more detailed; and satisfy the hiring manager’s objection.

Once you get 15 to 20 minutes away from the interview, you will begin to remember aspects of the conversation that I refer to as the “Wish I Would Have Said’s”. Find a quiet place whether it is a fast food restaurant, a nice restaurant where you can order a soda, or even a library to sit down and make some notes about your conversation/conversations. This is an important exercise for a couple of reasons. One, most people just cannot prepare so completely for an interview to be prepared to give the best examples for each skill within the context of a new company. Two, if you do not write them down, RecruiterGuy guarantees that you will remember that you had “Wish I Would Have Said’s” but to save your life you can’t remember a single one. If you get a second interview with the company, this new information should be brought up. It can mean the difference between an offer or not. If there is no second interview, this information may be used for negotiation if a low offer is extended. We will cover that in the Salary Negotiation blog coming up.

Finally, do you Really want to separate yourself from the other candidates? Sit down and handwrite a personal thank you note to each person that you interviewed. Unfortunately today most people forget that “Common Courtesy” (I did get one in the mail recently. Thank you Leo C.!).

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Laid Off? Effective Networking to Your Next Position!

Friday, February 27, 2009

Are you tired of posting to the black holes on the Internet? You know them – tantalizing job titles and job postings where no one ever answers other than the automated thank you response.

RecruiterGuy says stand up and take control of your search! All too often candidates try the easy route to finding a job – simply get on the Internet and post their resume to dozens of companies at a time. Unfortunately after all of those postings you never received a call. Then frustration sets in and you find yourself complaining that it’s all a waste of time – and then you do it again tomorrow and the next day.

Please understand that Internet job postings are essentially automated newspaper ads. The beauty of the Internet from a company perspective is that instead of having to handle each resume that is mailed or faxed in, the Internet response never needs to be handled. That line should give you something to think about. Now you know why you never received a call.

There are some companies out there that are excellent recruiting machines. However in my experience, most companies are trying to recruit the same way they always had, without really learning that Recruiting Is Sales. Chances are most of them are the companies that you have not heard from. Isn’t amazing that you sometimes do not hear from companies even after you told them in your inquiry that you are a happy client? Recruiting Is Sales!

What is the most effective way to network for a new position?

The first step is to develop your “Here I am Speech”. This is also known as an elevator speech. It needs to come from your heart and give a quick snapshot of your background, your current situation and what you want to do next. It shouldn’t be longer than 30 seconds.

Once you are comfortable with what you will tell contacts, it is important to develop a list of people to contact. Don’t limit that list to those who know you well. Include any people who know who you are. Your list could include people from your former employer who know your work ethic (could be a double edged sword), friends, neighbors, people from church, a store, your bank. How about the parents of your children’s friends? Include everyone, the more the better. During a job search, your most important commodity is names and phone numbers, particularly referred names and phone numbers. Develop a spreadsheet of everyone you know, including all acquaintances, phone number, and where they work (if you know). Develop a second spreadsheet of companies that you have targeted. Finally if you have a LinkedIn network, identify people you want to contact who are in that network, some of these are your “cold calls”. Use the LinkedIn network to meet the people who may be instrumental to setting up an interview with you.

In a serious job search you need to faithfully call at least 4 new contacts per day for 3 months. If you do, the law of averages will work in your favor and you will most likely receive an offer. Now you know why names and their phone numbers are your most important commodities. Do the math. If you do not faithfully call those numbers of people, it will take you longer to find a job – unless you are very lucky.

When you call your first contacts, tell them the reason for your call (networking) and ask if you can take a minute to tell them about your background. Now give them your “Here I am Speech”. Then ask them who they recommend that you talk with next. I guarantee that if you just ask them if they have an opening at their company, their knee jerk response 98% of the time will be “No”. Try to get at least 4 or 5 peoples’ names and numbers from each person that you call. These are your warm referrals. They may say they don’t know anyone. Then ask “Who do you know at abc company?” or “Do you know anyone who lives down south (or anywhere)?” Remember the 6 degrees of separation. Asking the latter question may help you get to a different part of the country without knowing anyone there yourself.

What is a “warm referral”? When someone calls you and says that a friend or business acquaintance gave them your name and number, you are more open to receiving the call, right? Not only that, you do not want to disappoint your friend so you try to help that caller. That’s why you seek warm referrals. A person that you call out of the blue may not even take your call. If they do take your call, they may not be as likely to help you (You still should make cold calls because they can lead to more warm referrals!!!).

Importantly, what else could happen after you give your “Here I Am Speech”? They could ask you “Are you interviewing with us?” Ahh, music to my ears! That’s the response that you may seek. If you are not interviewing with them, ask them who you should contact within their firm or if they would be willing to introduce you? This is how you network your way into a job.

One important note, by definition networking is a give and take. It is important to ask everyone if there is some information they need or where you can help them? It is also important that you let them know if you were successful as a result of one of their referrals. I cannot tell you how many times people have asked for my help (for free) and never got back to me when they found a job. This is a common courtesy that people will remember.

Now that you know how, Good Luck Networking!

My next blog is about your Interview.

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Laid Off? Developing Your Marketing Piece- Your Resume

Saturday, February 21, 2009

Understand that for every foot between New York and California, there has been a book written about writing your resume. Some were written by people who are writers. Some written by people who saw a chance to use some common sense and make some money. Others were written by professionals in the business. Obviously in a blog, RecruiterGuy (who has been in the recruitment business since 1981) cannot go into the detail a book would give. However we can go over the basics to help you get back to work.

One of the most important basics to understand is that the recruiting process is a sales process. In the RecruiterGuy presentations on the recruitment process from both sides of the desk, I subtitle the presentation, “Recruiting Is Sales”.

If the recruitment process is a sales process, then your resume is your marketing piece. As such, you need to include your accomplishments, especially for the past 5 years. This is not the time to worry about “bragging” as some candidates have said to me during career counseling. The resume also serves as the jump off point during your interview. If your accomplishments are not in your resume, they may not be discussed. The convention in resume writing is to write your resume in the third person, as if someone were writing about you and drop the pronouns. You also write your resume in past tense, even the responsibilities you have in your current position.

Everyone who counsels candidates on resume writing has their own prejudices on the format. These are the essentials: Keep it simple and easy to read. If you are successful here, you are more likely to attract the attention of a recruiter or hiring manager. After all, what do they typically look for in a candidate? Excellent communication skills.

RecruiterGuy has another important rule – Keep Your Contact Information in a Plain, Easy to Read Format. None of that fancy stuff like panels/boxes, bullet points/hyphens/cedillas between addresses and phone numbers. Also ensure your contact information is in the body of the resume, not the header. Why? Today most companies, including RecruiterGuy.com, store your resume in an applicant tracking system. The Optical Character Reading (OCR) software may not be able to understand the fancy stuff and your resume will go into the manual loading process. That means that it may never get into the applicant tracking system. If it does not get into the applicant tracking system, no one will read it and that equals no interview.

What format is my prejudice? I like to see your name and contact information centered at the top of your resume (bold is nice).

Then I like to see Summary: (bold) justified on the left margin. In your summary, list headlines of some of your important accomplishments – It would look something like this –
Summary: Saved company $150,000 by restructuring procurement process. Or, Consistently was 125% of quota in past 5 years.

You may add more details in the body of your resume in the Professional Experience area.

If you graduated from college, Education: (bold) would be next, also justified on the left margin. List your most recent degree first. Then follow below with other degrees (if you earned them) in reverse order below – most recent first. Here is a HUGE caution. Degrees are almost the easiest information to verify on a resume. If you did not get the last two PE credits, the college still believes you need to earn them before you get your degree. If you lie about your degree and are caught – and most likely today you will be caught – you will get fired. That’s not something that you will want to discuss in your next interview.

Then write Professional Experience: (bold) justified on left column. Below Professional Experience, write the name of your current/Last employers (bold/left justified) and your dates of employment (bold/right justified). Below your employer’s name write your title (bold/left justified), followed by your most recent position and work backwards. If you have worked with the same company for a long time and had several positions within the company. Write the name of your employer (bold/left justified) and your total dates of employment (bold/right justified). Skip a line and write your current/last title (bold/left justified) and your dates in that position (bold/right justified).

Understand that your information in the body describing responsibilities is not bold. When writing a resume, always begin sentences with action verbs in the past tense. Never begin a sentence with “Have worked”. Begin the sentence “Worked”. Write your resume with your responsibilities in paragraph format and accomplishments list with bullet points. Only list a few important accomplishments with bullet points for each position. Otherwise, in a resume with many bullet points, your primary accomplishments may be overlooked.

This is very important! Do not put Any personal information in your resume!! Like it or not, people use all of the information that you give them to make a decision whether you are a fit for their position or not. While companies may not legally discriminate against you for personal information, you will never know what helped them make their decision if you add it in.

You may add in your work in associations, particularly if you were a leader.

Once you finish your resume, read it out loud word by word. Then read it again backwards out loud. Then read it a third time out loud forward. Be aware that “form” and “from” both make it successfully through spell check. There are many other words that match up that way – fan/fun, chick/chuck, at/it, etc. Once you are totally satisfied it is perfect, ask someone who did not help you write your resume to edit it for you. Only then is it almost safe to give to a company – just read it aloud one more time. Remember, your resume is your representation of you. If it is written carelessly, that is a reflection of your work.

In two days, we will discuss how to network your way into your next job and avoid the black holes of Internet postings.

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