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It’s very hard to write your own resume because a resume is a macro view of your life, but you live your life at the micro level, obsessing about daily details that have no bearing on your resume. For that reason, a lot of people hire someone to help them. After all, spending money on a resume writer is one of the few expenditures that will have good return right away. But if you’re writing your resume on your own, the first thing you’ll have to do is make some mental shifts. You need to rethink the goals of a resume, and rethink the rules of a resume in order to approach the project like the best of the resume professionals. That means not making the most common resume mistakes, and not breaking a few key rules.

Steps

1. Don’t focus on your responsibilities, focus on what you achieved. A resume is not your life story. No one cares. If your life story were so interesting, you’d have a book deal. The only things that should be on your resume are achievements. Anyone can do their job, but only a small percentage of the population can do their job well, wherever they go.
   • The best way to show that you did your job well is from achievements. The best achievement is a promotion because it’s an objective way to show that you impressed the people you work for. The next best way to show objective measures is to present quantified achievements. Most people do not think in terms of quantified achievements when they are in the job, but on the resume, that’s the only part of the job that matters. No one can see that you were a “good team player” on your resume unless you can say “established a team to solve problem x and increased sales x%” or “joined under-performing team and helped that team beat production delivery dates by three weeks.”
   • Steer clear of expressions like “Duties included,” “Responsibilities included,” or “Responsible for.” That’s job-description language, and not what employers are looking for.[1] Use action verbs instead, but minimize the use of “I” and articles (the, an, a).[2]Write a self evaluation and for each achievement, ask yourself: “What does this accomplishment say about me, and what I can do for this employer I want to work for?”
2. Don’t make your resume a moral statement; it’s a marketing document. The best marketing documents show the product in the very best light, which means using whatever most outrageous tactics possible to make you look good. As long as you are not lying, you will be fine. Here’s an example: You join a software company that just launched a product and the product had so many problems that they had to hire someone to handle the calls. You start doing the tech support, and you work tons of overtime because the calls are so backed up. You clean up the phone queue and then you start taking long lunches because there’s not a lot to do, and then you start job hunting because the job is boring.Here’s how you summarize this job on your resume: Assumed management responsibility for tech support and decreased call volume 20%. How do you know 20%? Who knows? It was probably more. But you can’t quantify exactly, so err on the safe side. But if you just say “Did tech support for a software company” no one knows you did a good job.
3. Keep it all on one page. The idea of a resume is to get someone to call you. Talk with you on the phone. Offer you an interview. So a resume is like a first date. You only show your best stuff and you don’t show it all. Some people dump everything they can think of onto their resume, but a resume is not the only chance you’ll have to sell yourself. In fact, the interview is where the hard-core selling takes place. So you only put your very best achievements on the resume. Sure, there will be other questions people will want answers to, but that will make them call you. And that’s good, right?
   • For those of you who can’t bear to take off the twenty extra lines on your resume because you think the interviewer has to see every single thing about you right away, consider that a hiring manager has to sift through a pile of resumes to figure out which person to interview; each resume gets about a ten-second look. If you think you need a longer resume, give someone one page of your resume and have them look at it for ten seconds. Ask them what they remember; it won’t be much. They are not going to remember any more information in ten seconds if you give them two pages to look at; ten seconds is ten seconds.
   • If you have a long job history behind you, beware of age discrimination. Employers might think you’re too expensive if you have loads of experience. If you’re at the senior level, list about 15 years of job history (no more) and don’t provide the date of your college graduation if it was more than about 10 years ago.[3]
4. Ditch the line about references on request. It’s implied. Of course, if someone wants a reference, you will give one. No one presumes that you will not. So when you write that you will provide a reference you seem to not understand how the game is played.
   • Don’t list references on your resume at all; if they are requested along with your resume, list them on a separate sheet.[4]
   • Bonus tip: If you have an excellent reference, like a CEO of a Fortune 500 company who vacations with your Mom, have the reference call before you even go to the interview. Sets the tone for the employer to think you are amazing.
5. Tread lightly on the personal interests line. Your personal interests are not there to make you look interesting. They are there to get you an interview. Every line on your resume is there to get you an interview. So only list personal interests that reveal a quality that will help you meet the employer’s needs. If you are in sports marketing, then by all means, list that you kayak. If you were an Olympic athlete, put it down because it shows focus and achievement. If you are a mediocre hobbyist, leave it off. Personal interests that don’t make you stand out as an achiever do not help you. And personal interests that are weird make you look weird and you don’t know if your interviewer likes weird or not, so leave weird off the resume.
6. Don’t be a designer unless you are. If you have more than three fonts on your resume and you’re not a designer, you’ve botched the layout. If design was easy, no one would get paid for it. Recognize your strengths and keep design elements to the bare minimum. And leave Photoshop out of it: Just because you know how to use the shading tools doesn’t mean you know how to use them well. Stay away from overused templates (like those in Microsoft Word) because you won’t stand out, and it makes you look completely generic.[5]

Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rg8A1WbCRXs

Tips

• Tailor your resume to each position. One-size-fits-all resumes should be avoided, unless you’re casting a very wide net (versus applying for a specific company or position).
• If you are only putting achievements on your resume, you are going to be hard-pressed to fill a whole page. That’s okay. Anything on your resume that is not an achievement is wasting space, anyway, because you don’t know what a hiring manager will look at first—and if you have ten good achievements and three mediocre lines about your life story, the hiring manager may only read those three lines—so remove them.
• It’s very hard to see your achievements from the trenches; you might think you did not have achievements because your boss doesn’t ask you to do achievements, your boss asks you to do tasks and projects. But you need to recognize that you do not see achievements and ask for help to see them. A resume coach, or even a friend, can help you to see them more clearly.
• List items in order of importance or relevance to the reader. Many people write the dates first, and while dates are important, they’re not the most important.[6]
  • Job history: Title/position, name of employer, city/state of employer, dates of employment.
    • If the company you work for is unknown, or the nature of the company isn’t obvious from the name, describe the business, note its revenues and maybe how old it is; otherwise, a recruiter or hiring manager will have to look up the company description, which takes up more of their time.[7]
  • Education: Name of degree (spelled out: Bachelor of _____) in name of major, name of university, city/state of university, graduation year, followed by peripheral information, such as minor and GPA.
• Accompany your resume with a short and succinct cover letter/email.

Warnings

• List your most recent job first. Chronological order is only a good idea if you are looking to get hired to go back in time. Otherwise you look like you’re bucking resume writing convention in order to hide something, which you probably are, but you have to do it with a better sleight of hand than that.

• Spell check your resume. Then check the spelling yourself. Then have someone else proofread it. Resumes with typographical errors often automatically get moved to the bottom of the pile. If you can’t be trusted to pay attention to such an important detail in your job search, what does it say about your potential job performance?

Related wikiHows

• How to Write a Self Evaluation
• How to Write a Cover Letter
• How to Make a Resume
• How to Ask for a Reference from an Employer
• How to Get a Job

Sources and Citations

• blog.penelopetrunk.com: How to edit your resume like a professional resume writer - Original source, shared with permission.
• blog.penelopetrunk.com: 6 most violated resume writing rules - Original source, shared with permission.

1. ↑ http://www.quintcareers.com/resume_mistakes.html
2. ↑ http://career-advice.monster.com/resume-writing-basics/Common-Resume-Blunders/home.aspx
3. ↑ http://www.quintcareers.com/older_worker_strategies.html
4. ↑ http://www.quintcareers.com/resume_mistakes.html
5. ↑ http://www.quintcareers.com/resume_mistakes.html
6. ↑ http://www.quintcareers.com/resume_mistakes.html
7. ↑ http://www.forbes.com/2001/11/01/1101resume.html

Article provided by wikiHow, a collaborative writing project to build the world’s largest, highest quality how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Avoid Common Resume Mistakes. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

Microwave. Check!
Towels. Check!
Iron. Check!

This is pretty much the kind of checklist that students and parents are use this time of year as students head back to their college campuses!

College juniors and seniors going back this fall, should consider another type of checklist if they want to land great entry level jobs or get accepted into competitive college internship programs next year.

As college students prepare to participate in on campus recruiting programs this fall, here are 3 things to put on a different kind of checklist.

1. Understand personal traits. Make a list of what you think are your personal strengths and weaknesses. Once you have this list of strengths and weaknesses, commit to working on them this year. For example if you have identified a trait as a strength, you need to identify a great example of how you actually use this strength. If you don’t have such an example then saying it is a strength might not be believable. Use this year to work on weaknesses. Career tests and career assessments are available in your college career center if you need help.

2. Know what you value. Make a list of things that are important to you in a college internship program or in an entry level career beyond graduation. Nothing is unimportant if it means something to you. Include things like working conditions, benefits and training. Use these values as a fundamental guideline when you research companies.

3. Take stock of your job skills. Make a checklist of job skills that employers seek and will be important to succeed in the summer internship program or entry level career of your dreams. Check off the ones you have and work on the ones you don’t.

Your college career center has career counselors and resources to help college students achieve career planning success.

Article courtesy of the Recruiting Blogswap, a content exchange service sponsored by CollegeRecruiter.com, a leading site for college students looking for internships and recent graduates searching for entry level jobs and other career opportunities.

Article by, Marcia Robinson and courtesy of BullsEyeResumes. The BullsEye Career Blogs helps jobseekers, working professionals and students stay focused on their career success!
Author Website: http://bullseyeresumes-college.blogspot.com

A growing number of jobseekers find themselves in the midst of a long-term job search. According to Bureau of Labor Statistics, the U.S. jobless rate soared to a four-year high of 5.7% in July 2008 and the average job search took more than four months to net results. However, some critics would put this number and the number of the unemployed much higher.

Helen Kooiman, author of Suddenly Unemployed asserts, “Such statistics are inaccurate indicators. They do not include those whose unemployment benefits have run out or those who don’t qualify for unemployment… Such statistics also do not count welfare recipients, temps (who cannot be counted as fully employed), or others who eke out a living on so-called self-employment.” Neither do such reports include what the Bureau of Labor Statistics terms “discouraged workers” or those who “were not currently looking for work specifically because they believed no jobs were available for them.” Their figures reached 461,000 in July.

A long-term job search can put a tremendous financial and emotional strain on a job hunter. “It’s been a demoralizing experience and it’s been very difficult budgetwise. I’m a single mother,” Kay Marie King says, a former non-profit executive with a wealth of experience that is currently involved in an ongoing job search.

So, what can you do when weeks of a fruitless job search quickly turns to months? Here are seven tips for jump starting a stalled job search:

Tip One: Don’t be so quick to blame everything on the economy (your region, your industry, etc.)

These issues certainly play a role in the current job market. However, it is easy to fixate on such factors and completely discount factors which we personally control. The next six tips cover areas that long-term jobseekers do well to revisit to jump start a stalled job search. Why is this so important? I am reminded of a woman I once interviewed that looked great on paper, but during the interview she had an incredibly offensive body odor. She remarked that she’d been on several interviews but she was “overqualified” for every position. It was a classic case of the problem (or her perception of what the problem was) not really being the problem. While most jobseekers don’t have such an obvious issue, each one would still do well to take a long look in the mirror.

Tip Two: Conduct a candid self-assessment.

Look at yourself from the perspective of the potential employer. Compare your experience and qualifications to those typically required of someone in your target position. How do your skills and experience match up? Think of creative ways to to fill skill gaps and gain experience.

Tip Three: Re-examine your target position or industry.

Are you searching for work in a waning industry or oversaturated field? Is your desired position readily available in your selected geographic area? Being open to relocation may improve your chances. Can you apply your knowledge and skills to an industry that is experiencing growth?

Tip Four: Rethink your current job search.

What job search strategies are you currently using? If you are concentrating your efforts on strategies that are typically the least effective (like online job boards and newspaper ads) your job search will take much longer to yield results. Consider incorporating job search strategies that yield higher results, like networking and direct targeted mailing campaigns.

Tip Five: Re-evaluate the way you are communicating your message verbally and in print.

Communicating your message to potential employers in a clear and compelling manner is critical to job search success. Re-examine your resume. Does it communicate your value to employers by addressing how your skills and experience will meet the employer’s specific needs? Practice communicating your value in response to typical interview questions, including, “Tell me about yourself.”

Tip Six: Maintain your intensity level and a positive outlook.

It is easy to become discouraged over the course of a lengthy job search. Keep a positive outlook and maintain a high-level of focus and intensity throughout your job search for quicker results. Taking a systematic approach to your job search will help you to stay organized and on track during your job search. Yet, it is important to pursue other interests during your job search. Enjoy spending time with friends and family. Renew your interest in a hobby. Tackle a project you wouldn’t have time to if you were working. Spending time in other pursuits provides a much-needed reprieve from the stress of a job search. You’ll be energized and ready for the next leg of your job search.

Tip Seven: Build a solid support system.

If a self-guided job search has netted limited results; consider working with a career or job search coach. Your coach will help you identify any problem areas and offer suggestions for improvement. Another option is to join a local or online job search club. If a coach or job search club isn’t available try building your own support network. Enlist the help of family and friends or connect with other job hunters. Taking a team approach to your job search provides an opportunity for constructive feedback, a fresh perspective, ongoing encouragement, and added accountability.

Article courtesy of the Recruiting Blogswap, a content exchange service sponsored by CollegeRecruiter.com, a leading site for college students looking for internships and recent graduates searching for entry level jobs and other career opportunities.

Roxanne Ravenel is a Job Search Coach; the author of “The Savvy Jobseeker’s Guide & Workbook: Five Steps to a Simply Successful Job Search”; and the host of The Savvy Jobseeker weekly podcast. She offers job hunters strategies and resources for finding their ideal work in less time at SavvyJobseeker.com.
Author Website: http://SavvyJobseeker.com

So they look great on paper, but do you really know what’s going to come walking through your door? Pay attention to these warning signs when interviewing your next candidate:

Interview Warning Sign #1: Appearance

This is an easy one. If they arrive at the interview in a gym suit, overalls, mini skirt, etc., you may want to rethink your candidate choice. If they can’t put any effort into their interview attire what makes you think they are going to put any effort into their work?

Interview Warning Sign #2: Knowledge of Company

If a candidate arrives to an interview and know nothing about your company, why are they there? They don’t know who you are, what you sell, who your competition is, nothing! How can you have someone represent you if they know nothing about you? Further, if they haven’t taken an interest in your company, they probably won’t take much of an interest in their job. To go even deeper, are they unable to think for themselves? Do they need to be told what to do? This is an important warning sign!

Interview Warning Sign #3: With-holding Information

This is a tricky one. If a candidate won’t tell you why they left their previous position, who they are interviewing with, what they did during the gap in their resume, why they never finished school, why they are applying for your company, etc., wouldn’t you be concerned? Never mind the questions they avoiding, look into the fact that they are withholding information. Do they have something to hide? Are they really qualified? Are they trying to make themselves sound better than they really are? If they work for your company can you trust them to complete their requirements?

Interview Warning Sign #4: References

Ah, references. If their references can’t offer specific details on their job performance, you may have a problem; if their references don’t even know they are references, you may have a problem; if your references haven’t spoken with the individual in ten years, you may have a problem. Why couldn’t this individual have given you better references? Why won’t they let you speak to individuals they worked directly with?

Interview Warning Sign #5: Your Questions Catch Them Off-Guard

Now if you ask a silly question, or an odd question, I would expect an off-guard reaction. If you ask them qualifying questions and they can’t understand the question or articulate a response, I would be alarmed.

Interview Warning Sign #6: They Don’t Know Why They Want To Work For You

Big red flag! If you ask them why they want to work for you and they don’t have a response, what makes you think they intend on staying at your company long-term? Chances are, they are looking for a paycheck until a better opportunity comes along.

Interview Warning Sign #7: They Have No Weaknesses

If they don’t have any weaknesses they must be perfect, right? Wrong! Everyone has weaknesses, some more than others. A person has two options, a) understand and grow or b) ignore and fall behind. Are they capable of listening? Do they want to learn? Will they discourage others?

Interview Warning Sign #8: Can’t Prove Their Abilities

They tell you they are a great leader, great problem solver, committed to their employer, whatever it may be, but, they can’t back it up. How can you be a good leader with no leadership experience? How can you be a great problem solver with no problem solving experience? How can you be committed to your employer when the longest job you have ever stuck to was one year? Make sure they can provide you exact situations that demonstrate their “claimed” abilities.

Article courtesy of the Recruiting Blogswap, a content exchange service sponsored by CollegeRecruiter.com, a leading site for college students looking for internships and recent graduates searching for entry level jobs and other career opportunities.

Article by Free Job Search, Job Interview and Career Articles

Another candidate with inappropriate material on his MySpace… who is now no longer a candidate.

It’s REALLY important to sanitize your social network pages (anything on MySpace, FaceBook, YouTube, Twitter, etc.) while you are looking for a job in medical sales, pharmaceutical sales, clinical diagnostics sales, laboratory sales, pathology sales, imaging sales, medical device sales, cellular products sales, molecular products sales, or biotech sales, which is why I have addressed this in previous posts.

Why? According to a Vault.com survey, which I found in Net Etiquette for Job Seekers, 44% of employers surveyed looked up potential employees on social networking sites and 82% of those employers would think twice about hiring candidates with something perceived as negative in their on-line profiles. And FYI: 39% of employers have searched the on-line profiles of current employees, so don’t think you’re good to go after you’ve got the job. It may seem unfair and an invasion of your personal social life, but it becomes fair game once you’ve put it out there in public.

Additional great advice in this article–not only make sure your sites are “PG,” but also make sure they are complete, since they are serving as another resume. For instance, identify yourself as a healthcare salesperson (or even better, as a laboratory sales rep) rather than just say you’re “in sales.”

If that many employers are using social networks to gather information, I would imagine that any recruiter worth his or her salt uses them, too. (I know I do.) Social networking sites are one of the gold mines for finding candidates.

Social networks can be general or focused on a particular group, and it’s worth it to companies and candidates to find out how to effectively use them. The New Way to Network for a Job offers an overview that shows you how important they have already become and solid advice for how to use them to your advantage.

By the way, no one will tell you that this is what killed your chances…managers will just assume that you have bad judgment and want nothing to do with you.

Article courtesy of the Recruiting Blogswap, a content exchange service sponsored by CollegeRecruiter.com, a leading site for college students looking for internships and recent graduates searching for entry level jobs and other career opportunities.

Article by the Medical Recruiter
Website: http://www.phcconsulting.com/WordPress/2008/06/24/myspace-killed-the-candidatecritical-job-interview-tip/

We’re in some tough economic times right now, and that can make it that much harder to find a job. Although laboratory sales, medical device sales, imaging sales, pathology sales, molecular products sales, cellular products sales, and biotechnology products sales are much less susceptible to economic downturns than pharmaceutical sales, any person searching for a position in healthcare sales can have a hard time.

To help you out, Fortune magazine has 7 tips for job hunting in a tougher market. They include:

1. Request more face-to-face meetings. Get your face in front of recruiters and your network instead of relying on e-mails and phone calls. It will make more of an impression.

2. Step up your job-search activity. This makes sense. In many ways, a job search (like sales calls) is a numbers game. Increase your odds by increasing your activity.

3. Try to be as flexible as you can. Consider contract work, part-time work, or starting at a lesser salary than you were hoping for. It gets your foot in the door for other opportunities later. Besides, less money is better than no money, right?

4. Consider relocating. Top jobs aren’t always where you are. I love the idea of relocating and expanding your horizons…trying something new.

5. Scour the hidden job market. Many jobs aren’t advertised. Be proactive. Use your network. Or contact employers directly. They might appreciate your initiative.

6. Spend very little of your time on Internet job boards and help-wanted ads. Look, but don’t focus. Everyone’s looking here.

7. Take advantage of social networking sites. Personally, I love LinkedIn. But also, use MySpace or Facebook as part of your networking tactics. Just be careful to keep it professional.

One tip they missed: In tougher job markets, a medical sales recruiter is a gold mine of job opportunities and information.

Here are some more great tips to heat up your job search. One last great idea:

You never know when or where you may meet a prospective employer. Memory sticks, flash-drives, or email versions of your resume on your Blackberry, Treo or iPhone are must-haves in today’s volatile employment market.

Good luck.

Article by Peggy McKee, Owner/Recruiter
Website: http://www.phcconsulting.com/

Article courtesy of the Recruiting Blogswap, a content exchange service sponsored by CollegeRecruiter.com, a leading site for college students looking for internships and recent graduates searching for entry level jobs and other career opportunities.

You just filled that really hard-to-fill position with a proven high-performing passive candidate. Even better, you took the candidate from your competition — the much sought after “hire to hurt.” You invested valuable hours direct sourcing, networking, creating interest, discussing career stretch, and presenting the opportunity.

You have closed the deal. Your hard work has paid off. The candidate has verbally accepted your offer.

Feels great, doesn’t it?

Before you strain yourself while patting yourself on the back, before you head off to the water cooler or your recruiting team meeting to exchange high fives with your recruiting buddies, before you start sharing the war stories of your latest conquest, don’t forget that what comes next may be your doom as a recruiter.

Remember your candidate is still out there about to face his employer in giving notice. The search is not over. You have not yet won. In fact, you can still lose if you don’t pay attention to the one of the most often forgotten aspects of hiring a high performing candidate.

For just a minute, let’s pretend we are the candidate. I think this is what it would likely sound like in their head:

Wow, I am going to be changing companies. This is going to be one of the hardest things I have ever had to do. In fact, I am a little frightened by the idea of telling my boss I’m leaving. We’ve been together for quite a while; we have done some great work together. I know I am her highest performer. She is going to freak out. I really like this new opportunity; the recruiter I am working with is great and I really trust him. But he isn’t going to be here with me when I give notice. Man, I thought this would be a bit easier. I never really thought about what it would be like to actually give notice. I know this is the right thing for my career, but all this fear about giving notice is causing me to have second thoughts. Maybe I shouldn’t do this.

Not all candidates will be thinking this way. For many, however, giving notice strikes fear in their hearts. Keep in mind, if you went after a high performer, you approached them about another opportunity. Like most passive talent, they were likely to be completely content in their position and delivering great results to their company. They were also likely to have a pretty solid relationship with their current manager. Most high performers do. Giving notice might scare them into not accepting your offer.

In reality, your work is just beginning.

World-class recruiters know that getting the right offer extended and accepted is not the end of the search. World-class recruiters also understand that to capitalize on their investment of time and effort, they need to make sure the talent actually starts. This means they have to work a bit harder and coach the talent on how to give notice.

Coaching Candidates on Giving Notice

Having attended many seminars over the years and listening to the best thought leaders on recruiting as well as learning tactics from some the best recruiters I know, I have developed a system that works for managing candidates through this final stage of the process.

It starts early. It is very important to know at the very beginning that passive candidates will not respond to your coaching and guidance about resigning and counteroffers unless they view you as a consultant. Relationship building is critical.

The relationship is way too frequently overlooked in the recruiting profession. But it is, in my humble opinion, the single greatest difference maker between good and great recruiting. So, first and foremost, you must establish a consultative relationship with your passive candidate in order to be a great recruiter and have the confidence of your candidates.

Once I have networked my way to the best performing talent, gotten them interested in making a change, and established myself as a consultant they can trust, I begin preparing them for giving notice. I carefully note all the decision-making criteria they are going to use to make a change and the reasons for each. I document this in my TRMS (talent relationship management system) so I can refer to it later.

During my initial interview, and at various points during interview preparation and debriefing, I act as comforter and consultant to my candidates. I do this by explaining that once they get an offer and have accepted it (notice how encouraging that sounds to them), I will personally take the time to provide them with detailed information on how to give notice. I explain to them they are not in this alone. My role as a talent acquisition consultant is truly that — to consult. Sure, I can’t hold their hand when they walk into the boss’s office. But I can reassure them that I will help them through it.

Offering comfort and reassurance that I will walk them through giving notice helps to reduce their anxiety and allows them to focus on the opportunity, my company, and interviewing with my client hiring manager. The idea is to get them away from the stress of giving notice and the fear it brings so that they can perform well in the interview and focus on the career change opportunity. Giving notice is a moot point if they don’t have an offer to accept. You have to get them to perform at their best in order to get an offer.

What Do I Say?

I communicate how and when to give notice both verbally and in email form. Putting the information in writing allows the candidate to role play and practice for the reality of giving notice and gets them comfortable with the script.

Most candidates and recruiters think the best day to give notice is Friday afternoon. I think this has something to do with making it all clean and neat for a two-week notice or to accommodate the HR process police who want new team members to start on a Monday to keep their paperwork in order. But don’t let the orientation process and HR process police dictate how and when your passive talent gives notice. Contrary to popular opinion, Friday afternoon is not the best day to give notice.

The counteroffer is no longer a four-letter word to most corporations. Today’s corporate environment has made the counteroffer an important weapon in the war for talent. In fact, the counteroffer has become part of many companies’ strategy to keep salary costs down until they absolutely have to pay their best talent. Giving notice on Friday gives your candidate’s boss and their boss’s boss the weekend — two whole uninterrupted days — to develop a counteroffer strategy. As a world-class recruiter, you don’t want that.

I have my candidates give notice on Monday or Tuesday in the late afternoon. The later in the day, the better. My candidate can give notice and get out of the office. This strategy helps to avoid the time they might have to spend answering their boss’s or co-worker’s annoying questions about why they are leaving or where they are going. If their manager is like most, he or she will have more to do in a week than can get done, and this will prevent them from finding time to putting together a counteroffer strategy. They might try, but this strategy minimizes the time they have.

The Resignation Letter: The Best Offense Is a Good Defense

I often get asked how to prevent a candidate from taking a counteroffer. My simple response is eliminate the counteroffer altogether. The best way to prevent acceptance of a counteroffer is to ensure that one isn’t made.

You are probably asking how this is possible. After all, I am not in the inner brain workings of my passive candidate’s company. Let me explain.

Traditionally, departing employees draft a letter of resignation. The importance of this letter is often overlooked and simplicity is key. Direct and to the point should be the guiding factors for the letter. The letter I give to my candidates as a recommendation is the combination of thoughts and presentations I have heard over the years from several recruiting industry leaders. It is carefully written, contains limited information, and offers subtle inferences that reduce the likelihood that their boss and company will present a counteroffer.

Here is an example:

Dear Mr. Bossman,

Please accept this letter as my resignation and two-week notice. I am grateful for the success we have been able to achieve together at Acme Rockets, but I have now made a commitment to another organization.

Please know that I intend to work with you to complete as much work during my two-week notice to make my resignation as smooth as possible. I am eager to leave on a positive note and I am open to your suggestions on how to accomplish this smooth transition.

Sincerely,
Ms. Passive Candidate

The wording here is not accidental. The letter resonates with positivity, cooperation, and a genuine touch of sincerity. This is important to the passive candidate. Because of the relationship they likely have with their current boss, they want to leave on a good note. Using this letter and these words helps them feel better about resigning. It also leaves a better taste in the mouth of the candidate’s boss and company.

It is critical that the resignation letter and resignation meeting make no reference to where the candidate is going, what they will be doing in their next job, or how much they will be making. Providing this information to the manager and company gives them valuable intelligence that can be used in developing a counteroffer. They can’t counteroffer what they don’t know. Again, they might try, but without a baseline to operate from and a limited window of opportunity, their counteroffer will likely resemble a blindfolded six-year-old swinging a stick at a pinata.

It is the recruiter’s responsibility to make sure the candidate understands that they must avoid sharing this important intelligence. In an effort to soften the blow to their current boss and company, they start sharing information and niceties that can be turned against them in a counteroffer. Taking the time to coach them through this important reduces, if not eliminates, the likelihood of a counteroffer.

Scripting the Resignation Meeting: Transition Rather Than Decision

Finally, I coach my talent through the dreaded resignation conversation they will inevitably have to have with their boss. I coach them to enter their bosses office with the resignation letter in hand and to begin the conversation like this:

Mr. Bossman, I have committed myself to joining another organization and I will begin working with them in two weeks. Please accept this, my letter of resignation. Please take a moment to read my letter so we can discuss how we can work together to make a smooth transition.

I also like to encourage my candidates to role play this meeting with me. It may feel a bit odd at first, but it helps to establish their comfort level with what to say and how to say it. It is important to coach the candidate that the best tactic here is the direct and to the point approach. Don’t beat around the bush and engage in idle small talk. Delaying the inevitable will only lead to more anxiety and possible cold feet on the part of my talent.

Using this script makes it clear to my passive candidate’s boss that they are not planning on talking about their decision to leave or entertain a counteroffer. The focus is clearly on the transition rather than the decision. Now that they have made the commitment to leave, the conversation requires a focus on the transition.

Go Time and The Art of Deflection

I always schedule a conversation with my candidate just before they give notice. My main purpose at this point is to reinforce that their conversation with Mr. Bossman shouldn’t be about where they are going and what they will be doing. I remind them to keep the focus on actually giving notice and on working together to ensure a smooth transition — not about the decision to leave. Again, sometimes I will even role play this with them.

Finally, I teach them the art of deflection. Deflection is the art of avoiding unnecessary questions from their boss. It is natural for the boss to ask the what, where, and how questions. The key is to avoid answering the bosses questions with any response other than the fact that the decision is made, the commitment will be followed through on and the smooth transition. Nothing else really matters and should be avoided at all costs.

The script might look like this:

It is natural to be curious about where I am going and why, but it is my intention to follow through on the commitment I have made to another organization. I am going to suggest that we talk in a month or so about where and why, so that today we can work together to make a smooth transition.

To make my candidate feel better about this technique I discuss a few significant, and possibly obvious, points. I ask them why it is that on the day they give notice suddenly their opinions are so important to their boss. I ask why the boss and company have only become concerned about their future or why they are happy or unhappy or about compensation when they are face to face with losing high performing talent?

I also go back to my notes in my TRMS on why they were interested in making a change in the first place and remind them that the new opportunity matches those criteria. Taking this approach only reinforces the singular purpose of the resignation letter and giving notice meeting. I then ask them to call me immediately after the meeting so I can head off any possible issues or challenges before they have a chance to set into their mind.

Once my talent go through this nurturing, coaching, and scripting with me, they no longer feel the need to talk about anything else but resigning with their boss. They get it. Since most really don’t know what to say when giving notice, they are more than happy to have a friend and coach who provides them industry experience and advice on how to do it.

If you have a consultative relationship with your passive talent, which you must have in order to succeed as a recruiter, the coaching on how to give notice is a natural extension of that relationship. So stop celebrating your success of an accepted offer and get to work ensuring your candidates start when they say they will by educating them on how to give notice.

Michael Homula is the Founder and Chief Recruiting Strategist of Bearing Fruit Consulting http://www.bearingfruitconsulting.com

Article courtesy of the Recruiting Blogswap, a content exchange service sponsored by CollegeRecruiter.com, a leading site for college students looking for internships and recent graduates searching for entry level jobs and other career opportunities.

In Salary.com’s 2006/2007 Employee Job Satisfaction and Retention Survey (from last year but still relevant), half of people who said they were looking for a new job were doing so because they felt they were underpaid. It’s the money, honey!

The question is, how do you decide if you’re not getting the compensation you deserve?

You can use Internet searches (Salary.com http://www.salary.com/ is a start) but it’s harder than it seems. Some tips:

1. Use job descriptions, not job titles, to compare your salary. A lot of titles don’t accurately reflect the job. Sometimes a boss gives you a title that makes you sound more important than maybe you really are (yes, it’s true!–they do this to (a) make you happier and (b) make you more credible to clients). A title that is more important-sounding than the job makes you look underpaid.

2. If you work for a small company, compare your salary to similar jobs at other small companies. If you work for a large corporation, look at what people like you are getting paid at other large corporations. Don’t compare your small-company paycheck to what your colleagues at the big companies get. It will only make you crazy.

3. Similarly, if you live in the Midwest, compare your salary to other jobs in the Midwest. If you live in New York City, compare yourself to other jobs in NYC or other big expensive areas. And so on.

4. Experience counts. If you’ve worked at a position for two years, you should count on earning less than someone doing the same work but who’s been doing it for ten years.

5. So does education. If you have four-year degree, compare yourself to other college grads. Same goes for master’s and Ph.Ds.

Do all this and you may find out you’re actually overpaid. It can happen. Salary.com did a big analysis of their survey and found out that of their respondents, 22% were underpaid, 15% were overpaid, and 33% were paid just about what was fair.

Article written by: Karen Burns, Working Girl, Working Girl

Article courtesy of the Recruiting Blogswap, a content exchange service sponsored by CollegeRecruiter.com, a leading site for college students looking for internships and recent graduates searching for entry level jobs and other career opportunities.

Clients come to me with a wide variety of concerns. Family matters, the boss, work pressures and a host of other matters can create tension and unhappiness, which can, if not addressed, lead to more serious issues.

We have seen time and time again the demise of firms, industries and technologies, and economic downturns with devastating impact on tens of thousands of families. Yet with all of that, most people have exhibited a remarkable ability to adapt and survive, finding within themselves the strength and determination to move forward. Some do very, very well. Others have not done as well.

As a professional community we have every right to be proud of our performance. I even think we sometimes take for granted our collective will to succeed and the energy we pour into building new careers, or picking up the pieces of a career that has been temporarily sidelined.

As a counselor, I am continually striving to understand what is going on in the employment field, to better advise clients. But I also need to understand the forces that impact employment in general. Frequently, clients have no idea that interesting opportunities are available in seemingly unrelated areas, areas in which the client’s skill levels are readily transferable either directly or with a little training. In fact, as we have seen industries pass their peak and new industries emerge, most people figure this out on their own.

When considering the entire set of job search challenges, the list is actually quite short. With many clients, perhaps most, their weaknesses in succeeding with a search is generally due to a poor career choice, poor job search tactics or a lack of motivation.

It is not my intention to minimize the often complex and discouraging barriers people encounter as they move forward. Nor do I ignore the long and often frustrating efforts required before finally succeeding. What I do insist is looking for a job, or finding the right career is not rocket science. Rather, it is the consistent and persistent application of a set of simple steps, applied with skill and determination that ultimately wins the day.

The first, a good career choice, is ignored by too many people. Being both successful and unhappy is not a job requirement, but so many people get so little satisfaction from their success, one might think they go hand-in-hand. We can all understand when an individual is both unhappy and unsuccessful, often moving from job to job seeking a position that would bring a measure of happiness and a sense of accomplishment. Unfortunately, too many have embarked on careers for which they are unsuited by temperament, values, element of risk (too much or too little), or a host of other factors, and succeed very well. Yet they are miserable, and don’t know why.

When it finally dawns that a new start with a new career choice is necessary, that revelation can have an enormous impact on morale and motivation. My personal job satisfaction increases when clients see that a new beginning is very viable and start building toward a new set of goals.

The second factor, job search tactics, is the most straightforward. Good resumes, good networking techniques, good interviewing skills and other job search tactics require both a little art and a little science. Most require thoughtful planning, an objective view of your accomplishments, an informed view of what firms are looking for beyond the specific skills of the job, and a willingness to do the homework and take the time to develop professional job search tools. Slapping together a resume and throwing it at Monster.com in the hope that it will stick, just doesn’t work.

The final factor, motivation, can be the simplest or the most complex. Finding a new career choice can be an immense motivator. Frequently I encounter individuals who feel guilty because they are successful and productive with a favorable economic situation, but are nevertheless miserable. They don’t want to rock the boat, but have to make a change. I well understand. When family circumstances are involved a career change can be a very big and even a traumatic decision.

For others, lack of motivation could be related to a long string of unsuccessful efforts. I have consistently preached that giving up is not an option. Those that succeed, succeed because they don’t give up.

Make sure the tools you are using and your approach is viable. Don’t ignore the possibility these difficulties stem from poor presentation, not a lack of value as a person or a professional.

Finally, we have that very small group of people who lack motivation and have always lacked motivation. They have skated through with family help or luck or help from others but are now faced with a stark choice. This is the most vexing and difficult group with whom to communicate. Often the parents or a significant other are the driving force for change.

For this group I have no answer. We say life is what we make of it and in the absence of a calamity, each of us is the captain of his own ship. Where we choose to steer it is up to us.

Article written by: Judit Price, http://www.careercampaign.com

Article courtesy of the Recruiting Blogswap, a content exchange service sponsored by CollegeRecruiter.com, a leading site for college students looking for internships and recent graduates searching for entry level jobs and other career opportunities.

A resume reveals so much more than your professional experience, education and career goals. It can tell a prospective employer about the kind of leadership you offer. Although many people spend a great deal of time working through various font sizes and deciding whether to do a chronological or functional summary, they often forget to think through how others will respond to the non-factual aspects of their resume.

The editorial issues are certainly important. A prospective employer likes to review a neat, accurate resume which responds to the qualities and strengths he or she would like to see in the next member of the team. Although a less-than-perfect resume, or cover letter, may simply be an oversight, a prospective employer will almost always take a mediocre resume as a signal of lack of interest and professionalism. He or she will probably choose not to invite you in for a face-to-face meeting. On the other hand, a perfectly neat but uninspired resume will not exactly guarantee you a personal interview. In the end, the well-crafted resume is most likely to gain positive attention.

A well-crafted resume will present you as a thoughtful, energetic and creative leader. It will usually point to subtle, often sought after, abilities. A resume can tell a prospective employer whether you are tuned into industry issues, have a positive, “can-do” attitude and whether you operate strategically. A strong resume can frequently be made more appealing by emphasizing successful outcomes and by showing your ability to manage a range of responsibilities, while recognizing others’ contribution and accepting occasional disappointments.

You will likely pique a prospective employer’s interest by paying attention to less-than-obvious cues others may get from your resume. In addition to the factual details of your education and experience, your resume gives you a wonderful opportunity to tell your professional life story. It can be a forum for describing how and why you have evolved over time. Not all of your professional story is about titles, compensation and the number of direct reports you have managed. A big part of the “story-behind-the-resume” has to do with how you have assessed and given direction to others in complex situations. In the end, an inviting resume tells a prospective employer that he or she will be comfortable working with you primarily because you have strong skills and, as importantly, because you are the kind of person who responds positively to challenges.

For example, does your track record indicate that you have gained your peers’ support and outstanding results? How do you describe and respond to ambiguous or challenging situations in the workplace? Do you hide them (seen by many as dishonest), or do you acknowledge them openly? Do you distance tricky situations, letting others take the fall, or are you quick to point to lessons learned and new skills acquired? What about your level of creativity? Does your current resume show that you are able to think “outside-of-the-box” and get buy-in from others? Do you give others credit for the part they have played in your success? Does your resume describe you as a “team-player” or as a high-achieving “loner”? How you project your leadership skills will have a big impact on how other perceive you. A positive presentation will encourage them to meet you in person.

The next time you review your resume, certainly check for typos, spacing and format. Make sure that you have highlighted relevant experience, and that you have used fonts and descriptions to good advantage. Also, pause to ask a few questions. Ask yourself, “What will people think of me when they read this?” “Would I hire someone who handed me this resume?” “What questions might my next boss raise about my ability to lead?” “How will he/she perceive my successes?” “How have I described my challenges?” Ask these kinds of probing questions and get honest feedback from friends and colleagues whom you trust. Listen carefully to their suggestions and responses. This feedback, which goes way beyond the font used in what you report, will move your resume to the next level. As you read your resume critically to identify those entries which may need to be revised, you will discover fresh ways to present your work history. You will also find many opportunities to explain how you have overcome challenges and motivated others to exceed expectations.

When your resume is neat, accurate and reflects your people skills, you stand the best possible chance of being invited in for further discussions. Take the opportunity. Give your resume the upgrade which comes with careful editing and wait for positive things to happen.

Article written by: Karen Alphonse, execSearches.com

Article courtesy of the Recruiting Blogswap, a content exchange service sponsored by CollegeRecruiter.com, a leading site for college students looking for internships and recent graduates searching for entry level jobs and other career opportunities.