Smart Job Search

Your cover resume for improving results

1. Preparation For Job Search

You have heard the smug sayings: to fail to plan is the same as to plan to fail; The Boy Scouts motto - be prepared; an ounce of prevention is better than a pound of connection. This is true especially in job search. The primary reason few of my clients need more than three interviews in order to obtain the job that they wanted is that we prepare them thoroughly before they ever talk to an employer.

In this section I will take you through the same process I take each of my clients through. This is the most important step and you should devote a significant amount of time to this phase of the job search process. Unless you do this well, you will not be able to identify appropriate job opportunities, create the best possible first impression, interview at your peak, or negotiate at your most effective power level.

Are you ready? - let's get started!

Know Yourself

By now you've noticed that I regard the job search process as a sales campaign. Indeed, you really are selling your skills, intelligence, experience, and personality to the employer.

The first thing every good sales person does is to get to know the product well. No one respects a salesperson who doesn't know his product. Have absolutely nothing destroys a sale faster than having your client know more about the product then the salesperson does. If you do not know who you are, but skills you have to offer, what experience you've had that can help any employer, or what your personality is like so that you can match that to the employer's environment, you really do not deserve to get the job.

             Questions? Comments? - Forum

Some people have spent years and thousands of dollars trying to understand themselves. I am not attempting to perform psychology here; I am only interested in relating to the employers needs. Over the years I have developed a fairly short exercise that can assist my clients in identifying why an employer should hire them.

First, let's make a list of every job that you have ever had. It does not matter if you are paid or not, and if resin official job are not; any time right now are expected to show up and do something, we will count that as a job. That could include attending school, babysitting, volunteer work, and even community service. If there are more than 10, you may find it easier to limit the list to the last 10. On the other hand, for a really complete job, make it a complete list. I recommend that you put each job on the top of a separate sheet of paper, which will give you plenty of room for the next step.

Now, answer this question as many times as possible for each job: "What Good thing would anybody remember about me there?". Remember to focus only on the GOOD THINGS. Don't limit the question to supervisors; include co-workers, customers, clients, employees of other companies and agencies, in short, anybody you came in contact with at all.

Search your memory for things like:
• Earned a bonus
• Received a promotion
• Never had a complaint
• Never late, never absent
• Excellent attendance record
• Received many tips (tips were not customary)
• Letter of recommendation
• Employee of the month
• Saved the company XXXX dollars
• Consistently in the top five producers
• Was recommended for supervisor by every co-worker
• Earned many bonuses
• Notes of appreciation

             Questions? Comments? - Forum

Don't be limited to just to these items; it is common that a client of mine will have at least one item new to me. Some can be long; some short. A long one that I added to my list last year is: "More than one employer has told me that I cannot be employee of the month anymore, because other employees were getting discouraged". Your list will not be the same as anyone else's: you are unique and will have unique accomplishments.

One of the ways to jog your memory is to pull out your job description or write a list of your job duties. For each duty, attempt to identify how well you fulfilled that duty. Ask yourself questions like, "How does my supervisor KNOW that I fulfilled this duty well?". Sometimes it can also help to talk to a supervisor or co-worker about your job duties and what they use to measure your proficiency or success and performing the job duty.

This is your (rough) "accomplishment list". These will be the most effective aspects of your work life and will make the best impression on a prospective employer. These will be used on your resume and during interviews. They are so important that now we are going to polish them until they shine!

For each employer identify the two or three statements that make you look like the best employee. Now, add some detail.

Can you quantify the statement? How many or how much. Don't hesitate to estimate, but NEVER use a number that ends in 0 or 5 as those numbers are obvious guesses and will be discounted! For example, which sounds more believable, "I ate 20 hard-boiled eggs" or "I ate 19 hard-boiled eggs"? Twenty sounds like a brag and you probably thought that maybe 10-15 were eaten. Nineteen is exact. Nineteen eggs must have been eaten otherwise you would not have been so specific.

             Questions? Comments? - Forum

So, if you obtained somewhere between 120 and 150 new commercial accounts in a year, it would sound more powerful to say you closed 119 new commercial accounts. Haven't you ever wondered why NOTHING sells for $20.00? It is always $19.99 or $19.98, isn't it? Sales researchers have devoted millions to study this carefully. We should learn from the pros. Use numbers to your maximum advantage.

Can you add some detail? Some detail makes the statement stronger. Consider the following: "I do good work." Or, "My supervisor, Tom Abernathy, frequently told me that I do good work, and here is my last annual review that says the same thing!" Which sounds more believable to you? Doesn't the added information make it seem stronger?

A word of caution here: do not overdo the details. Too much is way too much in this case. To illustrate I will use simple compliments. We all like an occasional compliment like, "That's a nice shirt." But if someone keeps going, saying "I always like the way you do your hair, too. And shoes! I wish I had your taste in shoes! That starts to feel a little creepy, doesn't it? The same thing is in operation here; a little bit is wonderful, but a lot more is awful. Provide enough detail to make a convincing, but not so much that it detracts from the power of the statement.

Can you use a third party endorsement? Whenever someone else says good things about you to the potential employer, that is a third party endorsement. The previous example of "my supervisor, Tom Abernathy" is a third party endorsement because someone else (your supervisor) is saying a good thing about you. We all tend to believe a third party more then someone bragging about themselves. Most of your accomplishment statements should be in the form of a third party endorsement, if possible.

Here is a partial list of possible third parties who could endorse you as an employee:
• Supervisor
• Co-worker
• Client or customer
• Letter of recommendation
• Certificate of achievement
• Bonus or commission checks
• Formal reports of productivity
• The product itself: for instance if you prepared a winning PowerPoint proposal that helped to make an important sale, print out the PowerPoint show in collar and have are ready to hand out during an interview

             Questions? Comments? - Forum

Know Your Target - Both The Company And The Individuals

What is your target market? Who is it that needs you to be their employee? Every good sales person knows what his best market is. If you're not in the right market you won't sell anything. But what is the right market for employment? How do I identify the best market for my skills? What industry is the primary employer for my type of work? And of course, the absolute most important question is, what is the name of the person that needs to be my next supervisor?

Really good sales people know that you only sell to one person at a time. That one person is the one who will make the hiring decision; the decision to hire YOU. What you know about that one person will change your approach to him/her. How much should you know about them? How do you find out about an individual? How do you find out about which person will actually make the decision?

So how much should you know about them? As much as you can. Find out about their position with the company, how long they've been there, how many promotions they've had, and where they're likely to be in the next few years. Find out about their management style. Find out about how they measure competency and success of the people they are supervising. Do they value people more, or tasks and accomplishments more?

Finding out about some people is easy; others are more difficult. If the person you need to find out about is in your local area, much more information is available then if you need a research them from a distance. The best way to find out about people listed visit where they work and ask a few questions. Keep it low key; this is not the time a two presenters self like a Gestapo agent! Talk to the people that work for them, with them, and over them. Talk to salespeople who sell to them.

            Be seen by 1.5 million employers & recruiters instantly! Click Here

Finding information about people from a distance is more difficult. You can try typing their name into the search engine and see what news articles come up. You can see if there are has any information about them on the company web site. Of course, you can try a phone call to them or the people they work with, under, or over. If the person is in the upper neck a lot of management, they may have an administrative assistant. Talking to the administrative assistant may be far more effective than talking to anyone else.

             Questions? Comments? - Forum

While you're finding out about people, be aware that there are usually three different decision makers when it comes to hiring you. There is the person who has a problem that you can solve. There is the person who formally makes hiring decisions. And there is the person who OKs the financial expenditure for a new hire. In some cases one person does all of those, but it is much more common that the duties are divided up among two or three individuals. The person who controls the purse strings is usually the hardest one to talk to directly. If you can find out the names of the people who make the decisions, then you can usually find at least something out about each of them.

And while you're in the research mode, make sure you find out as much about the company as you can! Before you actually approach anybody for employment, you should be able to answer the question, "Why do you want to work here?" with a great deal of detail.

Prepare Your Portfolio

Now that you know enough about yourself and your target market it is time to prepare your sales materials. In the employment realm we call that your portfolio. What's in a portfolio and what it looks like should be determined by who you are, what kind of employment you're looking for, and what your particular strengths are. Your portfolio should highlight your strengths in a very vivid and easy to understand way.

Resumes

The first item that most people add to their portfolio is the resume. There are many types, purposes, and styles of resumes; determine what you need to say to whom first, then choose the style that communicates those items the best. Most people will need at least two different resumes.

I have included several types of resumes to give you an idea of what just some of the options are. Sample Resumes

Resumes are used primarily in two ways: to try and obtain an interview; or to use during an interview to convince them to hire you. Resumes that are used to obtain an interview must get someone's attention and get them to pick up the phone in less than 10 seconds! This type of a resume must very quickly and clearly illustrate that you are an unusual person with unusual skills, training, and experience.

Resumes that are used during an interview should have lots of detail information that support the claims that you are making during the interview. A lot of third-party endorsements are appropriate in this type of resume. For this type of resume, a multi page resume is perfectly acceptable.

Here are my two most important things to know about resumes:

1. Break The Rules To Be Effective

Most people want to create a resume by starting with a specific format that is often an exact duplicate of other resumes may have seen. Doing this will guarantee that your resume looks exactly like most others and will guarantee that your resume will disappear into a pile and will seldom be read by anybody anywhere. For your resume to get any attention it must look different, be different, and feel different, all in a good way.

             Questions? Comments? - Forum

Resumes are simply paper advertisements about you. Before you design a resume, you should know something about advertising. For a quick course on advertising pick up a phone book and open up to the Yellow Pages section. Where did your eyes go first? Why? Where did your eyes linger the longest? Was it the same advertisement? If you're in the market for what they are advertising, which one would you call, and why?

For most people the ad that their eye goes to first is the one that is the most different on the rest of the page. If most of the advertisements on the page have red in them, one that does not have red in it will probably get your attention first. Conversely, if most of the advertisements on the page are only black on yellow paper, and one advertisement has color in it, your eye will probably go to that advertisement first. If you're going to advertise in the Yellow Pages, wouldn't your advertising be more effective if you knew what the other advertisements on the page will look like? Of course it would; and it would change the type of display ad you would order. If your resume looks like every other resume that has arrived in the last two months, it is very unlikely to be read at all.

When people look at our resume they usually start at the top and skim quickly down the page. That's why people put their name in large, bold letters at the top of the resume. They have to know who you are and how to contact you and add information should be at the top and should be very readable. Below that, they should find two or three very interesting and attention getting things about you that would make them want to pick up the telephone right away and give you a call. Those things should be your accomplishment statements that you had worked on earlier.

Most resume formats use some bold type with in the format, but the bold does not say anything about the applicant. They are either names of companies, job titles held, or degrees and education obtained. What ever is put in bold everything in the same category has the same bold type face. What a waste of advertising!

Try this; take all of the bold off of your resume. Then put in bold ONLY as follows: your name and phone number; two or three of your most impressive accomplishment statements. Compare that with one of the standard formats of resumes. Which one says more about the individual? Well then, which one should you use?

2. Tell What You Did With Job Duties, Don't Just List Job Duties

Most resumes are a list of jobs held, and the job duties expected of the job title. Here's a really big clue: everybody that have the same title had the same job duties, whether they were fired or not! If all you do is list the jobs you've had and the job duties associated, you look exactly like someone who had been fired from every job they ever had!

             Questions? Comments? - Forum

Since most people who are at all familiar with the job title know exactly what the job duties expected are, why don't we replace the job duties with your accomplishments? That way, they'll see what she did what the job duties, and I just what was expected of you. That's why we worked so hard to establish those accomplishment statements early on; this is the first place you will use them. Let's use them to their maximum effectiveness!

Calling Cards

Calling cards have gone out of style, but they should be in use for anyone who is looking for employment.

A calling card is simply a business card with no company listed; that only has your name, contact information, and maybe a specialty slogan that would illustrate the type of employee or person you are. For example, my calling card has the phrase "Master Of The Obvious". For anyone who knows me, that phrase sums up my talents and skills. The important thing is everyone remembers me and my name after seeing the card.

How to use a calling card. A calling card can be presented at a place of employment in order to obtain a short interview. The interview could be an informational interview, designed to obtain enough information so that a person can make up their mind whether or not they want to apply for a job at that institution, or to make a decision to change a career. A calling card should also be given during an interview, especially if there's more than one person doing the interviewing. Calling card with the resume can make a nice impression, especially if the resume was designed with a couple of strategically placed slips in order to hold the calling card. It can help communicate your professionalism and preparedness. A calling card can also be used to invite a potential employer to share it with a friend or colleague who may be looking for an excellent employee. Just because that particular company does not have a need of your services today, and does not mean that they don't know someone who does. Invite that person to hand out your card for you. That expands your network by one other person.

Letters of Recommendation and Appreciation

Letters of recommendation can be powerful. Any time a former employer, supervisor, co-worker, or associate can write a letter to introduce you to a potential employer, and vouch for the quality of person you are, you have an incredibly powerful sales tool. A letter of recommendation is always available, even if the person who wrote it is on vacation, are retired, or even passed on to their reward. I would rather have a letter of recommendation from someone than just a promise to recommend me to an employer.

Many employers will promise to write a letter of recommendation, but far fewer actually do so. More than half of letters of recommendation are written by the employee, not the employer, and you should not be afraid to offer to do so either. When an employer offers to write a letter of recommendation, ask them if it would make it easier for them if you typed it up, all you need is to know what they would like said. After you type it up, they can proofread it, edit it if needed, and sign it and give it to you. In truth, I have never had an employer edit a letter of recommendation that was prepared by the employee. Most employers are truly glad to help the former good employee.

             Questions? Comments? - Forum

Accumulate many letters of recommendation. I instruct all of my clients, and this now includes you, to request a letter of recommendation or appreciation anytime an employer tells you that you have done a good job, they like your work, for any other specific, positive thing. Simply ask if they would mind pudding in writing what they just expressed verbally. Most would be glad to do so, especially if you let them know that a formal letter is not required, just a quick note would suffice. In truth, some of the notes that were handwritten have gotten more attention in my employment packet than some of the long, formal letters of recommendation.

Collect letters, notes, and any other form of written approval or praise. File them carefully as they are useful for many years in the future. Samples of Your Work

Wherever you have good examples of your work, they should be added to your portfolio. This could include letters, reports, presentations, or even electronic media. Perhaps you made a presentation using PowerPoint; put it on disk and have it in your portfolio. Web page. Consider creating your own web page that can have your information available to anyone. Be sure that all of the information is appropriate. Many people have the skills of creating their own web page, have friends who could do it for them, and of course there are professionals who can put up a web page quickly. The charge for putting up a web page can vary considerably by the professional, the type and quantity of information on the website, and the complex city of the web site itself. In general, you want to keep it as simple as possible.

Practice Your Presentations

The final step in preparing yourself for interviews and other forms of employer contact is to practice, practice, practice, practice, practice, and practice and more! Once you have the various forms of employer contact identified and scripted, you will want to practice them on your own, practice them with a friend, and then record the practice sessions. Reviewing the practice sessions visually is very important because most people have some body language that is negative. Remove that negative body language as soon as possible!

             Questions? Comments? - Forum