Career Related Tips newsletter

CAREER RELATED TIPS

Bryan Thorby Publisher webmaster@career-related.com http://career-related.com

Date: May 25, 2005

Welcome to This Edition

You are receiving this because you, or someone using your name and email, subscribed to

Career Related Tips Newsletter

If you feel there has been an error please click the link at the bottom of this edition to stop any future emails.

To assist my list management and to ensure you receive each edition and to lessen the possibilty of bouncing, AOL members please add my address to your address book. Hotmail and MSN please add the address to your safe list and or address book. Thanks.

Please rate this Ezine at the Cumuli Ezine Finder http://www.cumuli.com/ezines/vote.html?pub_code=career

In This Issue:

Thoughts of the Day

Article : Dressing for Successful Job Interviews By Scott Brown

Article : The Five Most Common - And Most Avoidable - Résumé Errors By Jaimie Marzullo

Article : Using Cover Letters and Customized Resumes By Scott Brown

Disclaimer & Privacy Statement

===========================================================

I hope all is well with you. I've spent a lot of time over the last few days fixing things on the website that for some unknown reason had stopped functioning, namely the "Resource Directory". The directory pages may have been unavailable to website visitors for some time. The support staff at the webhosting company where able to sort the issue out. So the link to the Directory is on again at http://career-related.com/lma/directory

As I have mention on a number of occassions an interview is a selling situation. In most cases, you are trying to sell your experience and qualifications to the interviewer so you can get the job. However, in our efforts to present ourselves in the best possible light, it is quite easy to forget that it is actually possible to "oversell" yourself or be overly confident. I spent many years in sales and I can tell that listening to the customer is more important than talking. Interviews are no different. It is unfortunate, but selling an interviewer on one of your capabilities could actually hurt you if it's a skill that's not central to the job. So listen and respond to what is asked of you.

You have two ears and one mouth - listen twice as much as you speak.

Have a great week.

Bryan

Sponsor

Want to learn more about writing impressive Resumes and Cover Letters? Check out http://career-related.com/resume

Want to learn more about job interviews? http://career-related.com/interview

Thoughts of the Day

"You may fail a thousand times, but success may be hiding behind the next step. You never know how close the prize is unless you continue." -- Bob Tyler

"We act as though comfort and luxury were the chief requirements of life, when all that we need to make us really happy is something to be enthusiastic about." -- Charles Kingsley

Article

Dressing for Successful Job Interviews

By Scott Brown

The first thing an interviewer will notice about you is how you're dressed. Even before you say hello or shake their hand, they are starting to form an impression of you based on your appearance. This week's job searching tip deals with making sure you are dressed properly for interviews.

It's estimated that people gain meaning more from non-verbal cues in conversations than from the actual words exchanged. Therefore, how you present yourself in an interview will have a significant impact on how the interviewer perceives you. If you're applying for a job as a manager, the interviewer will be trying to decide how you would be perceived by subordinates and other managers. Basically, they're asking themselves, "would this person fit in?" One way to figure out how best to dress to fit in would be to visit the company ahead of time for some "surveillance" work. If you hang around outside the company's parking lot, you could observe how most people dress there. Of course it's best not to be conspicuous - if the interviewer saw you hanging around their parking lot a few days earlier, they might think you're strange!

There are some basic rules that everyone should follow when going on a job interview: - Your goal should be to look clean, healthy and successful - Make sure you don't have bad breath. Nobody wants to work with someone who smells bad. - On the other hand, don't overdo it with aftershave/perfume. - Always err on the side of conservatism. Men should wear conservative ties for interviews and women should opt for a more conservative blouse - Your hair should be clean and neat - Your nails should be clean and a reasonable length - Women should wear tan or light hosiery.

If you know people who work in a similar company (or the same company) in the same location, talk to them about how people dress for work. Especially if you are moving from another part of the country. For example, lawyers in California often dress a bit more casually and wear less conservative ties than lawyers in New York.

Be sure to follow rules of etiquette when on the interview itself. Give the interviewer a chance to offer you a seat. If you're wearing a suit jacket, don't take it off in the interview. Remember, an interview is partly a formality. Especially if the interviewer is a human resources person or other staff member who is not very familiar with your field, you may be judged much more on your appearance and how well you conform to the "picture" of what a good interviewee should be like than on the content of what you say in the interview.

A great movie about creating the right appearance is the recent Steven Spielberg film, "Catch Me If You Can," which starred Leonardo Di Caprio. In the movie, which is based on a true story, Di Caprio plays a con artist and counterfeiter named Frank Abignale, Jr. Frank is able to work as an airline pilot, a doctor and a lawyer all because he is able to come across like he fits in. Even though he was only 16, he knew enough to do his research ahead of time and create the right appearance. One of the great lines in the movie is when Frank says to the detective trying to catch him, "Why do you think the Yankees always win? Is it because of Mickey Mantle? No, it's because everyone's busy watching the pinstripes."

About the author: Scott Brown is the author of the Job Search Handbook http://www.jobsearchhandbook.com As editor of the HireSites.com weekly newsletter on job searching, Scott has written many articles on the subject. He wrote the Job Search Handbook to provide job seekers with a complete yet easy to use guide to finding a job effectively.

Article

The Five Most Common - And Most Avoidable - Résumé Errors

By Jaimie Marzullo

Writing an effective résumé can certainly be challenging. There are numerous rules and none of them apply 100% of the time. It is often much easier for people to craft their document if they understand the boundaries within which they will need to operate 100% of the time - the mistakes that should never be made and will brand a job-seeker as unprofessional. Eliminating all of these errors from your résumé will go a long way in improving your chances of securing an interview.

1. "Responsible for..."

The Problem: This is one of the most common, and most amateurish, résumé errors. There is no greater example of weak, passive writing than the overused "responsible for." There are two base reasons why this phrase is to be avoided. The first is that it is already understood that the information included in your résumé are activities that you were responsible for; this is the equivalent of writing "we cook..." before an item listed in a restaurant menu. The second reason is what I alluded to above: "responsible for" is passive, bland, and boring. It does nothing to draw in the reader, and demonstrates no specific or relevant skill. With the average résumé being read in approximately seven seconds, the first word or two in each sentence is absolutely critical because it is the information that will be read first and most. Whether anything else in a given sentence will be read at all entirely depends on if the first couple of words strike a chord with the reader. If the hiring manager holding your résumé does not spot keywords of interest in those vital locations, then the entire résumé is probably going in the trash, no matter how great the rest of your information is.

The Solution: A great way to test the quality of a résumé is to read just the first word in each sentence, and see what image those words build of you as an employee. If your first words consist of "responsible for", "helped", "handled", or other passive language, then you're not creating a powerful or compelling first impression. Open each and every sentence with a power verb that is relevant to the job you are applying for. Words such as "manage", "direct", "administer", and "process" can often be used to replace "responsible for", and are far more effective.

2. Using a paragraph format.

The Problem: As mentioned above, the average résumé is read in approximately seven seconds. In those precious few seconds, the hiring manager will skim through your entire document and determine if you possess the qualifications needed for the job. If your information is organized in long, dense paragraphs that are difficult to read quickly, they are most likely not going to be read at all. Think of your résumé as a shopping spree... if you have only seven seconds within which to conduct your shopping spree, which would you rather be faced with: an enormous pile of products where it is impossible to discern what each individual product is without an in-depth perusal, or an organized, easy-to-navigate row of products that are displayed independently so that you can easily see what each is? Remember, you have only seven seconds. I think we'd all agree that it is much easier, when on limited time, to approach information that is already parsed out for us. Paragraphs are intimidating to the eye and for the hiring manager who has literally hundreds of other applicants to choose from, the loss of one whose document is difficult to read is not going to be a consideration.

The Solution: Create brief, bulleted statements. Each statement should focus on one particular skill and be no more than two lines in length.

3. Repetition.

The Problem: It is not uncommon for people, in an attempt to not overlook anything, to mention the same skills multiple times within the same résumé. This creates a boring, stale document in which the heavily repeated skills overshadow everything else. In addition to this, the repetition contributes to excess length; again, we come back to that same seven seconds. Let's say, for example, that in your resume you want to list skills A, B, C, and D. If you do just that, then it is easy to identify all of those skills in seven seconds. If, however, your résumé lists A, B, A, A, B, B, B, C, A, C, B, A, A, C, B, D, C, A... suddenly, your qualifications are not as obvious and one - D - could very easily be overlooked.

The Solution: Identify which skill each and every statement is addressing and write that information directly on a copy of your résumé. Then review the skills listed next to all of your statements. Are you seeing one or more skills listed over and over? Consolidate this information. Also, don't fall into the trap of repeating information from one section to another; if you mention an accomplishment in your Professional Summary, do not mention it again in your Professional Experience.

4. Writing job descriptions.

The Problem: Committing this error is what can make the difference between getting an interview and losing the opportunity to someone else. Employers are not interested in what activities you performed on a daily basis - they are interested in how well you performed those activities. Stating that you "processed paperwork" gives no indication of what type of employee you are... this same statement could apply accurately to the person who doodles on the desk and misses deadlines as well as the person who exceeds deadlines and quotas and has 100% accuracy.

The Solution: Focus on accomplishments. Many job-seekers disregard this advice with the mistaken notion that they do not have any accomplishments. Most of the time these people do have quantifiable achievements; they just don't realize that they do. It can be difficult to look objectively at our own experiences. Review employee evaluations. What positives are noted? Think about special projects or busy times; were there any instances in which you were praised, or were very proud of the job you did? Any times in which you improved processes, made or saved money, or lifted some of the burden off your supervisor's shoulders?

If you truly have no accomplishments, then focus on results. What are the results of your work? For example, "processed paperwork." What paperwork and why? What does this paperwork do for your company? "Facilitate ongoing litigation by processing complex legal documents" is much more effective than simply "Processed paperwork," although both would technically be correct.

5. Using Objective statements.

The Problem: This is often the result of a job-seeker who has either been out of the market for a long time, or someone who is using a dated résumé-writing manual. Objective statements have, thankfully, gone out of style on résumés. Why thankfully? Objective statements are counter-productive. By definition, an Objective states what you, the job-seeker, want. The problem with this is that the hiring manager does not care what you want; the hiring manager cares about what you can do for the company. Additionally, what you want should be clear from your cover letter and by the simple fact that you sent your résumé in the first place - it does not need to be repeated (see #3, above). Since this is often positioned at the very top of the résumé, it is a regretful waste of highly visible space that should be used to appeal to the interests of hiring managers, not to address information that the hiring manager isn't interested in.

The Solution: Professional Summary, Profile, Summary Statement... whatever you want to call it, a summary section at the top of your résumé that reviews your strongest, most relevant skills and abilities is a surefire way to capture the attention of your reader and encourage him or her to read on. This is also a highly effective strategy to position notable achievements that occurred early in your career in a visible location.

About the author: Jaimie Marzullo is a professional résumé writer and career counselor, and owner of www.leadingcareers.com. Her client base is spread over six continents and includes professionals in nearly every industry, from entry-level to executive, and Ivy League students.

Article

Using Cover Letters and Customized Resumes

By Scott Brown

I'd like to briefly discuss the concept of "resume targeting." This is the practice of customizing your resume for a specific audience. Targeting with resumes is the same concept as advertisers customizing their message to a particular demographic. Recently, many big brand marketers have started customizing their messages to make their commercials more interesting so people using TiVo don't fast forward past them and so they stand out from other commercials. For example, Mercedes Benz recently started running commercials in New York City where a couple drives first to La Guardia and then to JFK Airport. For the average viewer who sees a few hours of commercials a week, one that mentions two local places they're familiar with will stand out in their mind. The same goes for recruiters and employers who may receive hundreds of resumes a week. If they get one that's customized for their interests, it has a better chance of standing out.

It's a smart idea to have several versions of your resume available for the different types of positions you're applying for. For example, if you're applying for jobs in both the insurance and financial services industries, you could have two different resumes available with two slightly different Objective statements. Further customizing your resume for the specific position you're applying for makes sense if it's a position you're really interested in and you want to stand out from the pack. Keep in mind though that if you're sending out 100 resumes, it may not pay to spend 5-10 minutes customizing each one since landing a job is also partly a numbers game.

Cover letters can be a powerful way to establish a relationship with the potential employer - especially if you haven't met the person yet. They also provide more room for you to discuss the synergies between your goals and theirs than is afforded in a resume. The goal of a cover letter is to establish a personal relationship. To that end, a cover letter needs to at least appear that it was customized for the specific person it's being sent to. A good cover letter will reference the name of the company it is being sent to and the position title. Even if you're sending out a lot of cover letters, this can be accomplished using the Mail Merge function in Microsoft Word.

When you're contacting an employer for the first time by e-mail, the custom is to not include a cover letter but instead to provide an introduction in the body of the e-mail itself. Your resume can be attached in Word format. The introductory text you include in the body of the e-mail has the same goal as a cover letter: to establish a personal relationship. But it is less formal than a cover letter.

Now for a brief word about what a cover letter should not be: it is not a summary of your resume and should not look like a form letter (even if it is one). Also, a cover letter should not include information that's not in your resume. Some busy managers and recruiters simply skip cover letters and don't read them. However, sending a resume to an employer without a cover letter will give them the impression you're randomly sending your resume to lots of companies and don't really care in particular about their firm. Unfortunately, you'll create the same impression if you send a cover letter that looks like a form letter and isn't customized at all. Even worse though, the person reading the resumes may have spent an extra 20-30 seconds reading a letter that did not provide them with any additional information than was in your resume and did not take advantage of the opportunity to start a personal relationship with the person.

An exception to all of this is if you're posting your resume on a job board. In this case, the recruiter bears some of the responsibility in starting the relationship. Here's an analogy to explain this: if you're looking for a date and you approach a woman (or a man) at a bar with a canned pick-up line, they'll probably respect you less than if you said something original. On the other hand, if they were to approach you at that same bar, they would be the ones who'd have to come up with a way to introduce themselves.

About the author: Scott Brown is the author of the Job Search Handbook http://www.jobsearchhandbook.com As editor of the HireSites.com weekly newsletter on job searching, Scott has written many articles on the subject. He wrote the Job Search Handbook to provide job seekers with a complete yet easy to use guide to finding a job effectively.

Disclaimer and Privacy Statement

I accept no responsibility whatsoever for the content, profitability or legality of any published articles or advertisements contained within the

Career Related Tips newsletter

And, although all of the articles have been selected for their content, the publishing of such articles within this newsletter does NOT constitute a recommendation of the products or services mentioned or advertised within those articles.

Be responsible! Always do your own Due Diligence before responding to any offer.

I respect the privacy of my readers. I will NEVER supply or sell your personal information to any Third Party!

Contact

Bryan Thorby Marton, New Zealand webmaster@career-related.com

http://career-related.com Career advice, information and resources Career Resource Directory http://career-related.com/lma/directory/ Career Blogs http://career-related.com/blog

http://www.home-business-and-marketing.com Home business options, Home business training and marketing, Resource Directory, resources, ebooks, software

http://mini-site-mastery.com Learn how to create and profit from Mini Sites with the 4 CD audio training program Mini Site Mastery. Join the Affiliate program.

http://ebooks-to-succeed.com eBook and Software membership site. Large collection of resell rights ebooks and software products.

http://www.oneworldbiz.net Niche Market products and resources.

© Copyright 2004 - 2005 All Rights Reserved CAREER-RELATED.COM