RESUME & CAREER COACHING DISCOUNT GIFT CERTIFICATES

Spread the word. Between now and January 7th we are offering a FREE RESUME REVIEW AND A 30% OFF GIFT CERTIFICATE ON ALL OUR SERVICES. Just send your resume to review@firstimpressionsresumes.biz, and tell all your out of work friends, neighbors and business associates about this amazing offer. This might just be the best holiday gift you give or receive this year.

Talking about holiday gifts, here are some novel ideas about what you can give someone you know who is having a hard time finding a job this year?

A: One of the best gifts to offer job seekers at this time of year, and one you can afford to give to everyone you know in this situation, is some support and encouragement. Being unemployed during the holidays many job seekers tend to dwell on the negative and lose self confidence. A kind word from a friend or colleague goes a long way. A printed or e-holiday card with a personal note or a phone call will help to lift their spirits. Staying in contact throughout the holiday season and getting together face-to-face a few times in December is even better.

B: Buy a gift to help upgrade their image. The old tie and shirt gift seems pretty silly, however if you know someone who is out of work and projecting a poor image on interviews, a nice power shirt and tie might be just what the doctor ordered to change their outer image and self perception from dull & boring to dynamic. Depending on how close you are and your finances you can add to the wardrobe upgrade, or maybe get a few mutual friends to chip in for a nice business suit for the job seeking man or women.

C: Keeping with this theme a gift certificate for a beauty makeover or a hair salon for a woman who is job hunting may be just the right gift to perk up her spirits; so why not give it to her.

D: Here’s a novel gift, why not network for them. Don’t wait to be asked, take the initiative and make a few well placed phone calls and send out some emails and their resume to people you know telling them how great this person is and how much you would appreciate their help in passing the word around within their circle of friends. You can even go so far as to setting up a network night where you get several people together in pleasant social setting and introduce them to one another and let nature take its course.

E: Get them the professional help they need to find a new job or career. Many people are lost when it comes to knowing how to conduct an effective job search, write a professional resume, or figure out what to do next in their professional life; especially people over the age of 40. So maybe you can give them a Career Services Gift Certificate. At this time of year I offer discount certificates on resume writing and coaching services and I am sure if you speak with some of my colleagues they might do the same.

In a year when unemployment hovers from 8%-18% depending on your field and the city you live in, and when he average time in between good jobs is 26 weeks or more, helping someone progress their job search can be just the right gift to spread holiday cheer this year.

Take the 6R's Resume Quiz and if you come up short request your Free Resume Review

Take the 6R's RESUME QUIZ and if you fall short of your expectations(and even if you don't) email your current resume to review@firstimpressionresumes.biz to request a FREE LIVE RESUME REVIEW and specific tips on how to improve your resume and job search.

Here are the 6R’s: Research, Relevance, Resourcefulness, Riveting, Readable, and Reaction. Score Each R on a scale of 1-10 / Perfect Score = 60

RESEARCH: Before writing your resume, how in-depth did you research the job market in your field, and your competition to see how your qualifications compare to theirs? How much effort did you extend researching your value to a new employer and anticipating key questions you will likely to be asked in an interview; and making sure the answers are alluded to in your resume? Score:

RELEVANCE: Review your resume and assess every word and keyword, sentence, paragraph and fact for its relevance to jobs you’re applying for. Then judge whether it’s perfectly on target, or if it is top heavy with useless information about prior jobs and responsibilities which are irrelevant to the jobs you are now applying for. Score:

RESOURCEFUL: A resourceful resume is imaginative, creative, inventive, and captures the attention of the reader. Out of a pack of 30-50 resumes (which is where yours ends up) does your resume stand out or does it look and read like the majority of the others? Did you use a clichéd template and replace someone else’s information with yours, or is your resume captivating and a breath of fresh air? Does it create an image of your being another pretty face in the crowd, or is it crafted to make you look special and unique Your Score:

READABLE: People who read your resume have a checklist of fine points they look for in the 15-30 seconds they will spend screening your resume. Do you know what these fine points are, and can they be easily found in your resume? If they are easy to find the reader will use the entire 30 seconds - and most likely more - to read your resume. If not, its 15 seconds max and on to the next resume. Take the test yourself. Write out 6 points a screener is looking for and give them and your resume to your spouse or a close friend and time them for 20 seconds and see how many points they found. Score:

RIVETING: Your resume is pure and simple a marketing document, and should be written to read as such. Therefore your resume must immediately peak the reader’s interest, captivate their imagination and fascinate them with the possibilities of what you alone bring to the table and can contribute to their company. PS: The antonym for riveting is BORING. Score:

REACTION: Last but not least, a well written resume creates a call to action from the reader to follow up on the work of art they just read. Sequels are common practice for best selling authors and moviemakers. Why? Because they told a good story, made a connection between the reader and the main character, and left the reader with a desire to find out more by buying the next book or movie. In the case of a resume, the sequel and call to action is an invitation for a personal interview. Is your resume getting people to reach out to you? Score:

In reality there is no universal passing or failing grade for this test; each of you sets his or her standards based on your position and what is personally at stake for you in finding a job. However a word of caution is in order; all 6R’s carry equal importance and cumulatively impact your chances of being interviewed and offered the job you desire, and most important being offered that job at your full market value. So be very honest with yourself when you score this quiz, and have 1 or 2 other people score it for you as well. Then if you’re not happy with the results and don’t know how to improve them, you can reach out to me for some professional help. I am more than pleased to help you any way I can

Executive Resumes: Selling the Person or the Product

Some resumes are comprehensive fact sheets that educate the reader, and others are polished marketing documents that exude personality. Which one is yours?

You can find out where your resume stands by emailing a copy to review@firstimpressionresumes.biz for a Free Resume Critique. You’ll get an honest appraisal and some career counseling tips on specific measures that can help you jump start your job search. Now for those of you who can’t decide which of these two resumes is better, here’s a hint.
No doubt you have heard this hundreds of times before, but it still bears repeating one more time. The golden rule of being a successful salesperson is recognizing that “people buy people before they buy the product.”

Ask any sales trainer and we'll tell you that in order to get a foot in the door and close a sale, the person/s you are selling to must buy into you first.

The same holds true in my profession as a resume writer and executive career coach, as it holds true for you as a business executive, project manager, or career professional whose success depends on positive interaction with others.

I am certain that most of you know from personal experience that it is near impossible to implement a strategic plan, no matter how flawless or well documented it is, unless you first achieve unanimous stakeholder buy-in. Unless people buy into you, the project is flawed and will get off on the wrong foot.

In the case of a job hunter it is a little trickier because you are both the salesperson and the product. That is why I advise my clients that it is incumbent on them to first sell yourself and only then should you begin to sell the product; and in a job search the first place to start is in your resume. You must then continue this tactic during each successive interview, and throughout the salary negotiating process.

This brings us back to our initial question; is your resume a comprehensive fact sheet that educates or a polished marketing document that sells; and which is better.

If you think about it the answer is self apparent. When you fill your resume up with data about you “the employee” and what you did on a daily and per project basis focusing on responsibilities and useless information, you are subconsciously selling the product and not the person. What you can expect is that the reader will focus on determining if you are a superior product than the 20-50 similar product options (resumes) they have to choose from.

On the other hand a polished marketing document sells your personality and what makes you unique and worth the time meeting. It will present much of the same material; but this resume will focus on achieving stakeholder buy-in that you are above all the others. It will convince them that without question you not only can do the job, but you have the personality they seek as a part of their leadership team, and you are going to deliver the desired results while the other 20-50 people may or may not be able to do so.

A few ways to incorporate the personal approach into your resume are:
A: Give it a heading that tells people WHO and not what you are.
B2: Make it reader friendly so that all their checkpoints can be easily found
C: Give it a personality by avoiding overused resume templates and clichés.
D: Project yourself as more than qualified, show how you are “Best in Breed.’
E: Create a unique brand that focuses on how professional you are.
F: Choose your words, style and image carefully so you don’t look like a drone or a clone.
G: Don’t feel embarrassed if you can’t write a great resume. Be smart and get professional help.

Surviving the upcoming holiday season

Does your resume impress important recruiters and decision makers, or are you putting them to sleep? If you're not sure of the answer, take advantage of my offer to critique your resume for FREE.

Email a copy to review@firstimpressionsresumes.biz for an honest appraisal and some specific tips on how to stand out in a crowd.

Moreover, if you need help but can’t afford the prohibitive cost, you can still receive a 25% discount on my services until November 8, 2009. This way you can get the help you need at a price you can afford.

Which brings me to today’s topic: Preparing for the upcoming holiday season.

In a few short weeks we'll celebrate Thanksgiving, then Christmas/Chanukah, and before you turn around its New Years day and the beginning of a new decade, 2010.

So you ask, “Perry, what does all this have to do with me and my job search.”

In my years as a recruiter, career coach and resume writer, I’ve noticed two consistent phenomena’s at this time of year. One is that many job seekers convince themselves that this is the absolute worst time of year to look for a new job, and therefore they will take a hiatus from their search.

The other is that many out of work professionals drift into a state of job search depression and lose perspective of their intrinsic value as the New Year approaches.

So here are my ‘Top Three’ suggestions to institute in November and December.

Suggestion #1 is that you adjust your thinking!

Contrary to misguided beliefs, the end of the fourth quarter is one of the best times of the year to be aggressive in your job search and interviews. Many companies put off hiring as long as possible, and decision makers must pull the plug before their budget expires; and senior management wants to have the new hire signed, sealed, delivered and on board by the middle of January at the latest.

Also consider this, as the holidays draw near, decision makers are more likely to be in a jovial mood; and you can further contribute to this by being upbeat and offering novel solutions to pressing existing problems. You can help them enjoy the upcoming holiday season knowing that if they hire you their plate will be emptier and they can now concentrate on new and more pressing challenges with your able assistance.

Suggestion #2 is that you update or totally revamp your resume.

There are two essential reasons for doing this. One is that to change your resume you must first rethink your accomplishments, and reevaluate what you have to offer. I suggest doing this using a C-A-R exercise that I discussed in previous articles. As you do this you will begin to see that the problem is not you. You may find it wise to be pragmatic to alter your expectations based on the current market, but you will definitely regain some lost confidence by restating your intrinsic value to a new employer.

Also if you are smart you will come up charismatic way to present yourself in your new resume. And just like the confidence you gain when you buy and don a new designer outfit (an elegant and coordinated suit, shirt, tie, shoes and briefcase) that fits you to a tee and exudes an image that says WINNER!!!, you will get the same emotional lift and reinvigorate your job search with a stylish new professional marketing portfolio.

Suggestion #3 is Network, Network and Network some more.

An inordinate number of clients and individuals I speak to or receive emails from are uncomfortable networking with people from their past because they think they’ll be perceived as insincere or self-serving. I consider this foolish, but it is understandable.

What’s great is that even if you have not spoken with someone who can help you since the beginning of 2009, or even for two or even the last twenty years, this season is nostalgic; and getting a shout out from a long lost friend or former business acquaintance will be looked at as a sincere effort at this time of year. So reach out and extend best wishes and catch up on old times with everyone you know since you graduated elementary school.

If you show a genuine interest in the other person, and begin the conversation by sincerely inquiring as to how their life has progressed since you last spoke, and ask them if there is anything you can do to help their career, such as a linked-in recommendation or an introduction to someone in your network who can further their career or social life, you will be able to ask them to help you without feeling guilty and get a positive response. And who knows, you may discover that you should both now keep in touch with each other on a regular rather than an occasional basis.

Take these suggestions seriously and you will improve your chances of 2010 being a year to remember.