Is your resume well written AND well edited? If you are not 100% certain, take advantage of my standing offer to critique your resume for free. Just email a copy to review@firstimpressionsresumes.biz and I will let you know if your resume is impressive enough to influence busy recruiters and key decision makers; and if it is not, I can offer specific tips on how to make it stand out in the crowd.
Moreover, if you need professional help but can’t afford the prohibitive costs many services charge – my offer of a 25% discount on my services has been extended another week until November 8, 2009. This means you can finally get the help you need at a price you can afford.
Which brings me to today’s topic: Why unemployment is a poor excuse for not investing in your job search, especially if you are an executive or professional over the age of thirty five.
At no time in modern history have career professionals, mid-level managers and C-level executives had their careers so susceptible to change. Since the events of September 11 rocked the financial world, and more recently the mortgage crisis of 2007/2008, American business leaders in unprecedented numbers have been put into the unaccustomed position of having to reinvent themselves in the job marketplace.
Executive resumes have changed since many of you were last called upon to write one, and the old boy network that worked so well has dried up and you are now depending just like everyone else on the job boards and social media sites to generate leads.
Moreover, executive interviews have always been more challenging than interviews at lower levels. Executive candidates face a longer interview process, must demonstrate a vision to meet the prospective employer’s challenges, and undergo intense vetting before receiving a job offer. Are you as comfortable at this as you once were?
If your next step is a junior executive, senior-level, or C-level position you must know how to reinvent yourself on paper, and in your image and physical and verbal presentation one or more times a week. For a great many of you reading this, this is a daunting task.
That is why I suggest that some former executives and you know who you are, should swallow your pride and open your wallets to hire a professional resume writer and career coach. In your past when you were an up and coming high 5 figure rising star, and later on a 6 figure executive looking to climb the corporate ladder, this investment was a no brainer. For many of you the only thing that has changed is your job status. Your need for professional help still exists; and as a matter of fact it is greater today with your being unemployed than it was in the good old days when you were happily employed.
If you want to really open your eyes consider this: you are now very likely applying for jobs with an annual salary of $75,000-$250,000 a year, or a consulting gig that pay $60-$150 an hour. This means that each and every day you are unemployed or under-employed you lose $250 - $1,200 in cold hard cash that you will never recoup.
Then consider this; if a professional can get you back to work even one day sooner, what is this worth to you; let alone if he or she can help you get back to work a week or a month or two months sooner?
Do the math and you will agree that at your level professional a modest investment in your future is a prudent business decision, no matter what finances are.
Imagine how much benefit you will get by working with someone who can help you put together a marketing package that appeals to a new breed and in most cases a much younger group of initial screeners and decision makers.
Imagine how much better you will interview with someone by your side helping you define what your value is and how this get this across to interviewers and decision makers who may look at you as a little long in the tooth, or not as up to date on modern business strategies and technologies based solely on conjecture about your age.
Imagine how much your job search will gain from having an expert available at your beck and call who can impart pearls of wisdom and useful tips and critiques on how to land an interview and conduct pre-interview research; on the importance of nonverbal behavior and attire; and on how to use social media to network and establish your personal brand.
You do the math and see if it is worthwhile for you to be “penny wise and dollar foolish.”
A recent client of mine confirmed two points I believe are valid and I think you should take to heart if you are going to write your own résumé.
This senior level HR executive wrote a fairly strong résumé, but she was not getting the results she envisioned, and the few interviews she had were not going as well as she had hoped . When I asked how she arrived at the résumé version she showed me, she told me this was her 4th revision based on résumé books, blogs and articles she read, her years of experience as an interviewer, and critiques from members of her networking group.
Adding to her frustration, the outsourcing counselor assigned to help her was vehement in how she should change her résumé and represent herself and she did not agree with his judgment. This friction and the conflicting opinions she heard was driving her crazy.
A mutual friend referred her to me for a free consultation and during our initial meeting I told her straight out what I thought. “For a self written résumé this is a good textbook exercise in gathering the information a résumé should contain; however in my opinion it lacks a professional feel that one would expect from a Human Resources executive at your level.” Furthermore I told her, “It will not harm your job search, but there is a lot of room for improvement to make you stand out and establish your personal brand.”
Then I asked her if the outsource coach had as much business experience as she did; and, more important I asked her if “in your position as an HR exec would you ever hire him to work for you.” I asked the same about the people in her networking group putting in their 2¢. To both questions the answers were an emphatic NO & NO!
Then we spoke a few minutes about what it takes to write a good résumé like the one she has, and what skills and knowledge is required to write a great marketing document like the one she desires.
At the end of our 45 minute conversation she told me what I think every job seeker who is writing their own résumé needs to consider.
She said, “Conceptually I know how to write a great résumé and with every new revision I can get it to within 80% of where I want it to be; however my problem is that no matter how hard I try I can’t get it beyond the 80% barrier. Although what I write is good, it is just not good enough for me to succeed in this job market with the intense competition that I face.”
So if you are going to write your own résumé consider these 2 points very seriously.
1: Make sure that you respect the people who are advising you in your job search! Then ask yourself if they know more about résumé writing than you do, and whether they have as much business experience as you do to justify whether their advice is worth following; especially if it goes against what you believe to be true. Finally, ask yourself “would I hire them if I could - or would I tell them where to go?”
2: Honestly ask yourself, and if you're married ask your spouse, by writing your own résumé can THIS résumé surpass the 80% barrier without professional help or guidence? Then ask yourself whether getting this far on your own will get you as far as you want to go, and as fast as you want to get there; or do you need to exceed the 80% barrier to expedite getting the job you want.
There is no shame in not being able of write a great résumé. However I can attest to you from my clients’ experiences, there are times it can be embarrassing and even detrimental to a search when the résumé you submit falls short of the mark.
One of the problems I face as a career coach at First Impressions is dealing with older people (40+) who do not have the proper academic credentials for the job they seek. Most of these folks began working when a college degree or graduate degree was not required, just preferred for their job. Today this same job requires a minimum of a 4-year degree, and a post-graduate degree is mandatory in many cases, or at the very least it is highly preferred.
Thankfully these clients were able to climb the corporate ladder in their company based on a combination of loyalty and industry expertise. However, today that is no longer the case, and they don’t know what to do. The obvious answer is to go back to college and complete or even start as a freshman and earn a 4-year, Masters or MBA degree.
To expedite matters, one of the best options for these men and women is to get a degree online. However many of them, and unfortunately some old fashioned or uneducated HR types feel this is a waste of time and money and the degree is useless.
So last week I posed the following question on Executive Suite another Linked-In group that I am a part of, and I would like to share some of the responses with you as part of my Job Hunting in the 21st Century – The New Reality series.
QUESTION: Online undergraduate and post graduate degrees, how do you view them?
“Personally I find that a lot of recruiters view "online" degrees with some skepticism, however what a lot of people do not realize is that these degrees often take a much higher level of studying and effort to pass than a traditional class setting. (One does not have a lecturer to go to each day, one rather has to physically find time and sit down and really work at achieving a great result.)… The downside is that there is often no one to turn to, no one to study with and often families do not understand that studying online is a gains to a real degree.” Astra Bester, CIPP & CIPP/C Regulatory Compliance Specialist
“I decided to "repair" a mistake and return to school to finish my degree. I chose The University of Phoenix and I must admit that this was the only decision I could make to complete my degree. Work life balance and traveling for business made a bricks and motor school out of the question. My first impression was that my degree will be "devalued" because it was EARNED online. However; my degree is something I am very proud of… My work ethic and dedication to complete the degree is the passion and dedication a company can expect me to give them once they realize the degree is a statement of not only my abilities but also my character and commitment to the company." Robert Smith, Sales Professional
"I completed my MBA online within the last month. Prior to starting this program I preferred a traditional classroom environment because of the interaction that takes place there. Though, I pursued online education because a heavy work and travel schedule made classroom attendance impossible. Now that I've completed the program, I do not think it was a mistake to use the online format. Like any program, you get out of it what you put into it. Anyone can learn just as much from an online program as they can from a classroom if they're interested in learning and disciplined. I think some employers are reluctant to fully recognize online programs because of the many "degree mills" out there. When discussing your online program with an employer, it's important to highlight the school and its credentials. Reputable online programs are regionally accredited just like traditional programs, and their degrees are recognized equally. My experience with online education is manifested in the fact that I'm planning my next pursuit in education (DBA), and I'm only looking at online programs." Steve Bailey, Global Supplier Manager
"I am a product of the traditional brick and mortar educational route, but I'd like to share some thoughts. As someone who has filled positions, I am no more likely to hire a traditional candidate to an online candidate. One purpose of the curriculum is to teach one how to think, but it should not be taken for granted that possessing a degree does indeed demonstrate one can think. The analogy I have used with my direct reports is the assembly line worker in corporate America - one who knows how to replicate but may not understand the underlying essence. At the margin, one who has some seasoning followed by an online degree is more likely to possess the deeper understanding.
In general, a degree is important but the kind of degree is not dispositive. It is one of a number of attributes that reveal the caliber of the individual." Andrew Paluszek, Director - Planning & Analysis at a Major Bank.
If you have a strong opinion, pro or con on this subject let me know; if you’re thinking of going back to school and torn between a brick & mortar classroom or learning in cyberspace, I hope this will help you decide.
Author:
Perry Newman, CPC, is President/CEO of First Impressions Resumes and can be reached for a no cost consultation at 646-894-4101.
