6 Resume Must-Haves

Jennifer Cochran - Monday, March 08, 2010

6 Resume Must-Haves

It's three months after the start of the New Year--how's that "get a new job" resolution coming along? If you haven't made much headway because the idea of making cold calls and pounding the pavement is too daunting, start small: with your resume. These six points should absolutely be included in your resume, whether you're looking for your dream job or just a temporary position.

Contact Information
Calling Captain Obvious, right?! But you would be surprised at how often something as simple as correct contact information can be left off a resume. Make sure you provide every reliable (that's the key here) way for a potential employer to contact you: phone, email, and physical mailing address.

But don't stop there. Include your other digital IDs, such as your Twitter account name, your website, and any Facebook pages that pertain to your craft. Remember, though, that whatever information you provide is also your implicit invitation for a potential employer to check you out diligently.

Experience
View your resume as a marketing piece--you're trying to sell yourself to a potential employer. And what most employers are buying is a worker with the experience necessary to jump in and contribute from day one. Use your resume as a tool for showcasing your relevant (and that's an important word!) experience. Instead of sharing all of your accomplishments and interests, list the experience you have that the employer is looking for, even if it's not something that was a major part of your job description.

For example, if you're looking for a management position but you have not, up until this point, held a similar job, highlight the managing work you have done, such as voluntarily coordinating peer groups in your department or overseeing projects for a superior from initial concept to completion.

Keywords
Many human-resource staffers will automatically scan your resume or use software or a digital database to check for certain keywords that relate to the position for which they are hiring. If you are familiar with the position and/or work within the same industry, you may know important words to use. If you're not sure what keywords an employer will be looking for, review similar job postings, talk to friends who hold that position or work within the industry, and so on.

Numbers
No, not just your phone number. In order to attract the attention of a potential employer, it's going to help if you can provide some bottom-line data to quantify what you have accomplished in the past. Consider the difference between these two examples:

"managed staff and department budget"
"oversaw 14 direct employees and 28 indirect employees in three different office locations; created and managed $1.5 million budget and reduced department operating expenses by 7% over two years"

Skills
Most every job requires a certain set of skills. Don't leave a potential employer wondering if you have at least the basic skills required for the position. For example, if you're applying for a job as a graphic designer, you should list all design-related skills you possess right up front, such as proficiency with Adobe Illustrator, Dreamweaver, Acrobat Professional, and so on. If you have earned certification or a professional designation related to technical skills, include that as well.

Titles
This is your time to shine. Don't gloss over your past jobs with generic titles. Try to be descriptive while also being accurate. For example instead of simply listing "PR Assistant," which leaves a lot to the imagination, get more detailed by listing "Media Liaison, In-House Writer and Event Coordinator." If you're not sure what title to put down, start by listing all of the duties you regularly are responsible for, and search for how other companies describe similar positions.

Conclusion
Your resume can be your "golden ticket" to getting through to the next round in the hiring process. Take your time to create a resume that demonstrates your understanding of the company's needs, and that most accurately describes your relevant background and achievements. Be sure to tweak each resume you send out to the position you're seeking and the company you're applying for. Time spent on your resume is time well spent.

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Staffing Agencies – The Right Stimulus for the Economy

Jennifer Cochran - Saturday, March 06, 2010

Staffing Agencies – The Right Stimulus for the Economy

Nick Andriacchi,

National Sales & Marketing Director Damian Services Corporation

Stimulus is probably the most overused word when talking about the economy today. The common belief is that the only stimulus available involves the federal government spending our tax dollars. But let’s look at one recent return on investment of our tax dollars as it relates to job creation.

The federal government recently “loaned” General Motors approximately $14 billion dollars in order to keep it solvent. How many jobs did that stimulus create?

One week later, General Motors announced layoff’s totaling 26,000 employees as well as discontinuing its Pontiac division. So much for government stimulus when it comes to job creation.

What we never seem to read or hear is the words “staffing, stimulus and job creation” together. Staffing industry news tends to be negative. This is a shame because it’s the staffing industry that encourages or stimulates employers to start hiring again.

It’s important to remember that layoffs happen as a result of a bad economy. When the economy improves, temporary help workers tend to be hired back before permanent employees. It is natural and essential that staffing companies are on the front-lines stimulating the hiring process.

The Evolving Role of the Staffing Company

The traditional role of a staffing company is to match the right candidate with the right job. But its role has evolved. Staffing companies now perform skills assessments, drug tests and background checks. They help candidates develop a career path, prepare for interviews, edit and or help write resumes.

“The staffing industry benefits so many individuals” says Pachia Paul of Logic Staffing, an independent staffing company located outside Seattle, WA. “A great example is the applicant who does not interview well and would be overlooked by a corporate recruiter in an ordinary interview or review of his resume. The same applicant can shine bright when going through a staffing service because their skills are noticed. In many instances, those employees are the perfect answer to your clients needs. Many times, they become a permanent employee! This is the satisfying piece of what we do.”

Stepping Stone to Permanent Employment

Some argue that temporary jobs are permanent low wage, no benefit type jobs. This is absolutely not true. According to American Staffing Association data, approximately 72% of temporary workers find a full-time job in less than a year while working with a staffing company. In fact, laid-off workers often use temporary employment as a bridge to a full-time position. Especially in periods of economic recovery, temporary positions may turn into full-time employment once the employer is ready to hire on a full-time basis.

Changing the Negative Bias

Staffing companies help change the corporate bias from laying off workers to hiring them. Forces such as unions and government regulations discourage employers from hiring workers. Why? Because their discussion ALWAYS revolves around raising costs without an increase in productivity to offset the costs. Almost any concessions business gives to these two groups typically results in layoffs of workers and continued deterioration of the economy.

The staffing industry offers the exact opposite. Potential employers have incentives to hire more workers to produce more goods and services. This helps stimulate the economy.

When a representative of a staffing company meets with an employer, the discussion revolves around reducing costs while providing additional employees. Employers have the option of adding or reducing staff levels as economic conditions dictate. And when businesses have an incentive to spend capital to produce goods and services economic conditions start to improve. As discussed, staffing companies provide some of those incentives.

Small Business Job Creators

Independent staffing companies are an important component of jobs created by small business. According to the SBA over the last 20 years small businesses have created roughly 3 out of 4 net new private non-farm US jobs. As they help encourage employers to add staff, these small staffing companies in turn hire permanent internal staff to help fill the orders. Can we call this a “double shot” of stimulus?

Independent staffing companies have fueled and will help fuel new industries to flourish. Without the flexible, high quality staff that they provide, these industries would have a hard time growing. They were the ones that found the “purple squirrels” in the 1990’s that fueled the dotcom boom and established e-commerce as a preferred method of doing business. Currently, they are the ones that find the employees to fill the many open positions in the medical industry. Independent staffing companies will also be on the cutting-edge to help staff fledgling industries such as alternative energy.

During my 17 years working for Damian Services the economy has endured three recessions. Independent staffing companies have led the way out of recession each and every time. While large national staffing (like most large businesses) companies cut compensation, close offices and layoff employees, independent staffing companies are out there convincing employers to hire workers. And as economic conditions improved, our clients actually help grow the market and prospered. Back in 1992, temporary help represented less than 2% of the workforce. Today it represents about 5%.

So back to the original statement, why is it that the words staffing, stimulus and job creation are not used together more often? As our industry continues to grow, hopefully the media does a more thorough review of the facts when reporting about staffing.

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6 Reasons They Didn't Call You Back

Jennifer Cochran - Thursday, March 04, 2010

6 Reasons They Didn't Call You Back

Are They Just Not That Into You?

by Larry Buhl, for Yahoo! HotJobs

In the best of times responding to a job listing can feel like sending your resume out to sea in a bottle. But at least you received a call or an email acknowledgement. Now, with the volume of applicants higher than ever, you're more likely to hear nothing.

If there is a resounding silence from your queries, keep looking and networking. But you can also do some sleuthing to give you a better chance of standing out next time. Recruiters and career experts agree that, if you didn't get an interview or phone call -- or even a thank-you email -- it may be due to at least one of six reasons.

1. They're just not that into you.

You're good, but someone else more closely met the qualifications. In a tight job market employers can usually get exactly the type of candidate they want. A polite "thanks, but no thanks" letter or email would be nice. But don't expect it these days.

2. They may be into you, as soon as they get to you.

Companies receive so many submissions these days that they don't even have time to send out letters or confirmation emails. "I know a major software company that's taking more than three weeks just to send out acknowledgement notes, and some companies are spending months sifting through resumes for just one opening," workplace etiquette expert Sue Fox tells Yahoo! Hot Jobs.

3. They would have been into you if you had followed directions.

"Many job listings use the word 'must,' not 'it would be nice to,'" according to Dave Opton, CEO and founder of ExecuNet. "If it says you must have experience in X, then tailor your resume to show that," Opton says.

If you're answering a job listing, be sure you respond in exactly the way the company wants. And be aware that if you're not applying for a specific job but rather sending out dozens or hundreds of form letters, your resume is likely to end up in companies' spam folders.

4. They might be into you if you apply for a more appropriate job.

Independent recruiter Cheryl Ferguson tells Yahoo! HotJobs that many job seekers are overqualified, under-qualified, or otherwise just wrong. "If we need to fill a specific job, and you're not right for it, don't assume that we're going to find the right fit for you. A lot of times people send me resumes, and I want to ask, 'Did you even read the job description?'"

5. Your presentation could use some work.

"A lot of mistakes I see are a lack of cover letter, and an objective statement on the resume that is all wrong for the job opening," says Lindsay Olson, partner and recruiter at Paradigm Staffing. "Even worse are obviously mass emails where the candidates had no clue what they were applying for."

6. There isn't any job.

Sometimes, due to last minute budget cuts, a position is eliminated before it's even filled. Other times, according to Olson, companies reel in resumes even when they know there isn't any opening. "Some companies want a big applicant pool because they think they may be hiring in the future," Olson said.

How can you learn what happened?

If you feel like your resume is out at sea, and you'd at least like confirmation that you're out of the running, there are things you can do.

1. Contact the company.

Yes, the ad had a NO CALLS warning, and there wasn't a name anyway. But if you're pretty sure you're right for the job, and you've heard nothing after a week, you can still call someone to find out if you're at least in the running. Try to find the hiring manager (HR is too busy, and they almost never want to hear from you).

"If you do follow up by phone, don't leave a voice mail," Opton says. "Early in the morning or after five you're more likely to reach a real person."

2. But don't be a pest.

"If you've had an interview and sent your thank-you letter, wait a week to call," Fox says. One or two emails are OK, but three will probably look desperate, she adds. "And never, ever, show up at the company without an interview and demand to be seen. It will backfire."

3. Re-read the job posting.

Did the resume you sent really fit the job requirements? Or were you hoping they would find another job just for you? "I love it when a candidate has done the homework and already knows the company and the position," Ferguson says. "It makes it easier for both of us."

4. Take a look at your resume.

Get a second opinion, and a third. Does it present you in the right light? Is it professionally formatted? Does it feature accomplishments, rather than merely job titles and dates?

5. Step up the networking.

"It's always best to network your way into a position," Opton says. "You'll get a lot more individual attention than someone responding to a job listing."

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