Related posts:

1. What Should Be In A Cover Letter
2. Cover Letters – Turning Yours Into An Interview
3. The Number One Cover Letter Mistake

This weekend I ran across the best job search tip I’ve heard in months. It’s so completely simple, I’m a bit embarrassed to say I had never thought of it before.

You know the old saw about how your resume has to make a good first impression in a matter of seconds or the employer might overlook you. That’s the worry that motivates all of us to tweak our resumes endlessly, hoping to make the right, professional first impression.

But if you’re lucky enough to pique the employer’s interest, what’s the first interaction you’re likely to have with them? That’s right: when they call you back to set up an interview.

Shouldn’t you take some time to make sure your voicemail makes the same, professional first impression? Sure you should.

I’ve spoken before about how you want a professional email address on your resume, not something like sexxymamma51@aol.com that might be embarrassing. In the same way, you don’t want your voicemail to simply be “WAAAZZZUP!?”

I’ll tell you the whole story over at my other blog, ResumeWriting.com. And I’ll give you some tips on how you can make your voicemail compliment your resume. Click through below:

Don’t Neglect Your Voicemail. It’s A Supplementary Resume!

Related posts:

1. Simple Job Search Tip: If You Want To Hear Back, Follow Directions!
2. Interview AND Resume Tip- The Job Description Is Just The Starting Point
3. Cell Phone Zen For Job Search Success

For years people have been asking me to write a guide to resume writing. For years, I’ve turned them down for reasons I’ll get into at the end of this post.

But today I’m announcing that I’m about to publish a “Kindle Single” about resume writing and the upside for you is that for the next two weeks, the entire text of the book is live on the internet for you to read for free. Why? Because I want you to help me edit the final draft.

From now until Nov. 15th, every chapter is posted in blog form over at ResumeWriting.com. This means comments are open on every chapter. I encourage you to check out the book, read through it, and if you have any questions… any questions at all… post them in the comments. This will allow me to include things I’ve left out of the book. I want it to be as comprehensive as possible, so I figure if I crowdsource the editing process, I’ll be able to answer every question reasonably imaginable about the resume writing process.

The upshot for you is that you can read the book free for two weeks (once it’s published it will be 99 cents). It also means that for a limited time, you’ll have a forum to get any questions you might have about resume writing answered by me. I’m going to try to answer every comment. Please make sure the questions are resume writing related.

Why am I finally publishing a book about resume writing?

When I started TheJobBored.com back in 2007, I did it because I thought that most career advice books sucked. If you’ve ever bought one, you probably know what I mean. They’re full of vague, feel-good, inspirational advice. You have to sift through the pages to find the nuggets of good, tangible tips.

It’s not the fault of the authors, I guess. You can’t put out a physical book with only a few pages in it. Books require you to have hundreds of pages, so the authors end up having to come up with a bunch of filler to make the manuscript substantial enough to merit printing (and to justify the $19.95 cover price).

That’s why I loved the blog format. I could serve out real, tangible tips and job search hacks.  Want to know how to handle a tough interview question like: “What are your greatest strengths and weaknesses?” Bam! I could give you my best advice in an easily digestible couple hundred words.

When I stumbled upon Kindle Singles, I realized that format would be the perfect vehicle to finally do my resume writing book the way I wanted to do it: simple, no nonsense, no BS, to the point. I wouldn’t have to worry about arbitrary page counts. I could make it be exactly as long as it needed to be to give you the basics on how to write a resume.

My goal with this book is simple: I want to take a reader line-by-line through the process of writing a resume. Hopefully, someone should be able to leave their Kindle open on the desk, open up a Word file, and then click through the guide as I tell them: “First you do this. Now you do this. Now you do this.”

Within an hour or two, the reader should have a basic resume completed, and I’ll have led them step by step through the entire process.

If you want more elaborate dissertations about what resumes are, and how they came to be, and tons of footnotes and filler – fine! There are other resume books out there.

But hopefully this one will simply tell a job seeker what her or she needs to do to write a basic resume.

So, click over to ResumeWriting.com and help me put the finishing touches on it. Thanks!

Related posts:

1. The Best Resume Writing Tip
2. Writing Your Resume When Applying To a Current Employer
3. Resume Writing Tips For Stay at Home Moms

In job interviews everywhere you’ll almost inevitably run into the same handful of questions time and time again. One of the most popular is why you left your previous position. Answering this question can be tricky: you have to be able to give a logical explanation of why you left without coming off as bitter or negative. The difficulty of this question is compounded if you were fired or asked to resign from your last position. Fortunately, it doesn’t take an online PhD to come up with an effective response, and with a little forethought you can answer this question without hurting your chances of getting hired.

To begin, it’s important to understand why employers ask this question at all. Applicants’ resumes may look terrific, but there may be a difference between what’s documented on paper and how people actually handles themselves on the job. By asking why you left your previous job, employers are looking to uncover potential problems with prospective hires that might not be reflected by their application materials.

The interviewer is also trying to glean information about how you handle adversity. Whether you left your job voluntarily, were laid off, or were fired, your answer to this question will give a glimpse of how you act under trying circumstances. Asking this question is an investigation into your personal integrity. So, armed with this knowledge, how should you answer the question?

It’s important to answer the question in a way that isn’t critical of your previous employer. Respond as positively as you reasonably can. If you left because you were burnt out with working for the company and decided you couldn’t stand to work there any longer, don’t trash your employer. Instead you might respond by saying you were seeking a position that would offer you greater opportunity to develop professionally. If you quit because you hated the job, you can talk about wanting a position with different responsibilities that your old company couldn’t provide. Whatever the case, don’t focus on the negatives about your previous employers. Instead, come up with a reason that casts your desire to switch jobs in a positive light.

Another thing you can do to make yourself stand out is mention what you’ve been doing since leaving your job. If you’ve done consulting work or enrolled in classes, then by all means point it out. Employers tend to look favorably on activity between jobs that shows you can take initiative and handle adversity well.

Finally, it’s important to make sure your delivery is accurate. Never tell an outright lie to an interviewer. A company can easily cross-check the reason you left your job with your previous employer. If a potential employer finds out you’ve misrepresented the circumstances of your last job, you’ll be in a worse predicament than if you had just told the truth, even if it isn’t totally favorable.

Keep your response positive, but truthful as well. It may be necessary to practice your answer several times before the interview to ensure you can be honest without hurting your chances of being hired.

This is a tough question, and leads many applicants to stumble if they’re unprepared. By being truthful and well-rehearsed in your response, you’ll be able to make a great impression on interviewers. A solid answer here will help push you to the top of the recruiter’s list, and put you that much closer to landing your next job. Good luck!

This is a guest post from Elaine Hirsch.

Related posts:

1. How To Quit Your Job Without Burning Bridges
2. How To Handle The “What’s Your Greatest Weakness?” Question In A Job Interview
3. How Your Credit Score May Affect Your Job Search

An economy in the ditch is tough on all job seekers, but particularly so on new college graduates. New grads likely went into their 2-4 year programs on the wings of an expanding economy. Most are now falling fast as the economy has retrenched and jobs hard to come by for those with little to no practical experience in their chosen fields. But there are jobs out there, albeit few. And they will go to somebody. To make sure you’re one of those somebodies, begin by making your new graduate resume the best it can be.

5 Things To Get Right on the New Graduate Resume

1) Choose Targeted Over General Resume. The days are gone when the new grad can write a ‘one-size-fits-all’ resume with a general objective statement, a bunch of overused resume cliches and a chorus line of part-time jobs, each given equal weight whether relevant or not. A job search in this environment demands a targeted approach. Every resume you submit to a job opening needs to be targeted to that position; your objective (if you have one) should mention that position by name, and every ingredient in your profile section needs to drive home the point that you are the right person for that job. Even the details under your education and experience sections should be adjusted to reflect maximum compatibility with the targeted job.

And yes, that process should be repeated for each job you apply. More work? You bet. Welcome to a recessionary economy.

2) Include an Objective Statement and a Profile Section. Yes, I know. Resume objective statements have taken a beating over the past few years, and many career counselors advise against including one on the resume. As a bit of a contrarian, I believe they should remain an option, and especially on a new graduate resume. Why? It gives the resume an immediate focus, and – if phrased correctly – the opportunity to directly address the specific qualifications of the job in question (e.g. Entry-level position in Retail Merchandising requiring a valued team player with a strong fashion sense and a relevant academic background.)

Your profile (or summary) is located either in place of, or directly beneath the objective. Your profile is a brief section (two or three lines, maybe three bulleted achievements beneath those lines) giving you the opportunity to highlight the skills and training that best qualify you for the position at hand. Note that this section might change slightly with each new targeted resume, as you subtly adjust your skill set to match each job’s qualifications.

3) Highlight Your Education. For most new graduates, their education is their calling card. Situate the education section directly beneath the profile. That is, unless you’ve held at least one full-time job for a year or more, and that job is particularly relevant to your objective. In that case, place the experience section above education in the lineup, as you will want to emphasize and elaborate on that job.

4) When To Use GPA. Mention your overall grade point average if it’s 3.5 or higher. Indeed, emphasize that fact on your resume. On the other hand, if your GPA is not so good, especially anything less than 3.0, leave it off the resume entirely. Mention your major GPA if it’s 3.5 or more, or higher than your overall.

5) Courses and Activities. List individual college courses, campus activities and such in indirect proportion to the strength of your experience section. In other words, if your experience is lacking big time, elaborate on specific courses completed, campus activities, club memberships, offices held, etc. Conversely, downplay most or all, and leave some off entirely, if you’ve held one or more jobs that add heft to your objective. And if you’re totally dependent on a list of course work to fill up space on what would otherwise be a desert moonscape of a resume, try to show how the knowledge acquired from these courses transition to your stated objective, and the needs of the employer.

New Grad – Some Things In Your Favor

As a new graduate, you have some things going for you. You have a good academic foundation in your selected profession, you’ve demonstrated the fact that you’re trainable, and odds are you’re more technologically savvy than members of the previous generation. And you’ve got a fresh perspective and a can-do attitude (in other words, you haven’t yet been crushed under the jackboot of cynicism and apathy).

Make sure your resume looks equally good, and get yourself out there.

This is a guest post by David Alan Carter who says:

Should new graduates consider using a professional resume service? “In this tough job market – yes,” says former recruiter David Alan Carter. “But make sure the writers are certified and they offer an interview guarantee.” Carter has put together Resume Service Reviews of the Web’s most popular writers at the website TopResumeServices.com, reviewing quality of workmanship, spelling out their pricing, and giving each a star ranking.

Related posts:

1. New Graduate Resume – 5 Things to Get Right on a New Grad Resume
2. Ask Brian- Taking A Step “Backward” And How To Address This In My Resume
3. Resume Summary – The Importance of a Resume Summary Section

In today’s job market, one needs to fully embrace electronics and the power of the internet. But job seekers are quickly confronted with a number of formatting options for delivering their electronic resume to their intended target. Get the format wrong, and your resume won’t get read.

The 6 Popular Formats For The Electronic Resume

- The Formatted Resume. The traditional resume you see in printed form. Written using a word processing program (most commonly Microsoft Word), the formatted resume is also suitable for email transmission as a file attachment. Two potential problems with the latter. 1) It’s dependent upon the email recipient to have the same word processing software application on his or her computer in order to open the attachment and view its contents. 2) It’s vulnerable to viruses. For that reason, such attachments are often not acceptable by companies.

- The Plain Text Resume. Also known as an ASCII (American Standard Code for Information Interchange) resume, this is a simple text format that allows your resume to be read by practically any computer in the world. It’s devoid of graphics and embellishments: no fancy bullets, no bold, no italics. The ASCII resume can be transmitted as an email file attachment, pasted onto the body of an email, or pasted piece-by-piece onto e-forms on job boards, corporate websites and the like. It’s not pretty to look at, but gets the job done.

- The Scannable Resume. Basically a plain text or ASCII resume that is printed out. This is applicable when a company requests a hard-copy resume with the intent to scan the document into their keyword-searchable database. Transmitted by mail or fax. Sidebar: hard-copy scannable resumes are rapidly losing favor in the marketplace as databases are increasingly able to accept resumes directly from email, negating the need for someone to sit around physically scanning paper.

- The Rich Text Format Resume. Also known as an RTF (Rich Text Format) resume, this is a file format easily created from most word processing applications (Word, WordPerfect, etc.) by simply saving the resume as Rich Text (it will have a file extension of.rtf). Use the two-step “File, Save As” procedure in Word. As a general rule, simple graphics and embellishments (bold, italics, etc) will remain intact through the conversion, although more complex enhancements – graphs and tables – may not fair so well. An RTF resume sent as an email attachment is accessible across platforms and regardless of word processing software. And an RTF file attachment is less prone to viruses than Word.

- Portable Document Format Resume. A PDF resume is a file format that retains all the design elements – interesting fonts, bolds and italics, bulleted lists and the like – normally ascribed to application software. But it is delivered independent of application software. Which means, recipients of your emails don’t need to have your particular version of Word (or WordPerfect, et al.) on their computer systems to be able to open your attachment. It’s accessible on both PCs and Macs, and it’s considered virtually virus proof. On the down side, if a PDF resume is intended for a keyword-scannable database, the document itself must be physically scanned first (unlike an ASCII file, a PDF can’t be send directly from the email to the database).

- Web Resume. The Web-based or HTML resume is basically a published page on a website. It is advantageous because you can direct Web traffic to the site, and the resume can be as feature-rich as your imagination (and common sense) allows. You do need to have a host and the architecture to publish a Web resume.

Choosing The Right Electronic Resume File Format

The particular format with which you transmit your electronic resume will be dictated by the method of transmission (email, for example, vs posting to a job board or corporate website) as well as the intended target (human eyes vs computer software which will be scanning for keywords).

Get the file format right, and get your electronic resume read. Beyond that, it’s up to the talent that went into crafting that resume.

This is a guest post. About the author:

David Alan Carter is a former recruiter. Writing for the website http://TopResumeServices.com/, Carter has confronted the Web’s most popular resume writers in his Resume Writing Services Reviews, reviewing quality of workmanship, spelling out their pricing, and giving each a star ranking.

Related posts:

1. Robert Scoble on Why (Most) Resumes Suck
2. Ask Brian- What’s the Best Way to Send My Resume?
3. Resume Tip- 4 Quick Ways To Make Your Resume Stand Out

Well, it’s time to finish my “why” series (why #1 here) (why #2 here).

That leaves us with the big question: Why didn’t I get the job?

I mean, you thought the job interview went well. It went SO well! The employer seemed enthusiastic. You even heard through the grapevine that they’d probably hire you. And you were qualified! Oh, you were so qualified for this. This job was right up your alley!

So why didn’t you get the job?

In my 15 years working with clients on their job search, I’ve found there are plenty of likely reasons why you might not have gotten hired:

• There was someone more qualified. You might even have been the best person they had interviewed so far, at the time of your interview. But then someone came along and blew you out of the water.
• The employer changed what they were looking for over the course of the interviewing process. You might have been perfect for what they thought they wanted, but later on, they decided to go in a different direction.
• You were mistaken. You thought the interview went well. You thought you were impressive. But perhaps you had this all wrong. You have to be honest with yourself in evaluating these things.
• The job wasn’t really yours to win. They were just interviewing to say they had. Really, they had someone else in mind all along.

But you know, over the years, the number one reason… by far… that I’ve seen for why otherwise perfectly qualified people don’t get the job is simple:

They Just Didn’t Like You.

I think that when it comes to job search, interviews and hiring, a lot of people underestimate how much personal relationships come into play. Obviously, the hiring manager is trying to determine if you can do the job and do it well. But they’re also deciding on something a little more subtle, but no less profound: can this person work well with my existing team?

Even simpler than that, they have to decide: do I want to work with this person day in and day out.

So sometimes, it really is a matter of, they just weren’t that into you. And I bet if you could somehow get people to be honest about it… I bet way more than 50% of the time when someone seemingly perfect for the job doesn’t get hired, it comes down to a personality call.

So if they just didn’t like you, just didn’t think you’d fit, there’s really nothing you can do. And you can’t take it personally, really. I mean, who’s to say they’re wrong? Who’s to say you wouldn’t have been a bad fit? Who’s to say you wouldn’t have gotten along with them?

If you suspect you didn’t get the job because you just didn’t click personally, think of it like dating: there are other fish in the sea. And there are other jobs you are qualified for that will end up being a better personal fit.

Related posts:

1. Why You Didn’t Get That Job
2. Why Didn’t I Get The (Job) Interview?
3. Dead-End Job Search? Why Not Go Where The Jobs Are?

Continuing my “why” series, it’s time to tackle the most asked question on this blog.

Consider this scenario: you’ve gotten the interview. You think it went well. They told you they’ll get back to you with their decision.

So you wait. And wait…. And wait…

Why are employers so bad about geting back to you after the job interview? Is this a bad sign? I’ve already written several posts about this situation, including a discussion on how long you should wait before following up, and some rules on how to follow up after a job interview.

But let’s just deal with the “why” of it for now. Why is it taking so long to hear back?

These are the most likely scenarios:

1. You’re not going to get the job. I know, this is exactly what you didn’t want to hear, but it might be the most likely reason.
2. Some employers are just slow. Have you ever applied for a government or public sector job? The mountains of bureaucracy involved can be immense. Don’t underestimate the glacial speed at which some organizations move when it comes time to make decisions.
3. Maybe the position is not available. I can’t tell you the amount of times I’ve had clients tell me they’ve interviewed for a position only to find out it had already been filled. Sometimes an employer is big enough that one hand doesn’t know what the other one is doing.
4. Maybe they’re just filling a quota. There are tons of instances where an employer is simply advertising and interviewing for an opening just to say that did, when, in fact, they are going to end up hiring the person they had in mind all along.
5. Maybe the person who interviewed you isn’t the same person who makes the final hiring decision. You might have been interviewed by one person, or by a team, but either way, in the end the decision is made by committee. If it’s one person interviewing and that same person makes the decision, then the decision can come fast. But if it’s decision by committee, then that could take a while to hash out.
6. Maybe you’re their second choice, but they expect their first choice to turn them down. They’re keeping you on the line just in case.
7. Maybe they no longer want to hire anyone, much less you. Sometimes the actual act of seeing who’s out there to fill a given position makes an employer change their mind and decide it’s not worth it after all.

Related posts:

1. After-Interview Tip: Send A Thank-You Note
2. Ask Brian- How Long Should I Wait Before Following Up After An Interview?
3. 6 Signs The Job Interview Went Well

Today I’m going to start a “why” series on this blog. A lot of the questions I get from readers (and plenty of the posts in our reader forum) revolve around the question “why?” So I’m going to try to offer some generic reasons “why” things might not be working out in your job search.

Not every point will apply to you, but you should consider each one seriously because if you can change the one or two things that are tripping you up, then you’ll hear more “yes” on your way to landing a new job.

First up:

Why didn’t I get the interview?

So you’ve been sending out resume after resume but you’re not getting interviews. You’re not even getting call-backs or emails! Why? What are you doing wrong? Consider these possibilities:

1. Your resume is hurting you. A resume is all you’ve got to make a first impression. It’s like a pickup line in a singles bar. If what you’re doing isn’t working, then you have to look at what you’re saying. Maybe your resume is not effective enough. Maybe it’s not standing above the crowd. Worse: some resumes make basic mistakes that could actually hurt your chances of landing that interview. Consider tweaking or even rewriting your resume wholesale. If you’re not getting results, then tweak the one thing that is your calling card. Of course, I would strongly recommend engaging professional resume services to help you out. But you know I’m biased on that front.
2. You’re trying too hard. 200 resumes sent out does not equal 200 interviews. If you’re taking the shotgun approach to job applications, then you’re doing it wrong. Seriously study the openings out there and try a targeted application approach. Focus on the 5-10 most likely positions and do your best to stand out for those.
3. You’re not qualified. Be honest with yourself. Are you applying for jobs that are over your head? You might really want that prestigious job, but maybe you’re just not qualified for it yet. If you’re applying for jobs that are out of your league, then you’re just wasting time. Try focusing on jobs that are attainable. Be realistic about your qualifications.
4. You’re not paying attention. The only information you have about what the employer wants is in that job ad. So, is your application/resume targeting what the job ad says the employer is looking for? Have you done your homework and addressed what they say they’re looking for? If you’re just sending out generic resumes without taking the time to do some research and tailor your resume to what they say they need, then you might as well not apply at all.
5. You’re late. In this job market, any job opening can rapidly attract hundreds of applicants. If you’re applying to a job posted 2 weeks ago, you could be completely perfect for it, but your application just joins the pile that has been building all that time. It may seem annoying to constantly monitor the job boards and try to jump on new postings, but it could be well worth your time to do so.

Related posts:

1. The Secret of a Successful Job Interview
2. A Successful Job Interview: My One Best Tip
3. Things To Avoid At Your Job Interview

This is a question we’ve been getting a lot lately at our professional resume service. I suppose it’s a sign of the times. It’s almost impossible to imagine a world without social networking. Facebook is so much a part of our everyday lives that it’s almost natural that job seekers – young professionals especially – feel like it’s a natural thing to put a link to their Facebook page on their resume.

But is this a good idea? Is it something you should actually consider doing?

I hate to hedge here, but my answer is: probably not.

My logic goes like this: for the vast majority of us, Facebook is a personal thing. It reflects our personal lives. So Facebook doesn’t reflect our professional lives, nor should it. You’ve all heard the horror stories about people getting fired because of something that was posted on their Facebook page. Even if you don’t face something that drastic, I still think you should keep a bit of a distance between your Facebook life and your professional life. Your Facebook page probably doesn’t belong on your resume. The hiring manager doesn’t care about your vacation photos, even if everyone is fully clothed in them.

Now, I know you can do all sorts of things to customize your public Facebook profile. If you’re a wizard who can outsmart Mark Zuckerberg’s constant tweaking of the privacy controls, in theory you could have a public Facebook profile that is all propriety and professionalism. But even if you do do this, I still say your Facebook profile is not professional enough to go on your resume. Facebook is just not assumed to be in, or appropriate for, the professional realm. So you run the risk of coming off like a naive kid if you put your Facebook link in at the top of your resume along with your email address and cell phone number.

But what about Twitter? Well, Twitter is a slightly different story. Twitter is used for personal stuff, but more often, it’s used for personal, professional branding. Building and cultivating an audience.

I’ve even recently made the case that Twitter handles are the new business cards.

So if you’re one of those life 2.0 people who has a Twitter account and you use it specifically as your professional face to create a brand, then yes, I think you should put @yourtwittername on your resume.

One final word on all of this. It should be obvious, but there’s a great service that from day one was designed to be the place you went to do professional social networking: LinkedIn. Your linked in profile can be like your professional Facebook profile. If you haven’t set up a LinkedIn profile, do it now, and add THAT link to your resume!

Related posts:

1. Your Facebook Resume
2. Busting The One Page Resume Myth
3. Twitter Accounts Are The New Business Cards