"Wow! You like me....you really like me!!" (If you can be the first to name who said that line and at what venue, I will mail you a box of Butterfinger candy bars). Thanks for all the great questions you have been asking over the past couple of weeks! I thought I'd use today's blog as an opportunity to address some of them. Sorry, for those of you who asked, "where do babies come from?" ," Why is Pam Anderson on Dancing with the Stars?", and "Will you marry me Beau?", I will not be addressing those. For all the rest, here we go:
1. When I submit my resume through a companies website, does anyone at the company actually look at it?
The answer is yes....sometimes :) You see, it's the age old numbers game. Depending on the size of the company and the number of applicants it gets, equals if your resume is reviewed by a human being. Take Google for example: Google as we all know, is to many, the holy grail of companies to work for. Hip, successful, and full of long term growth and financial wealth. Google receives 2 resumes via their website every minute, 2,800 per day, 20,000 per week! That's a lot of resumes to review. How can a company keep up with that kind of volume you ask? Well, the answer lies in what is called an Applicant Tracking System, or ATS for short. Back in the 90s and early into the new millennium, companies realized they needed a systematic way to keep track of all those resumes, both so they could review them, but also to understand and track data on candidates that wanted to work for them. Almost every major company today has an applicant tracking system. Along with keeping a record of every resume, the systems also weed out candidates that do not fit the job profiles. Thus, that 20,000 resumes that Google gets every week can be shrunk to a more manageable number where the in house recruiters can actually review them and get them in front of hiring managers. Now don't get me wrong, I have implemented ATS's for some of the biggest companies out there, ones that you would think would want to make sure that a million dollar plus investment in an ATS is used, and alas, they don't use it. So, the advice i have is yes, companies actually do review the resumes....but it's always good to get your resume in front of a real person at the same time too.
2. Should I send a thank you note after an interview and if yes, should I postal mail it or can I email it?
I like the idea of getting a note from a candidate after an interview. I don't think it needs to necessarily be a "thank you" note though. I mean, you didn't just have tea with the Queen of England or my grand mother. Rather than thanking the interviewer, I always like to shoot off a quick note saying that you enjoyed the meeting and then possibly reference something that was discussed in the interview. Possibly you and the interviewer discussed something and you found some more info on that topic and you wanted to share it with him/her. A follow up note is good because it keeps you fresh in an interviewers mind. When we are being interviewed, we always complain that it takes so long to hear back from the company. Well, this is usually do to two reasons, one, you are not the most important thing to the interviewer. He/she does have a job to do. And secondly, the reality is that sometimes an interviewer just forgets that they need to follow up or take an action. Again, this is usually due to point 1. So, like I said, a follow up note usually serves this purpose very well as a reminder. Also, the note shows the interviewer that you were actually engaged in the meeting. That's always a nice thing to show :) As far as the delivery format, email is not only professionally acceptable, it's the most logical and easiest way. For one thing, they get it right away. Second, postal mail usually gets handled by an assistant who may mistake it for junk mail or an advertisement and not get it to the interviewer. And lastly, we kill too many trees as it is! Save some!
3. What is the typical number of rounds of interviews I should expect to go through for a job and how long after completing interviews until I should hear the outcome?
There is no typical. A lot of people like to think that coming in for 3 rounds of interviews is usually the norm. I think this is true, but again, depends on the role and the level. Some jobs can be decided upon in just one interview, some take 6. It just depends on who needs to be involved. I interviewed for a job once where I had my first interview on a Monday, I came back that Wednesday for a second interview, and was offered a job before I left that day. That is a bit unusual and certainly something that if you are in that situation, you should think twice about. I always get a bit suspicious when someone offers you a job on the spot after only spending an hour with you. Makes me wonder how much they really need or want you there and how invested they are in your long term tenure with the company. Interviewing is like dating and needs to be invested in by both parties. I'll be covering that topic in a later post. I have also had an interview experience with a company that I had to meet with 17 different people, come in to their office 8 different times, and the whole process took over three months. That company, we'll call it "Moach", was a bit unusual but nonetheless. If after the third interview and you are feeling as though the process is pointless, you have a right to voice that concern. A lot of times, especially in today's market where the company is in the driver seat for talent, companies will take advantage of the fact that they know you need a job and that you should just be willing to wait as long as they want you to. This is not only unprofessional but risky as well on the companies part. Candidates have long memories and if they aren't treated right, they will remember that next time. But more importantly, if you are feeling wasted by the company, you need to voice that concern because it could be a sign of how decisions are made internally and that could effect your success once you've joined.
As for the amount of time it takes to hear the final outcome after all interviews are complete, a good rule is one week. After at least three rounds of face to face interviews, a hiring manager knows if they want to hire you or not. One week gives them the time to work with human resources on an offer package and any other housekeeping issues. Two weeks can also be normal, depending on what's going on internally or with work deadlines etc. Anything outside of two weeks and I would be nervous. Again, we sometimes forget that we are not the most important thing on a hiring managers mind, but in the end, after two weeks, I'd be wary.
4. Should I list internships on my resume and if so, for how long?
Internships are important, especially on some one's resume who is fresh out of school. They show the interviewer that you took extra steps to further your real world experiences outside of the class room. However, if you are a 42 year old who's had 5 jobs since college, I don't think you need to keep internships on the page. It all comes down to relevance. By including the internship experience on the resume, does it in any way contribute to what I am trying to do now? The key to a good resume is not about putting everything you've ever done in your life on the page, it's about putting what's relevant for today and what is relevant for where you want to go professionally. If mentioning an internship you did 6 years ago doesn't have anything to do with the job your are interviewing for today, take it off.
Well folks, I hope this was helpful. Please keep the questions coming and look for a new Job Juice coming your way!
JJ
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Monday, March 22, 2010
Spell Check is Your Friend
Now some of you who know me are most certainly rolling your eyes at the title of today's post. As, I am the first to admit that I am not a very good speller. You would think that having a mother who was an English teacher for god knows how many years, I would be able to complete sentences and punctuate correctly, but alas, I cannot. Well, it's not so much that I cant, it's that I just don't really care. If you are REALLY that concerned if I put an extra t on a word, or use a past tense instead of a future, well then in my book, you aren't paying enough attention to what I am saying in the first place! HOWEVER, there is one place that I always spell and punctuate correctly, and that is on a resume. Your resume is your ticket to entry. And in today's assembly line mentality to finding talent, where every step of the process is automated and inventoried, stacked and filed, you need to do anything you can to stand out and convey professionalism. Misspelled words on a resume or incomplete sentences just looks sloppy and conveys to the reader that you just don't care enough. It's kind of like if you showed up to an interview in jeans, when you know the company wears suits! (Don't worry, I'll get to that whole topic at another time). So many of you ask how then do I stand out on paper, especially when there are so many resumes being submitted? And do all those resumes even get looked at? Again, I'll get to those topics soon enough as well. The following are my rules of thumb when it comes to creating a good resume and standing out...or in some cases, not being the stand out resume for the wrong reasons:
Cover Letters: WASTE OF TIME! In my sixteen years of being a recruiter, I don't know one recruiter who has ever looked at a cover letter! They go directly in to the garbage can. So, not only did you waste time writing them, but you also wasted a tree. Good job. Some people seem to think that a cover letter is meant to create a synopsis of your professional life and convey to the recruiter everything important about you and what you've accomplished and what you want to do next. I don't know about you, but I could never fit all that on one page, nor convey it in a way that really matters. Instead, let your experiences do the talking. If you must, create a ONE SENTENCE objective on the top part of your resume. But again, your experiences should speak for what you have done and what your strengths are, not some flowery love letter to a recruiter.
Paper/Pictures/Fonts: A piece of white xerox paper means the same as a hard stock piece of paper. Again, no one cares if you printed your resume on something that weighs more than my hand or not. A recruiter or a hiring manager has never sat around and thought, "wow, this guy must be REALLY good if he prints his resume on hard stock!" And by god, PLEASE never print your resume on anything but white paper! I know this might sound obvious but you would be surprised how many resumes I have seen where someone thought it was cute to have their resume on pink or jade colored paper...I am not kidding! And yes, I've seen this done even on executive level candidates resumes! You are not the star of Legally Blonde and pink paper and a hot tub video interview are not going to get you in to Harvard. I have created recruiting programs and recruited talent in several countries and yes, it is true that every culture dictates the norms for a particular society. In Europe, resumes, or CV's as they are called, typically show the candidate's picture, family origin, and size of one's family. However, that is not true in every country of Europe and most certainly it is not the case in America. If you are applying for a job in America, do not put a picture of yourself on your resume. It's just creepy and usually ends up being compared to other creepy resume pictures. In America we have a very strong non discrimination mind set and for very good reasons. Recruiters do not need nor want to see what you look like nor do they want or need to know about your family history, marital status or any other protected class information. Your skills and experience are all they need to know about you. Similar to the colored paper issue, never get all creative with your fonts. A recruiter doesn't gleam any sort of creative ability from your resume if you use some flowery font. Use Times Roman or Arial and call it a day. End of story.
Length and Depth: Again, I have been asked many times if a resume is too long or too short. My answer is always the same in that I say a resume should only be as long or as short as your experiences. If a recruiter tells you, "you really should only have a one page resume", that is just silly, especially if you have 25 years of experience to talk about! Now don't get me wrong, when documenting your skills and accomplishments at a particular job, no one wants to hear about how you planned the annual Xmas party or how you came up with an amazing new design for the company break room! Keep the experiences and accomplishments at a high level and relevant. Show action oriented accomplishments, goals met, etc. And if that means your resume is two or three pages, then that is what it is. No one will think anything other than that you have had some really great and noteworthy experiences.
Extra Curricular Activities: Ah yes, the age old extra curricular activities section. Also known as the "I'm not a loser and work all the time" section, or the "Let me show you I'm normal and actually do have a heart and friends" section. I think the above sums up this section in my opinion. However, I do think the section warrants its place, just not as a place to talk about your Boy Scouts ranking or your prayer group involvement. Rather, this section should be reserved for mentioning groups, clubs, or certifications that relate to your field. Believe me, employers do want to know that you have a heart and aren't a dork, but they can gather that in a face to face interview or on the phone rather than on paper.
So now you have the tools to write a noteworthy resume. The most important take away should be that a resume gets you in the door but you have to do the rest. In order to get in the door, show a recruiter on paper that you are damn good at what you do and make them feel lucky to have an opportunity to meet you in person.
Over and out,
JJ
Cover Letters: WASTE OF TIME! In my sixteen years of being a recruiter, I don't know one recruiter who has ever looked at a cover letter! They go directly in to the garbage can. So, not only did you waste time writing them, but you also wasted a tree. Good job. Some people seem to think that a cover letter is meant to create a synopsis of your professional life and convey to the recruiter everything important about you and what you've accomplished and what you want to do next. I don't know about you, but I could never fit all that on one page, nor convey it in a way that really matters. Instead, let your experiences do the talking. If you must, create a ONE SENTENCE objective on the top part of your resume. But again, your experiences should speak for what you have done and what your strengths are, not some flowery love letter to a recruiter.
Paper/Pictures/Fonts: A piece of white xerox paper means the same as a hard stock piece of paper. Again, no one cares if you printed your resume on something that weighs more than my hand or not. A recruiter or a hiring manager has never sat around and thought, "wow, this guy must be REALLY good if he prints his resume on hard stock!" And by god, PLEASE never print your resume on anything but white paper! I know this might sound obvious but you would be surprised how many resumes I have seen where someone thought it was cute to have their resume on pink or jade colored paper...I am not kidding! And yes, I've seen this done even on executive level candidates resumes! You are not the star of Legally Blonde and pink paper and a hot tub video interview are not going to get you in to Harvard. I have created recruiting programs and recruited talent in several countries and yes, it is true that every culture dictates the norms for a particular society. In Europe, resumes, or CV's as they are called, typically show the candidate's picture, family origin, and size of one's family. However, that is not true in every country of Europe and most certainly it is not the case in America. If you are applying for a job in America, do not put a picture of yourself on your resume. It's just creepy and usually ends up being compared to other creepy resume pictures. In America we have a very strong non discrimination mind set and for very good reasons. Recruiters do not need nor want to see what you look like nor do they want or need to know about your family history, marital status or any other protected class information. Your skills and experience are all they need to know about you. Similar to the colored paper issue, never get all creative with your fonts. A recruiter doesn't gleam any sort of creative ability from your resume if you use some flowery font. Use Times Roman or Arial and call it a day. End of story.
Length and Depth: Again, I have been asked many times if a resume is too long or too short. My answer is always the same in that I say a resume should only be as long or as short as your experiences. If a recruiter tells you, "you really should only have a one page resume", that is just silly, especially if you have 25 years of experience to talk about! Now don't get me wrong, when documenting your skills and accomplishments at a particular job, no one wants to hear about how you planned the annual Xmas party or how you came up with an amazing new design for the company break room! Keep the experiences and accomplishments at a high level and relevant. Show action oriented accomplishments, goals met, etc. And if that means your resume is two or three pages, then that is what it is. No one will think anything other than that you have had some really great and noteworthy experiences.
Extra Curricular Activities: Ah yes, the age old extra curricular activities section. Also known as the "I'm not a loser and work all the time" section, or the "Let me show you I'm normal and actually do have a heart and friends" section. I think the above sums up this section in my opinion. However, I do think the section warrants its place, just not as a place to talk about your Boy Scouts ranking or your prayer group involvement. Rather, this section should be reserved for mentioning groups, clubs, or certifications that relate to your field. Believe me, employers do want to know that you have a heart and aren't a dork, but they can gather that in a face to face interview or on the phone rather than on paper.
So now you have the tools to write a noteworthy resume. The most important take away should be that a resume gets you in the door but you have to do the rest. In order to get in the door, show a recruiter on paper that you are damn good at what you do and make them feel lucky to have an opportunity to meet you in person.
Over and out,
JJ
Friday, March 19, 2010
Turn Off NPR And Start Drinking Diet Coke!
Step 1:
As much as the media would like you to believe, the sky is not actually falling. This is not a sci fi movie where a giant tsunami of big mean Wall Street bankers is going to overtake the city and we're all going to be living under a bridge for the next 10 years because we cant get a job! Believe me, I know it's hard to realize that is not true, especially with all the newspapers, talk shows, and talking heads on CNN and the radio, telling you otherwise. You see, happiness and success don't sell papers. War and unemployment does. Now don't get me wrong, I am not saying that it's not bad out there. It is and mighty bad at that. However, it's easy to get crippled by what you hear. People are struggling and jobs are not easy to find.....but there are jobs out there. Fortune Magazine recently posted an article talking about the top 20 companies to work for and that they have a combined 88,000 job openings! See article: http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2010/fortune/1001/gallery.bestcompanies_mosthiring.fortune/index.html
The number of people applying for unemployment fell for the first time in months. Congress passed a sweeping unemployment insurance initiative last week. But again......these facts don't sell papers.
I was telling my "friend in the Niagara Falls area" the other day (that's code for my shrink) that it's really bad out there and that there is no point in looking for a job and his response was simple and to the point: "Turn off NPR, relax, and sit and have a diet Coke". What he meant was, stop listening to all the negativity out there and instead, relax and find your center. Once you've done this, you will be in a much better place to start looking for your next exciting career. You see, when we look for a job, or pretty much anything for that matter, in a state of fear and uncertainty, we usually don't make the best choices. Back in the days when we were happily employed and the opportunity came up for a new job at a new company, we would have sat back and thought about things like: "will this job satisfy my creative needs?" or "will this new role move my career in the direction I want to go and be in 5 years?". However, when you are unemployed and looking for a job, the inner conversation usually goes something more like, "will this job save me from the potential of ending up eating cat food for dinner and living in a 5 story walk up next to Newark International Airport?" DISCLAIMER: To all my devote and loving New Jersey fans, please do not take offense to anything derogatory about the great state of New Jersey, or the other 4 New York City boroughs for that matter. It is all meant in good fun and besides, you poor schmucks should be used to the ridicule by now anyways, so man up and get over it!
Now where was I? Oh yes, cat food and Jersey. You see, the point is that you have to remember that your next job should be one that you really want and not just one that you have to take. Unless of course, you enjoy going through this whole process year after year and then in that case, please move to the Bronx and stop reading my posts because I cannot help you! So until Monday, sit back, turn off the TV and just drink a diet Coke and relax. We have plenty of years to worry and be stressed. See you on Monday.
Job Juice
As much as the media would like you to believe, the sky is not actually falling. This is not a sci fi movie where a giant tsunami of big mean Wall Street bankers is going to overtake the city and we're all going to be living under a bridge for the next 10 years because we cant get a job! Believe me, I know it's hard to realize that is not true, especially with all the newspapers, talk shows, and talking heads on CNN and the radio, telling you otherwise. You see, happiness and success don't sell papers. War and unemployment does. Now don't get me wrong, I am not saying that it's not bad out there. It is and mighty bad at that. However, it's easy to get crippled by what you hear. People are struggling and jobs are not easy to find.....but there are jobs out there. Fortune Magazine recently posted an article talking about the top 20 companies to work for and that they have a combined 88,000 job openings! See article: http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2010/fortune/1001/gallery.bestcompanies_mosthiring.fortune/index.html
The number of people applying for unemployment fell for the first time in months. Congress passed a sweeping unemployment insurance initiative last week. But again......these facts don't sell papers.
I was telling my "friend in the Niagara Falls area" the other day (that's code for my shrink) that it's really bad out there and that there is no point in looking for a job and his response was simple and to the point: "Turn off NPR, relax, and sit and have a diet Coke". What he meant was, stop listening to all the negativity out there and instead, relax and find your center. Once you've done this, you will be in a much better place to start looking for your next exciting career. You see, when we look for a job, or pretty much anything for that matter, in a state of fear and uncertainty, we usually don't make the best choices. Back in the days when we were happily employed and the opportunity came up for a new job at a new company, we would have sat back and thought about things like: "will this job satisfy my creative needs?" or "will this new role move my career in the direction I want to go and be in 5 years?". However, when you are unemployed and looking for a job, the inner conversation usually goes something more like, "will this job save me from the potential of ending up eating cat food for dinner and living in a 5 story walk up next to Newark International Airport?" DISCLAIMER: To all my devote and loving New Jersey fans, please do not take offense to anything derogatory about the great state of New Jersey, or the other 4 New York City boroughs for that matter. It is all meant in good fun and besides, you poor schmucks should be used to the ridicule by now anyways, so man up and get over it!
Now where was I? Oh yes, cat food and Jersey. You see, the point is that you have to remember that your next job should be one that you really want and not just one that you have to take. Unless of course, you enjoy going through this whole process year after year and then in that case, please move to the Bronx and stop reading my posts because I cannot help you! So until Monday, sit back, turn off the TV and just drink a diet Coke and relax. We have plenty of years to worry and be stressed. See you on Monday.
Job Juice
Thursday, March 18, 2010
It's not that bad....or maybe it is?
Okay, many of you may ask, why all the black? I mean, really!?! A blog about helping people through the worst economy in a century, dulling out advise on how to land a job, and its all black? Well maybe that's my mood right now, I don't know what to tell ya. See, I'm here for just the same reasons you are here. I, like you, wake up every day, usually around 10am, look at the clock, and for the first 10 minutes of my day think, "when is my life going to start again?". When do we all go back to work and make money and take trips and buy houses and live the great American dream again? And then, I settle in to my "Ground Hog Day" routine of passing the day until it's time to go to bed again. And you wonder why I chose black for my site.....
Okay okay, maybe it's not all THAT bad but I'm sure you can all agree that some days it feels that way. Unemployment at 10%, companies STILL laying off staff, and on top of it all, some dip shit in Congress decides to hold up millions of American's weekly unemployment checks "just to make a point"! It can all be a bit much, no? You see, for many of us unemployed professionals, this is a foreign land. It's as though we have been set out to sea in a boat that we aren't familiar with, and don't know how to sail. Or as my good ole dad likes to say, "Son, you just don't know where to begin! Sounds like you standin on a 10 foot pile of manure and you cant find your shovel!" Well Dad, you are right, I haven't found my shovel yet but I will, and until that time, I can help all of you find yours. You see, I may be in your same boat, but I unlike most of you, used to steer the boat! For the past 16 years, I have been the recruiting leader for some of the most respected and admired companies in America. Companies that we've all heard of and probably wouldn't mind working for. Sound like I'm blowing my own horn? Maybe. But the fact remains, I've been there, and I know how the wonderful game of recruiting and landing that perfect job works. So, sit back, relax and let's get started. I'll be sharing with you tips on how to look for a career, how to get your resume in front of the right people, what to say in an interview, and how to negotiate an offer. I will share with you the ins and outs of using head hunters, negotiating with that annoying human resources person who keeps telling you there is no room to negotiate your salary offer, and how to effectively make your mark on day 1 of your new career.
But this relationship is a two way street. I want you to ask me questions too. I want to know what's on your mind and for you to share your thoughts and concerns about finding a job. However, if you're here just to complain about how lousy your life is and how hard it is out there, save that for your FaceBook update! Share with me your questions, your funniest interview moments, what you're hearing about specific companies and all. I promise to do the same.
Okay, I think we have the ground rules down, now go find your shovel and stay tuned to Job Juice and we'll all be just fine.
Okay okay, maybe it's not all THAT bad but I'm sure you can all agree that some days it feels that way. Unemployment at 10%, companies STILL laying off staff, and on top of it all, some dip shit in Congress decides to hold up millions of American's weekly unemployment checks "just to make a point"! It can all be a bit much, no? You see, for many of us unemployed professionals, this is a foreign land. It's as though we have been set out to sea in a boat that we aren't familiar with, and don't know how to sail. Or as my good ole dad likes to say, "Son, you just don't know where to begin! Sounds like you standin on a 10 foot pile of manure and you cant find your shovel!" Well Dad, you are right, I haven't found my shovel yet but I will, and until that time, I can help all of you find yours. You see, I may be in your same boat, but I unlike most of you, used to steer the boat! For the past 16 years, I have been the recruiting leader for some of the most respected and admired companies in America. Companies that we've all heard of and probably wouldn't mind working for. Sound like I'm blowing my own horn? Maybe. But the fact remains, I've been there, and I know how the wonderful game of recruiting and landing that perfect job works. So, sit back, relax and let's get started. I'll be sharing with you tips on how to look for a career, how to get your resume in front of the right people, what to say in an interview, and how to negotiate an offer. I will share with you the ins and outs of using head hunters, negotiating with that annoying human resources person who keeps telling you there is no room to negotiate your salary offer, and how to effectively make your mark on day 1 of your new career.
But this relationship is a two way street. I want you to ask me questions too. I want to know what's on your mind and for you to share your thoughts and concerns about finding a job. However, if you're here just to complain about how lousy your life is and how hard it is out there, save that for your FaceBook update! Share with me your questions, your funniest interview moments, what you're hearing about specific companies and all. I promise to do the same.
Okay, I think we have the ground rules down, now go find your shovel and stay tuned to Job Juice and we'll all be just fine.
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