Creating a Killer Resume: What's a Killer Resume? One that gets read and generates interviews!

What is a killer resume?  I've included an example to download below.  But first a few thoughts.  A killer resume is a resume that gets you an interview.  Period.  It may not be the flashiest, fanciest, most unusual or best designed resume.  But it has the best content because it concisely, articulately and succinctly demonstrates that you can solve the hiring manager’s problem or add value to the company.  

But how do you know what that problem is or what value they need?  Here is where the proverbial rubber meets the road.  It’s up to you to find this out and then to tailor your resume (at least somewhat) to demonstrate this for each job you apply to.  But what if you can’t find this information out?  What if you are simply answering a blind ad on a job site?  Then you make your best guess.

Securing an interview is the ONLY reason to create a resume.  And the only way to secure the interview is to demonstrate the above.  

And you have 15 seconds tops to do that in.  Huh?  That’s right.  The BEST of resumes are only read for an average of 15 seconds?  That’s what the statistics say.  Now, look at your watch - measure 15 seconds.  Not a lot of time is it?

How can you possibly portray your experience, qualifications, achievements, personality, etc. in 15 seconds?  You can.  And if you want an interview, you must.

To help you, I’ve put together a list of Top 10 Tips.  If you follow these you’re sure to make your ’15 seconds of fame’ count (and you may even get an interview out of it.)  In fact, many of my clients report going from not receiving a call for an interview in months to receiving multiple calls per day once they reformat their resume using these tips.

Go ahead.  I dare you.  You have nothing to lose, and if my clients’ past experience is any indication, everything to gain.

So, in ascending order of importance:

10.) How far is too far?  
The only reason to go back more than 10 years is to demonstrate that you have experience that is beneficial to the job you are applying for, that you have not done in recent times.  Otherwise, there is no need.  Would you really want to do a job you did 10 years ago?

9.) The company does what?
Itʼs very important to let the reader know what your previous employers do, especially if youʼre in a position of responsibility,.  A sentence or two on the size of the company, the companyʼs products and any other relevant information helps the hiring manager
understand your background in more depth.

8.) Donʼt look like a job hopper when youʼre not!
Many candidates list different positions within 1 company as completely separate jobs, repeating the company name, etc.  Interviewers are basically lazy (and you would be too if you had the number of resumes to read that they do at the moment).  At first glance they may not realize that youʼve been promoted every 18 months to 2 years (which is a good thing).  They may interpret your format to mean that youʼve changed jobs every 18 months to 2 years (not such a good thing).  The proper format is to list the company name and details once and make it stand out (larger font, Bold and Underlined, etc).  Then list each position underneath and make it obvious that they are positions within the same company.

7.) How long is too long?
Remember the 15 second rule?  Resumes should be from 1 - 2 pages in the United States and up to 4 (at the most!) pages elsewhere in the world, depending on your level of experience.  Less is more, as long as itʼs impactful.  The only exception to this is a traditional Curriculum Vitae, which would be used in academia or scientific fields.

6.) A picture tells 1,000 words.
Except on resumes.  The rule of thumb here is never including your picture on your resume.  Ever.  Full stop.  Period.  The end.

5.) Ditto
In regards to including your age, marital status, children or pets names (donʼt laugh, Iʼve seen more than 1!) see #6.

4.) Form over substance.
Again, remember the 15 second rule?  Make it easy for the interviewer to read your resume and keep it from the bin. Use lots of white space, put paragraphs into bullet points, donʼt use a lot of different fonts, standardize your presentation and be concise and articulate in your descriptions.  

3.) Once is never enough.
One standard resume is generally not sufficient to apply for every role you look at.  I encourage my candidates to have 2 - 3 resumes highlighting different areas of expertise.  But always, always always customize your resume to the job you are applying for.

2.) Iʼll call you.
Make sure that you have your contact details (name, phone number and email are sufficient these days) in your header or at least on the top of your first page.  Donʼt make the interviewer struggle to figure out how to contact you or they may just say, “next!” Also, make sure that you have voice mail turned on if youʼre actively looking (with an appropriate message).  And nowadays itʼs perfectly appropriate to include your Linkedin Profile in your contact details as well.

1.) Substance over form
The most important thing on your resume is not your duties and responsibilities, not your education, awards or qualifications.  The most important thing on your resume is your achievements.  Your achievements should be specific accomplishments that are a result of your doing your job or (preferably) going above and beyond your job description.  They are
what separates you from others with the same experience.  

Having specific, quantifiable, robust achievements will do more to differentiate your resume from the hundreds of other applying for the same roles than anything else.  Get this right and you will have hiring managers calling you within hours to set up interviews.  

Achievements are:
The end result of a project
A demonstration of your going ‘above and beyond’
An accolade or award
Typically quantifiable

Achievements are NOT:
A process procedure
Part of your job description
Expected as a routine part of your daily work

Bonus: I know I shouldnʼt have to say this but I must, given the number of spelling and grammatical errors I see on resumes.  Spell check!!!  Itʼs easy enough to do with todayʼs software.  Itʼs also a good idea to have at least 3 people look it over, including at least one person that has no idea what you actually do.  Many human resources people do the first screen on roles that they are not that familiar with.  Having someone unfamiliar with what
you do ensures that anyone can follow your resume.

Your resume doesnʼt need to win awards.  What it does need to do is keep the reader engaged long enough to have him or her say, “I need to call this person for an interview.”  

By following these simple steps you will come one step closer to hearing those words you long for, “Youʼre hired!”

Everything you need to create a killer resume is in this overview, along with my "Example Resume with "Do's and Don't's by section". But if you'd like more, I do offer a web based training giving you a step by step tutorial.



4 Critical Skills Everyone Must Master for a Great Career

I introduced the third step in the Critical Path to Career Management (which I am now calling The Critical Path to a Great Career!), “Mastering Your Skills”, in my last newsletter.  As I mentioned, these skills actually fall into 3 different categories; Career Management Skills (what the Critical Path is all about), Job Search Skills (taking control of your job search not not relying exclusively on recruiters) and the 4 Critical, Non-Technical skills essential for every business person regardless of function.  

Today I’d like to talk about the 4 Critical, Non-Technical skills.  What are these 4 skills and why are the non-technical?  I’ll answer the second part of this question first.

Every profession, every function within an organisation, has technical skills that are required to do the job.  Accountants need accounting skills, Doctors need medical skills, Executive Assistants need secretarial skills, Chefs need cooking skills.

But over and above these technical skills, it is essential for everyone to master 4 additional skills what I call the Critical, Non-Techical skills.  And in my 16 years as a recruiter and now an Executive Coach and Trainer, I’ve seen many more people become derailed by not sufficiently mastering these non-technical skills than by not keeping up with the very skills required to do their job.  Sounds counter-intuitive, I know.  But 16 years of experience does not lie.

What are these Critical, Non-Technical skills?  They are, in no particular order (with the exception of the last one that I will talk about down the page): Technology, Managerial Skills, Communication and Innovation / Strategic Thinking / Problem Solving.

Technology

Technology is the first skill on this list.  Not because it’s the most important, but because it’s the most obvious.  Whatever our function, new applications are automating what we do and helping us become more efficient and (hopefully) more effective. 

For some professions this is very obvious.  Accountants, for example have been able to automate most of the routine tasks, making life easier for both them and their clients (internal or external).  The advantage of learning technology is less obvious for other functions.  Why would a Chef, for instance, need to learn the computer?  There are actually plenty of things that are now automated in the kitchen, from menu planning to staff scheduling, to ordering.  Not to mention the fact that Chefs typically deal with a lot of outside people, necessitating the use of email. 

There are very few professions that technology does not touch.  In order to stay on top of your field you will need to stay on top of the latest technological developments.  And for those especially technologically savvy individuals out there, I’ll go one step further and advise you to become a super user in your particular software.  It’s one of the best ways to make yourself indispensable to your employer.  No one wants to let the ‘go to’ person for their system go.

And, by the way, Social Media / Web 2.0 applications such as Linkedin, Twitter and even Facebook now apply to this category.  How are you using social media?

Managerial Skills

Whether or not you manage staff, managerial skills are extremely important.  Whether it’s managing projects, resources, finances or simply your own time, you can’t live without solid managerial skills.

Communication

Until the latest economic downturn I used to say the most important of these non-technical skills was communication.  But it’s more than simple communication: I like to call it information delivery.  More accurately, it’s information analysis and delivery.  It’s the ability to communicate your area of expertise into laymen’s terms - in both oral and written form.   Information sharing is a key aspect of any role today. Most professionals must be capable of not only delivering their KPI’s, but also interpreting them for external audiences to see the business implications of them. The complexity of today’s business environment underscores the need for good communication and other soft skills such as diplomacy and persuasion.

Mark T. Bradshaw, associate professor of business administration at Harvard Business School says that the most successful individuals in this new environment will be those who possess the applicable technical skills and interpersonal skills in nearly equal measure.  He goes on to say, “The ability to communicate concepts is key.  And the bottom line is the way people communicate will determine how high they can rise in their organizations.”

Innovation / Strategic Thinking / Problem Solving.

Like I said, until a few years ago I used to say that Communication was the most important of these skills.  However, I believe it has been surpassed by the ability to solve problems.  Sometimes the ability to solve problems is masked as innovation or strategic thinking, but the purpose is the same.  The conversation goes something like this, “We haven’t seen a problem like this before.  We have no idea what needs to be done, but we need you to figure it out and to do something about it.” I think we can all agree that we are facing more problems, both business and otherwise, than we have before in our lifetimes.  And, especially since the downturn, everyone is being asked to do more with less resources.  Everyone is being asked to solve increasingly complex problems at increasingly lower levels of the organisation.

Mastering These Skills

Most of the time it is quite easy to develop and keep on top of your technical skills: those essential skills you need to do your job.  More often than not though, these non-technical skills are more of a do it yourself project.  You may or may not be given the opportunity to learn these skills from your employer.

How do you go about developing them, then?  Actually, it’s easy enough, but it takes life long education.  Taking courses through your local universities or functional trade organisations is a great start.  But there are also more non-traditional routes such as Toastmasters, Dale Carnegie and Tony Robbins courses.  Specifically in the area of problem solving I quite like the work of “The School of Thinking” developed by Australian, Dr. Michael Hewitt-Gleeson after working with Edward deBono in New York.  There are many tutorials on the website on critical thinking.

Practicing These Skills
 
But education is not enough.  If you want to get fit it’s not enough to go to the gym and simply study the gym equipment.  You must actually use it.  Flex that muscle and apply what you know.  Volunteer for project leadership roles or interim operational roles.  Volunteer for additional responsibility in the absence of a co-worker.  Volunteer for cross-training opportunities.  You can also volunteer outside of work as well: at your kid’s school or at your church.  Take every opportunity you can to learn and practice these critical skills.

But what happens if you don’t develop these skills?  One of the saddest experiences I’ve had in the 15 years I recruited was getting a call from the Country Manager of one of my clients.  I’d never spoken with this guy in my life, but he knew I’d done considerable work for his company.  He wanted to let me know that he was going to make his CFO redundant.  This conversation I might add, happened a full two months before the CFO knew himself.  He wanted me to know so that I could look out for other opportunities for the CFO.  Why was my friend, for indeed the CFO had become a friend as well as a client, retrenched?  What did his successor have that he did not?  I quote the country manager, “commercial sensitivity”.  The ability to drive the business forward, not simply to account for it. 

My friend the CFO was a great technician and a tremendous manager, his staff loved him.  What he was not was a strategic thinker.  He had not developed those skills (or found someone to work under him whom he could leverage off of) and it cost him his job, and ultimately stalled his career.

In the 15 years I was a recruiter, I’ve seen a number of situations like this one.  I used to get calls every day from candidates whose skill sets had become too narrow to take the next step up.  Candidates who had become comfortable in their roles and didn’t up skill themselves, who were then faced with either having to look for another role due to redundancy or wanting to look for another role due to boredom. 

The dirty little secret that recruiters don’t usually share is that they can usually only help 1 out of every 8 to 10 candidates who walk through their door.  Believe me, that 1 candidate has done exactly what I’m going to suggest you do… waste no time in mastering these skills.  Look for training courses to help you develop them and volunteer opportunities to help you practice them. Not only will keep your career on track this way, you will also become infinitely more valuable to your employer and infinitely more marketable to subsequent prospects.




Job Search 101

Using robust and multiple job search strategies will make all the difference in how long you look for a new job, especially if you are unemployed.

The third step in the Critical Path to Career Management is “Mastering Your Skills”.  These skills actually fall into 3 different categories; Career Management Skills (what the Critical Path is all about), Job Search Skills (taking control of your job search not not relying exclusively on recruiters) and the 4 Critical, Non Technical skills essential for every business person regardless of function.  

I will talk about the 4 Critical, Non Technical Skills in my next post, but today I’d like to talk about job search skills.

Many people, especially in Australia and New Zealand rely on recruiters to find them a job.  They believe that recruiters will act as their talent agents and simply sit back, letting others control their job search.Using robust and multiple job search strategies will make all the difference in how long you look for a new job, especially if you are unemployed.

This approach is extremely problematic! Why? Think about who actually pays recruiters? The client company. Their service is free to you, the candidate. This distinction is subtle, but very very important. Recruiters are paid to find talent to fill roles. They are not paid to find roles for candidates. The best recruiters do act as a quasi talent agent for the best candidates, certainly. But it’s a little known secret that even the best recruiters can only place 1 in 8 to 1 in 10 candidates. Many roles are filled through the company’s own network before they ever hit a recruiter’s desk.

Job search preparation

So, what other strategies can you use to find a new job? Plenty! But first need to develop a couple of tools.

The most important tool in this process is your “Value Statement”. This is your 30 second elevator pitch that not only helps you remember and articulate the value that you can add to a prospective employer, it changes your mindset from one of, “Please Mr. Employer give me a job” to “You are one of several people I’m talking to in the market place. I’m here to see if there is any synergy between what you are looking for and what I have to offer.” See my previous post on how to develop a Value Statement.

Incredible mind set shift and one that has led to more than one of my previous clients successfully finding work quickly after struggling for months (and in one case years).

The second tool you need is an achievement based resume. Statistics show that the best of resumes are only read for 15 seconds. Don’t take any chances with yours! Download my free resume format. I’ve had many many people tell me that they started getting calls for interviews within hours after submitting their resume using my format, even if they hadn’t been called for months previously. It works.

Job search strategies

So, you’ve got a great value statement and a killer resume. You’re now ready to go out and find your next job. What’s next?

Certainly, work with recruiters. Good ones are worth their weight in gold. But make sure they do never send your resume out without your prior permission.

But in addition to recruiters you need to be prepared to market yourself online, use your own network of contacts and approach companies directly.

Online marketing

I LOVE social media. It’s such a great tool! And you can use it to find your next job. If you’re not on Linkedin sign up today. It’s interviewing while you sleep. There are lots of resources available to help you set up a profile and make sure people find you. Google them. I’ve also got a free PDF with top level bullet points on the Career / Job Search Tools tab above.

But Linkedin isn’t the only online job search tool. Almost every job site has a resume database. Make sure your resume is online. There are also several independent resume databases coming online now. Google them and get listed.

Use Twitter. Here are a couple of really good articles on this:
http://www.loveforbiz.com/using-twitter-for-business-networking-and-even-finding-a-job
http://mashable.com/2009/03/13/twitter-jobs/
http://www.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,1903083,00.html

Take the direct approach

Make a target list of companies that you want to work for that have the types of roles that you want to do.

Monitor their websites regularly to look for open jobs and apply immediately.

• Make a list of absolutely everyone you know in your local area.
• Former supervisors
• Former subordinates
• Former Peers
• Former classmates
• Friends
• People from your church, child's school or other community organisations that you are involved in
• Acquaintances

Cross reference the two lists above. Who do you know that can make introductions to people within the companies on your target list? Develop a calling plan and start to contact them.

Call the other people on your list to find out who they might know that they can introduce you to who will help you find a job.

Network, network, network

Where do the hiring managers who hire for your roles hang out? Are there any groups or organisations that they may join? If so attend their meetings. Better yet, get involved in their organisations to develop deeper relationships with people of influence.

Treat finding a job like having a job

If you are unemployed it’s extremely important to have discipline around this area. Go to "work" every day; keep regular office hours, set aside some place in your house just for "work", dress like you're going to the office.

And finally, treat your job search like a project with KPI's; set a goal for a certain number of outbound phone calls, coffee catch ups, roles applied for, etc. Then manage yourself to achieve those goals and reward yourself when you do.

Order business cards with your contact details on one side and the types of jobs you are searching for on the other.

Keep mentally fit

And finally, keep mentally fit. You will project what you feel in an interview so make sure you feel great! One of the most fun and effective tools I use with my clients is to create an “I Rock!” file. A physical file of evidence reminding themselves that they do rock! Cards, notes, letters, or maybe just memories. All kept in once place and frequently referred to. It's actually my "Tool of the Week" this week.

If you follow these steps rigorously I guarantee that you won’t be unemployed for long.

What is lack of career management costing you and your team?

I’ve worked with literally thousands of people during my 15 years in recruitment.  And one thing constantly surprised me: the lack of focus and planning that people put on their careers.  It’s astounding!  Your career is the biggest part of your life, outside of your family.  But I estimate that only about 5% of the over 5,000 candidates that I interviewed knew where they were headed professionally.  Most of them simply walked through the doors that were opened. 

 And the saddest part about this is seeing very capable and talented people walk through doors that they should not have gone through.  These are the people that plateau in their career.  Or worse!  They actually start to slide backwards as they reach higher and higher levels. 

Then there are the people who don’t walk through the doors that might have led them to greater opportunity, satisfaction and fulfillment in their careers.  Why does this happen?  Because they have not been taught how to manage their careers: how to think strategically about where they are going and how to get there! 

And what about you, as a manager?  How much productivity are you losing by having people who are working under capacity or in the wrong job?  Are you losing staff due to lack on engagement now that the economy is turning?

That’s why I decided to create my Critical Path Career Management program.  To teach people how to manage their careers and avoid silly mistakes that will keep them from reaching their goals.  To help them realise that you may not need to leave your current job to find your passion.  That you could actually find your passion within your present job by changing just a few things you are currently doing.

Critical Path Career Management consists of 4 key concepts essential to good career management.  I guarantee that if you follow these 4 steps you will be able to go anywhere you want to go in your career: whether that’s the Board Room or being able to manage career around family or developing a career that gives you an exciting life of travel and diverse experiences. 

Set Your Course

The first and most important step in Critical Path Career Management is to “Set Your Course”.  It is essential to determine where you are heading in the next 3 - 5 years. 

I find that most people simply focus on their next job because they have become unhappy where they are or want additional opportunity or more responsibility.  Rarely do they ask themselves the bigger questions.  Questions like who do you want to be?  Where do you want to go?  What do you want to accomplish?  How does your professional life fit into your personal life.

I believe that’s a bit like planning a holiday and trying to decide whether to take a bus, a train, or an airplane to your destination, without really asking yourself if your chosen destination is REALLY where you want to go.

Make Your Mark

The next step in Critical Path Career Management is to make your mark.  What do I mean by that?  Figure out what your unique value proposition is and exploit that.  You will not only find greater satisfaction in your professional life, you will also become indispensable to your employer and you will become so sought after that you’ll never have to worry about looking for a job again. 

Master Your Skills

The skills that I’m talking about here actually fall into three categories: career transition skills, job search skills and the 4 critical, non-technical skills that everyone, regardless of function, must master to continue to climb the career ladder.

First career transition skills.  These are the strategies you need to master to get noticed and to continuously set yourself up for promotion.  They also encompass mastering the technical skills you need to develop to keep your options open as you climb the career ladder.

Secondly job search skills.  Most people rely on recruiters to find their next job.  But recruiters only place between 1 in 8 and 1 in 10 people.  See the problem?  In order to really manage your career you will need to learn how to create a value statement (your 30 second elevator pitch), possibly write a killer resume (although, if you truly understand and live your unique value proposition you will never need a resume again) and you will definitely need to learn how to network (virtually and in real life) and potentially how to approach companies directly. 

Then there are the 4 critical, non-technical (i.e. not related to your particular function or role) skills.  My experience in working with thousands of people taught me that everyone, and I mean everyone, needs to become proficient at these 4 skills to maintain an upward career trajectory throughout their life.  The 4 skills include technology (as it relates to your function), communication skills, managerial skills (people, time, resources, etc.) and most importantly, the ability to think strategically and solve problems. 

Manage Mental Fitness

Every career will have setbacks.  Times where things don’t go to plan or happen as quickly as you’d like.  Companies are bought and sold, go out of business, relocate.  Market conditions change.  Your own personal circumstances change.  Your ability to pick yourself up and dust yourself off will, in many cases, be the ultimate test for how high you can climb or how happy and fulfilled you will be, both personally and professionally.  So, it’s essential to be able to manage your mental fitness.  This isn’t about keeping a positive attitude, it’s about having a robust set of psychological strategies to be able to handle anything that comes your way.

So, those are the 4 key concepts of Critical Path Career Management.  Sound simple?  It actually is with a bit of thought, planning and perseverance. 

There are already lots of tools and resources available in the tools section of my website (please, help yourself!)  But over the next 5 consecutive weeks I’ll be breaking these concepts down further and giving you some practical tools that you can use immediately to manage your own careers as well as helping your team to manage theirs. 

Not only will this help keep your team motivated and excited, but it’s also a great retention and engagement tool.  After all, how much more productive would your team be if they had all figured out what their unique value proposition is and if they were really motivated and working to their strengths?