A MONTHLY PUBLICATION OF GILBERT RESUMES, FEATURING TIMELY CAREER ARTICLES, CAREER WEBSITES, AND SUGGESTIONS FOR TODAY’S JOB SEEKERS.

Job Seekers Beware: 6 Red Flags to Avoid

Searching for a job is never easy, but in this economy the challenges facing job seekers have never been greater. The jobless rate remained stuck at 9 percent in mid-August and a significant percentage of Americans — 9.2 percent — are working merely part time even though they desire full-time work, according to tracking data released Wednesday by Gallup.

Another useful measure is underemployment — the number of workers who are either unemployed or working part time but seeking full-time work. In mid-August, 18.2 percent of Americans could be considered underemployed, Gallups says. That’s statistically little changed from July’s 18 percent or the 18.3 percent recorded in August a year ago.

The U.S. economy simply hasn’t been growing fast enough to create the number of new jobs necessary to meet population growth, let alone significantly reduce the unemployment rate, Gallup says.

Even the most qualified candidates can remove themselves from consideration if hiring managers aren’t able to quickly discern whether they are a good fit, says CareerCast.com.

“Always proofread everything that a recruiter might see, including the obvious — your resume, cover letter and emails, as well your social-media profiles,” says Tony Lee, publisher of CareerCast.com. He adds that sloppy grammar is frequently reason enough to eliminate candidates from consideration.

Differences between resumes, applications and social-media profiles raise questions in hiring managers’ minds about whether an applicant is lying or just sloppy.

Beyond lack of attention to detail, CareerCast.com notes other “red flags” that job seekers should avoid to better their chances of securing an interview and landing a job:

If you are unemployed, volunteer for a worthy cause, take a class or seek freelance work to show employers that you are still engaged in the workforce.

Customize your resume and cover letter to match the job description or you may not get past the applicant tracking system, which is set up to screen out candidates who do not match keywords listed in the job listing.

If you have lengthy gaps between jobs, briefly explain them in your cover letter.

In each correspondence with hiring managers, keep a formal and professional tone, using a person’s surname until they indicate they don’t mind being addressed more casually.

Use your social media pages to market and brand yourself — and remember that there is no privacy on the Internet.

Avoid a cutesy email handle — sign up for an email address that shows your professionalism.

On that last point, etiquette-expert Jacqueline Whitmore says many people don’t realize that email addresses, as well as social-media sites, voicemail and other similar services, in effect, create a personal brand — for better or for worse.

“Something as minute as your voicemail can be a significant factor in swaying a person’s hiring decision if it isn’t professional,” says Whitmore, author of “Business Class: Etiquette Essentials for Success at Work.”

With stiff competition in today’s job market, the odds may already be stacked against you, she says, “so don’t give employers any more reasons to not hire you.”

Read the full article here: http://jobs.aol.com/articles/2011/08/18/jobs-seekers-beware-6-red-flags-to-avoid/

—David Schepp

Salary Negotiations: Playing Poker with Your Financial Future

Would you laugh if someone told you to put down how much you’ve earned under each job listed on your resume? Obviously, yes.

But what if an employer directly asks you to tell them how much money you made in your previous positions?

This request is an all-too-often ploy used by many employers to try to force job seekers’ hands into showing their salary “cards” and effectively sweeping any negotiation power out of the candidate’s hand. Many unemployed people are so desperate they cave in right away for fear they might not get the job if they don’t “play nice” in the employer’s cat and mouse game of salary negotiation.

The employer drops their bomb in an interview by casually asking, “So, what are your salary needs,” or “What are you earning currently,” or in the application process, they require you to state your salary history or requirements in your cover letter.

So what is a job applicant to do? What are your options?

Here are five approaches you can take when it comes down to handling the thorny issue of salary negotiation. There isn’t any “perfect” way to negotiate because each situation is subjective to the company culture and the person interviewing you/making the hiring decision. But being educated about your options and also having a good “read” on the internal company environment can help provide you with the necessary business intelligence on the best way to approach this discussion.

1. Give them what they want. Know when the chips are down and the employer is fixated on a specific answer to the salary question. If the job opportunity truly hinges on whether you give them an answer to this question, then you have to make the decision whether to divulge your salary to give them what they want or not. The obvious downside to providing that specific number is now you have absolutely no negotiating room whatsoever.

2. Provide a range. Do your research on what is a reasonable expectation for salary for the type of position for which you are applying. Then make your move by providing a similar range, with your current salary level somewhere inside that bracket. Depending on what you are willing to accept (even if it is below your most recent earning level), make sure the upper number isn’t in outer orbit…otherwise you can quickly get tossed out because of a too-high salary requirement.

3. Dodge #1: Let’s talk later. Until a job offer is actually on the table, any preliminary discussion of salary is actually a fishing expedition. A good way of framing it up nicely: “Until a job offer is being made, I would like to request this discussion take place later…right now, I am interested in learning more about this job and how I can help your company.”

4. Dodge #2: We’re in the same ballpark. Again, you can be assertive while dishing out a compliment that holds them accountable: “I am highly confident that your company offers an industry-competitive wage and with that understanding, I know we’ll be able to reach a compromise once we get into actual negotiations.”

5. Avoid the issue. This is a tactic some people take because A) They don’t really know how to handle it or B) They assume that by avoiding it, the employer won’t not notice that the applicant didn’t address the question. All of which can completely and utterly backfire. Salary numbers are absolutely going to be a hot button for an employer, and they’ll be specifically scanning for that reference mentioning your salary history in the cover letter.

The most successful tricks to negotiating your salary is being flexible, willing to negotiate on other options including benefits, having a good knowledge of what jobs of this type typically pay, and being centered on what your value is without being overconfident.

In the long run, if you take a positive, collaborative approach in negotiating your salary, chances are the employer will respond positively, and you’ll be happier because you kept your cards close to your chest while keeping up your poker face.

Read the full story here: http://www.careerealism.com/salary-negotiations-financial-future/

—Dawn Rasmussen, CAREEREALISM

Gilbert Resumes remains in the forefront of providing cutting edge solutions for today’s challenging job market, including strategies to build your online presence and maximize your career opportunities.

Need assistance with your career endeavors?

Resume Writing
LinkedIn Profiles
Recruiter and VC/Private Equity Distribution
Cover & Thank-You Letters
Biographies
Board of Director Resumes
Job Search & Interview Coaching
Online Identity Programs
Networking Training

Contact
Martin Weitzman
Certified Career Professional
Gilbert Resumes
800.967.3846
http://executiveresumewriter.com
http://resumepro.com
http://www.linkedin.com/in/resumepro

A MONTHLY PUBLICATION OF GILBERT RESUMES, FEATURING TIMELY CAREER ARTICLES, CAREER WEBSITES, AND SUGGESTIONS FOR TODAY’S JOB SEEKERS.

Interview Tip: You Gotta Ask!

So many job seekers leave an interview and have no idea if it went well, if they are still in the process, if they were considered a fit for the position, how long it will take the employer to make a decision, whether there are more interviews in the process, or if they will get a call back.

The following days or weeks can be extremely frustrating as they wait to find out.

Yet, most are unwilling to do the one thing that can alleviate that frustration right from the start… ASK!

Asking direct questions about your suitability for the job, their interest, and their process serves several purposes…

• It shows the employer you have a sincere interest in the position and in moving forward.
• It shows professional assertiveness and thoroughness by seeking a full understanding of the status.
• It sets you apart from the majority of candidates who don’t ask.
• It often causes the employer to make somewhat of a commitment.
• It gives you insights to help you evaluate how well things went, or not.
• It helps you set your own expectations about where you stand and what may, or may not, happen next.

Let’s discuss those last two points in greater detail…

As a recruiter, when I send one of my candidates to an interview with one of my client companies, I have the opportunity to debrief with each of them afterward. I often say that sometimes the stories match up, and sometimes I wonder if they actually met the right person! At times, a candidate’s perception of how things went is wildly different than the employer’s perception. Clearly, feedback didn’t happen in the interview.

As a candidate, it’s much better to know if there is continued interest… or not, before you leave so that you’re not left wondering indefinitely. If the answers you get are discouraging, at least you know right away rather than fretting for days or weeks and then finding out the bad news. If the feedback is good, then you know you can have reason for hope. Furthermore, if you ask whether they see you continuing in the process, and they say ‘yes’, then it’s more difficult for them to backpedal on that minor commitment later.

So… what, and how should you ask? Here are some ideas…

As an interview nears the end, it’s very appropriate, and good to say something like:

“I’m very interested in this position and believe I can be very productive for you in this role. If it’s OK, I’d like to ask a few questions about what’s next…”

“Can you give me an idea of the interview and decision making process? What would be the next step and what kind of timeframe do you have in mind?”

“How many other candidates do you have at this stage?”

“Based on our discussion today, do you see me moving forward to the next step in the process?”

“If I don’t hear anything, when would be an appropriate time for me to follow up with you?”

Be sure to listen to the answers carefully! These kinds of questions, and others, can certainly give you a good idea of their level of interest and set reasonable expectations as to when things will continue to move forward.

Obviously, it’s possible they won’t give you answers to some or any of these questions. Nothing works every time. However, you can be pretty certain you won’t get answers to those questions if you don’t ask. Even if they don’t give you answers though, you will have made it clear that you are interested, and willing to ask the questions that most candidates are not willing to ask.

If you want to know where things stand, to make a positive impression, and to know what to expect…

Ya gotta ask!

—Harry Urschel, e-Executives

Is Your Digital Footprint Squashing Your Reputation?

Over the past few years, several studies have been conducted looking at social media and employer hiring habits. One of those studies, conducted by Microsoft, showed that 70% of employers in the United States screened out potential employees because of information found online. The study also showed that the majority of recruiters and HR professionals indicated that they think it’s appropriate to consider personal information found online in screening potential job applicants.

This raised several questions in my mind: What procedures are in place to ensure that the information found online relates to the job candidate (there’s a Donna McNamara who was recently arrested and isn’t me)? Do they differentiate between information voluntarily posted by an individual versus information someone else posts about them? Is the information validated for accuracy? Are there potential legal ramifications of online searching?

In several of my classes, we discussed the importance of having a digital footprint and using various types of media to convey your personal brand. I’ve been to various speaker engagements that encourage job seekers to create professional websites and use Twitter, LinkedIn, etc. to build a personal brand online. This way, when employers Google you, they find content you’ve created. For some recruiters, a lack of digital footprint is viewed as a negative; suggesting the applicant hasn’t written articles, created a website, blog or LinkedIn profile.

For potential employees, online information can be especially troublesome as in the case of personal networking sites like Facebook. Here, people openly post candid photos of themselves and allow others to tag them in photos. This often means drunken escapes are captured for general public consumption (think Jackass star Ryan Dunn tweeting a photo of himself drinking hours before reports of a fatal car accident). A potential employer may decide to screen out a candidate after seeing some questionable photos or posts. Here are a few common reasons why employers have screened out potential job candidates:

• Falsifying information about qualifications.
• Poor communication skills (spelling and grammar count!).
• Discriminatory comments were found on posts.
• Posts about excessive drinking or drug usage.
• Provocative or inappropriate photographs or information posted.
• Bad mouthing of previous employer, co-workers, or clients.
• Sharing of confidential information from previous employer.

And, here are some reasons employers have hired potential candidates:

• Solid communication skills displayed.
• Profile provided a good feel for the applicant’s personality and fit.
• Creativity displayed.
• Awards, accolades and good references posted.
• Profile supported applicant’s qualifications.

Issues with online search don’t just impact potential job candidates. Recruiters and HR staff doing the searching can open themselves up for trouble by obtaining too much information. For example, personal networking sites often include information about race, religious beliefs, age, sexual orientation and marital status; factors NOT to be considered in pre-employment screening. By searching potential candidates’ personal sites, recruiters become exposed to information that does not pertain to the applicant’s ability to perform the job and may inadvertently consider factors such as age, race, etc.

I’ve experienced the use of waivers and releases at the point of application to circumvent such issues so employer concerns may become less problematic. In addition, some organizations put blocks on social networking sites so that information may not even be available to them. So what can you do to make sure your online image is what you want it to be? Bottom line – clean up your social networking sites.

• Don’t have photos you wouldn’t want an employer to see.
• No drunken escapes, no profanity, or slurs.
• Don’t bad mouth former employers, bosses or co-workers.
• Make your social networking sites private.
• Sweat the small stuff. Your email address, spelling, and grammar speak to your maturity and communication skills.

—Career Rocketeer

Gilbert Resumes remains in the forefront of providing cutting edge solutions for today’s challenging job market, including strategies to build your online presence and maximize your career opportunities.

Need assistance with your career endeavors?

Resume Writing
LinkedIn Profiles
Recruiter and VC/Private Equity Distribution
Cover & Thank-You Letters
Biographies
Board of Director Resumes
Job Search & Interview Coaching
Online Identity Programs
Networking Training

Contact
Martin Weitzman
Certified Career Professional
Gilbert Resumes
800.967.3846
http://executiveresumewriter.com
http://resumepro.com
http://www.linkedin.com/in/resumepro

More and more of my clients are landing jobs in shorter periods of time. There must be a message here somewhere.

Very gratifying!

The holiday starts tomorrow and I am going fishing with my kids . . . life is good!

Can this person sell???

In sales, that one question is the “Elephant in the Room” when evaluating a resume or interviewing a prospective new hire. If that one question doesn’t get answered, it’s unlikely the process will move forward.

So, whether it’s on the resume, or in the interview . . .  here are mistakes I see that are made, and how the question can best be addressed . . .

Sales positions are different! As opposed to perhaps most other positions in an organization, performance and measurable results in sales roles are key.  If a company is hiring a new sales person, it’s for one reason . . . to bring in new revenue. It’s easily measured, and the sole reason for having someone in that role at all. If it’s unclear whether someone can bring business into the organization, there’s no compelling reason to hire that person. It’s the one thing a hiring manager wants to know, and it’s by far the biggest thing that matters.

There’s no question that the sales person should share the companies values, fit their culture, be able to exude the image the company wants to portray to their customers, and be able to articulate the company’s products or services. However, even if someone matches all those requisites, they won’t succeed if they can’t sell!

Past performance is the best predictor of future success. These words are the predominant concept most sales managers live by when hiring a new sales person. Certainly there are exceptions, and for various reasons many sales managers will take a chance on someone because of a gut feeling. However, most understand, that the safest new hire, is one that has performed well before. That’s what they are trying to determine. Has this person proven that they can generate new business in the past?

Metrics are key! Many sales resumes I’ve seen give great detail on the type of relationships they build well, the sales processes they’ve employed, examples of satisfied customers, and the types of organizations they’ve pursued. However, they state little to nothing about the results they’ve achieved in bringing in new business.

It’s critically important to provide actual numbers to show the results you’ve had, as well as a frame of reference to judge whether those results were good or not. To simply state you generated $600,000 in new business in the last year says very little about your success. $600,000 of new business in a year if you’re selling multi-million dollar capital equipment may not be good at all, while $600,000 in business last year selling office supplies may be great. Help the reader or the interviewer understand the context of your sales figures.

$600,000 of sales, while the rest of the company sales force averaged $1.5 million in sales would be a poor reflection on you. While $600,000 of sales that made you one of the top 5 out of 50 sales people would be a strong indicator that you have what it takes.

Present your strengths. Perhaps you weren’t a top sales person. However, you have other successes that still show you are a viable candidate. Always show what your successes have been.

If you’ve had significant growth in sales year over year for the past 3 or 4 years, that’s a compelling case for your future success. If you’ve had 100% retention of your customers, it shows you can build a base that’s enduring. If you brought in a significant number of new customers that have yet to maximize the revenue they will generate, it shows that you’ve been building success that simply has yet to blossom. If you’ve moved up in rank among other sales people in the organization each year, it shows you’re one that is likely to continue to grow and improve.

Whatever your individual strengths and successes have been, it’s critical to show it with actual numbers in your resume and in your interviews.

Don’t ignore the elephant! It’s imperative that you include actual figures in your resume and address them in your interview. For many, perhaps most, sales managers, if they don’t see actual facts and figures in a sales resume, it’s assumed the person wasn’t very good and they are hiding that fact with less relevant information.

The burning question that any company has when hiring a new sales person is always . . .

Can they sell???

Make sure you answer it in your resume, your interviews, your thank you notes and in every contact!

—Career Rocketeer

A MONTHLY PUBLICATION OF GILBERT RESUMES, FEATURING TIMELY CAREER ARTICLES, CAREER WEBSITES, AND SUGGESTIONS FOR TODAY’S JOB SEEKERS.

Special Edition:
Open Positions in the Sustainable Industry

If you feel you meet the qualifications for one of these positions, please submit your resume to christopher.hutson and be sure to include the job title for which you would like to apply.

Marketing Strategist

Responsibilities:

Develop and manage marketing presentations and projects for Abener North American sales teams and management to increase revenue, market share and customer satisfaction.  Design custom sales presentations, proposal support commercial documents and advertisements in order to meet team and client’s needs utilizing marketing expertise, presentation software skills, creative thinking, brainstorming, and data analysis. Create solutions based presentations that package market research, corporate strategy, and business development activities. Warm and Cold call key account clients to establish information dialog for potential projects, meetings, and analysis.

Requirements:

The ideal candidate should have strong organizational and analytical skills with attention to details, to be creative and display strong customer service skills.  Previous experience in marketing and/or industrial and technical research preferred. The candidate should be highly proficient in MS Word, PowerPoint and Excel. Requires at least an undergraduate degree in marketing or communications; and/ or at least 4-6 years related work experience in advertising/marketing industry.

Business Development Manager—Solar Market

Responsibilities:

Manage the business development, marketing, and product support responsibilities for assigned business & products to capture new business opportunities. Research, analyze and recommend investment strategies for assigned business & products and effectively communicate requirements to senior management. Research and recommend strategic planning for assigned product lines including the impact on resources. Develop reports that include cost and pricing estimates, and market pricing strategy. Conduct customer visits and product marketing presentations. Participate in trade shows and technical symposiums.

Requirements:

The ideal candidate should have strong organizational and analytical skills with attention to details, to be creative and display strong customer service skills. They should have sound judgment and critical thinking skills to analyze complex business strategy and financial analysis, good public relations and marketing skills to work with a diverse customer base. The candidate should have the ability to analyze and solve problems both technical and financial, have the ability to establish and build customer relations and analyze customers’ fiscal budget cycle/process. Team building skills are necessary to communicate and gain support of divisional strategies and visions from the employees within the assigned business area. The candidate should have effective presentation skills (technical and business), communication skills (verbal and written) and interpersonal skills, and a high level of computer software proficiency to accomplish responsibilities.

Travel will be necessary domestic (typically 75%).

The client should have a Bachelor’s degree in related field (engineering, science, marketing or business) with a minimum 3-8 years of related experience.  Master’s degree in business preferred but not required.

Business Development Manager—Canada Market

Responsibilities:

Manage the business development, marketing, and product support responsibilities for assigned business & products to capture new business opportunities. Research, analyze and recommend investment strategies for assigned business & products and effectively communicate requirements to senior management. Research and recommend strategic planning for assigned product lines including the impact on resources. Develop reports that include cost and pricing estimates, and market pricing strategy. Conduct customer visits and product marketing presentations. Participate in trade shows and technical symposiums.

Requirements:

The ideal candidate should have strong organizational and analytical skills with attention to details, to be creative and display strong customer service skills. They should have sound judgment and critical thinking skills to analyze complex business strategy and financial analysis, good public relations and marketing skills to work with a diverse customer base. The candidate should have the ability to analyze and solve problems both technical and financial, have the ability to establish and build customer relations and analyze customers’ fiscal budget cycle/process. Team building skills are necessary to communicate and gain support of divisional strategies and visions from the employees within the assigned business area. The client will be required to have strong relationships with clients and potential subcontractors and partners and be able to develop and maintain these alliances. The candidate should have effective presentation skills (technical and business), communication skills (verbal and written) and interpersonal skills, and a high level of computer software proficiency to accomplish responsibilities.

Travel will be necessary domestic (typically 75%).

The client should have a Bachelor’s degree in related field (engineering, science, marketing or business) with a minimum 10-15 years of related experience.  Master’s degree in business preferred but not required.

Gilbert Resumes remains in the forefront of providing cutting edge solutions for today’s challenging job market, including strategies to build your online presence and maximize your career opportunities.

Need assistance with your career endeavors?

Resume Writing
LinkedIn Profiles
Recruiter and VC/Private Equity Distribution
Cover & Thank-You Letters
Biographies
Board of Director Resumes
Job Search & Interview Coaching
Online Identity Programs
Networking Training

Contact
Martin Weitzman
Certified Career Professional
Gilbert Resumes
800.967.3846
http://executiveresumewriter.com
http://resumepro.com
http://www.linkedin.com/in/resumepro

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Until this point, you haven’t even THOUGHT about references. So you quickly put together a list of three people who you think will say good things about you, and send it off. The job slips away. They hired someone else.

Don’t wait until the last minute. Think about references well before you need them.

1. Do they know your work and think highly of you? You don’t HAVE to include your last boss as a reference, if he/she isn’t the best person. Jim included his mentor on his reference list, since this man knew his work much better than his supervisor. Besides, Jim wasn’t sure the supervisor liked him.

2. Evaluate your potential references—Are they articulate, and can (and will) they speak with enthusiasm about you and your accomplishments?

3. Find out what are the best times and methods to reach them: office phone, cell phone, fax, or email. Employers checking references often work quickly, and if they can’t get through to your references, they may choose someone else.

Be sure to let your references know they may be contacted and coach them about what to emphasize. You DON’T want your references to be caught off guard by a phone call from an employer. You certainly don’t want them mumbling incoherently, trying to remember what you did.

Remember, they have had other things on their minds besides what you did last year—or five years ago. Refresh their memories about your accomplishments. You might write a summary for them to refer to before or during the reference call.

Be sure to check up on them. Have a friend call them, posing as a reference checker to see what they will say. If they aren’t positive and enthusiastic, take them off your list.

Jack Chapman, Lucrative Careers

Beats me, but hey, what do I know, they are the big résumé dog in town.

Marty Weitzman
Gilbert Resumes

“If you know of anyone looking for full-time or part-time work, they may want to check in with Shuttle America. While traveling from New Orleans, a flight attendant was seated next to my husband and I who worked for “Shuttle America” a Republic Holding company. I was surprised to learn that many of the airlines now outsource their FULL flights i.e., planes and staff – Delta included. So while people are looking for work they would perhaps look at companies like Delta, American Airlines, etc., and not necessarily realize that they are using in part outsourced companies like Shuttle America. She indicated that every month they have continued to expand and they populate jobs for employment all the time – so I made a note so I wouldn’t forget to pass the information on. If you know of anyone looking for work, please share with them that Shuttle America is posting jobs every month. We missed the big rush where they picked up a new airline and hired a TON of folks in one pass, but still – it’s worth looking into.”

Good luck.
Marty Weitzman
Gilbert Resumes
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