John T.

Your résumé: A marketing tool

Even if your career path is in marketing, marketing yourself is an entirely different feat.  Many professionals leave marketing to those with the proper schooling, but preparing a strategically written résumé and presenting it at a job interview is all about marketing.  You are selling specialized skills and experience that a potential employer may be in need of, and your goal is to show that you are better than the competition.

Searching for a job is about securing your livelihood, and with all the rejection letters you are bound to get, along with the occasional job offers, it gets personal, but remove the self esteem component, and you are simply selling a set of services.

What do you know about a potential employer and what special training or experience do you have that the potential employer will find of value?  Are you aware of projects the company has conducted recently where your skill set would be of benefit?  They are eager to find professionals who can speak their brand of professional jargon and who know their line of work well.  At the end of the day, their job offer to you is a contract, a business agreement.  Although it may seem that the potential employer has the upper hand, they are really quite dependent on someone like you to come along who can get the job done, improve efficiency, and increase the bottom line.

Be confident.  Do your research in advance so that you are prepared.  A lot of information about a company is available right on a company’s website.  If you know someone who works for the company, take them to lunch; find out anything you can that will help you better connect with them.  Prepare a cover letter to match your résumé — emphasizing your skills in which the potential employer will be most interested.  This means that your resume may be in a different order and with a slightly different profile at the top for each résumé that you send out, but it’s worth it.  Potential employers often go through stacks of résumés, so if your document is customized for the position for which they have advertised, they are more likely to place yours in the short stack.

In a job interview, act like you are up to snuff, being careful not to be cocky.  Dress to impress, but be conservative, even if flashy ties and brightly-colored silk shirts are your regular business attire.  A white or light blue button-up shirt that is well-ironed, combined with a suit that has recently been dry-cleaned and shoes that are shined will move mountains for you.  Also, make a special effort in your personal grooming that day.  Most importantly, remember to smile.

Make sure to have a copy of your résumé on hand, printed on white or ivory bond paper to use for your reference or theirs.  Provide them with a business card that includes information such as your website or blog.  A lot of copy shops will print 500 business cards for you fairly inexpensively.  The clean-edge Avery business cards (#8873) that you can print from home are also a viable option.  These are available in most office supply stores.

When you are searching for a job, make sure to do a little bit of work each day, whether it is doing research about a company or actually submitting a résumé and cover letter.  Keep at it, and keep yourself focused and oriented on your end goal.  Break tasks down into bite-sized pieces so you don’t get overwhelmed.  Then fill your evenings with a hobby or spend your time with loved ones.  Maintain your network of friends and family, your support group during this time of struggle.  Spend time each week doing a service for someone at no charge.  Take the time to get some fresh air at least once a day.  If you feel fulfilled in the areas of your life that you can control right now, this attitude will be apparent when you show up for the job interview.

In your résumé, focus on your positive areas and those areas in which they are most interested.  Figure out how to present the areas that are not so strong in a positive light.  Gaps in employment or a period of being underemployed can be addressed in a cover letter, explaining that you had a illness or a family obligation.

You have a lot to offer potential employers.  Résumés, a document that has a fairly strict format, can be molded to represent you in the best way possible.  Canterbury Résumé can assist you in preparing a professional job search documents.  Sign up now.

© 2010 by Emily Sanderson.  All rights reserved.

Transferable skills often facilitate a career shift

Political decisions or economic circumstances, whether on a federal, state, or local level, can have an impact on the viability of vocations.  A career path that seemed promising in college can change directions quickly as a result of new technologies or a change in legislative funding.

To keep yourself marketable, a career shift may be in order, but there is good news.  Many of the skills you have gained from your education and experience will transfer well to another vocation.  By strategically emphasizing these skills on your résumé, you will keep yourself in the running without necessarily having to return to school.

Throughout the 1970s and early 1980s, the field of petro-geology, which was as promising as computer engineering is today, dropped dead in the water when the 1987 oil crisis hit, leaving geologists throughout the country jobless and forced to change career paths.  Some went back to school for additional credentials; others joined forces in the civil engineering world.  However, 20 years later, several petro-geologist job openings have cropped up as domestic oil exploration has begun again.  Within the legal industry, real estate and transactional finance attorneys have seen heavy lay-offs and slim pickings for available positions in their fields because of the present credit slump.  Some of these attorneys have been forced to make a career shift to a field similar to theirs.

Career shifts can be daunting, but they are possible with some thorough research, the right network of colleagues, a strong work history in your former field, and a strategic résumé that emphasizes those skills you have which are more useful in your new desired field.  Transferable skills are those skills you gained in your former field or perhaps in a position early in your career which match the skills needed in the new industry you seek.

In many cases, you are competing at entry level with applicants who many be younger than you but may have more qualifications which are relevant to the particular line of work.  Nonetheless, you have a more extensive work history, and your experience in your previous field may give you an advantage.

Often potential employers that seek to hire entry-level employees will expect you to prove yourself in a highly competitive office, which may require you to work long hours, do a lot of business travel, or to meet certain stringent requirements over a probationary period — all at an entry-level wage.  But your previous work experience can give you the competitive edge.   Find projects the company has worked on in the past that would benefit from your skills and experience from your former industry, and use that as a selling point in your cover letter, résumé, and also in your job interview.  The company may even sponsor you in completing the necessary certifications.

The use of a hybrid resume would be appropriate to use for a career shift.  Include a profile or statement of qualifications at the top in order to emphasize the skills more relevant to the field to which you seek to transfer.  Revisit your bullets under each company for which you have worked and decide if alternate bullets should be used that will better emphasize your transferable skills.  Reorder your bullets to emphasize these skills, as well.

Avoid using a functional résumé if you are applying for an entry-level position, but if you seek a managerial-level position, a functional résumé is an option for you.

Canterbury Résumé can help you prepare a winning cover letter and résumé for your career shift.  With the information you provide, we can design your documents to give you the advantage.  Sign up for our services today!

© 2010 by Emily Sanderson.  All rights reserved.

Purposes of a functional résumé

Functional résumés are most often reserved for professionals with more than 10 or 15 years of experience.  Managerial professions, creative professions, and those that involve a lot of contractual work have the most flexibility in the use of this format, particularly if you are trying to summarize a lot of work experience into a brief one- or two-page space.  They are also useful if you have only one present or former employer, whether you have worked there for years or for only six months.

The functional format basically extends the profile or statement of qualifications into a series of bullets that you take from your work experience.  Some rewording may be necessary so that the bullets stand alone from the work experience with which they are associated.  The benefit to a functional format is that you can order the bullets in the order that will allow you to emphasize your work experience that is most relevant to the position for which you are applying.

You can also group these bullets into like subsections, which allow you to emphasize your areas of expertise with the use of subheaders.  Potential employers can easily scan these subheaders to get a quick idea of what you have to offer.

A second section should follow this series of bullets that lists the bare bones of your work experience with the name of your employers, your title (or titles), the city (or cities) where you worked, and the dates of employment in reverse chronological order.

Functional resume cautions

What has been known as a functional-formatted résumé has commonly been used by individuals who have gaps in their employment because of an illness, family obligation, or other distraction that kept them from working.  Because of the common association with the functional résumé and employment gaps, some offices, such as law firms, will not accept a functional résumé.  If in doubt, use the traditional chronological résumé instead.  However, when done correctly, a functional résumé will include the second section that represent your work experience chronologically.

Extensive job history

Individuals with an extensive job history often have a difficult time condensing their information into a shorter form without losing important information; however, a three- or four-page résumé can be daunting to potential employers, especially if you are in direct competition for a position with individuals with fewer years of experience than you.  Canterbury Résumé can prepare an executive résumé such as this which will give a summary of your main points at the top and then provide the most important nuts and bolts in a two-page format.  Some information is acceptable to include on a third page, such as a representative list of transactions for transactional attorneys or another comparable list of projects.

Sometimes having a third party assist you with presenting your information can be a means of reducing stress surrounding your job search.  A third party can also shed new light on how to word your profile or statement of qualifications and the bullets in your work experience.  Canterbury Résumé would love to be your third-party résumé writer.  We will present the information you provide us in a way a CEO or executive manager can best receive it no matter what your industry.

Functional résumés, just as all résumés, require a lot of attention to detail and careful review of each draft prepared.  Make sure to check it and check it again for inaccuracies or typos.  As the most important document in your career, your résumé must be perfect.  Sign up with Canterbury Résumé today.

© 2010 by Emily Sanderson.  All rights reserved.

Résumés and finding a job

Canterbury Résumé focuses on helping professionals prepare stellar resumes, cover letters, and professional biographies that will assist you in your job search.  This article provides an overview of the job search process where we can discuss additional resources and approaches that you may consider in your process of moving to your next job.

The present economic circumstances in the United States and beyond have raised unemployment rates to the highest they have been in decades.  But there is hope.  Where there has been a lot of lay-offs in larger companies, smaller companies in the same industry seeking to gain a competitive edge are likely to have openings.  Even companies that have issued lay-offs may have openings in the event that they are trying to reconfigure to be stronger and more efficient. If that is the case, they will be looking for people with broader qualifications than their former staffers, qualifications that you may have picked up in your previous career path.

In What Color is Your Parachute, Richard Bolles says, “… the newspapers are filled with the news of companies like AT&T,  General Motors, and others laying off thousands of workers, most job-hunters assume things are bad everywhere.  When they can’t find a job at any of these large places, they assume that no one is hiring.  … The fact is, there are always companies that are hiring — but they are usually small companies — with one hundred or fewer employees.”

What to do now

When you get laid-off from a job, often the knee-jerk response is go home, shut the blinds, and sleep for the next week.  Others run to Vegas for the weekend.  But don’t despair.  Your identity and value as a person is bigger than your last employer.  Often a new job is just what you need to progress to a new level in your life, and getting laid-off, you will discover in hindsight, was simply a blessing in disguise.  You are creative and innovative, and many of you have many more years left in your careers.  Use this as an opportunity to do what you have always wanted to do.

In the meantime, file for unemployment, and wake up each morning in time to make your kids sack lunches.  Keep yourself on a schedule, and give yourself deadlines.  Make sure to spend time each day looking for jobs, researching, or networking.  Don’t get caught up spending all your time fixing the bathroom shower or repainting the guest bedroom.  Take old business associates out to a dignified lunch or for a cup of coffee to stay in touch with them.  Also, find opportunities to serve in your community — you never know what networking opportunities may come in the process.

Resources

There are a number of resources to use in your job search.  Consider online trade resources, as well as general ones such as Monster, Craigslist, and LinkedIn.  Consider local newspaper listings as well as national ones.  Are you willing to relocate or must you find employment in your local vicinity?  Do some on-the-ground networking with business colleagues.  Find out everything you can about companies at which you seek employment by doing research on their websites as well as keeping abreast of current events relevant to the companies about which newspapers and trade journals report.

If, after several months of searching for a job, you find yourself not qualified for the type of jobs you have been seeking, consider a career shift in a field where your skills may be more valued.  Consider taking up a part-time job even if it’s not in your field to keep some cash flow coming in.  If you are missing some critical skills that limit your job search such as knowledge of computer programs, consider taking some training courses either in a classroom or online.  Also consider going back to school for a higher or more focused degree — but make sure you keep your education vocationally focused.

Have a spectacular résumé and cover letter prepared for you

Most of you have the education, work experience, and skills that qualify you for the job you seek.  You just need to present your information in a way that potential employers will best absorb it and put it at the top of their stack after only a brief review.  Sign-up with Canterbury Résumé today, and give yourself a new lease on your career.

© 2010 by Emily Sanderson.  All rights reserved.

Traditional chronological vs. hybrid formatted résumés

If you attended college, you most likely were taught to use a traditional, chronological format for your résumé, but depending on your industry, particularly if you have three or more years of work experience, you have additional options in the way you present your curriculum vitae.  The use of a hybrid résumé and the option of incorporating functional format characteristics may be a viable alternative which will help you present your information in the most attractive light.

Some types of offices are particular about your use of a traditional, chronological résumé.  Some will not consider you unless you follow this format.  For example, if you are an attorney seeking to gain employment at a law firm, stick to the traditional résumé format you learned in college, but you can still do some things that will paint a clearer picture of your present career goals.

Hybrid résumés

Many of us have a mixed work history with experience that would fit into more than one industry.  Those of us who seek to make a career shift may have recent work experience that is not as relevant to our present career goals.  A hybrid allows you to emphasize that work experience that is most relevant to the job to which you are applying.

Hybrid résumés follow the format of traditional, chronological résumés with one difference.  Instead of one section for your work experience, create two.  The title of the first section will reflect that work experience that you desire to emphasize and that is most relevant to your current career goals.  The second section, with the title of “Other Professional Experience,” will include other significant work experience which may or may not have complementary skills toward your desired career path but are still important to include on your résumé.  By including your other professional experience in a separate section, you will be able to show a consistent work history and also show your diversity and ability to adapt.  Both sections, however, must be in reverse chronological order within each section, starting with the most recent work experience.

Hybrid résumés can either list education before work experience or afterwards; however, unless you attended MIT or Columbia University in the last five years, you are more likely to list work experience before your education.  If you have more than three years of work experience and your consistent job history is a stronger asset to you than your education, list your work experience first followed by your education.  Most potential employers want to know where you attended school and what your highest degree earned is, so whether you include it at the top or after your work experience, they will still be drawn to it.

Profile or Statement of Qualifications

Whether you choose a traditional chronological or hybrid formatted résumé, you can insert a 3-5 line, pithy Profile or Statement of Qualifications at the top of your résumé that emphasizes your qualifications which are most relevant to the position for which you are applying.  Basically, Profiles and Statements of Qualifications are the same thing but are called different things by different people; however, there is some variation in these introductory sections.

Below the 3-5 line statement, some people like to include short bullets in two or three columns that describe one’s skills and experience in brief.  The bullets can be challenging to get just right because you need to keep them all about the same length so that there will be visual balance at the top of your résumé, but they can be very effective in giving a quick overview of your qualifications.  An introductory section that has been extended with bullets is typically called a profile.

Some people say that potential employers don’t even look at this introductory section if you include one — but if they skip over it at first glance, they are likely to review it at second glance.  I encourage job seekers to include a Profile or Statement of Qualifications on their résumés because at some point during the hiring process, it will give you an opportunity to emphasize those skills and work experience that will put your best foot forward.

Traditional chronological and hybrid résumés each have their purpose and each can be very effective in presenting your information in a way that potential employers are most likely to take notice.  Let Canterbury Résumé help you determine which format is best for you by signing up now.

© 2010 by Emily Sanderson.  All rights reserved.

The importance of a well organized cover letter

Since many individuals submit résumés online or by email these days, it is common to side-step the use of a formal cover letter when approaching potential employers for consideration of a position.  Although inserting what may be considered the equivalent of a cover letter into the body of an email is convenient, if possible, attach a formal  cover letter document with a letter that mirrors your resume.

Take advantage of the forum that a cover letter provides which is different than a résumé.  For example, in a cover letter, you can discuss issues such as present career goals, gaps in employment, and willingness to relocated.

A résumé is designed to present information about your work experience and other qualifications in a facts-only format, and a cover letter will assist in painting you in the light in which you seek to be received by a potential employer.  Cover letters can easily be designed to be more general for multiple mailings. Many job seekers will develop a master cover letter and alter it slightly for each employment submission, just as they do for résumés. Include research you have done about the company for which you are applying to show that you are really interested in what they do.

Elements of a cover letter

When writing a cover letter use a business letter format that includes your contact information in the letterhead; the date; and name, company, and address to which the letter is addressed. All of this information is typically listed above the salutation line.

In the salutation line, use the first name of the person you are addressing if you know them.  Otherwise, use the sir name preceded by the appropriate title, such as President, Dr., Mr., or Ms. If you do not have the name of a contact person, address the letter to “Dear Sir or Madam”. In each case, end the salutation with a colon instead of a comma.

The body of your cover letter should generally consist of three or four paragraphs and should be limited to one page. Remember that potential employers get a lot résumés each day, so make  their job easier by being short and including only the most important information.  As a cover letter serves as a transmission document for your résumé and other materials such as copies of your college transcripts or samples of your work, the first paragraph of your cover letter
should serve to explain your purpose for writing and to identify what information you have either enclosed in a parcel you have mailed to them or attached to an email. Gear the first paragraph to what you have to offer the company as opposed to what they have to offer you.

The middle one or two paragraphs will back up your first paragraph by giving more information about your qualifications, including your education and relevant work experience. A common error in cover letters is regurgitating your resume word for word. Write it as though you were speaking it to them in a job interview. You can emphasize your work experience that best highlights the qualifications they are looking for, even if that experience is not your most recent.

Use your cover letter to emphasize your strong work qualities such as working well in a team environment, hard working, and detail-oriented. Do what you can to make the contents of your cover letter unique so that it will stand out from the other applicants in the stack. However, make sure to stay very respectful, professional, and within the formal forum of a cover letter.

The last paragraph should be the action paragraph. Reiterate what you can do for them. Request that they call you to arrange an interview scheduled at their convenience, and thank them for their consideration.  Close the letter with “Sincerely,” or another adverb such as “Respectfully,” skip some lines, and type your name If you are submitting this in hard copy you want to sign it in ink.

The cover letter advantage

Use a cover letter to include information in your job application that you wouldn’t be able to include in a résumé or the application they provide. It is a way to indicate the amount of time and attention you have spent on your application as well as your interest in the company to which you are applying. Keep it tightly written and as brief as possible, and make sure to emphasize why you are the best applicant for the job.

© 2010 by Emily Sanderson. All rights reserved.