Resumes the Way of the Dinosaur? Not in this Century!

DinosaurI recently read a blog post that suggested resumes may soon be a relic of the past. In the Forbes post, 2013: The Year of Social HR, the author points to trends indicating your Internet presence will be more important than your resume. The article states that “before you’re interviewed by a potential employer, expect the recruiting manager or hiring manager to check out one or more of the following sources about you: 1) the top ten searches on your name on either Google or Bing, 2) the number of Twitter followers you have and last time you tweeted, 3) the size and quality of your LinkedIn community, 4) the number and quality of recommendations you have on LinkedIn and 5) your Klout score.”

This begs the question of how you received the interest of the potential employer in the first place. Might it have been a resume? I certainly agree that a LinkedIn profile and online Web Portfolio can complement the traditional resume, but you’ll still need to tell a compelling story about your experience and expertise in the content of those online tools, especially at the executive and upper professional levels. How many executives are spending hours on social media, generating a following through entertaining tweets. And if they are, would your really want them running your operations?

I can see a strong social media presence being important for someone in marketing or advertising, but don’t you want your executives to be spending their time contributing to bottom line growth, running the company or their division? Even if you’re fresh out of college and just starting your career, do you really believe a 140 character tweet will get you in front of a hiring manager? And whether social media will completely replace traditional marketing as far as yielding ROI is not even up for debate at this point, it doesn’t and probably never will. Social media is just another arrow in the quiver of marketing managers.

Remember in the mid to late 90’s when there were dire predictions of Apple’s demise? The last time I checked, it remains an industry leading, technology powerhouse and has not gone the way of the dinosaurs. So too will resumes, in some form or another (LinkedIn, Web Portfolio’s, Online Resumes), always be with us. There’s no better way to share you skills and expertise.

~Linda

A Gift That Keeps On Giving Throughout Your Career

GiftAs you’re madly rushing around this holiday season, remember, this is a good time to take a moment and give a gift to yourself. The gift of introspection and reflection. Things generally tend to slow down as we approach year-end, making it a perfect time to stop and assess where you are in your career and where you want to be.

I’ve had many successful clients who contact me, saying they’ve let their careers drive them and while this has led them on a great course thus far, they now want to look ahead, take control of their careers and choose their own paths.

As you’re thinking through the direction in which you’d like to go, a great thing to think about are your past accomplishments. Looking back at prior achievements will help you in two ways: not only will it assist you in identifying what you’re most passionate about and when you most enjoyed your job, it also highlights your best skills. Having this insight will help you move through the career transition process.

Keeping track of your accomplishments, complete with quantitative figures (i.e. dollar amounts for sales and revenue growth or reduced expenses) will help you better market yourself to future employers. These accomplishments are the stories that you can use on your resume to illustrate your prowess. They are also the anecdotes you’ll tell when you’re interviewing for potential new positions.

Whether you’re thinking about a career change now or in the future, chronicling your success stories is a gift that keeps on giving. It enables you to be prepared at any time to speak about your strengths and highlight your career history. That way you’re ready for that unexpected phone call from a recruiter, the unanticipated downsizing, or the planned and well thought out transition as you take control of your career.

~Linda

 

If You Don’t Schmooze, You Lose: Networking This Holiday Season

Holiday Career NetworkingJob searchers frequently make a major mistake during the holiday season, they stop looking for their next position. That’s a big blunder for two reason: first, companies DO continue to hire this time of year and second, it’s a great time to be networking and building relationships.

Networking is one of the most important tools in your job search. As is often said, it’s not what you know it’s who you know. To expand on that proverb, it’s who you know that gets you in the door and what you know that keeps you there.

‘Tis the season for holiday parties. What a great opportunity to reconnect with people, to find out how they’re doing and let them know what you’ve been up to. Reconnecting with colleagues, old friends and acquaintances is one of the best things you can do to land that plum position you’ve been pursuing or to uncover new and interesting opportunities.

Schmoozing at holiday parties is just one way of taking advantage of the holiday season, another is setting up coffee or lunch dates with people. As things slow down and shopping picks up, people are out and about and more accessible. Taking a breather from the holiday rush to sit down over a cup of coffee with an old friend can be a welcome break.

The thing to remember about networking is it’s about building relationships, having meaningful interactions and not just asking your contacts if they know of any job openings. You want to have a two-way discussion, engaging them on topics that are meaningful to them as well as to you. You want to think to yourself, “what’s in it for them . . .  how can I assist them” while at the same time giving them information on ways they can be helpful to you.

People do like to help others and sometimes it’s just a matter of helping them help you. Having some targeted companies you’d like to approach or people you’d like to meet and asking your contact for the introduction can be the first step on the road to your successful career transition.

So remember, if you don’t schmooze, you lose. By enjoying the holidays and the people in your life, you can make this holiday season a happy and productive one. So get out there with bells on and jingle while you mingle.

~Linda