In my travels, I get to hear and see a lot of elevator pitches, marketing messages, sales pieces, cover letters, résumés, engagement bios, etc. Most of these include phrases that range from meaningless to unhelpful to seriously detrimental to any attempt to market yourself or your practice. Over the next several weeks, I’m going to […]
Phrases To Kill Your Search Read More »
Candidates are very concerned about the screening process they hit when they submit to posted openings, and how to get their résumé to the top of the pile. One critical aspect is keywords. My good friend Alex Freund wrote a simple, step-by-step approach to this in his blog. Sometimes I hear people giving advice to put
Does Your Résumé Have Enough of the Right Keywords? Read More »
I was reading Abby Kohut’s excellent book, Absolutely Abby’s 101 Job Search Secrets, and came across this statement: “Prepare a good reason for any gaps on your resume in addition to an explanation of what activities you were involved in that may have enhanced your career, including personal activities. Gaps are typically not the reason
Flaws In Your Résumé or Background Read More »
Here’s the final installment (for now) in my look at search-killing phrases. “I want …” Your marketing message, your résumé, your cover letter, etc. should all be focused on what THE OTHER PERSON wants, not on what you want. Your goals will come out in the process of the discussion, but you want
Phrases to Kill Your Search #4 Read More »
Here’s the next of my search-killing phrases: “I’m a results-oriented professional…” or this variation: “Proven results in…” These are used all the time in résumés and cover letters, or even in oral 30-second pitches…and they do absolutely nothing for you. Remember the adult voices on all the Charlie Brown specials,
Phrases to Kill Your Search, #3 Read More »
OK, I’m probably dating myself here…remember those Wendy’s commercials in the 1980’s, when a little old lady ordered competitors burgers, only to exclaim “Where’s the beef?” I’m reminded of those ads when I see resumes that say things like “results-oriented”, “highly motivated”, “outstanding communication skills”, and one of my favorites, “proven results in …” These are
“I’ve sent out what feels like hundreds of résumés with no calls. I know I’m qualified for all the jobs, but can’t understand why I’m not getting a buzz.” This is an all-too-common complaint. If you aren’t getting responses from your résumé, either it is serving poorly as your sales brochure, or you are sending
Is Your Resume Selling You? Read More »
“John, I took your “5 Secrets” seminar in 2005, when the software company I worked for essentially collapsed. I then went with another small software start-up, which was acquired last year “at below market rates” and was immediately laid off by the acquiring company. Since then I have pursued two directions: My passion, returning
“Old Hand” Needs New Tricks Read More »
Candidates so often focus on their responsibilities, duties, and experience in their résumé, cover letter, elevator pitch, etc. This is an interest killer. Talking about things you were responsible for doesn’t say anything about the quality of your work or the results you can produce. The only reason I would hire you is that
Posting to a networking group I belong to I applied for a job in July and received an interview but did not get the position. The recruiter gave me her business card and told me if I ever have any questions to contact her. Recently I found a new post on a new position at
Recontacting Recruiter Read More »