The Crow

Free Resume Analyzer - Let a Robot Help your Job Search!

 
Found on Mashable! this morning: RezScore is a free web app that reads, analyzes and grades résumés. Seems like a potentially useful tool for the job seeker! They have set up some algorighms that will read your resume and provide feedback on things like brevity, key words, etc. You then get a "grade" of A-F...So it may or may not make you feel good, but if your resume is really bad (see preceding post!) maybe it will help you identify what areas you need to work on. I wasn't brave enough to put mine in there in case it gets an F...if you try it, LMK how it works for you!

tracy c

LinkedIn - The New Resume

I just discovered Quora. So, because I am a know it all, I responded to a question. It will probably be the first of many. Here is my answer pasted here since Quora and Typepad are apparently not friends.

Q: ResumeResume Writing -- How will curriculum vitae / CVs / resumes evolve in the changing workplace?

I think it's likely that your social media footprint will take the place of the traditional resume. I have experienced several senior level candidates who simply submit a copy of their LinkedIn profile in place of a traditional resume. Additionally, many execs have a web page that, instead of linking to a resume, showcases their LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and blog.
 
Gone are the days of agonizing over fonts and lining everything up just right. Most recruiters just want the high level information anyway - given the number of resumes they need to plow through, only the key points are worth noticing on a first pass; detail tends to get saved for the phone screen or interview. Let's face it, in a 140 character world, 4 page resumes are history.

Do you agree?

tracy c

Weed Out Jerks

 Image from Susanne13 on Flickr

I’ve become a fan of humility lately. Not false humility, mind you, but people who have some small semblance of natural humility. It’s rarer than you might think, at least in certain industries.

When interviewing someone, how do you find out if that person is an arrogant jerk, or if they possess some measure of humility during a brief interview? What is the right question to ask to get this understanding? As a candidate, how do you demonstrate that you are, in fact, a nice person?

I was nosing around the web on this topic to see what people were saying, and I found a good recommendation. This guy Bhavin Turakhia, who leads Directi, who apparently likes to stand on cliffs and hike with his friends judging by the picture on his blog, totally nailed it. Here is what he said:

Humble individuals are always respectful, and do not have an air about them. One of the ways I have been able to distinguish individuals who are not humble are those who feel specific interview questions are beneath them to answer. We have all seen this category. Often I will fire an extremely easy or fundamental or theoretical question in my interview to a candidate – and they will respond with a short answer – accompanied by negative body language or verbal cues or in some cases a direct rebuke that essentially states – “Are you kidding me? Why are you asking me such a question at my level. I am above this type of questioning.”  

I love this idea. I guarantee some dumb questions will pop up during my next candidate interview. I mean, on purpose this time.

tracy c

12 Seconds of Fame

going offf on 12seconds.tv

In days of yore, people wrote letters to one another to communicate. If you read Jane Austen novels, you’ll know that it was all very proper and romantic. Then we got phones so we started talking instead. Bye bye letters.

Not long after, we discovered email. Although we still use phones, email has become the primary mode of communication for many. It’s efficient, you can talk to more people faster, and the give and take generally involved in an actual conversation is somewhat limited. It’s a great tool for introverts, since they can avoid the face to face; and it’s a great tool for extroverts, since they can “talk” to a ton of different people at once. It works for pretty much everyone who is not a technophobe.

Enter Facebook … where we can carry on multiple conversations simultaneously. While IM’ing. In real time or delayed. We have substituted quality for quantity.

Then came Twitter, where conversations are limited to 140 characters, where you can amass thousands of “friends” whom you have neither met nor spoken with. On Twitter, you can talk at people for the most part rather than to them. You can do this on Facebook, too. In these tools, conversations become more akin to a spectator sport.

Fast forward to late 2009, where evolution has given us 12 Seconds TV: http://12seconds.tv/.  An invention where, if you are too lazy, busy, illiterate or narcissistic to even bother to pen 140 characters on your keyboard, you can just videotape yourself talking (uh, or whatever, have to wonder about that) for, you guessed it, 12 seconds.

I was tempted to do it but you know, I am wearing my glasses, it’s late, makeup is gone, etc., but you get the idea. I’ll link to some random person’s 12 second spot instead. Maybe it won’t catch on after all, if more people are like me than not!

Is the pendulum going to swing back? Will people begin to find value again in personal interaction? Or are we going to continue to talk at each other, failing to truly connect, and just watch each other with limited attention spans going off for 12 seconds at a time, or talking in 140 characters or less? What then? Who will bring you soup when you’re sick? Give you a hug when you’re sad? Talk with you in depth about anything? Smack you upside the head when you’re being a jerk? Tell you they appreciate you and love you when you need to hear it?

Next up, marriage proposals via Twitter and 12 Second TV.

To hell with it, I am going to go read Pride and Prejudice. Again. Nah, on second thought, I’ll watch it. LMK when someone comes out with the 12 second version.

If any of you elect to try doing a 12 second video resume, I’d love to hear about it!

 tracy c

 

Liar, Liar!

The images of Ralph Lauren’s obviously digitally altered model Filippa Hamilton pissed me off. Why do advertisers continue to promote images of emaciated women as a standard of beauty?  It’s no wonder so many women have body image issues (never mind the box of Krispy Kreme donuts in my kitchen).  Much has been said on this subject, and still, it continues to happen.

I am guessing that if you were inclined to think about it, this trend might annoy you too. No one enjoys an outright lie. And yet, so many people are tempted to do just that on their resume and during an interview.

We all understand why they do it…because the job is a prize and some people will do anything…anything…to get it, leveraging acquaintances of acquaintances to get a foot in the door, and unfortunately, in the pursuit of the perfect job, some will lie about their skills and experience.

The sad thing is, sometimes it works, at least for a while. The white lie about total comp nets a higher salary at the next job; fudging on a title or two nets a better one the next time around; exaggerating skill sets nets a bigger role. Temptation is easy to succumb to. I get it.

But, besides the fact that karma will in fact find a way to catch up to you, this is not a good strategy for long term success. If, as a candidate, you misrepresent yourself in some way, the truth will come out one way or another, usually in terms of leadership’s disappointment in your performance. They thought they were getting someone they weren’t. This doesn’t really do you any favors in the long run.

The best strategy is to be honest. Yes, edit your resume to be flattering! Use action words. Emphasize your strengths and accomplishments. After all, it is ok for models to wear makeup, maybe even some shapewear, we all expect it.  And when you do land a job, it will be the right one.

Meanwhile, I’m going to have a couple of donuts as my own private FU to Ralph.

tracy c

Is Your Personal Brand Contagious?

Yesterday, as I was driving through Oakland, CA, I noticed a hair salon called “Contagious Studio”. I know the word can be used in a positive way, i.e. her enthusiasm was contagious, and if you're an R. Kelly/Isley brothers fan, you might have a positive connotation due to the song; but alas, I think most of us associate the word with a spreading illness. Another favorite is a shop in Chico, called “Tedious Repairs” (this one submitted courtesy of my mother). One wonders why they thought that name was a good idea, as tedious pretty consistently means…tedious.

Despite these unfortunate examples, most employers are well versed in the importance of a good employment brand. However, as a candidate, there are a myriad of things to think about in terms of your own brand, and unfortunately, most of us don’t have the benefit of an army of experts and PR people and executives providing advice and help. In the old days (or so I hear), life was simpler. I am not sure that’s true, I think we may have traded one set of rules for another, but regardless, there are several layers of personal “brand” to consider:

1. Your online presence
2. Your resume
3. Your look
4. Your answers

Online: For some industries and jobs, online presence is more important than for others. Increasingly, this is not only where recruiters check you out after you have interviewed, it’s where recruiters find you. Take a serious look at your online brand. Are you on LinkedIn? Facebook? Twitter? Make sure your bios are descriptive and error free. Think about who you “friend” and who can see what on your profile. If you update your status or tweet consider talking about something work related at least occasionally. Be aware of whether you set your profile to be public or only viewed by your “friends”, because if a future employer can see a picture of you beer bonging or notices that you play Mafia Wars all day long while at work, I can guarantee that is NOT going to be impressive.

Resume: Your resume is a key introduction to your brand, and for many hiring managers, it’s your first connection with them. There are thousands of websites out there that offer advice on how to improve your resume. Go to one. I am pretty sure your resume could use some work. Or, ask an HR professional to look it over. Because although it’s been said before, it has to be said again…If your resume has serious issues, it’s likely you won’t make it to the next step. I have 86’d resumes for typos in a job that required attention to detail. And if you are pulling together a video resume, there’s a whole world of do’s and don’ts out there on those.

Appearance: Like it or not, culture fit is important. Figure out what the cultural “code” is at the place you are interviewing for. If you are currently employed, do this for the place you currently work at. People who fit in will do better, whether the goal is to get hired or get promoted. Never try to be something you’re not, but there’s no harm in doing as the Romans do if it doesn’t hurt anyone. Determine what the prevailing style is, either by talking to someone who works there or stalking the lobby area, and dress accordingly. Don’t do Dress Barn if it’s a designer label type of place. Some flair might work better in some industries than others; but keep it low key in any interview situation.

Prepare: I can’t tell you how appalling it is when I interview a person who has not bothered to prepare for their interview. Do a little sleuthing on the Company. At the very least, familiarize yourself with their website. Know your area of expertise and have a few key responses ready that are forceful, clear, and hard to argue with. Numbering things is always good (i.e. “There are three things that are important in sales: selling, selling and selling” or whatever), because it keeps you from rambling and it sounds like it’s something you’ve really thought about.

People paint their houses before they sell. Spruce up your personal brand before you look for that new job or promotion! By taking just a few simple steps to improve your online and offline presence, you’ll ensure that you don’t have an invisible “Tedious” sign on your head when you go in for an interview, or when you are up for a promotion.

tracy c