Employment | JobTabs Job Search & Resume

January 19, 2009

Job Search Lessons from a $50,000,000,000 Dirt Bag

Filed under: Job Searching,Sell Yourself — Tags: Career, Employment, Job Search, JobTabs — admin @ 12:22 am

Dirt bag

Bernard Madoff is one of the biggest dirt bags in history. He bilked individual investors out of their life savings. He bilked retirement funds out of money to pay pensions. He bilked noble charities out of every last dime they had.

I cannot imagine ever learning anything from a low life such as Bernard Madoff. All the same, when he wanted to be someone’s investor he had no trouble getting the interview and then getting the job. As a mentor to job seekers, it is incumbent upon me to assess how he was able to get one job offer after another.

1. Madoff had a track record of success. Consistent returns year over year. Granted, Madoff was not good at being an investor. The returns were all a pack of lies but in the absence of being arrested or being outed by someone who did their due diligence his track record was accepted at face value. Does your resume reflect your success in your professional capacity? Are you making sure that your references are attesting to your talent? Are you mentioning those commendations you received from your superiors?

2. Everybody knew that Bernard Madoff had the outstanding track record. Because he blogged? No, Madoff’s returns were public and he paid on his returns as well. Sadly, he didn’t pay from yields of prudent investments, but paid out using the money of new investors. Our message is that Madoff was visible. Personally, I had never heard of Madoff until the scandal broke out, but in the investment community he was a superstar. Is there something you as a job seeker can be doing to make yourself more visible? Are there articles you can contribute to magazines or online forums that can heighten your visibility as a knowledgeable professional? Have you considered blogging in your area of expertise?

3. He networked very well. Madoff did not win new clients with fancy ads on TV or in the newspaper. Madoff was connected to the people who could help him advance his agenda. He was a was a member of the Palm Beach Country Club among many others. He hobnobbed with the rich and famous and he milked his network for all it was worth. Are you connected to people in your area of expertise? Are you respected in that network? Are you offering to help others as well as asking for help?

4. He exuded confidence. Madoff had the grace and charm of of a pedigreed royal. People wanted to be associated with him. He smiled. He was cool, calm, collected, and confident. Would that describe you? Are you crying in your beer or are you beaming with optimism because you are so jazzed about those seven jobs you applied to just yesterday? Are you helping others feel better about themselves and encouraging them to be positive? Are your actions and your words in sync?

5. He did not disqualify himself. Madoff was running a Ponzi scheme, yet accepted billions from investment firms, banks and otherwise prudent business people. Wouldn’t investors with this kind of money have armies of accountants and financial analysts descending on Madoff’s firm every quarter or at least watching his every move given they had billions invested with him? Obviously not. Madoff did not disqualify himself from managing the resources of financial juggernauts even though he was completely illegal. Assuming you are a law abiding, hard working professional, are you disqualifying yourself from jobs could be applying to? Are you rationalizing as to why they will never hire you? Are you disqualifying yourself from applying to jobs you find exciting? Are you afraid to put your best foot forward and let them know how good you are at doing what you do?

In closing, Bernard Madoff is a good-for-nothing crook. If he had been legal he really would have been a superstar investor. The scrutiny that the media has put on him shows exactly how he would have attained that success. If you are good, people know you are good, you are well networked, you exude confidence and you will not impose limitations upon yourself; you can take control of your destiny and get any job you apply for.

John Coffey is the President of JobTabs, LLC. Through JobTabs Job Search & Resume Builder, thousands of job seekers have taken control of their destiny in finding new and fulfilling careers. JobTabs Job Search & Resume Builder motivates job seekers by making the job search easier by a huge order of magnitude. John Coffey can be reached via his website at JobTabs Job Search & Resume Builder, by email via jpcoffey at jobtabs.com, and by phone at 404-255-0248.

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January 12, 2009

Billy Mays here with some great tips on getting a job . . .

Filed under: Job Searching,Resume Writing,Sell Yourself — Tags: Career, Employment, Job Search, JobTabs, Resume Writing — admin @ 12:48 am

Billy Mays didn’t write this post, but he serves as the backdrop for resourceful ways to sell yourself on the job search.

There are all kinds of subtleties at play during the process of selling. You need look no further than the ads that abound on CNN and late night TV. Personally, I find these ads demeaning. The sales pitch is so overwhelming it is as if they are focusing on creating a knee jerk reaction on behalf of the user to pick up the phone and buy the product. The most prolific seem to be these ads featuring Billy Mays, the purveyor of

Mighty Mendit
Mighty Putty
HandySwitch
Steam Buddy
and a host of other handy dandy items.

I have studied these ads intently.

What can I glean from these ads that would help the taberatti (people who use JobTabs) land their next job?

Common to all of these sales pitches, whether it is Billy Mays or someone else, is invariably,

“This product is amazing!”
“If you order now I will double/triple the offer!”
“But wait there’s more, I will throw in this handy dandy gizmo absolutely free!”

If you think about it, these are all resourceful ways to sell yourself on the job front. Let’s have a closer look.

This product is amazing! The message is that this is a product that delivers solutions. There are compelling videos of people struggling without their product and then showing satisfied people who are using the product.

Let the value you impart as an excellent candidate be unmistakable. Here is how you do this.

1. Present yourself as a problem solver. Much like the videos, use your resume to paint a picture of problems that were not being solved and how the company was suffering. Then you came in and solved the problems and everybody was happy. This is the P.A.R. (Problem – Action – Results) approach to writing your resume.

2. Quantify the impact you had on the solution. What percentage did sales increase? How many dollars did you save? You don’t have to do a business school case study to get these numbers. Use the best resources available to you and roll with it.

3. Sprinkle the commendations and accolades you have received from management to let the person reading your resume know that you are good at what you do.

Be sure you understand the professional demands of the position you are applying to. There are often challenges faced in one company that have been overcome in another. Be sure that your exposure in the field is rounded enough so as not to disqualify you from consideration. Make an effort to research the company and find out what challenges they are up against. The best thing you can do is put your talent in the context of the specific challenges the company is facing to the best of your ability.

If you order now, I will double the offer. The goal is to create a sense of urgency.

Don’t be afraid to create a sense of urgency. This can be a powerful motivator for employers to give your candidacy serious consideration now. It is important to note that this has to be done with tact. Too urgent could disqualify your candidacy because the administrative process cannot move fast enough. Not urgent enough, will cast doubt on how urgent all of this really is. In your cover letter, you can mention that you are getting a great response from companies looking for your qualifications, but working at XYZ Corp. is the fit you are looking for. Examples,

“The breadth of my hands on experience in the field has garnered more interest from employers than I had initially anticipated given the economic downturn. As much as I appreciate their interest, I firmly believe working at XYZ Corp would be the best fit for me. Simply put, I have the experience to leverage the breadth of the product line to give key advantages to XYZ customers that competing firms cannot offer. As confident as I am that I could deliver results for XYZ, I would not want any delays in the hiring process to impact my candidacy with other employers who are more forthcoming with their interest. If we could meet this Friday . . . “

“My success at delivering results has garnered more interest from employers than I had initially anticipated given the economic downturn. As much as I appreciate their interest, I firmly believe working at XYZ Corp would be the best fit for me. Companies want increased sales and that is what I do best. I would not want any delays in my candidacy for this position to be construed as ambivalence by other employers who are ready to move more quickly. If we could meet this Friday . . . “

“My ability to think outside the box and deliver innovative solutions has garnered more interest from employers than I had anticipated given the economic downturn. As much as I appreciate their interest, I firmly believe I can lend the most value to XYZ Corp. While every company needs structure and deadlines to succeed, XYZ Corp has long had a reputation for fostering innovation and creativity and this is an environment where I thrive. As confident as I am that I could have a huge impact at XYZ, I do not want to put off any employers who have made their interest in my innovation and creativity readily apparent. If we could meet this Friday . . . “

But wait there’s more, I will throw in this handy dandy gizmo – absolutely free! The message is that if you buy this product, you will get more than what you pay for.

We are hardly suggesting that you work for half price. We are suggesting that you stress the extra value you are bringing to the table above and beyond what they are looking for. Remember, it is not incumbent upon the employer to draw the conclusion that you are bringing a lot to the table. For example, if you have a Masters Degree in Management don’t count on your employer saying, “Hey, this candidate has a Master’s degree. This will provide a better foundation for her judgement.” It is incumbent upon you, the job seeker, to tie the extra value you are bringing to the table with what they are looking for. Sell it. For example, in your cover letter for a Product Manager position you can say something like,

“My immersion in Boston University’s M.S. in Management program allowed me to understand organizational behavior and the signposts to look for as a product line evolves. In addition to leading the product team more prudently, I will be set able to set realistic goals as well as avoid pitfalls that have beset lesser companies.”

In closing, getting a job is going to require some level of salesmanship. While we readily discourage the use of any knee-jerk, impulse buy sales tactics, there are some subtleties in this approach that you can use to improve your candidacy for the jobs you apply to. Give your candidacy an edge and sell yourself. Did I miss any other part of the sales pitch? Let me know and I will fill in the gaps!

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January 9, 2009

Resume Writing [5 of 5] – Glow

Filed under: Job Searching,Resume Writing — Tags: Career, Employment, jobs, resume, Resume Writing — admin @ 11:31 am

Job seekers are bombarded with advice, tips and articles from every corner of the internet on how to write a fantastic resume. Some of the most visible resources are,

Alison Doyle from About.com

Randall Hansen of QuintCareers.com

Susan Joyce of Job-Hunt.org

Some people are obviously paying attention. We have seen wonderful examples of well written resumes that incorporate our basic recommendations as well as the recommendations of other professionals. Sadly, for many, for all of the effort that has been put into writing the resume it manages to read like a military specification for a lug nut. Our last article in this five part series covers selling your self as a competent professional who is appreciated by his subordinates, peers and management. Glow. Bring your resume alive by taking the following cues,

Make it apparent that you do your job well
Read the bullets from your most recent job and ask yourself one extremely important question, “Could some guy who got fired for doing my job badly say the same thing?” Really, look at your resume and ask yourself that question.

To illustrate our point, let’s look at some of the bullets that a SEC Auditor of Bernard Madoff, LLC could put on his resume,

Audited the books of major Wall Street investment firms for trading irregularities.
Investigated investment banking compliance with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) and FTC trading regulations.
Conducted detailed investigations based on transaction anomalies and whistle blower reports.
Monitored trading transaction streams for key variances that would point to a breach in normal trading behavior.
Worked closely with federal agencies to include the Department of Commerce, Office of the Treasury and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
Apprised upper managements of audit schedules and resolutions.
Oversaw a staff of nine accountants.

For those of you unfamiliar with the case, as of this writing Bernard Madoff is accused of having masterminded the largest Ponzi scheme in Wall Street history. He emerged unscathed from as many as four SEC audits all the while bilking investors of more than $50 billion dollars. Yes, that is ‘b’ as in boy, $50 billion dollars. That Bernard Madoff is a crook is of secondary importance. What is of primary importance is that the SEC auditor of his books can’t possibly profess to have done a decent job yet can still put together a respectable resume even though the biggest crook in Wall Street history waltzed right under his nose.

Don’t be afraid to sprinkle some color to let it be known that you do your job well. For those subjective issues which you cannot quantify, you can complete bullet points with statements such as,

“Commended by management for demonstrating a clear understanding of regulatory procedure.”
“Received a non-periodic raise for performance.”
“Evolved as the go to contact for all issues pertaining to database architecture.”
“Mentored junior sales associates on working within the system to accomplish their professional goals.”
“Conducted workshops for peers on advanced programming techniques.”

A common approach to let the reader of your resume know that you perform your job well is the Problem – Action – Result (PAR) approach. This acronym varies from CAR (Challenge – Action – Result) to SAR (Situation – Action – Result) but the emphasis is still the same. Describe the Problem, the Action you took to fix it and the benefit that Resulted from that action. I will cover this in greater detail future blog posts.

Come across as a person who is easy to work with.
Remember, if your resume bores the reader, then they are not going to be able to appreciate your accomplishments. Add some color which brings you out as a person and and draws their interest. Consider,

“Oversaw the United Way fund drive for our division. Raised over X dollars by . . . . .” Suggests you have a heart.

“Mentored junior peers on succeeding in the organization by working inside the system.” This is a subtle way of making you look like a kinder, gentler employee as well as allaying any concerns that you will be an organizational anarchist if you do not get your way.

“Received non-periodic raise for outstanding performance.” This suggests that you work hard, get results and please your superiors.

These are our examples, but you get the picture. Whatever you have done that would instill confidence that you are a nice person who works within the system will do wonders. These are the testimonials which can vault your candidacy to the top of the resume stack. Whether you got the interview via a network connection, a recruiter or by knocking on doors, chances are there were plenty of candidates to choose from. Once you can prove you are qualified, the next concern on everybody’s mind is whether or not you are going to do your job well and fit in. This is just as important as having the right credentials. The right credentials is only the first hurdle; the assessment as to whether or not you will be a valuable and respected member of the team is a much larger hurdle.

John Coffey is the President or JobTabs, LLC the makers of JobTabs Job Search & Resume. Working as an IT Contractor for over fifteen years, he has the distinction of having been a professional job seeker. His success in the job search process and the computer program he wrote to manage his job search became the basis for JobTabs Job Search & Resume. He can be reached at jpcoffey@jobtabs.com or the JobTabs website at http://www.jobtabs.com.

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January 8, 2009

Resume Writing [4 of 5] – Let them find you.

Filed under: Job Searching,Resume Writing,Sell Yourself — Tags: Career, Employment, Job Search, JobTabs, Resume Writing — admin @ 5:26 pm

If action verbs are the subtleties of selling yourself, nouns are the over-bearing, in-your-face, loud mouths. The right verbs are there to help people see you as an action oriented person. The right nouns are there to help machines see you as a candidate. You need killer nouns to have a winning job search.

Allow us to illustrate. Let’s say someone in HR is looking for a self-starter, capable of working independently for an engineering project. If they typed in “self-starter” and “works independently” they would belabor themselves with sifting through the resumes of every former nursery school teacher, grounds keeper, sous-chef, and Phd candidate who would describe themselves in the same way. However, if they were to use the nouns which would unmistakably confine them to the genre of professional they were looking for – which is exactly what they do – then they would have much more pertinent results.

Nouns that describe job titles work well.
Integrated Circuit (IC) Design Engineer
Quality Assurance Engineer

Nouns that describe constraints work very well.
“. . . in compliance with MIL-STD-9858 and MIL-SPEC-2207.”
“. . . in compliance with Sarbanes-Oxley.”

Nouns that have acronyms as well as the acronym spelled out.
“Designed Printed Circuit Boards (PCB) to modulate . . . .”
“Designed Unmanned Vehicle System (UVS) to explore . . .”

Nouns that describe tools.
“Developed solution using MS Visual Studio C# to . . .”
“Utilized the Fabius GS, and Narkomed 6400 gas machines in operating room . . . .”

Not only do you need killer nouns you need lots of them. Once the search engine finds the keyword it will typically sort resumes in order of relevance. Computers qualify poorly, but quantify magnificently. This means they can’t read, but they can count. Therefore, which ever resume has the highest number of keywords is the most qualified candidate for the search terms. That seems like a pretty inefficient way to find the best person for the job, however that is how it is done and until something better comes along this is the constraint you have to work within.

To make the best of the situation, do what you can to have plenty of the right words in your resume without ruining ease with which it can be read by people. One way to do this is to summarize keywords at the bottom of your employment period with each employer. You can do this by listing the tools you used, the technology you were exposed to, or the constraints you were in compliance with. Again, the emphasis here is to move your resume higher in the search results so that they will look at you more closely. Just make the information you summarize pertinent so as not to bore the reader or waste valuable space where you can sell your accomplishments.

This is a resourceful way of making sure you get enough of the keywords to make you a more relevant candidate. Another way of doing this is to simply have a summary of keywords at the end of your resume for the explicit purpose of making it easy for search engines to find you. Be careful. Some recruiters will strip these lists out under the impression that you are trying to game their system.

In closing, the right nouns are there to raise your visibility. Above all else your resumes need to show you doing your job and doing your job well. The final piece in our five part series is the importance of bringing your resume to life.

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January 7, 2009

Resume Writing [3 of 5] – Put yourself in motion.

Filed under: Job Searching,Resume Writing — Tags: Career, Employment, Job Search, JobTabs, Resume Writing — admin @ 5:23 pm

Action verbs are a key form of salesmanship. You need look no farther than your workshop, pantry or under your kitchen sink to find clear examples.

Pick up a can of WD-40®, a common household lubricant, and you will read, “Stops Squeaks”, “Protects Metal”, “Loosens Rusted Parts”, and “Frees Sticky Mechanisms”.
Pick up a box of Ziploc® sandwich bags and you will read, “Keep your sandwich fresh by…”, “Use sandwich bags to decorate cakes. Fill the bag with icing…”, and “Fill sandwich bags with….”
Pick up almost anything under the kitchen sink and you will read, “Cleans, Disinfects, Polishes, Shines”.

While these products have little to do with each other they all have one thing in common. They define their qualities with proactive verbs at the beginning of the sentence. These are facets of salesmanship that are all around us yet they are so subtle we rarely take notice. JobTabs makes it easy for you to leverage this same form of salesmanship in your resume to convey yourself as a can do candidate.

The JobTabs word processor provides an action verb dialog, shown to the left, which lists powerful action verbs that can put your resume in overdrive. The verbs, with very little duplication, are grouped by nine cross-disciplinary categories which are,

Communication Skills

Creative Skills

Financial Skills

Helping Skills

Management/Leadership Skills

Organizational Skills

Research Skills

Teaching Skills

Technical Skills

What makes this collection of verbs so special is that they are ideally suited to resumes. Specifically, they are proactive, positive verbs that can easily be understood. What’s more is the verbs can be used across many disciplines. For example, just because you are in the financial services industry doesn’t mean that you have to confine your choice of verbs to the Financial Skills category. No doubt there were times when you had to help others, be creative, or use your analytical skills to solve a technical problem. You can pull action verbs from the respective categories to help you qualify your accomplishments.

For what its worth, we were surprised by the appalling quality of action verbs offered by competing products on the web. They offered a large number of verbs, but didn’t seem to have done anything to make sure they were resume grade, top quality verbs. For example, one product offered “Abandoned” in their list of action verbs. What proactive, can-do person would ever abandon anything? A proactive, can-do person would have,

“Optimized resources which increased profitability by 8%.”
“Reprioritized projects to maximize productivity, by…”

Optimizing and reprioritizing imply that something had to put in the back seat or possibly abandoned altogether, but you would never openly state that you abandoned anything. Always apply discretion to anything you put on your resume or seek the guidance of someone who can help you.

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