I've said a few times that I'm still learning about LinkedIn and how to use it effectively. What with my new jobs and move, I haven't had much time to breathe, let alone time to delve into the site.
Thank goodness for Web Worker Daily, which has a story listing 20 ways to use LinkedIn productively.
Now I have just one story to read instead of surfing LinkedIn for an hour! The same goes for you, too.
Now you have no excuse -- why aren't you on LinkedIn already?
Thursday, June 21, 2007
Sunday, June 17, 2007
What not to write: Real-world examples
Recently, my "day job" in human resources gave me the opportunity to review resumes that had been submitted to my company. The experience has left me in awe of what job hunters don't know about writing a resume or a cover letter. Wow! Given all of the resources available these days, both in print and online, there's no reason for a job hunter not to understand what companies are looking for.
Dear readers, I want you to have every opportunity to land the job of your dreams, and the first step is submitting resumes and cover letters that are worth reading. In that spirit, I present to you the following examples of what not to write, and why:
1. Objection! The "objective" section of a resume, which Microsoft Word ever so nicely supplies on its resume templates, rarely adds value to your resume. But when the heading says "Objection" -- in 20-point type, no less, and at the top of the page -- it's really not doing you any good at all! There are two lessons to be learned from this example: First, always have someone else proofread your resume to catch mistakes such as this one. Second, do away with the "Objective" section all together. Replace it with a "Summary of Qualifications" section that tells a potential employer what you have to offer. Your resume needs to tell a potential employer what you will do for the company, not what the company can do for you. An "Objective" talks about what the company can do for you. So get rid of it.
2. "I consider myself: multi-tasked." I found this grammatical mistake in a cover letter, and it made me shake my head. Grammar in the English language can be difficult to master, but this mistake could have been easily corrected by having someone else edit the letter, or even reading the letter out loud before sending it. (That's a great editing tool, because reading something aloud gives you the opportunity to hear how it will sound to the reader.) The lesson here is to keep your cover letter simple, using declarative sentences in the present tense. Write it the same way you would say it -- you aren't trying to write the Next Great Novel. Simple is better here.
3. "My leadership skills and abilities will help aid the driving forces in a team-oriented environment, maximizing the productivity within a corporate structure." Say what? This sentence, also from a cover letter, is just plain gobbletygook. There's no content there! I think the writer was trying to say that he or she works productively as part of a team, but I'm not entirely sure. You should KISS your cover letter: Keep It Simple, Silly. Reading this sentence made me think the worst of the job candidate -- that if he or she was padding a simple sentence like this, then as an employee would he or she put a lot of effort into looking like he/she was working when he/she really wasn't? At the very least, the sentence made me think that the writer thought I'd fall for the idea that "big words" means "intelligent." A word to the wise: Recruiters and hiring managers aren't stupid. Tricks don't work on them, so don't bother. Just be yourself.
Dear readers, I want you to have every opportunity to land the job of your dreams, and the first step is submitting resumes and cover letters that are worth reading. In that spirit, I present to you the following examples of what not to write, and why:
1. Objection! The "objective" section of a resume, which Microsoft Word ever so nicely supplies on its resume templates, rarely adds value to your resume. But when the heading says "Objection" -- in 20-point type, no less, and at the top of the page -- it's really not doing you any good at all! There are two lessons to be learned from this example: First, always have someone else proofread your resume to catch mistakes such as this one. Second, do away with the "Objective" section all together. Replace it with a "Summary of Qualifications" section that tells a potential employer what you have to offer. Your resume needs to tell a potential employer what you will do for the company, not what the company can do for you. An "Objective" talks about what the company can do for you. So get rid of it.
2. "I consider myself: multi-tasked." I found this grammatical mistake in a cover letter, and it made me shake my head. Grammar in the English language can be difficult to master, but this mistake could have been easily corrected by having someone else edit the letter, or even reading the letter out loud before sending it. (That's a great editing tool, because reading something aloud gives you the opportunity to hear how it will sound to the reader.) The lesson here is to keep your cover letter simple, using declarative sentences in the present tense. Write it the same way you would say it -- you aren't trying to write the Next Great Novel. Simple is better here.
3. "My leadership skills and abilities will help aid the driving forces in a team-oriented environment, maximizing the productivity within a corporate structure." Say what? This sentence, also from a cover letter, is just plain gobbletygook. There's no content there! I think the writer was trying to say that he or she works productively as part of a team, but I'm not entirely sure. You should KISS your cover letter: Keep It Simple, Silly. Reading this sentence made me think the worst of the job candidate -- that if he or she was padding a simple sentence like this, then as an employee would he or she put a lot of effort into looking like he/she was working when he/she really wasn't? At the very least, the sentence made me think that the writer thought I'd fall for the idea that "big words" means "intelligent." A word to the wise: Recruiters and hiring managers aren't stupid. Tricks don't work on them, so don't bother. Just be yourself.
Thursday, June 14, 2007
Richmond professionals: Check out the HYPE
I just heard about a new networking group for young Richmond professionals, ages 21 to 40ish:
Helping Young Professionals Engage (HYPE) is a new program geared towards young professionals. Its goal is to bring together young professionals (21 - 40-ish) in the Greater Richmond Region through social, educational and professional development programs and networking events.
The group is holding two events in June and one in July, according to the Web site.
HYPE is sponsored by several big businesses in Richmond, most likely to work toward retaining talented professionals so they won't go off to the "big city." I love Richmond and think that it's a great place to live and work, so hats off to the businesses to realize that they need to help young employees find their niche here.
I don't know if my schedule will permit me to attend an event anytime soon, so if you check out HYPE, let me know what you think.
Helping Young Professionals Engage (HYPE) is a new program geared towards young professionals. Its goal is to bring together young professionals (21 - 40-ish) in the Greater Richmond Region through social, educational and professional development programs and networking events.
The group is holding two events in June and one in July, according to the Web site.
HYPE is sponsored by several big businesses in Richmond, most likely to work toward retaining talented professionals so they won't go off to the "big city." I love Richmond and think that it's a great place to live and work, so hats off to the businesses to realize that they need to help young employees find their niche here.
I don't know if my schedule will permit me to attend an event anytime soon, so if you check out HYPE, let me know what you think.
Wednesday, June 06, 2007
Less Is More
Over at CareerHub, professional resume writer Louise Fletcher has a great post about the importance of brevity in a resume. She makes an excellent point:
Your resume is a marketing brochure not a product catalog. It has to say just enough to make the sale and not one word more.
This concept is more difficult for mid-career people to grasp than for those just starting out. Career seekers who are just starting out naturally have less information to grapple with. But for mid-career folks, leaving information out of a resume can be a scary idea. After all -- the thinking goes -- if you don't put it in your resume, how will a potential employer know everything you can do?
The answer is, they'll learn about you at the interview.
I think of the resume as a tool that provides enough information for a recruiter or hiring manager to want to schedule an interview to learn more about you. Keeping the resume brief gives you the opportunity to talk about the details of your experience during the interview, when you can connect your experience with the duties and description of the job you're applying for. That makes for a more effective interview -- which makes you a stronger candidate for the job.
Your resume is a marketing brochure not a product catalog. It has to say just enough to make the sale and not one word more.
This concept is more difficult for mid-career people to grasp than for those just starting out. Career seekers who are just starting out naturally have less information to grapple with. But for mid-career folks, leaving information out of a resume can be a scary idea. After all -- the thinking goes -- if you don't put it in your resume, how will a potential employer know everything you can do?
The answer is, they'll learn about you at the interview.
I think of the resume as a tool that provides enough information for a recruiter or hiring manager to want to schedule an interview to learn more about you. Keeping the resume brief gives you the opportunity to talk about the details of your experience during the interview, when you can connect your experience with the duties and description of the job you're applying for. That makes for a more effective interview -- which makes you a stronger candidate for the job.
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