TOP 6 THINGS HIRING MANAGERS KNOW

I was talking to a manager this week. She was on an interview panel for one of the rare openings at her work. She knew one of the applicants because he is an internal candidate and knew he could do the job. However, she had to put him down as a “maybe” on the interview list. Why? Because he wrote himself up to be a manager, not the line person this job requires.

Let me repeat that last sentence. He wrote himself up to be a manager, not the line person this job requires. I cannot over-emphasize the importance of tailoring your application materials to the requirements of the job posting.

BE the Job Posting

Scrutinize the job posting and use their words and phrases in your résumé and cover letter. List only those skills needed for the job as it is posted. Use only the examples from your work experience that illustrates those skills. Use the words and phrases from the job posting in your application materials. This will demonstrate you have done your homework and can translate your experience into their terms. Using their words is critical if they do a keyword search of your résumé. For example, if you are applying for a sales job, a key word won’t be “sales,” more probably it’ll be “closed.”

What Hiring Managers Know

Here are a few things hiring managers know about the candidates for their jobs. 

1. They know some applicants are under-qualified. These people apply for every job opening they hear about. These people are the bane of every hiring manager and other applicants. They waste the manager’s time and their own time. It is these people that cause you to have to work so hard to find a job.

2. They know some applicants are over-qualified for the job. This can be a good news – bad news dilemma. Good news in that they can get someone very good with the potential to do more than is required. They won’t have to worry about the job being done right. This person may be able to expand the job in the direction they want it to go. To put it in other words, they are getting more than they are paying for.

3. The bad news about over-qualified applicants is this person may not be happy working at this lower level. Therefore, this may just be a stopgap job for them and they still might be looking. Or, they might cause discord in the group, or not be happy taking direction from someone they may feel is not as qualified as they think they are. The hiring manager may also feel that you will judge them/the department/other employees because of your greater experience. They may think you are gunning for their job, too. It is all of these fears that you must address when you are over-qualified and apply for the job.

4. Hiring managers know it is an employers’ market. They expect you to tailor your résumé and cover letter to their needs and requirements. If you don’t, they think you are lazy, or don’t have what they need, or are not really interested in their job. In the computer age, you have no good excuse for not tailoring your résumé to each job opening.

5. The hiring managers I have spoken with are still trying to get top dollar out of their reduced budgets for top quality candidates. The level of “top dollar” may be less than it used to be, but they aren’t trying to hire cheaply. I think that is important to note. They are still trying to pay as much as they can. So, even though they are hiring fewer people, they are still paying as well as they are able.

6. Employers want to see results. They want to see how you grew at a company or within a job. What are your concrete accomplishments? They do not want to see a list of job duties or clichés on your résumé. Illustrate your accomplishments with numbers or percentages (e.g., 9% improvement in productivity; 12% reduction in expenses). Doing so will also demonstrate your attention to the business bottom line. Something every business is constantly monitoring today.

Get Out of Your Own Way

Like the applicant at the top of this article, don’t list what you want to do or what you think of as the pinnacle of your career thus far. List what you can do that the job requires. That applicant is over-qualified for the job. He lost a manager job, two jobs ago. It appears he is still mourning that loss. He applied for a line job that he won’t get because he listed his skills at the wrong level. He is stuck in the past. Don’t make these mistakes.

This Week’s Coaching:

1. Take a job posting and highlight all the key words. Find a way to use those key words in your résumé and cover letter. (e.g., them: collaborate, you: team player. Make the change to “collaborate.”)

2. Beyond the job posting, what are the keywords for the job for which you are applying? Think industry and company. Write down at least five.

3. Are you illustrating your accomplishments in your résumé? Purge out the job duties. Put in examples of your accomplishments.

4. Do your application materials reflect the level of the job for which you are applying? If you are applying for a manager spot, are you illustrating your decision-making and leadership? If you are applying for a line job, are you illustrating that you are a good follower?

I’m curious about your job hunting experiences. Let me know via the comments section below or by sending me an email, the answers to this week’s coaching questions.

A dream with a plan is a goal. A goal without a plan is just a dream.

All things are possible,

Elisabeth

Elisabeth Adler-Lund

Executive and Life Coaching

Telephone: 916 • 803•1494

E-mail: eal@EALCoaching.com

IS YOUR RÉSUMÉ SHARP?

No matter what your current status is: happy in your current job, seeking a new career or unemployed and eagerly looking for a job, it is a good time to update your résumé.

We are in a new year and things expire or become out of date. “What things?” you ask. Well, experiences, accomplishments, certificates, memberships and so forth all have a shelf life.

SHELF LIFE

New experiences and accomplishments take the place of old ones. Some times the new experiences are more relevant to your job search. They are more recent and more indicative of who you are now. You learn new and better ways of doing things every time you do it. You need to reflect that on your résumé. Be clear about your accomplishments and use statistics to back it up whenever possible (e.g., reduced downtime 25%).

For the same reasons, your most recent accomplishments need to be documented on your résumé also. Document your growth and dedication to the job. A cutting-edge accomplishment five years ago might be business as usual today. An example is “doing more with less.” If a company is still in business, it is doing more with a lot less. That is no longer an accomplishment, but an expectation.

Certificates and memberships expire, and you may not have renewed them. Even if you did renew them, ask yourself, “Are they still current for the job I am seeking?” Sometimes we just renew our memberships without thinking of its relevance to our future. If you have decided that you need a break from human resources to pursue writing, your membership in SHRM is no longer relevant. Save that money or at least don’t put it on your résumé. Or, maybe it is time to join a professional organization.

THE PROCESS

Start at the top of your résumé and look at everything. Is your name and contact information current? Do you want to put in your cell phone number rather than your home phone? Do you use a different email address more frequently now? (DO NOT use your email address at your employer’s business.) If you want to be taken seriously, use a serious email address (e.g., not PartyAnimal@abc.net).

Is everything relevant for your current job search? If still employed, is it the most recent information about you? What new classes have you taken or new information do you now use on the job? Is everything spelled correctly? Is it the right word?

HOMEWORK

Go to some of the big job search boards (CareerBuilder, Monster, etc.) and look at some job ads in your field. Notice what buzzwords or keywords are being used. Incorporate these keywords into your résumé. What are the core competencies and skills that are asked for? Putting all this into your résumé ensures that employers will see that you have the ‘right stuff’ for their job. It also means that your résumé will pass the scanning process.

KEEP IT CURRENT

Update your résumé every six months. Just knowing it is current means you won’t be caught off-guard if someone asks for it or you suddenly need it. It is also a good time to review your career progress. Are you on track? Do you need to make a course correction or pay for the class that you had expected your employer to provide?

What differentiates one applicant from another is how well they can do the job. What contributions they’ve made to the organization, key projects they’ve led what financial (and other) successes they’ve had on the job. You have to tell the reader of your résumé not what you do, but tell them how well you do it.

A dream with a plan is a goal. A goal without a plan is just a dream.

All things are possible,

Elisabeth

Elisabeth Adler-Lund

Executive and Life Coaching

Telephone: 916 • 803•1494

E-mail: eal@EALCoaching.com

What Does Your Résumé Say About You?

Does your résumé show you off to best advantage? You need to have a variety of résumés available in your toolbox. (See last week’s article for the three types of résumés.) You have to submit the "perfect" résumé to get the job. But what is perfect? Perfection is like beauty, in the eye of the beholder. What is perfect for one hiring manager, is not another’s style. That is why you need to be ready with a variety. By the end of this article, you’ll be able to answer these questions confidently.

• What should you include?
• What shouldn’t you include?
• What must you always include?
• What type should it be?
• What color should you buy of kid-finish cotton fiber stationary (with a watermark)?

What is the point of a résumé? This is YOU in your absence. This is a representation of you and who you are and what you can do for the hiring manager. It is one of your best marketing tools. The point is to pique the hiring manager’s interest, to have them want to meet you. The function of a résumé is to get your foot in the door and get you an interview. Keep this point in mind as we answer the following questions. What should you include? You want to include all relevant information for the job you are applying for. Don’t tell your entire work history. You want to go back about ten years. Only list your best skills and accomplishments that are relevant to the job you are applying for, right now. You want to pique interest, not bore with too much information that is not pertinent to the job opening. Remember, human resources or the hiring manager will only have about 30 to 60 seconds with your résumé before they move on to the next one. You have to grab them quickly. So include the duties, responsibilities, skills and education that pertain to the job for which are you are applying. Remember to include awards you may have received. What shouldn’t you include? You leave out accomplishments and responsibilities that are important to you, but not to your next employer. It may hurt to not be able to include these things. It is ok to grieve the loss. But think of all the things you don’t use on the job anymore. Employers only really care about how you will benefit them. Can you do the job they want or need done and get along with existing staff? So draw them a picture of the many ways you are the answer they are looking for! What must you always include? You always include you name, address, e-mail address and telephone number. Don’t laugh. I’ve seen résumés that don’t have (some or all of) this information. Always put your name and telephone number on every page of your résumé. You always want to include your accomplishments in a PAR type format. State the Problem. State the Action you (or the team you belonged to) took to resolve the problem. State the Result in quantifiable terms. (Example: Instituted a Customer Log of customer service issues. Was able to see repeat problems and came up with "best practices" for most events and to quickly return mechanical problems to the manufacturer. This resulted in a 25% reduction in repair service time and $50,000 savings from the manufacturer.) If your job is not "quantifiable" then tell a passionate story. For example, a social worker can tell you how they helped turn someone’s life around. What was their issue, what tools did you teach or show them and how did this turn their life around? Go for the heart. You always want to include the words and phrases found on the company’s website and in the want ad. You may emphasize team-work to one company, and collaboration with another. If you don’t change your résumé with these word changes, you risk being overlooked by the scanner. Using their words also shows that you "get" them. What color should you buy of kid-finish cotton fiber stationary (with a watermark)? Yes, this is only a semi-serious question. You will probably be completing online applications and attaching your résumé and cover letter. No paper involved. However, when you go in for the interview, it is always good to have a couple copies of your résumé with you. Go for white, ivory, or gray in a 25 pound weight. These colors photocopy the best. They also look professional. The slightly heavier weight than copy paper, makes them feel substantial. The watermark is old school and necessary. It is from a time when paper was king. By ensuring your paper has one, you show you know the formal details. And that will speak volumes about you. The main point of course, is attention to detail. You also want to keep your résumé down to two pages. Brief is good. In the 30 – 60 seconds they have to look over your résumé, more than two pages won’t even get looked at. If you are close to two pages, try using Ariel Narrow font at 12 point. It is compact and still very easy to read. Never go smaller than 11 point. Start your computer, get set and start writing! If you aren’t getting any calls for an interview, it may be that your résumé is not selling you to the hiring manager. Need help? Call me and we can put together a relevant résumé for you that will get you into an interview. I can help you sort through your skills, experiences and your dreams to get the right job for you. I can assist you in creating a skills inventory, creating a polished Brand You Sound-bite, and getting you on the path to your dream job. Don’t wait, contact me now. A dream with a plan is a goal. A goal without a plan is just a dream. Warmly, Elisabeth Elisabeth Adler-Lund Executive And Life Coaching Telephone: 916 • 803•1494 E-mail: eal@EALCoaching.com