Hi, there lovely readers! Are you thinking of merging onto the ‘the great resignation’ freeway and busy brushing up your resume while all those kick-ass achievements are still fresh in your mind. Or perhaps you still adore your job and you’re prepping for your performance review? Either way, trying to fit all that awesomeness into an eye-catching two-page resume can be challenging, not to mention finding just the right words to emphasise your brilliance. Agree?
According to The Muse, when trying to craft a resume that stands out, people often get a little too ‘creative’ with their word choices, opting for corporate-sounding buzzwords that they think hiring managers want to hear, rather than simply describing their accomplishments.
The message here? Cut the jargon!
A survey by CareerBuilder asked more than 2,000 hiring managers and human resource professionals about their biggest resume word turn-offs (and turn-ons) and the results were enlightening. Seems no one wants to see those overused business buzzwords and clichés such as “results-driven,” “team player,” “hard worker.” Hiring managers prefer to see proof of such claims through actual achievements using strong and simple action verbs such as “achieved,” “improved,” “trained” or “mentored”. Oh! And equally annoying? Forgetting to quantify those achievements. Without a stat to back it up, they’ll view those hard-won achievements as merely ‘hearsay’. And that’s the last thing you want!
The biggest takeaway? When it comes to the words you choose on your resume, keep it simple. Clearly and accurately describe what you’ve done in the past and it will become obvious to hiring managers why you’re the “best of breed.”
Hi, there lovely readers! Continuing on my ‘Hey Miss Jane’ career tips series, I was recently reminded of just how heart-warming and valuable a humble thank you can be. Let me tell you a story about a recent, wonderful candidate.
Georgina had been Chief Financial Officer in the same company for 25 years and as you can imagine, was a tad shell-shocked when the role became redundant. The conversation went thus:
Georgina:Jane I simply don’t know where to start? And I must say I’ve never experienced this unsettling feeling before, not even when my girls headed off to Europe for their gap year!
Jane:It is uncomfortable isn’t it, and I’m going to help you alleviate this feeling by having us start at the very beginning, what do you think?
G:Oh yes, please! (As she thrust a bag of her homemade rocky road into my hands, the first of many – making great vats of the stuff was Georgina’s stress reliever)
G: (four weeks and four bags of rocky road later) Now that my fabulous marketing materials have landed me this interview, and we’ve practised preparing my responses and I’m almost confident to negotiate my wage if I’m the successful applicant, any parting wisdom?
J:Just be you, Georgina. Oh! And don’t forget to send a thank-you note to each of your interviewers after the event, it’s a nice little touch and likely to make you memorable long after you’ve left the building.
The thank-you note. To me, it’s the easiest way to leave a lasting impression yet why do we so often neglect to do so? My career transitioning candidates roll their eyes when I remind them to send a quick thank-you note after each interaction – post network meeting, in response to a LinkedIn skills endorsement, a network connection, or post-interview. Yet it takes but a second.
And what better way to remain in the interviewer’s hearts and minds after you’ve thanked that audience, left the building, and now await that call to say you are the chosen one?
You see, the human brain is programmed to compress experiences into three phases: The beginning, the peak, and the end. In the case of a networking conversation or job interview, we tend to put more focus on creating a fabulous first impression, yet how we follow up can play a critical role in how we’re remembered afterwards. In this era of e-communication, a thoughtful thank-you note matters more than ever and costs us nothing but a couple of moments. Let me share five simple steps to crafting the perfect thank-you note…
Put it on paper
It’s easy to send a quick thank-you note via email right after you leave an interview or network chat however if your inbox is anything like mine, that email is apt to get lost in the pile of electronic communications, especially if it’s not urgent. Why not cut through that clutter by sending a small paper note? Writing on paper will also have the benefit of forcing you to be more thoughtful about what you’re writing.
Make it personal
A thank you note can be forgettable or memorable. Instead of a generic “thank you for your time,” why not tell the person what you specifically appreciated about your meeting. Were there particular qualities in the encounter that stood out in your mind? A moment that demonstrated why you would want to work there? Something you’d like the interviewer/networker to know you took away from the conversation? Assume others are also sending a thank you note, and personalise yours, so it stands out as unique. Oh! And if you’re sending more than one thank you note, take the extra time to make each one unique for we can easily sound disingenuous if our recipients compare notes and realise we took the easy way out and copied/pasted.
Be real but be neat
Writing out your note in longhand is a small window into your personality. Penmanship may be a dying art, therefore, ensuring your writing is legible and neat will help put your best (type)face forward. I pride myself on my handwriting however when in a hurry, have been known to write in brail. Hurried chicken scratch writing won’t reflect well on you. Take care especially to make sure your signature is readable, so they know who sent the note.
Anyone you missed?
A thank you should not be reserved for the people with the loftiest titles. Who else helped you? A receptionist who worked on the meeting’s scheduling? Current employees with whom you privately chatted to get a sense of the workplace culture? Take a moment to thank these people as well. Such sweet gestures can often lead to these connections putting in a good word for you. Sometimes it’s people on the periphery that can make all the difference in a close decision. Case in point – the first person my old boss used to turn to for an opinion on someone he’d just interviewed was our Receptionist, followed by the Personal Assistants.
Still in doubt?
I recently observed a debate between recruiters in a LinkedIn group where one had asked the question ‘What methodology do you use to help make the decision between two perfect candidates?’ The overwhelming response was ‘The first one who bothers to send me a thank you for the interview.’
G: (via excited phone call) I’ve just been offered the job!! I’m so excited! And you want to know something interesting? The recruiter said that the panel struggled to single out the best of the three contenders for the role and apparently it was my thank you notes that cinched the deal. It worked! AND when we have our wrap up meeting, I’m bringing a triple bag of rocky road!
J.But your stress must have eased thanks to this great news?
G:Haa, haa, while I was waiting to hear whether I had landed the role or not I knocked up three batches of the stuff!
Any great stories of your own? Do share in the chat box below 🙂
Well, hello there lovely readers. Happy June! As a career specialist, my work centres around answering the many questions my client’s voice, whether they’re striving to keep ahead of the game in their current careers or navigating a redundancy. For many, both scenarios can feel like white water rafting in swollen rapids with only one paddle. Survive or drown? Exhilarating for a few; frightening or downright scary for others.
I’ve been there, and I bombarded my own career coach with a number of those questions myself. Bet a few questions have been on your lips too. With this in mind, here’s the top 20 right here – and my opinion, based on my knowledge, experience and best practice. We’ll address these in more detail over the coming months.
Top 20 common questions…
‘I’m devastated about losing my job; why me?’
Most of the time, the decision has nothing to do with you personally. It’s a cost-cutting exercise and a fact of life these days. The role has become redundant, not you. It’s a fact that your kids will experience 5+ redundancies in their lifetime, however, they simply won’t wait around for it to happen, they’ll already be preparing for the next.
‘I’m stuck, and I don’t know what I want to do next.’
That’s ok, many people feel the same way, and that’s where a good career coach comes in. They have the tools to help you make good decisions about your career future. Meanwhile, know that you have over 700 everyday skills, a good many of them you’re good at and enjoy doing. Start thinking about those. As well ask yourself ‘if I had a magic wand, and pay and prestige were not an issue just for one moment, what would I love to be doing?
“I’m too old; people won’t want to employ me.’
A common assumption; however, provided you’ve stayed up to speed with technological changes, know your worth, and market them effectively, your worldly experience can be of great value to a prospective employer. You just need to know how to market that talent.
‘I really don’t like talking about myself.’
If you want to sell yourself to your prospective employer and beat your competitors to that next juicy job, get over it! Scroll down for a handy post to help you craft your elevator pitch:
‘I don’t have any achievements; it was just my job.’
I’ve worked with over 11,000 people in this career, and I’d love a buck for each time I’ve heard this lament. You have achieved, and significantly, you just need to think about the times you used those strengths of yours and made some kind of difference.
‘I don’t like putting myself out there on LinkedIn.’
With 766 million people on LinkedIn today, 10 million of them Aussies, it’s a smorgasbord of talent for recruiters to dip into, 98% of them do in fact. That’s a vast audience you’re missing out on. Besides, having a profile demonstrates your pride in your personal brand and your technical savvy!
‘I don’t feel confident enough to negotiate my salary.’
Knowing what makes you stand out and how that might contribute to a business’s success is the key here; besides, what’s the worst that can possibly happen? Oh! And cash is just one of the many things you can negotiate!
‘I don’t feel comfortable with Video conferencing.’
Chances are you’ve been doing this for over 12 months now thanks to COVID-19. Headquarters in remote locations, travel restrictions, sheer convenience – like it or not, it’s here to stay, get comfy with it.
‘I hate networking!’
Shared breakfast with friends recently? Chatted to a fellow parent at the sporting oval? Gossiped with your hairdresser? Sought advice from your neighbour? Your networking, darling. Networking!!
‘I get all tongue-tied in interviews.’
An excellent elevator pitch, knowing your worth through writing your own resume, adding solid quantifiable achievements, and a few hours devoted to practice, and you’ll soon have the butterflies flying in formation.
A whole raft of negative speak briefly answered there and I’ll be addressing them in more detail in upcoming ‘Hey Miss Jane’ posts.
Equally, I hear the false bravado of those fighting to stay on top of the fear and uncertainty that can spring from having the job rug pulled from under.
The more common ones?:
‘They won’t survive without me; you wait and see!’
Madly, sadly, they will.
‘They can’t do this, I’m going to sue them!
‘Are you sure you want to risk your reputation and your redundancy payout on legal costs, not to mention the emotional cost to you and your family?’
‘Achievements? Yep! Best sales person in the land!
Nice, but considered hubris unless you can provide specific examples of when you’ve actually exceeded your targets, what specifically you did to achieve this and you’ve quantified the outcomes to prove it.
‘Prepare for interview? Nah! I’m good at winging it.’
And the person who did prepare just won that job right out from under you.
‘Achievements in my resume? Nah! I’ll talk about them in the interview’
Buddy, you need to get to the interview in the first place?
‘I can’t possibly cut my resume from 12 pages to two!’
Seriously, they don’t want to know about your burger-flipping days; besides, are the skills you developed back there in the ’70s still relevant?
‘Cover letters? No one uses them these days!’
Actually, yes, they do.
‘I’m gonna aim for 20% more when they ask what wage I’m expecting.’
Nice, but what specifically are you offering over and above your competitors that makes you feel you deserve those extra dollars?
‘No offence, but I don’t need your help, I already have a good resume!
Hmmm! So why are you sitting in my office? By the way, the resume is just a tiny fraction of what you will need in order to compete in today’s job market. And we haven’t even touched on the Artificial Intelligence used to sift potential that you need to be ahead of.
‘I rate my LinkedIn 10 out of 10 ‘cos I have over 500 connections.’
Good for you, but are you at ‘all star’ status? And actively promoting your profile at least three days a week?
Over the coming months, I’ll address these questions in more detail. No victims here, just survivors – as I arm you with that second paddle, helmet and wet weather puffer jacket – enhancing your skills and confidence to face anything the job world throws at you!
professionals about their biggest resume word turn-offs (and turn-ons) and the results were enlightening. Seems no one wants to see those overused business buzzwords and clichés such as “results-driven,” “team player,” “hard worker.” Hiring managers prefer to see proof of such claims through actual achievements using strong and simple action verbs such as “achieved,” “improved,” “trained” or “mentored”. Oh! And equally annoying? Forgetting to quantify those achievements. Without a stat to back it up, they’ll view those hard-won achievements as merely ‘hearsay’. And that’s the last thing you want!
And what better way to remain in the interviewer’s hearts and minds after you’ve thanked that audience, left the building, and now await that call to say you are the chosen one?
