Do we really have to go over this again? It amazes me that in today’s world, where nothing is a secret and where background checks are as routine as your morning Starbucks, that people still insist on lying on their résumés.  A recent article by Klaus Kneale on Forbes.com quotes Nancy Davis, a psych professor at the Chicago School of Professional Psychology. She says that college students are, in some cases, encouraged to embellish their résumés. She gives the example of an intern who runs copies of a manual putting it on his résumé as a manual that he “created.” Now that’s a stretch, and he’d probably end up back-pedaling in an interview. But then again, it happens all the time - and he just might end up getting the job he wants if the interviewer doesn’t probe deeper into that claim. But how long would he be able to fake his accomplishments? Alicia Shepard of The Huffington Post, and author of the new book, Woodward and Bernstein: Life in the Shadow of Watergate, recently wrote about two very successful, accomplished women, both of whom just lost their jobs because they out-and-out lied on their résumés.  The first, newspaper woman Marti Buscaglia, misrepresented her education on her résumé, saying she had graduated from Lima University in Peru. She had that lie on her résumé for 30 years before she finally came forward.  Then there was Marilee Jones, Dean of Admissions at Massachusetts Institute of Technolog. She was forced to resign in April after it was discovered that she had lied on her résumé about her academic credentials. On her résumé, Jones claimed to have degrees from Albany Medical College, Union College and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. She had perpetuated that lie through her entire 28-year career at MIT. Recent statistics from Hire Right, a company that conducts background checks, indicate that more than 80% (yes, 80%!) of all résumés are misleading. Better than 20% show fraudulent degrees, 30% have altered dates of employment, 40% of people show higher salaries than they actually earned, 30% exaggerate job responsibilities and more than 25% have falsified references.  Lying on résumés has spawned hundreds of companies that investigate claims made on résumés. And companies, large and small, are paying big bucks to make sure résumés are accurate and the people they hire have been truthful.  You can even send your own résumé to a résumé verification firm and they’ll do the background investigation before you submit your résumé to a potential employer. So what’s the lesson in all of this? You might get away with lying on your résumé, and you might get away with it for years. But it will come back to haunt you eventually. So it’s simple, really. Don’t lie. Don’t do it, no matter how tempting. Your personal and professional integrity is at stake - and integrity, in work and in life, matters more than anything. 

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Writing a resume that tells a hiring manager about your credentials, experience and accomplishments is the easy part. Writing a resume that forces a hiring manager to pick up the phone - NOW - and invite you in for an interview - PRONTO - is a much tougher assignment. 

What are hiring managers looking for?  

They want: 

1)     Clarity – they want you to tell your story clearly, concisely and in a format they can easily read.

2)     Criteria - they want a candidate that meets their hiring requirements. They want to see the qualifications, education and experience needed for the job they’re trying to fill.

3)     Correctness – no “gilding the lily”. They want a truthful, accurate picture of who you are, what you can do, and where you did it. They don’t want typos, spelling errors or grammar mistakes. 

So, if all things in the resumes of two job applicants were essentially equal, why would a hiring manager contact one candidate for the interview over another? 

It’s all about how you sell your personal brand. It’s all about how you differentiate yourself in the market. It’s the WOW. It’s the things that make you the “must-have” candidate that everyone wants to interview.  You have to create a sense of excitement – a buzz – around your brand. Remember, a resume is a marketing tool. It has to highlight your strengths and your contributions in a way that make YOU the standout applicant. You have to tell the story of your professional life in a compelling and powerful way.

When I work with clients on rewriting their resumes, I ask them to run the “so what” test on every single sentence. Here’s how the “so what” test works: read each line in your resume, then ask yourself, “so what? Would someone hire me because of this?” If the line is a reason to hire you, great – leave it in. If it’s not, you should probably take it out. 

Your resume has to show that you’re up on the latest technologies, trends and issues in your industry. Show that you’re knowledgeable about the hot-button topics that everyone in your field is talking about NOW.  Let hiring managers know that you’re ahead of the curve. You’re up on the latest developments in your field. You know what the latest and greatest products. You know what’s coming on the horizon. Tell the hiring manager that you’re up on what’s “IN” and what’s “OUT” in your professional arena. 

Hiring managers and recruiters see and scan thousands of resumes every month.  Make your resume the one they actually READ – and GET the interview! 

 

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Here are some examples of our high-quality work:

Sample 1
Sample 2
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Sample 4

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Today, Penelope Trunk blogged about the launch of her new business, BrazenCareerist.com. It’s a really amazing concept - a new network of 50 young bloggers, all blogging about their professional interests, and who have all agreed to be a part of a network of people helping other people with their careers. One part of the company is Coachology, a group of experts Penelope has gathered to provide professional advice on every facet of career development - from email to public speaking and yes, resume development (and yes, The Resume Group is featured on the site).  And I’m thrilled to have been asked to be a part of Coachology and I’m excited to be along for the ride as it grows.  Check it out - look through the categories, explore the options, choose a coach in an area where you think you may need some expert advice and contact them. Penelope is absolutely spot on when she says, “…the right career coach can be the difference between finding a good job and a great job.” After almost 10 years of writing resumes, I know that the right resume can impact whether or not you even get a shot at an interview, let alone a great job. Today’s job market is tougher than ever - and there aren’t any signs that it’s going to get easier anytime soon. If you need resume advice, give us a call - we want to help make sure you get the great job.

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I recently worked with a client who told me she was “terrible at networking”. When I questioned her about why, she said that she “didn’t like to ask people for things”.  I was surprised that she thought of her network as people that she kept in her back pocket, and only pulled them out when she needed a favor. So, I decided to find out what my own network thought. I learned that many of them only actively leverage their professional network when they’re looking for a job, or helping a friend find a job. In general, the people in my network think that career networking is like ‘Dialing for Dollars.”  They want to get all they can from their network, yet don’t really give a lot of thought to what they can do to enrich and promote those relationships.

 

Certainly your network can help get your resume to the right person inside a company or give you a referral. They can provide some great insights into specific industries or fields you might be considering as career options. They can also give you the inside scoop on job markets and career opportunities in other parts of the country - or the world. You should have contacts in your professional network whose opinions you trust and respect - they can give you valuable feedback on your resume and cover letters, or give you honest feedback on how you might come across in an interview.

But let me make this perfectly clear: Networking is NOT ALL ABOUT YOU! Your network is an extremely valuable resource and you never know when you might need it. Don’t squander the good will you’ve worked so hard to create. Don’t bring your network into play only when you need or want a new job. Do cultivate and nurture positive, productive relationships with your contacts. Strengthening your network when you DON’T need help is just as important as when you do.

 

So how do you keep the relationships fresh and productive without wasting everyone’s time?

 

Touch Base:  Send a short email just to say ‘hi’ and see how they’re doing. Send a card to congratulate them on a promotion, big contract, new baby, or a successful project. Forward an article they might find interesting. It’s important for the people in your network to think of you as a positive and affirming contact, not the person who only calls when they need a favor. Personally, I’m always very glad to hear from someone in my network who isn’t in need of my assistance and just wants to keep in touch.

 

Offer to Help: If a contact has a friend or colleague looking for a job, offer to help. If you can give their friend or nephew a good referral, do it. If you can help them with some industry expertise, volunteer it. Reciprocate for the help you’ve received whenever possible. It will come back to you over and over again. You get what you give in life – and in networking.

 

Be Interested: In her book, The Brazen Careerist, nationally syndicated career columnist, Penelope Trunk says that people who are good at networking are interested in other people. They ask questions about people’s jobs, career paths, accomplishments, interests and lives. The key here is to be genuinely involved, so really listen and try to relate to their stories with a few anecdotes of your own. You’ll create rapport, good connections and strong, long-lasting friendships.

 

Say Thank You: You never know when you might need your professional network, so when contacts do look over your resume, provide advice, give you a referral, or take you out to lunch, say thanks. A snail-mailed card or an emailed thank-you will go a long way in building your credibility and likability with professional contacts.

 More than 80% of job seekers say that their professional network has been a key factor at one time or another, in helping them find a new job or make a career transition. Networking works and it provides benefits far beyond the politics of finding a job. If you’re willing to give, I guarantee you’ll get more benefit from your contacts than you ever imagined.

 

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Happy New Year! It’s that time again. Time to think about the things we want to accomplish this year, set some realistic goals and put together an action plan to achieve them.

 I decided to write the very first blog post for The Resume Group today, the first day of the New Year, because one of my goals for our company during 2008 is to do whatever I can to grow our business and in doing so, help our clients to achieve their career objectives.

Many of you have made New Year’s resolutions that include expanding your skill set or going after a job promotion. You may be thinking about polishing up your resume and exploring new career options. You might have the goal of increasing your income, relocating, or finding a job that will allow you to spend more time with your family. Maybe you’ve decided to try to find a job that enables you to make a living doing something that’s been a much-enjoyed hobby in the past.

So how do you create that persuasive, keyword rich, forward-looking resume that will make your dream job a reality? It can be daunting to sit down in front of a blank sheet of paper and try to find the right words - believe me, I know - and I’ve been writing professional resumes and executive resumes for more than 10 years.

I love writing resumes and I think I’m actually pretty darn good at it, but it’s not as easy as some might have you believe.   If finding a new job or making a career transition is among your New Year’s resolutions, here are 5 tips that can help you create a winning resume.

1) Your resume has to tell a compelling story that captures - and keeps - the reader’s interest.  It has to contain the keywords and key phrases that will boost your resume’s ranking in the ATS (Applicant Tracking Systems) used by companies and job boards. Your resume has to present you, your talents and your achievements in a way that positions you for the next step in your career - not necessarily the job you have now.

2) Take stock - what do you want in your next job? Think about your past jobs - what aspects of your jobs excited you? What did you like? What did you hate? Do you enjoy managing people, projects or special events? Do you thrive in challenging, pressure-cooker arenas or do you prefer more structured situations? Knowing what you want in your next job - and what you don’t - will help you create a focused resume that targets a corporate culture and business environment geared to your needs and desires.

3) Think about each job that you’ve held from several perspectives. Naturally, you want to communicate the responsibilities of each position. But also think about the challenges you faced in your job and the contributions you made to the organization. Did you come up with a process improvement that saved a significant amount of time? Did you help generate revenue or improve the bottom line? Did you contribute to an improved customer experience?  Try to quantify results as much as possible.

4) Don’t lie. I know, every resume expert says “don’t lie”.  I’m saying it too. Don’t lie. Don’t say you have a degree if you don’t. Don’t say you were a Vice President if you were really a Supervisor. Don’t fudge dates. Address gaps in your resume honestly. And make sure that you can put a positive spin on those items when you’re asked about them in an interview. If you need help putting together positive answers to tough questions, get some professional interview assistance before you start scheduling interviews. 

5) Proofread your resume. Proofread it again. Give it to 5 friends and ask them to proofread it, then proofread it again yourself. For heaven’s sake, don’t rely on spell check, grammar check or any other kind of automated check. Make sure your resume has no spelling errors and no formatting errors. Make no mistake about it - hiring managers are looking for a reason to toss your resume on the ‘NO’ pile. A mispelled word or a grammar error could very well give them that reason.

So there you have it. I hope these tips will get you started. Let us know if we can help in any way. We’d love to have the opportunity to help you create a winning resume and get it out there to be seen by the right people at the right companies. I’ll be posting many more resume-writing, networking, job search and cover letter tips in the future. For now, Happy New Year and I hope 2008 turns out to be the best year ever for you - in every way!

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Check back here often for tips and updates on ways to get the attention you deserve from potential employers!

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