There are two things you can be sure of when executive recruiters discover your LinkedIn profile: They expect to see a summary, and they expect to learn a little about who you are, wrote Kris Dunn, HR expert and blogger of  HR Capitalist. Job titles and dates of employment alone on LinkedIn will not cut it. [...]

If you want to be included in a recruiter’s call back pile keep your resume’s chronological information static, but tweak the language in the top section, advised professional resume writer Steve Burdan in the article “Customize Your Resume for That Plum Job.” Burdan believes strongly in the importance of customizing the top third section of a [...]

“[L]earn everything you can about the industry and your target employer(s),” said Vikki Brackett, a career coach told CIO.com’s Meridith Levinson, in the article “Job Search Secrets: Targeting Done Right.” You need to know the industry’s and the company’s pain points and business goals so that you can communicate exactly how you’re going to solve [...]

When it comes to excusing gaps in their employment, many job candidates try to explain them away, but end up over sharing, providing intimately details about their health, their family and personal life. That sort of TMI tirade can turn off recruiters and hiring managers, warned Wanda Cole-Frieman, an exectuive recruiter at Blue Shield of California, [...]

Referrals and references remain the strongest tool available to job seekers. Seventy percent of jobs are obtained via referral according to the U.S. Department of Labor and the article “How to Get Job References Without Asking,” on TheLadders. Referrals do not automatically mean you have the job or that you will guarantee you an interview, but they [...]

The best way to set the bar for all job candidates is to formulate 60- and 90-day plans for the job you desire and clearly communicate that in the second interview, said career coach and recruiting expert Dean Tracy. Tracy offers a step-by-step advice to craft a 60- or 90-day plan in the article “Round Two [...]

Business are growing more accustomed to employees working remotely and recruiters are following suit, wrote Kevin Wheeler, president and founder of Global Learning Resources in a blog on ERE.net. Job seekers should be ready to face the new tools of the trade such as remote interviews, Wheeler said. Hiring managers may never meet face-to-face with a candidate, [...]

Despite age-discrimination laws, “interviewing younger” can make the difference in our youth-oriented culture. In the article “Take 10 years Off Your Image” for TheLadders, StephenViscusi details 20 rules to help freshen up job seekers’ presence. It’s not all about how you look, Viscusi advises, although you should use teeth-whitening products and avoid clothes aimed at high-school [...]

Want to position yourself to move up the corporate ladder? Consider extending your experience within the company by shifting titles and responsibilities laterally to another department, Cindy Nicola, a recruiting VP at video game company Electronic Arts (EA) told The Wall Street Journal. Opportunities for promotion usually occur when individuals leave a company or retire [...]

When an interviewer for a prospective job asks “Tell me about yourself,” it’s not an open invitation to ramble about your life’s history or talk about every job you’ve ever had. The open-ended question is an opportunity for the candidate to shape strengths and anchor positive traits about themselves, wrote career coach and author Lee Miller [...]

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With this year coming to an end, it’s time to make some New Year’s resolutions. And if you’re looking for a new job in the new year, here at Doostang we composed a list of job search resolutions all job seekers should take to heart.

Doostang News December 28: Ten New Year’s Resolutions for Your Job Search

1. I Will Apply to More Jobs

This is logical - the more job applications you submit, the greater the chances that someone will actually review your resume, invite you for an interview, and offer you the spot. Creating simple rules for yourself, such as “I will apply to at least 3 jobs a day” or “I will average 15 job applications a week” is the first step, so start spending more time on Doostang.

2. I Will Focus on the Jobs that Matter

Don’t just amp up the quantity of job applications, do it strategically. Don’t apply for positions you’re blatantly underqualified for, and - this goes without saying - don’t apply for positions you’re not interested in, just to fill your daily quota. The less time you waste applying to jobs that are out of your league, the more time you will have to focus on the opportunities that really matter.

3. I Will Perfect My Resume

You may think you’ve perfected your resume already, but is it really at its full potential? Doubtful. Remember that your review is bound to be biased and try to look at your resume from the perspective of someone who’s never met you. Can a stranger get a good reading of what you can bring to the table? Can they tell what you actually did at your last job? Are all the jobs and responsibilities you have listed relevant?

4. I Will Have Someone Else Review My Resume

A fresh, outside perspective can shed light on things you may have missed in your review, so ask a friend to go over your resume with you. Or better yet, get a professional resume critique and you can be sure nothing gets overlooked.

5. I Will Personalize Every Application

Make sure you personalize your materials to the job you’re applying for. No need to make massive changes to your resume every time, but it is important that the experiences and skills you’re listing are highly relevant. Make a separate list of all of your accomplishments and responsibilities. For every job you’re applying for, go down the list and pick the most relevant ones - those are what needs to go on your resume, the rest you can leave out.

6. I Will Write a Cover Letter for Every Job

Always include a cover letter with every resume you send out. It will give you a better chance to elaborate on your experiences and skills as they relate to the position you’re applying for. And as with resumes, make sure each cover letter is targetted to the job you’re applying for.

7. I Will Come Prepared to Every Interview

Do the research before every interview and get as much detail about the company and the position you’re applying for as possible. Try to figure out ahead of time what kind of person the employer wants to hire for the spot, then show the interviewer that you possess the desired skills.

8. I Will Have Better Answers for the Interviewer

Odds are your interviewer will ask you to elaborate on your employment history. Prepare this summary ahead of time and make sure it supports and enhances everything you’ve listed on your resume. When answering questions, give concrete examples that prove your point. Take some time to think of stories that illustrate some of your strengths: an example of you skillfully handling conflict, a story that shows that you’re a dedicated worker, and so on. Write these down and study them before your interviews, so that when you are, in fact, asked if you’re a team player, you can not only answer affirmatively but have a supporting story ready as well.

9. I Will Prepare Questions for the Interviewer

Don’t forget to have a list of insightful questions ready for your interviewer. Ask things that show that you’ve done your research and are eager to know more. Perhaps the most important question to ask is what problem the employer is trying to solve by hiring someone for this spot. Once you find out what the challenges are, show the interviewer how you’re the right person for the task. And remember, this is also your chance to get more details about the position and see if it’s a good fit for you.

10. I Will Always Write a Thank You Note

This is a vital but sadly, often overlooked step in the application process. A Thank You note is your final chance to make your mark on the interviewer, so don’t take this step lightly. Try to send it within 24 hours of your interview and reference some of the things you’ve discussed during the interview so that the interviewer can easily recall who you are. And of course, use the Thank You note to remind the interviewer why you’re right for the job and what you can bring to the company.

And there you have it job seekers, if you take these 10 Doostang resolutions seriously and make them your own, job search in the new year should be a breeze. Good luck!

Wishing you much career success in the new year,
The Doostang Team

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Do you have employment gaps on your resume? They’re fairly common, but even a small time lapse between jobs can create a negative first impression in the eyes of a potential employer. Learn how to neutralize the damage and strengthen your resume with these tips.

Three Tips for Handling Employment History Problems
Alesia Benedict, CPRW, JCTC.

The department staff gathers around to celebrate a milestone for a staff member. It is retirement day for Joe Smith who has been with the company for thirty years. Management is there to present a nice gold watch to Joe along with a plaque commemorating his extensive service and loyalty to the company. The staff provides a nice cake and some soda. A picture is snapped of Joe smiling as he opens his gift from his co-workers.

Halt! That’s enough flashback to the past. While this is an iconic scene, it just does not happen anymore. Once upon a time, careers were fairly linear, fairly progressive, and fairly consistent. People worked for one or two companies within their lifetimes and a gap in between was a major red flag to a potential hiring employer.

That’s all changed now. Most people hold jobs for 18 months to 5 years and gaps in between are not unusual. Life happens to everyone. Layoffs occur, parents get sick, and people decide to go back to college for an advanced degree. A gap in between jobs of any length used to be a deadly problem but it is fairly common across everyone’s career paths these days. There are some ways to handle date gaps on resumes so you as the job seeker don’t feel there is a big flashing neon sign there that says “Unemployed!”

Years, Not Months

The simplest way to make date gaps “disappear” on a resume is to not include the months of employment on the job chronology but rather just use years. For example, Dave was laid off in February of 2008 from XYZ Company and spent four months job searching before signing on with a new company, ABC Inc., in June of the same year. He is now looking to make a voluntary move to a different company where he will have more growth potential. That four month date gap back in 2008 will not show if he notates his jobs with years of employment only.

Ignore It

Yes, ignore it. If the date gap was six months or less or if it doesn’t show when the resume is organized in terms of years of employment, why bring it up? Fairly short date gaps are not that unusual. A job search can often take weeks or even months to complete. If it doesn’t show on the resume, don’t worry about it.

Address It

Let’s say you’ve been out of work for a longer stretch of time in order to care for an ailing parent (or some other reason). Address that directly in the resume. Explain the time span. If you were on leave of absence or maybe you were just taking a sabbatical, give that information. A large gap is better explained in some way rather than ignored completely. The explanation given should not be elaborate or detailed. Keep it simple. If the reader wants more information about it, it can be brought up in the interview.

Career paths for US workers are far from the pattern of Joe Smith’s as described above. Careers do not travel on railway tracks straight through time with few diversions onto sidings. Careers in this millennium are more like the paths of ATVs - they go all over the place, up hills, around mountains, double back and criss-cross. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 80% of college graduates never work in their major. The average American changes jobs every three years, and changes complete career fields three times over a lifetime. Worried about date gaps? Stop thinking “train” and start thinking “four-wheeler”.

About the Author:

Alesia Benedict, Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW) and Job and Career Transition Coach (JCTC) is the President of GetInterviews.com, the country’s leading resume writing firm. They provide professionals with customized, branded resumes and career marketing documents. Her and her firm’s credentials include being cited by JIST Publications as one of the “best resume writers in North America,” quoted as a career expert in The Wall Street Journal, and published in a whopping 25+ career books. Established in 1994, the firm has aided more than 75,000 job seekers to date. All resume writers are certified writers. GetInterviews.com offers a free resume critique and their services come with a wonderful guarantee — interviews in 30 days or they’ll rewrite for free!

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Don’t put your head shot, company logo or any sort of picture on your resume. If you do, your resume is more like to see the trash pile than a recruiter’s hands, said ATS experts interviewed by TheLadders. Most companies scan every resume, whether sent by e-mail, fax or hand delivered, into a Applicant Tracking System [...]

A certain way to impress a job interviewer is to turn the tables and ask them insightful, thoughtful questions about the position, the company and the industry, said Alison Green on her Ask a Manager blog. Green wrote that she was “mentally beaming” after a recent job candidate asked the following question: “Thinking back to people who have been [...]

Imagine you’re a nickel in a blender. Now figure a way to escape while the blades are moving. Be prepared for tough questions like that on a job interview, said Kris Dunn, a blogger at HR Capitalist. Google hiring managers are actually trained to use the nickel in a blender question among others during job interviews, [...]

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Crafting your resume? Be sure your resume is free of these goofs…

Ten Most Common Resume Goofs.
Alesia Benedict, CPRW, JCTC.

1. Email Errors

One of the most common goofs we see is an incorrect email address. Since most job search efforts are centered around email communications, having an email address that is wrong or difficult to interpret can be a pothole in the road to success. Double-check your email address to make sure it is correct. Don’t use your work email address on your resume and try to avoid having an email that has the number 1 in it as it can be difficult to tell if it’s a letter or a numeral. Avoid goofy or cutesy email monikers such as vanhalenlvr83 or similar. Email systems that use automated spam authenticators are loathed by recruiters and line managers alike, so stay away from them during you job search. Remember, you can set up an email address that you use JUST for job search.

2. Mechanical Mistakes

Misspellings are the most common mechanical mistake. People rely on spell-check too much. Spell-check can’t tell the difference, though, in meaning. If you write “manger” instead of “manager”, spell-check won’t flag it. Other mechanical problems include verb tense shift and capitalization. It seems like when in doubt, job seekers will capitalize something just “to be on the safe side” but that just creates an error.

3. Fluff Phrases

The profile or summary is often the most difficult section of the resume to create. As a result, job seekers fall back on soft-skill phrases or fluff phrases such as “good communicator” or “hard-working”. These sound good but they tell the reader nothing. These are subjective traits that are opinion-based. You may think you are a good communicator but your peers might say otherwise. These traits will be judged in the interview so don’t load the resume down with these. Remember, 99.9% of all the other candidates will also be claiming these skills. Have you ever heard of anyone putting “bad communicator” or “lazy with sloppy attention to detail” on the resume?

4. Too Much Information (TMI)

Job seekers often forget for whom they are writing. The recruiter or hiring manager is going to be skim-reading the resume and will be looking for the main points. The job seeker, on the other hand, feels it’s necessary to put every bit of information possible in the resume, right down to including that Eagle Scout designation from 1984. Having too much information, or irrelevant information, is a common resume error.

5. Too Little Information (TLI)

The opposite of TMI is TLI – too little information. Being too general in the resume is just as bad as being too wordy. Usually too little information takes the form of no details on achievements. Most people can get their job duties or role descriptions down but falter when it’s time to detail their successes in some sort of quantitative or qualitative way. As a result, the content is thin or bland and doesn’t inspire the reader to make contact with the job seeker.

6. Passive Voice

We are all taught that formal writing is passive voice writing. Most people have a tendency to write in the passive voice, especially when composing their resumes. Passive voice – “responsible for”, “duties included”, etc. – is weak writing. Resumes need to be powerful sales documents and passive voice doesn’t persuade the reader. Make sure the resume is written in active voice with lots of solid keywords throughout the content.

7. Functional Format

Using the functional format (also called a skills resume) is probably the most deadly error you can commit in terms of the resume’s effectiveness. Recruiters and employers literally detest the functional format. It does not give them the information they need in the format they want. Additionally, it generally indicates that the job seeker is trying to hide something since the functional format is used to cover up problems such as date gaps, job hopping, or lack of experience. Just the mere appearance of the functional format is a huge turnoff to decision-makers.

8. Personal Information

The fact that you are an avid skeeball player, or that you collect old world coins has no relevance to whether or not you are qualified for the position. So why include information on hobbies, sports, or interests?

9. Poor Design

The old large-left-margin layout is long out of fashion and fancy designs, images or tables will really give the databases a hard time when you upload your resume. The best thing to do when it comes to design of your resume is KISS – keep it simple, sweetie. Yes, make it appealing, but over designed resumes will get scrambled in uploads, and thus not win interviews.

10. One Page Length

One page resumes are long gone unless you are a new graduate without much experience. Having said that, we still see plenty of one page resumes for more senior job seekers come in for critiques. It does surprise me! When a job seeker tries to limit the content of the resume to fit into one page, he/she is cutting vital information to adhere to a “rule” that is not valid for most resumes. Many resumes (including mid-level) are two pages in length and three pages are acceptable for some senior level candidates.

About the Author:

Alesia Benedict, Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW) and Job and Career Transition Coach (JCTC) is the President of GetInterviews.com, the country’s leading resume writing firm. They provide professionals with customized, branded resumes and career marketing documents. Her and her firm’s credentials include being cited by JIST Publications as one of the “best resume writers in North America,” quoted as a career expert in The Wall Street Journal, and published in a whopping 25+ career books. Established in 1994, the firm has aided more than 75,000 job seekers to date. All resume writers are certified writers. GetInterviews.com offers a free resume critique and their services come with a wonderful guarantee — interviews in 30 days or they’ll rewrite for free!

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How do you make the interviewer feel you’re an expert in the field and already close to the position you’ve applied for? Turn the tables and interview the interviewer, said Liz Ryan, a Human Resources  (HR) expert and author. Look for openings in the conversation where you can direct questions back to the interviewer and  draw [...]