Check out this link for more!
http://www.coolinfographics.com/blog/2010/1/8/16-infographic-resumes-a-visual-trend.html
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Check out this link for more!
http://www.coolinfographics.com/blog/2010/1/8/16-infographic-resumes-a-visual-trend.html
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A friend of mine sent me an article a few months back about linked in and how it has become a digital resume. It doesn't really replace your resume but what I really like about it, is that you can get back in touch with and stay linked in with work colleagues from your past. So I thought who could I find from ten years ago? I found close to 200 people I directly worked for and with over the past ten years! What's great is my job today has me working with a different group of people almost every week and now I add those people to my connections.
Also I have been requesting people to write recommendations about my work, I have ten recs out of 280 connections. My next goal is to actually get in touch with each person on a one and one basis and see how they are doing. Everyone I have worked with over the years has helped me get to where I am today. I'm grateful I have a tool that helps me keep in touch! Right now I only use the free version but soon once I know more I'll be upgrading. It's a great way to focus on career networking which everyone must participate in once in awhile. You can also join groups and get involved in industry conversations! Try it and see how many people you can reconnect with!
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All rights reserved by xorsyst FlickrI know I haven’t written in months, but I have been thinking about it. A lot has changed in my life and I had to stop writing and focus.
I have been working 60 – 70 hour weeks since Thanksgiving, including working over the Holidays. It just had to get done. It’s not always healthy to work that much, as a result I got sick for about three days. The remedy of course was sleep and letting my boss know sometimes I can’t handle three projects at once because they all are full time endeavors. The hard work paid off and I was rewarded with some gift cards. Not much, but my reputation was further enhanced as a hard worker and I developed great relationships with key people in my company. My work ethic has always been to push myself and be the best team player. It’s a great feeling when the people I work with recognize me. That is one thing I love about my company is that I always get the appreciation I deserve.
Now the second major event that had taken over my life (nights and weekends), over the past year was working to get into business school. Let me start off by saying I had tried to get in and was not accepted. I was heart broken, but at the time I didn’t realize it wasn’t meant to be. After all when I didn’t get into B-school the first time I ended up meeting my fiancée! That’s right, I’m newly engaged and he proposed just a few months ago! I’m so excited, but of course haven’t had much time to plan in between work and working on my application and studying for business school. After years of hard work and not giving up I was finally accepted to ASU’s W.P. Carey Business School. I worked so hard and I am going to take in more than anybody because it wasn’t easy for me. I start classes in August and I am going to try and write a weekly post, “What I learned as a business student this week.” See now you know I was truly busy even though in my heart I wanted to write more blog posts.
Sometimes in your life and your career you have to refocus your energy on one or two things that need your attention. I sacrificed time with my family, friends, my readers and most of all my fiancée, in the end it was worth it and I know everyone understands. So, if you have a goal that you need to achieve, know that you are going to have to make sacrifices, but make them now, when that goal is in sight!
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1. The first question you need to ask yourself is what kind of job do you want and in what industry? You’re resume needs to be tailored to EVERY job you apply for.
2. Your resume needs to say what YOU did on the job and what YOU accomplished - so write down what you did this week, you might be surprised at your accomplishments! Write down everything and I mean everything that you remember over the past few weeks and years if you can remember, email me if you want a template to see how I track my projects as a starting point for you.
3. It can take 4 to 6 hours to write your resume after you have collected all the data! Make sure you spend the time and really focus on what people will be thinking as they read your resume.
4. Next you have to write your past job descriptions to try and match them to the new job you want to apply for. Look at sample job postings. Do you have those skills? If you don’t, can you get those skills in your current job and then add it to your resume later? Give yourself six months to acquire these new skills so you can add them to your resume and actually be able to talk about them in your interview for a new job.
5. In the meantime if you do not have the experience then do as much research as you can about the job, the company and the industry. Go meet people that have that job, ask for informational interviews and how they got started in the industry. You need to find an in, and it might be just through meeting people and taking their specific advice.
6. Quantify everything you do and do it right after you work on a big project because you will never remember what you did last week let alone six month ago.
7. Make your resume personal. What did YOU do?? Do not just list the job responsibilities. What was unique about you working in that role? What projects did you work on? What goals did you accomplish?
8. Google for sample resumes in the field you are currently in to help you find the buzz words and key phrases that will jog your memory on what you do every day. Go to the library and look at sample resume books as well, that's what I do when I want to update my resume.
]]>So after a month I did find a job, I actually had the opportunity to go back to work for a previous employer. What was great about it was that I could work from home because the job was based in Los Angeles and I didn’t really want to move back. Within a week of the interview I was offered a job. It was a win-win situation because they needed someone to start work right away and since I was employed there before there was no ramp up time. I didn’t need six months to figure out what I was doing. In fact I started working on projects the day after orientation and I haven’t stopped since that first work day. It’s a win for me because I get to work from home and really focus on my work product and I AM appreciated! On every project I work on even a thank you for your hard work or we couldn’t have done it without you really adds to my sense of accomplishment. At the end of the day I consider positive comments accomplishments. I now also appreciate the company more since I left, experienced a new place and realized that today I am going in the right direction for my career.
Who I really have to thank for giving me this opportunity is the people I maintained relationships with while at the company over the past few years since having left. I call these people my Champions because they really championed me coming back. New management was in place that didn’t know me and they reached out to many people in the company across the U.S. and point blank asked how I was to work with. They also probably asked if they wanted to work with me again. Yes, my resume had the right experience, but I am confident that my relationships with people across the company was one of the main reasons why I was offered the job. In the end it really does come down to relationships, people work with who they like and trust, the only way to get there is by building relationships. Creating relationships should come from a genuine place and happen each time you work on a new project. The more you put into a project the deeper the relationship gets. Spend the time getting to know the people on each project you work on because in the end business IS personal.
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I found a piece of paper with these points my Dad gave me when I was in high school.
GETTING ALONG WITH PEOPLE
To get along with others:
;)
Friday, June 4th I thought was like any other day. When I got to work before I even turned on my computer I touched base with a few people on projects I needed completed by the end of the day. I had a lot I needed to get done by 5pm. I was working on re-launching Marriott and Choice Hotels and then beginning a new launch for Reader's Digest. I was also in the midst of launching two new employee benefit providers. Needless to day my days always consisted of working on at least five different clients a day.
Then my boss asked me to follow him to a conference room, he walked way in front of me and as I walked in I really didn't know why I was there. I can't even tell you what was said in the order it was said. It was a blur, a shocking, totally life changing moment! I was being let go! Let go due to organizational restructuring. I was taken aback and one of the first things I do remember asking was, "Am I being fired?" "No, this is not based on performance." Darn right it's not I'm one of the hardest workers I know and I have email to prove it (my clients always appreciated my hard work and told me so). So the woman started talking and reiterated to me that I probably won't remember what she said. Nope I don't remember any of what she said. I did get this blue folder as a going away present, read this and sign that.
So last week I did not put the traditional effort into looking for a job and let me tell you why. Not only was I working full time but I was also taking a summer school econ class. That's right I'm trying to learn new things. I am in pursuit of my MBA and was advised to take a few courses that will prepare me, such as microeconomics, accounting and business statistics. This is Plan B, because I will be applying for the evening program so that I can still work during the day. So for the past week I have actually been studying because I have a midterm tomorrow. I'm getting a good grade so that's what matters right now.
Last week my first full week without a job one of the first things I did do was contact a couple of my clients and let them know I was no longer with the company. They were as shocked as I was and grateful to serve as references. A couple of them had local contacts and passed along my resume. This was Monday, June 7th. On Tuesday I studied, on Wednesday I studied and took my tests for the week. Thursday I attended a women's networking event where my friend was an honored speaker. It was neat to be in the same room as the Editor of the Business Journal and other very successful women! On Friday I stopped by the company to turn in my paperwork, had lunch with another friend who was let go and in the evening attended Ignite Phoenix at the Phoenix Art Museum. It felt great to get out and meet new people.
This is the key I found to a successful job search, don't just sit in front of your computer.
Ok, so now I'm in the present, it's Monday, June 14th and the one job that I found that I want to apply for is having website technical difficulties. So I call them and the receptionist tells me she is experiencing the same thing and told me she will let IT know and said I should check the website later.
So because I have a midterm tomorrow I will study the rest of the day and check that site and reapply. Also, I forgot to mention that while working and working on Plan B, pursuing the MBA I also have a Plan C. Over the past six months I collaborated with an iPhone developer. I had this vision of a local business directory across the U.S. that highlighted the best restaurants, boutiques, happy hours, etc. IT IS different than Yelp because it's ONLY Local businesses AND it's the best ones. I hand picked each one for you! So the App was officially approved by Apple on June 3! What an ironic week that was, the best and the worst. Join my Facebook page New City Secrets and buy the app here < http://tinyurl.com/2ftw46c >. Support your local businesses and me of course!
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1. People may not say it all the time but I am a valuable member of the team
2. I am open to new and unknown opportunities
3. Clients appreciate my Creative solutions to solve problems
4. Success follows me when I have a positive attitude
5. Saying no is ok because I maintain a balance between my work and my life
6. The hours I work are very productive and I don't have to work overtime and stress myself out
7. The right opportunities will present themselves when I am ready
8. When I don't get the job it means there is an even better job waiting for me to find it
9. I recognize people for their hard work and in turn they recognize me
10. Every day that I learn something new gets me closer to my dream job
First, I believe it is most important to follow up in these situations:
FOLLOW UP TELLS THE COMPANY YOU REALLY WANT THE JOB
You need to find the job, the job will rarely ever find you. Sending in your resume does not mean you are looking for a job. It means you are sending out your resume hopefully waiting for someone to call you. They will never call you. The only way someone will call when you send your resume is by luck and luck happens in one of two ways. One your resume matches exactly what the job description is asking for and other candidates have not come close to meeting the requirements and two your resume was personally handed to someone in charge and it matches exactly what they are looking for to fill the position.
All of you in the job search know and have experienced that just the ACT of sending your resume does not get you the interview. During a successful job hunt you need to follow up. First, state the day you will follow up in your cover letter and/or email you send and then make sure to do it! Make this commitment and follow through. Getting an interview still doesn’t guarantee you will get the job, you still need to follow up. The job I am in now my resume was walked into the VP and I still had to follow up for two months after the interview before I was offered the job. Remember you still have to be cordial and understanding to the company’s situation. If you are lucky enough to get to the interview always ask about following up on next steps, ask, “Can I call you and follow up with you next Tuesday?” They might say yes, call me or yes email me or no HR will get back to you.
In addition to the interview follow up you always MUST send a thank you card to everyone you met, following up and telling them why you are the best candidate. This is a soft follow up, a simple reminder of your cordial and respectful business skills. Then follow up with the decision maker in the way they instructed you to, either with them directly or HR. Also one of my first jobs out of school I got ONLY because I followed up. They weren’t going to call me back because they didn’t think I was going to take the job because the pay was so little, $11 an hour, yes at 22 that is what I made! I called and asked them if they had more questions that I could answer and that’s when HR brought up the money issue. At that point I really liked the company and could have taken jobs elsewhere but it felt right. That job is also where I learned I wanted to be a writer, almost ten years ago!
FOLLOW UP IS WHAT MAKES A TEAM WORK
Sometimes I feel like I spend 90% of my time following up. In my job I have to rely on so many other people to get a project completed. I can’t be an IT guru, a designer, an accountant, etc all in one. So I have to delegate responsibility and just because someone is supposed to do something for you does not mean you are their priority. You have to make them your priority by telling them you will follow up to check status and keep following up until you get what you need.
Most people will drop the ball because they’ll forget what they are supposed to do for you because they themselves are also probably following up on what they need to get done. People don’t mind if you follow up with them so don’t worry if you do it too much or too often. Hopefully they’ll get so used to you following up that over time you won’t have to do it anymore because they’ll already know what you expect out of them. If you didn’t follow up with anyone no work would get done!
Bosses especially love it when you follow up! It shows them you are organized and on top of things. If you can manage yourself and your projects who do you think they’re going to go to with the big projects or clients? You! They know you’ll follow up with whomever and get the job done.
MAKE MORE SALES BY FOLLOWING UP UNTIL THEY SAY YES
Over the past seven years I have worked in a sales/marketing role. Between 5 and seven years ago I specifically worked with sales professionals writing proposals and presentations to get new clients and sell the company on why we were the best provider, whether it was a real estate broker, accountant or consultant. The sales process can last months and even years! The only way to keep the pursuit process moving forward is through follow up. If a company is going to spend a lot of money on your product or service they are going to take the time to compare you to the competition. How are you going to know what they want unless you follow up? Companies needs change over time as well as the decision makers. It is imperative you maintain a follow up relationship with all the clients you are pursuing. Even simple things like sharing an article you read regarding their industry will help maintain the relationship.
If a client you are pursuing says nothing, they haven’t said no yet so you need to understand what will make them say yes. Make in person follow up meetings, nothing says they are important more than a face to face conversation. The face to face follow up at a client’s office is key because you can learn more about a company’s culture in a two hour meeting than a once a week conversation over an entire year. Clients will appreciate you more than the competition because you are taking the extra step to build a relationship. After the face to face meeting invite your clients to your office so they can understand you and your company’s culture. Then introduce them to everyone that makes the company run, from your call center, to your C-Suite to your receptionists. Make them an important part of your company’s growth. You can only do this through follow up.
What if clients say no to your service, product and company or worse they no longer want to be your client and they leave? The follow up does not and should not stop. First follow up and ask the frank question, why? What could we do better? If we fix this, can we come back to you and see if we could start a relationship in the future? Or can we fix our relationship if we make this better? More often than not in my past work experience the reason clients leave a company is because they don’t feel important or listened to. It might not mean your competition is better it just meant they were better at the pursuit, the follow up! Don’t forget just because you win new client’s doesn’t mean you won’t lose them. Clients leave when they don’t feel important, and they’re probably not making money for you because you are not paying attention to them. Relationships grow over time as they do in business, in order to keep developing relationships you always need to follow up.
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