PRI Business Services: Your Take, My Take...

Resource Round Up: Job Search

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa Gutknecht) — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 14:23:00 +0000

Resource Round Up: Recently Published Tips and Advice on Job Searching

Three Sure Fire Mistakes That Scare Off Poential Employers

Top 5 Reasons Your Resume Ended Up In The Trash

Special Announcement

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa Gutknecht) — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 12:29:00 +0000

PRI would like to announce to our candidates that Barb Garczynski, Executive Recruiter, has chosen to move on to other ventures in her life. Her last day is this week.

Barb has been with PRI for over 2 years and has successfully placed quality engineers and production management candidates. Here at the PRI office, we have benefited from Barb's tenacity, bubbly personality and high level of professional ethics. She will be truly missed.

If you are a candidate that was working with Barb, your profile was transferred to a team consisting of Lisa Gutknecht, Executive Recruiter and a team of research assistants, Peg and JoAnne. All client presentations, interviews in process and candidate searching has been transferred over the past couple of weeks. If you have any questions, feel free to email Lisa directly.

We wish Barb well in her future ventures and know that she will bring about great things for her next employer.

Think Positively and Plan To Interview

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa Gutknecht) — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 16:00:00 +0000

As part of our work as recruiters, one of our core tasks is what is called "candidate prep", a conversation or two where we work through details of the upcoming interview between the candidate and a client. It always amazes me how many candidates tell me that they "hadn't thought about the interview", or "didn't think about that question." Didn't think? You are the one who initiated the search and/or expressed interest in the job!

Start thinking, and think positively! You will get an interview. A phone interview, an in-person interview, hopefully many interviews. And, to land a job, you need to be good at interviewing. For most people, that doesn't come without some thinking, planning, prepping and rehearsing.

Make it a goal of yours to practice, read or brush up on one to two interview skills each and every week. Schedule time in your planner to do this; be committed, and start right away.

Here are a few points to review to make sure you are ready for that next phone or face to face interview:

Have you reviewed lists of common interview questions, and do you have your answers prepared? Take time to write out your answers, and then practice saying what you've written. Not all interviewers will ask you the same questions, but this exercise will help prepare you.

Prepare your answer to the question "why are you in a job search?" This will come up in nearly every interview and you need to be ready to answer this honestly, conscisely, with emotion but not excess explanation and, most importantly, with an overall positive attitude - regardless of the situation that launched you into your current job hunt.

Memorize your resume. Know it inside and out.

Read up on interviewing. Current books, career articles and blogs offer great sources to brush up on the interview process, protocol, tips and more to help you "ace" the interview. Start with going through previous posts on this blog, and I would recommend visiting Darlene McDaniel's blog, Interview Chatter. Dedicated to the interview process and all that surrounds it, she often posts helpful insight and tips.

Resource Round Up: Resumes

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa Gutknecht) — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 15:12:00 +0000

Resource Round Up: Recently Published Tips and Advice on Resumes

Prove It

From the Search Tip File: Refreshing Resumes

Review: Ogilvy On Advertising

Avoid the 90% Pile!

Top 5 Resume Do's and Don'ts

Resume Workshop: Simplicity

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa Gutknecht) — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 14:00:00 +0000

In my Resume Workshop posts, I've taken you through length, content, keywords and more. Today's blog is about keeping the resume clean and simple.

Clean. White space. If you're reading this blog, you should be seeking a professional position in a manufacturing firm. Therefore, you are not likely a graphic designer. Leave the graphics out. No pictures, no colored bars. Love the white space.

Clear. Simple font. Use a common business font, and avoid any type of script or "fancy" fonts. Choosing a straight, non-serifed font (like Arial or Tahoma) can be an advantage because you can use a smaller font size and still have your resume legible. Avoid the old typewriter style look (using Courier New); you don't want the reader's first impression to be that your resume is "old". Also avoid excess (or any) use of bold, italics and/or underline formating.

Concise. Use bullets. Avoid lengthy narrative descriptions and opt for the use of bullets whenever possible. Be sure to use the same style of bullets (and, again, keep the choice of bullet small and simple) and style of writing (full sentences, phrases, keywords, etc.).

The Art of the Thank You

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa Gutknecht) — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 19:45:00 +0000

I recently had a conversation with a friend who was asking for advice on writing a thank-you note after an interview. "What is the correct way of doing thank-you notes today?" Here is my advice as both a current executive recruiter and a former human resource manager:

Do you write a thank-you note? YES!! The method of delivery and style may have changed, but the concept still exists.

Thank-you notes give you an opportunity to set yourself apart, re-confirm your interest in the position and employer, show your attention to detail and respect for protocol and process, and one more (or last) chance to show off your communication skills.

That being said, thank-you notes are not to be epics. Short, to the point, and sent via email is commonly today's accepted method.

An individual thank-you email should be sent directly to the position's immediate boss, and to the individual who arranged and/or conducted a good part of the interview (likely the HR Manager). Sometimes this is one and the same person. Other thank-you notes should be sent to everyone who was involved in the interview process, although this can be difficult if you did not receive email addresses from the entire group.

If you were involved in a panel style interview, it is acceptable to send one thank-you in a group email - except for the position's boss and/or the HR Manager or other key personnel that had one-on-one contact with you.

Back to keeping it short - a few sentences will do. Thank them for their time, for the opportunity and express that you are very interested in the job. One to two sentences that offers more support for what you can do is acceptable. Something like: "I feel that my experience managing a high speed assembly operation in a lean manufacturing environment will lend itself well to your organization..." If sending to a group, stick to the basic thanks and the fact that you would welcome the opportunity to join their organization. Do include something you may have learned about the organization that impressed you.

The biggest part of the thank-you process -- Don't forget to spell check and proof, then proof again! Sending an email with spelling or grammar errors will end your chance to secure an offer.

Here are a few other opinions and resources:

No, Thank YOU!

The Great Thank You Note Debate

Give Thanks with an Appreciative Note

Free Sample Thank You Note Book from Ultimate Resumes

Resource Round Up: Interview Tips

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa Gutknecht) — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 13:10:00 +0000

Resource Round Up: Recently Published Tips and Advice on Interviewing

The Inner Game of Job Seeking

Ten interview do's and don'ts

People Do Business With People They Like

My best interview tip - by Gretchen

Resume Workshop: Keywords

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa Gutknecht) — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 16:00:00 +0000

This is a huge subject for resume writing, job searching and the application process, and I'm not going to pretend that I understand it all. But here are a few practical steps that you can start with to improve your odds in your job search.

Before you start, recognize and come to terms with the fact that the hiring and recruitment world - like everything else in our lives today - is driven by computers. Software aids nearly all searches - from the small HR department in a mid size manufacturing firm to the large, fully integretated HRIS operations in Fortune 500 companies, all the way to your executive search recruiter, including us here at PRI. The reality is that your resume must go through some type of screening by an application, and that screening will be driven off keywords in some manner. Therefore, taking the time to modify your resume (or completely build it) around these keywords is not only worth the effort, but may be the only chance you have in getting past the electronic gatekeeper of resume submission.

Start by reviewing all the job descriptions and ads you are interested in, or have applied for. Highlight words (or terms and acronyms) that are listed as "required", "preferred", or simply show up frequently.

Build a list of these words, and then rank, or weigh the list, based on factors like "this keyword shows up in every job I want", or "this skill is always required", or "this shows up in half of the jobs I'm interested in". The keywords, or terms, that show up or are required in nearly every description you are seeking receive a higher rank then the others.

Review your resume. First things first -- do all of your top ranked keywords from your newly generated list appear anywhere on your resume? If yes, move to the next step. If no, evaluate why. If you don't possess that skill, you'd better reevaluate what type of job you are searching for. If you do possess that skill or have had the experience, where does it belong on your resume?

Now begin to evaluate where on your resume these keywords show up. For example, if you are searching for a Quality Assurance Management position, and "internal audits" and "inspection" are keywords you've identified as high priorities, where do those keywords/key phrases show up on your resume? If they are on page 2 -- start figuring out a way to get those keywords on page 1.

The most important keywords not only need to be on the first page of your resume, but ideally show up towards the top and appear more than once on your resume. Some keyword searches will read like we do -- top to bottom, left to right. Therefore, having these keywords at the beginning of your document can make a difference. Other keyword searches will sort the results by relevance, which means that using keywords / key phrases more then once will help result in your resume landing at the top of the search results.

This blog isn't a comprehensive guide to managing keywords in your resume, but will give you a good start. Don't wait to take action! Even a few changes to your resume could start landing your electronic submissions on the "to review" pile today!

Resource Round Up: Budget & Recession Fears

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa Gutknecht) — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 19:32:00 +0000

Resource Round Up: Recently Published Tips and Advice on Saving Dollars During a Job Search.

Lost Your Job? What to do Next.

Recession Fears: Re-thinking Spending or Career Moves?

Recession-Proof Your Career

Job Search on a Shoestring

Ideas To Prepare the Family for Relocation

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa Gutknecht) — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 16:45:00 +0000

Relocation is huge. It's inevitable for many in a career search. It can be the best change in your life, or it can be the worst. Many of the candidates I talk to are facing a new challenge with relocation -- a family with children who are old enough to be directly impacted. It's not just the candidate and spouse and maybe a little one or two that haven't started school yet. The picture has changed.

You, my candidates, have had great ideas about how to handle this. I jot down great ideas or interesting tidbits as I talk with you, and here are a few of the best ideas I've heard in involving a family in a relocation process, and laying the groundwork down at the beginning of your search.

If you have school age children, involve them in the relocation process as soon as possible. Assign fun research projects to each child, having them learn more about the cities or regions you are targeting. Challenge them to find out specific details, like how many people live in the city, how many schools there are, what professional sports the city hosts, etc. For younger children, keep it simple, like finding pictures on Web sites (parents will have to steer them to chamber of commerce sites, etc.), learning what state's flower, bird and other facts are.

Build a poster chart to compare cities/regions. Include categories that are important to the kids, like the sports, music, gymnastic programs offered. Search out items/places your kids are interested in that the relocation cities have to offer that you may not currently have. Be sure to acknowledge what you might be giving up too. The poster should show all the pros and the cons. Let your kids give the ratings, or post stickers on the chart.

For pre-teens or older, I've heard parents that have requested their children sit down and compile a list of all the "things" they would like to have in their new location. This list has ranged from requests for separate bedrooms through a city with a ice skating rink and hockey programs! Take these lists and do your own research in private, "checking off" as many of the knowns as you can. When you fly in for an interview, hand the list back to your child, and tell them you are interviewing in this city, and this is what you see the area has to offer them. This can even help them feel empowered in your interview process.

From what I hear reported, involving your children is much more positive than not involving them. For younger children, it helps them feel like they have a role and a say in this change process, and for older children, it helps them communicate to you what is important to them, and what is frustrating to them about the thought of uprooting.

From my viewpoint as an executive recruiter, here is what I want to know. Is your son training to be an Olympic swimmer? If yes, you'd better tell me, because I don't want to be wasting my time looking at clients who are not located in a city that doesn't have an Olympic size pool for training. (Yes, this is a true situation! And, yes, that candidate and family successfully relocated and transferred training programs for their son.)

Is your spouse an elementary teacher, or a commercial designer? Tell your recruiter those things too -- a teacher is marketable in any size city, while a commercial designer requires a larger city to support the work.

Involve your family, and once you have a plan, involve your recruiter too.

Any more ideas? I'd love to hear them. Comment here on this post, or email me direct.

Questions Answered About Recruiters

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa Gutknecht) — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 19:30:00 +0000

There was an article this week on CFO.com about executive recruiters, and it answers many of the questions and comments I receive and hear frequently. So many candidates inquire (or get down-right irate with us) why we do not call back, or we do not return all their calls. I've often wanted to address many of the concerns you've expressed, but instead, I'm including the whole article - better said by this author than me!

And, while you read this article, keep in mind that there are many differences between recruitment firms. PRI, for example, does both contingency and retained searches, and unlike some firms, we have a committment to respond via email to each and every resume submitted - so at least you receive acknowledgment that your resume was received.

Yet, the reality is that we too, must work on multiple searches at the same time to stay in business, and as the article describes, we're joining that "rat race" and cannot physically manage to call all our candidates - limiting our direct communication with those qualified for the job orders we're working on at that time.

The full article is below, or click here to go to CFO.com to read the article there.

What You Don't Know about Headhunters: 10 Tips
Understanding what makes recruiters tick is a vital but often overlooked component of the job hunt. With a recession looming, it may be more crucial than ever.
David McCann
January 21, 2008

At long last, you have made the tough decision: it's time for a new job. Or maybe someone else decided that for you. Whatever the motivation — new owner, new boss, company going bankrupt, getting fired after a restatement — the first thing to do is find some executive recruiters. Right?

At this point, you might as well. But it would have been smarter to forge relationships with recruiters when you weren't in such a hurry to move — that way, a recruiter could have contacted you as positions became available. Not only is that how they prefer to work, it's a far surer path to making a change than pushing the panic button and expecting something to happen overnight.

Understanding what makes recruiters tick is a vital but often overlooked component of the job hunt. Here's what you need to know:

• The right recruiter. There are two kinds of recruiting firms: contingency and retained. The contingency firms get paid only when a candidate they found gets hired by a client. "There are some good ones, but many of them just throw a lot of spaghetti at the wall to see what sticks," says Lorraine Hack, a partner in the financial-officer practice at Heidrick & Struggles, a retained firm. "If you don't want your résumé to be all over the place like the daily news, you might not want to go that route." Companies hire firms like Hack's on retainer to identify candidates, thoroughly learn about them, and present a short list to be interviewed. But the lower the salary allocated for a slot, the less likely retained recruiters are to take on that search, so recruiters paid via contingency fees are frequently used to fill lower-level positions.

• E-greetings. To make initial contact with a recruiter, send an E-mail. "Some candidates think paper résumés stand out, but E-mail is interactive — I can just hit 'reply' to get back to you," says Hack. And her opinion about cold calls: "Very poor." Some recruiters, like Chuck Eldridge, managing director of the financial-officers practice at Korn/Ferry International, don't mind a phone call or even a brief visit to get acquainted — to a point. "I can't do that with every finance person in the country," he says. Which brings us to the next point.

• It's a rat race. Working on about 10 searches at a time, a recruiter might make five calls to prospective candidates per week on each search, according to Hack. That's 50 calls. Each client wants weekly telephone updates on the search progress, which eats up several hours. Candidates who pass initial muster must be interviewed, followed by a written report to the client; this process takes a couple of hours a pop, and sometimes a whole day, if the recruiter must travel to do the interview. That's not to mention their own intracompany meetings or the small matter of finding new business.

Why should you care? "If you call a recruiter and they don't call back, it isn't necessarily because they have a bad feeling about you — it's that they're overwhelmed," says I.H. "Chip" Clothier, managing partner of HFC Executive Search. "There's an assumption that if you call someone they're going to call you back, but it physically can't work that way." Also note that while you may be out of a job, calling recruiters every week for an update is not productive and likely will just annoy them.

• Poor returns. On the other hand, recruiters take a dim view of you not returning their calls. Aside from providing all information about your accomplishments and employment history, the single most important thing to do when making a career change is to return phone calls, according to Eldridge. "It's simple, but the number of people who don't return calls is unfortunately very high," he says.

• It's a cold world. Cold-calling not only can be an annoyance to recruiters, as indicated previously, it's also not likely to land you a job in the short term because headhunters generally do very specific searches. The vast majority of positions they fill are the result of their own proactive searches. Even if you get through to the recruiter and ask what searches are in progress, finding a match is a longshot. "Our clients usually have precise requirements for what they want," says Eldridge. "A lot of times people will try to 'bend' their résumé to fit the situation, but I have to tell them I can't — the client was very clear."

• Heavy hitters. Don't make the mistake of assuming that a recruiter is a lightweight go-between that you cursorily pass by on your way to the real interview. Retained recruiting firms play an enormous role in helping determine who gets hired. If you don't ace your interview with the recruiter, you will never get to see the actual employer. And do not assume you can b.s. the recruiter because he or she knows little about finance. Hack, for instance, is a former CFO, and Eldridge had a long career at a Big Four accounting firm.

• Back-scratching. Among the best ways to build a relationship with recruiters is to help them succeed. If one calls you about a job that is not right for you, make every effort to refer him or her to someone else who might be more appropriate. "I don't forget that, and I try to pay those little dividends back," says Clothier.

• A wide net. Don't limit your efforts to network with recruiters to E-mails and phone calls. "Getting to know recruiters through other means is smart," says Clothier. There are professional conferences, finance-industry events, and networking organizations such as the Financial Executives Networking Group, where you can rub elbows with recruiters. "Those are great opportunities for getting to know somebody face-to-face in a 10-minute conversation that can be followed up on later," he adds.

• On the record. Most major recruiting firms offer Websites where you can enter your profile and a résumé into a database that all of the firm's search professionals can tap. The information can be updated at any time; if you are moving to Denver, say, make a note of it in your online profile, which typically will trigger E-mail alerts to the firm's finance recruiters.

• The ship is already sinking. And, yes, do not wait until you are in trouble or transition to start calling recruiters. "It is extremely unfortunate that so many people don't network or do it too late," says Eldridge.

Resume Workshop - Don't Miss The Obvious

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa Gutknecht) — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 20:12:00 +0000

Recently, our firm was working with two candidates - one in Quality Assurance Management, and one in Plant Operations / Management. We asked both candidates to make some changes specific for the job and client we were considering presenting them for. Both candidates made changes. The Plant Operations candidate did a full re-work of the resume, and the client made arrangements to interview him upon the first review of the resume.

The Quality Assurance candidate added a couple things, and moved things around, but failed to add some of the core items that we had requested. In the interest of time, this candidate was presented, and received a no interest from our client.

In a review later, it became obvious why our client responded to the written resumes in that way.

One candidate took the time to read the job description and research the client company. He then took everything in his experience that matched the description and the objective, goals and mission of the company, and wrote his resume for that company and job. He dropped much of the other accomplishments, tasks and details in his resume that didn't look like they would be a focus, or of as much importance for the role he was interviewing for.

The other candidate left core, essential items out of his resume. For a professional in Quality, keywords like "ISO" and "audits" and "inspection" were missing. He had all this experience, but chose to focus on recent highlights and accomplishments. This was good, but not relevant to the client company he was trying to interview with. They looked at that, but didn't see any of the "basics" they wanted in an employee for this role, and without further consideration, passed.

The lesson here is not to be so concerned with impressing the unknown reader of your resume that you forget the obvious essentials of your role / discipline. This is especially important since resumes often go through software screening, and a lack of those keywords would result in your resume never getting to human eyes.

Identify the core essentials in your job, write a list, and then check to be sure your resume contains all of them. To help you create a master list, read all the job ads or postings you can for jobs you are interested in securing -- even if those jobs are located in a different geographic location. What are the common terms, or keywords, employers are using? Add those to your list, and every so often in your job search, recheck postings to make sure you're not missing anything.

Christmas - A Toddler's Perspective

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa Gutknecht) — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 14:15:00 +0000

I hope all our readers had a warm and merry Christmas celebration! I've fallen behind on the blog writing as I take time out to celebrate with family and friends.

So, here is a break into the career search train of thought for my readers. One of the latest questions from my toddler daughter: "Mommy, if baby Jesus is a king, then where's the princess?!"

Wishing you a safe and Happy New Year!

Refresh Your Phone Interview Basics

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa Gutknecht) — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 14:15:00 +0000

Refresh your phone interview basics with a Career Solvers post from a few weeks ago that reminds interviewees how important the basic preparations can be in a phone interview.

I would remind our readers that these points also apply to your phone interview with a recruiter. While my first phone interview with you may be more basic and informal by nature, I'm certainly looking for everything the prospective hiring manager is. Additionally, if you don't make a good impression in my first phone conversation, it is highly probable that you will not make it to the hiring manager's short list of candidates to review.

Below are a few points I feel are especially important. Read more details and the rest of the article here.

Schedule the meeting during a time when you won't be distracted.
Conduct interviews from a landline.
Put a mirror in front of you.
Create an office space.
Have your notes in front of you.

It is tempting to take a phone interview in stride, to view it as a simple phone call in your busy day. But nearly every phone interview serves a critical purpose in the screening and selection process, and you must "pass" the phone interview in order to advance to a in-person, or face to face interview. Spending a few minutes and being prepared for your phone interview is a worthy time investment.

Job Searching Resource - What Color Is Your Parachute

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa Gutknecht) — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 05:35:00 +0000

I must confess that I am going to recommend a resource to my job seeking readers that I haven't read yet. It's on my "to-do" list, but the reality is that I will not get it accomplished this month.

The resource is the book, "What Color Is Your Parachute?, 2008: A Practical Manual for Job-hunters and Career-Changers." This is the latest release by Richard Nelson Bolles, and his "What Color Is Your Parachute" book has been a New York Times bestseller for years.

While I haven't had a chance to read this release yet, I have read an earlier release, and agree that this is one book every person conducting a job search or considering a career change should read.

The Simple Dollar, a blog I catch from time to time, started a book review series, with his first entry focusing on the Chapters 1 through 4. Following is an excerpt that focuses on Chapter 3: How To Deal With Handicaps.

Part of the reason I wanted to read this book again in great detail is because there are so many little strokes of genius throughout it. The first one is in this chapter, where it suggests a really interesting exercise for job hunters with some sort of handicap. The book provides a list of about 250 action verbs, and then it invites the reader to separate these into two lists - ones you cannot do and ones that you can do (or at least potentially can do).

This activity is wonderful because most people with handicaps that might still be reading What Color Is Your Parachute? will have a much longer list of things they can do than things they cannot do. That’s incredibly empowering, as it takes the focus away from the handicap and puts it on the skills a person has, which is where the value is anyway.

For non-handicapped readers, there’s really only one point that should be brought out of this chapter: the idea that a handwritten thank you note is incredibly valuable to send after any interview, whether it be good or bad. A note like that shows that you actually care about the position in a personal way, which speaks a lot about your character to the people doing the hiring. You’ll also stand out distinctly from the horde that doesn’t bother to send one.

Following is an exerpt from Alison Doyle on About.com: Job Searching, who writes a review of the book after talking with the author himself.

One of the reasons that the book still works so well is that, even though how and where we look for jobs has changed signficantly over the years, the basic premise of the book remains the same. If you follow that premise: the secret to a successful job hunt starts with knowing ourselves - you will be well positioned to successfully job search or change your career.

Work some time in your career search to read this book. With worksheets, tools, excercises and updated advice, it will be time well spent, and your job search may well end more successfully than you had imagined!

Resume Workshop - Decrease to Increase

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa Gutknecht) — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 13:00:00 +0000

For this blog workshop, I am going to continue the topic started last week on "how many pages?" Remember that the goal is only two pages, or even one page, if possible (and a requirement if you are in the early stages of your career). The focus of this workshop is the volume of the descriptions or content you write about each position you have held.

How many positions are detailed?

If you have worked for 15 or more years, it isn't necessary to have every detail spelled out for every job you've held. Many factors unique to you will influence exactly what you should spell out on your resume, but a general guideline I use for most of my candidates is to provide narrative or content for only the last 8 to 10 years of positions. After that, simply list the employer, title and dates held for each position - no bullets or narrative necessary.

This is especially true if you have worked for an employer for a long time - we could use 6+ years as an example - and your resume is mostly compiled of details of job duties within the same company. It is important to show the career progression and promotions you have achieved. It is not important to add duties or bullets to each and every one of those roles. A simple line with the title and years you held that position, such as "Mechanical Engineer, 1994-1997" or "Materials Manager, 1992-1996" will suffice. Certainly clear cut titles make this easier - people involved in the hiring process know what most Engineering, Production or Supply Chain roles are in most manufacturing companies, so save the space on your resume, and spare them the time to read what they already know.

So, you are decreasing the "known" or older employment verbiage to increase space for verbiage on the more current and relevant.

A word of caution here. Too much verbiage anywhere isn't a good thing either - so don't go overboard with the details of your current position. Eliminating descriptions from older jobs can help you keep to a two page resume, while allowing enough space to add what is unique, important or significant for accomplishments in your current role.

The other rule of thumb I would advise is that you need content for at least your last three positions held, starting with your current position. This, again, will differ depending on your circumstances and personal career track. If you've changed employers with each of those last three jobs, you may need to detail four jobs. Or, if you have had the same job at the same employer for eight or more years, maybe detailing the last two jobs is applicable for you.

An easier way to determine this is that most hiring managers and recruiters are going to be the most interested in your last 10 years of experience, with greater focus on the last 6 to 8 years. If your jobs 8+ years ago were classic roles - like "Manufacturing Engineer" or "Purchasing Manager" - that do not need descriptions, by listing your employer name, location, title and dates, you will satisfy the reader of your resume with the rest of your employment history.

One catch may be if you are applying for a position that requires experience you obtained more than 10 years ago. If that is your scenario, you'll have to find a way to include that detail. (Good luck, since most hiring managers are going to want the experience more recent. But it is possible, depending on how significant that previous experience is in the big picture!)

And, one last tip. The number of bullets or amount of verbiage for each of your positions doesn't have to be "even". Have the majority of bullets for your most recent position, and then keep scaling back with your previous positions.

It may be that a hiring manager or recruiter will ask for that earlier career detail, or that you may need to provide a complete chronological resume at some point in your interview process, so keep that detail on hand. However, your current resume must emphasize more of who you are today and your more recent accomplishments.

In future workshops, I'll address use of keywords, bullets and more. If you have a question, comment, or specific area of resume creation you would like to see addressed, please comment to this post, or email me directly.

Resume Workshop - The Very Basics

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa Gutknecht) — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 18:35:00 +0000

I have posted a good number of links and articles on writing and improving resumes, and certainly will continue to do so. All of these offer various levels of good advice, but I find that many of my candidates are still not sure where to start. And, I understand. Most of you can work miracles with engineering design, implement successful lean manufacturing plans, increase quality while decreasing costs, and show stunning bottom-line savings for production, plant operations and more. Yet, when it comes to sitting down at a piece of paper that is supposed to sell yourself, the creative writing and compilation process isn't what you excel at.

We work with marketing professionals for consumer goods / CPG manufacturing, and they have stunning resumes - but even marketing professionals can have the critical mistakes of too long of a resume, not enough keyword strength at the top, and losing the reader in the two minute review.

So, here is a start of my own Resume Workshop series - focused on more practical resume writing and improvement suggestions geared for the manufacturing professional. I'll try to post a few tips or how-to's frequently each month.

To begin with, the very basics. Start with pulling out your existing resume. For starters, let's look at:

How many pages?
If your resume is on more than 2 pages, start slashing. Even a senior executive in the manufacturing sector shouldn't have more than two pages. Some tips on how to accomplish this:

Margins. Look at your document margins - are they greater than 1/2 inch all around? If yes, then move them out - .5" to 1.0" is acceptable, and anything greater than 1.0" is excess page space lost. Now, once this is accomplished, review the results. Are you on 2 pages now? Do you still have text spilling on to a 3rd page?

Education. How many lines do you use to list your education? Your college, degree major and other pertinent information can be listed on one line, rather than the 2 to 3 lines I often see.

Unnecessary Information. Do you still have hobbies listed on your resume? Do you have "interests" on your resume? Do you have the "References Available Upon Request" line on your document? If yes, get rid of it all. Hobbies and personal interests are commonly agreed to be unnecessary, and even a negative on resumes today. The line about references available is also unnecessary. It is commonly understood that if you are interested in a position, you will be providing references in the interview and background check process.

Personal Information. If you have any personal information, beyond your contact information, then remove it. Not only is it a waste of valuable space on the paper, it is considered inappropriate by most hiring authorities and must be completely ignored in following all laws regarding discrimination, equal opportunity and others. Your age, marital status, and other personal information should not appear on a resume.

How are you doing with your resume now? While these are basics, I find that many of the resumes I read would be reduced from 3 to 2 pages with just these simple steps.

Next week, I'll continue with adding steps on how to decrease the volume of your resume body while increasing your resume's "sell-ability". Stay tuned.

The Second Time Out

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa Gutknecht) — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 05:08:00 +0000

I had a great conversation today with an earlier career mechanical engineer. She graduated with her BSME from a well respected engineering school, and landed a solid first job after school. She’s ready to spread her wings and, enthusiastically taking on her job search, she submitted her resume to a few dozen prospective employers - with no results.

In our conversation, she relayed her surprise and disappointment at the lack of results – after all, when she was searching for her current job, she had immediate and almost overwhelming response. Shouldn’t she be just as marketable now that she has some actual experience under her belt?

Like many early career professionals, she is finding out that the job search a few years after college is different than right out of college. Are you more marketable as a new grad, or as a recent grad with some years of work experience?

The answer is different with every employer, and even the individual hiring manager and position within the organization. Yes! In my experience, you are very marketable with a few years experience, but you will have to work at a job search, versus the contacts you receive from employers who actively recruit college grads.

So, here is basic advice, the "3 R's" I would give candidates in this stage of a job search:

Read up on how to conduct a job search – you will need the advice and tips of those who have the experience.

Redo your resume – completely. Start fresh. Most college grad resumes are filled with details of internships, summer programs, class projects, etc, which can be essential to a college grad landing their first position, but now considered a professional and not a “grad”, you’ll need to remove much of that information. Many resume experts recommend removing anything that is considered personal, school projects and hobby related.

Research the industry you are targeting, and specific companies you are interested in working for. Check out their employment section, and if possible read all the jobs posted online - even if you are not interested in the current jobs and/or locations. Create resumes that are specific for these employers, drawing from your research. Use the keywords they used in their descriptions and highlight any applicable experience you have that is similar to their process, product or service.

Thoughts of Thanksgiving

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa Gutknecht) — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 17:12:00 +0000

Happy Thanksgiving! I wish each of you a warm and memorable day, whatever your traditions may be. For most of us, it probably involves a great meal, whether special dishes carefully prepared, or if you and your loved ones get together to share a meal at a restaurant.

One of my favorite things about any holiday is what children say and get excited over. Here are some great "Thanksgiving Recipes" I found at the Teachers.Net Gazette.

Ivette - Banana Pie
You buy some bananas and crust. Then you mash them up and put them in the pie. Then you eat it.

Geremy - Turkey
You buy the turkey and take the paper off. Then you put it in the refrigerator and take it back out and cut it with a knife and make sure all the wires are out and take out the neck and heart. Then you put it in a big pan and cook it for half an hour at 80 degrees. Then you invite people over and eat.

Shelby - Applesauce
Go to the store and buy some apples, and then you squish them up. Then you put them in a jar that says, "Applesauce." Then you eat it.

Meghan - Turkey
You cut it into 16 pieces and then you leave it in the oven for 15 minutes and 4 degrees. You take it out and let it cool and then after 5 minutes, you eat it.

Christa - Cookies
Buy some dough and smash it and cut them out. Then put them in the oven for 2 hours at 100 degrees. Then take them out and dry them off. Then it's time to eat them.

Moriah - Turkey
First you cut the bones out. Then you put it in the oven for 10 hours at 600 degrees. Then you put it on the table and eat it.

Vincent - Turkey
You cut and put sauce on it. Then you cook it for 18 minutes at 19 degrees. Then you eat it with stuffing.

Grace - Turkey
First you add some salt. Then you put it in a bowl. Then you put brown sugar on it. Then you mix it all together with a spoon and then you add some milk and mix it again. And then you put it in a pan. Then you put it in the oven for 15 minutes and 16 degrees. Then you take it out of the oven and then you eat it.

Alan - Turkey
First you shoot it and then you cut it. And then you put it in the oven and cook it for 10 minutes and 20 degrees. You put it on plates and then you eat it.

Jordan Si. - Chocolate Pudding
Buy some chocolate pudding mix. Then you add the milk. Then you add the pudding mix. Then you stir it. Then you put it in the refrigerator and wait for it to get hard. Then you eat it.

Jason - Chicken Pie
Put the chicken in the pot and put the salad and cheese and mustard and then you mix it all together. Then put chicken sauce and stir it all around again. Then you cook it for 5 minutes at 9 degrees. Then you eat it.

Christopher - Pumpkin Pie
First you buy a pumpkin and smash it. Then it is all done. And you cook it in the oven for 12 minutes and 4 degrees. Then you eat it.

Jordan - Cranberry Pie
Put cranberry juice in it. Then you put berries in it. Then you put dough in it. Then you bake it. Then you eat it.

Joplyn - Apple Pie
Take some apples, mash them up. Take some bread and make a pie with it. Get some dough and squish it. Shape the dough into a pie shape. Put the apples in it. Then bake it at 9 degrees for 15 minutes.

Isabelle - Spaghetti
Put those red things in it. Then put the spaghetti in it. Then cook it in the oven for 2 minutes at 8 degrees.

Nicholas - White and Brown Pudding
First you read the wrapper. Get a piece of water. Stir. Then you eat it.

Lauren - Turkey
First you find a turkey and kill it. Cut it open. Put it in a pan. Pour milk in the pan. Put a little chicken with it. Put salsa on it. Take out of pan. Put it on the board. Cut into little pieces. Put on a rack. Put in the oven for 7 minutes at 10 degrees. Take out of the oven and put eensy weensy bit of sugar on it. Put a little more salsa on it. Then you eat it.

Olivia - Corn
Get hot water and put on stove. Wait for 8 minutes. Put corn in. Then put it on a plate. Then eat.

Siera - Pumpkin Pie
Get some pumpkin and dough for the crust. Get pumpkin pie cinnamon. Cook it for 20 minutes at 10 degrees.

Kayla - Turkey
Buy it. Take it home. Then you cook it. Put it in the oven for 1 hour. Take it out of the oven. Put it on a plate. Then you eat it.

At PRI, we are looking forward to having Thanksgiving Day to get together with our family and friends and take a break from the rush of normal life. I would encourage you to take a well needed break from your careers and job search and enjoy the holiday break. Note that our office will be closed on November 22nd and 23rd for the holiday.

Get Your Household On Board

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa Gutknecht) — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 17:15:00 +0000

Here is a bit of how my day went today recruiting candidates:

Call #1, reached a voice mail, the message was rude and indicated that they didn’t want to accept calls from anyone they didn’t know personally.

Call #2, reached a spouse who took a message, and after identifying himself as the spouse, proceeded to ask me many questions, including “what would she be doing in this job?”, and “what is the address of the location – I want to be sure it is within commuting distance from both our home and the kids’ school”. Not exactly appropriate for the person who is NOT the candidate.

Call #3, reached a very young child, who, in setting the phone down to get a pencil, hung up on me. I redialed the number, hoping to get to the voice mail this time, and instead a gentleman answered the phone. After leaving a message, he asked me “where is this job? Because if this job isn’t here, then he’s not interested, and I’m not giving him the message.” Wow – this person didn’t even identify himself – I had no idea if I was dealing with a family member or a babysitter!

Call #4, left a voice message at the home number, and a few hours later received a call back from the candidate’s wife who informed me that her husband was not interested in that job – it wasn’t going to pay enough. Funny, I had received an email from the candidate within an hour of leaving the message that confirmed he was interested in the position and wanted to proceed with the client interview process! I politely thanked the spouse for her concern and explained that I wasn’t at liberty to discuss much of the job with her at this point, and then emailed the candidate that I had received a phone call from his wife – perhaps he should check with her first?

Well, those calls weren’t all in row, but this type of “message leaving” with household members does occur on a regular basis. When you are conducting a professional job search and provide a home phone number for communication, make sure your entire household is on board with your search, and understands the etiquette of taking a message and the fact that job details are discussed between candidate and recruiter and/or hiring manager – not with the spouse or other household members.

Round Up: Resumes

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa Gutknecht) — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 14:30:00 +0000

Resource Round Up: Recently Published Tips and Advice on Creating and Improving Your Resume

How To Construct a Killer Resume, From Start to Finish

Resumes Are a lot Like Halloween Costumes

Critical Resume Mistakes

Walk The Line?

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa Gutknecht) — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 14:30:00 +0000

This blog post saddens me to write. The story is simple enough. A top notch candidate, with all the right experience, in-depth industry knowledge, education, leadership abilities and people skills. The candidate aced the interview, sold the senior management on his abilities and was going to get the offer. He was thrilled, and he should have been – he did a great job and the employer was going to extend a strong offer.

A routine background check was conducted, and during that process it was discovered that the candidate did not have the degree he claimed on his resume. The same degree he listed, along with a graduation date, on several other employment and application forms.

When questioned, the candidate answered that he was just a few credits short from graduating, but thought he was close enough to the degree and had the applicable credits for the degree secured. We countered – it was falsifying his resume. The employer wouldn’t hire someone who had lied on his resume, or on any other their employment forms. How could they trust a senior manager within their organization who started off their relationship on a false premise?

The irony is that this is one of the rare clients that actually would have hired the candidate without the degree – his experience and talents were what they were seeking and the degree wasn’t a firm requirement in their organization. I am sure the candidate (and many readers) would counter that he would not have reached the interview stages without that line item listing his degree on his resume. Perhaps this is true, perhaps not.

What is certainly the case now is that the candidate is out of a job, and we cannot represent him anywhere else. If he had been truthful with us at the beginning of the interview process, we may still have been able to redeem the situation.

I’ve read articles and blogs that indicate a “little truth stretching” on your resume is okay. That you can and should tweak things to show you in a better light. I agree that you can, and should highlight your skills and experience to the best light possible, but all within the truth. Intentionally misrepresenting any information on your resume, cover or thank you letters and any applications, questionnaires, etc., is lying and will come around to bite you. If you get the job, sooner or later your new employer is bound to find out.

My opinion is to stay truthful in all that you do. Here are links to others opinions – on both sides of the fence. And, what is your opinion? I would welcome your comments on this post.

Six people who were caught lying on their resumes

Lying on Your Resume

Lying Up, Hiring Down

Most Common Resume Lies

The fine line between boasting on a resume and lying

High Profile Cases of People Caught Lying on Their Resumes

To Our California Candidates & Clients

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa Gutknecht) — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 13:01:00 +0000

To all our candidates and client contacts located near or within the California fires, we extend our thoughts and prayers to you. We have received some email communication from many of you indicating that you are not able to respond to us easily right now -- and we understand. Please focus on you, your families and what is important at home, and let us know when you are ready to work on your job search / job order again. We will be delighted to hear from you.

Round Up: Interviewing

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa Gutknecht) — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 15:45:00 +0000

Resource Round Up: Recently Published Tips and Advice on Interviewing

Preparing for a Tough Job Interview

How to ace a phone interview

For Job Seekers: Permission to Cheat - Use It!

What if the interviewer never calls you back?

Nail that job! 7 tips for traveling for an interview

Job Interview Humor of the Week

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa Gutknecht) — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 13:45:00 +0000

Came across this article on Yahoo! Personal Finance, “10 dumbest job-interview moves”, by Anne Fisher.

Put some humor into your job search this week with the top ten the article lists. Here are a few of my favorites:

"...brought his mother to the interview and let her do all the talking."
"...delivered his entire cover letter in the form of a rap song."
"...explained that he had no relevant experience for the job he was interviewing for, but his friend did."

What is the most humorous thing you have heard said in an interview? Post your thoughts to this blog.