CoachDQ

You can do anything you want to do as long as you put your mind to it.
Coach DQ

Archive for the ‘Resume Strategies’ Category

Is Your Resume SEO Compliant?

Wednesday, August 25th, 2010


Those of you who’ve taken my BRIDGE tele-class or followed my BRIDGE strategy for Job Search, you already know that when you’re clear about the role you’re after, it takes less time and effort to land your ideal position.


I’ve heard it said many times that when you’re applying for jobs on-line and you send your resume, it may as well have been sucked into a black hole. With the increasing intelligence of search engines, company web site databases, and online applications, it’s easier than ever to get lost if you’re not on top of the latest web strategies. First on the list: make sure your resume is SEO-Compliant (Search Engine Optimization).


The “B” in my BRIDGE for Job Search Strategies method stands for “Become Clear.” As a Coach, part of my job is to help my clients with this first, deceivingly complex step. What do you want your career to look like? What do you want your life to look like when you’re in this career? Where and for whom do you want to work? 


When a client has trouble with this step or if “B” is too heavy for you to handle right now, we move to “R” — Research. We Research together to “I” — Identify — your skill set, likes, interests, motivators, values, unique attributes, target titles, target companies, and target key words. While we’re doing this, we’re also “D” — Developing— your resume, your career positioning, new contacts and “G” Getting a game plan, while “E” — Executing and Evaluating — on these strategies to help you reach your ideal position faster. This takes us back to “B” — Become Clear — at which point, you’re ready to progress to the next level.


As you Research and Identify, you’re not only creating a list of your skills and values; you’re creating a list of key words and phrases. These can be very helpful when creating an SEO-Compliant resume, since they are likely also the words and phrases which will be searched by hiring managers. You can then use these key words when researching on LinkedIn and other online resources to Research and Identify your ideal target employer.


“We have too many high-sounding words, and too few actions that correspond with them.” — Abigail Adams


Here’s how you can use SEO and key words to optimize your resume using LinkedIn.


Let’s say you are targeting a position on the client side as a Director of Marketing in the computer software industry. Go to LinkedIn.com, and in the upper right-hand part of the screen, click “Advanced” which is just to the right of the Search box for “People“. This will take you to the screen below:

LinkedIn Director of Marketing Key Word Search


In the Keyword box, type the title you are targeting (for this example, Director of Marketing). Note: You are typing Director of Marketing in the Keyword field not the Title field. Next, for Location, select “Located in or near” and then enter your Zip Code. Next check off under Industries, Computer Software, and click Search at the bottom. 


Drill down on some of the profiles that come up in the search, and take note of the titles, the companies and the key words used to describe the position held in each profile – keeping in mind that some Profiles contain much more information than others. Use these key words and phrases to refine your target search, and then look at the LinkedIn Profiles of your potential competitors — then look at your resume. Is it compliant relative to the types of positions you’re targeting? 


As you’re reading job descriptions do you notice some of the same key words? Are those key words present on your resume? It’s as simple as that! Use these words and phrases and get your resume SEO-Compliant! What most people don’t realize is the biggest value you get from LinkedIn and other job boards is the information you can obtain with simple Research. 


As the saying goes, people don’t plan to fail, they fail to plan. Brian Tracy, in a recent interview said…”You can’t hit a target you can’t see… and more people spend more time planning a picnic than they spend planning their careers.”


Start planning your career today by taking advantage of my no-obligation complimentary coaching consult. 


WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE, BLOG OR WEBSITE? Please do, as long as you include this complete blurb with it: Dawn Quesnel, CPCC, PCC, known as Coach DQ, is a professional coach, radio show host and workshop leader. Through the use of her B.R.I.D.G.E. programs she helps creative professionals and business owners navigate career or business transition while maintaining a healthy career-life balance. Her core belief that you can accomplish anything you set your mind to, consistently leads clients to uncover hidden resources and strengths. B.R.I.D.G.E. the gap and accelerate your career so you can love your life now! Visit www.CareerLifeBalance.net or http://www.coachdq.com today or for more information click here or email me.
Share



Need help with your resume? Enter your name by September 7, 2010 by e-mailing me at DQ@CoachDQ.com win a free resume strategy coaching session! (Valued at $350)

Creating Case Studies

Wednesday, July 29th, 2009

Last week I talked about how to make your resume stand out from the crowd. Now, let’s go even deeper.

Before you even begin to put your resume together, consider gathering some case studies — instances from your own professional life that showcase your value to prospective employers.

For example, let’s say that you worked on a project last year where you established deadlines with your client. Then, your company went through a merger or transition, and the deadlines were suddenly no longer in accordance with the original plan. You, and your team, had to readjust to make things workable for everyone, and keep the client happy. How did you shine in this process? 

How did you show the type of leadership, resourcefulness, and flexibility that your new employer might be looking for? These are the kinds of questions a case study answers.

Instead of panicking when things got complicated, let’s say you went immediately to your department head to work out a new calendar, and then prioritized each project item according to the new timeline. In the end, thanks to your resourcefulness, your team delivered the final product two days ahead of schedule. Plus, you saved your company 10% by negotiating with a new vendor. 

Whether it’s bringing in more money, changing processes to streamline operations, coming in ahead of schedule on a deadline, or building a team that really went the distance, your professional accomplishments are probably more numerous than you think. Think back and pick specific instances to focus on, then list your actions and decisions step by step in chronological order. Your case studies might be just a series of notes or bulleted items, or they might read like narratives. The format doesn’t matter: what matters is that you’re using the process to familiarize yourself with your own “brag sheet.”

Once you have three or four solid case studies, try to wrap them into your resume. You can do this by dropping hints in the descriptive section of your employment history, or building keywords into your summary. The point is, you want the hiring manager who interviews you to ask about these specific instances — and when they do, you’ll have your talking points rehearsed and ready to go. If you get nervous in interviews, you can even bring your case studies with you and read from them. (However, you don’t want to include them in your resume package: until your interviewer is interested, they’ll just be clutter.) 

Don’t think of your case studies as self-centered bravado. It’s hard, I know: sometimes acknowledging your own accomplishments is much harder than acknowledging your failings. But even if it’s an uncomfortable process at first, building case studies can help you target and hone your resume, streamline the interview process, and make it clear to a hiring manager that you’re prepared, detail-oriented, and not afraid to shine.

 [B1]Link here to previous post

Resume Formatting

Wednesday, July 22nd, 2009

A powerful resume can make the difference between getting hired and getting no response!

Due to the current economy, there’s been a shift in the ratio of resumes to job openings. More people are after the same jobs, and hiring managers are being bombarded with resumes — most of which are from under– or over-qualified candidates, or from people whose job experience only narrowly matches the description. Often, managers do no more than scan a resume before moving on, so if your resume doesn’t hold up at first glance, it will probably end up in the trash.

A few of my own tips for creating a resume that works…

  • Make it easy to read! Funky fonts and artwork might work for someone in a creative field, but if the resume isn’t readable at a quick glance, it’s not going to do its job – Get their attention! 

  • Know your target. Learn about the company you’re submitting to. If you have experience which matches aspects of that culture (i.e., the company is launching a new Green product, and you have experience with FDA Organic certifications) make sure you mention it. 

  • Don’t use “objectives” unless you’re a recent college grad. Your resume is not designed to tell your prospective employer what you want to do, but what you’ve already done. Also, stating specific objectives can narrow the focus of your resume, and if you’re not clear on the true nature of the position you’re after (which most people aren’t, prior to the first interview), targeted objectives might actually rule you out for the role. The person reviewing the resumes might say, great experience but according to his objective he wants…. 

  • You need a professional profile statement, a summary statement, or an executive summary. These opening paragraphs encapsulate who you are and what you do. This is the place for generalized statements and keywords like problem-solving, creative, motivated, etc. Save the details for later in the resume – but make sure you follow up on any assertions you make in the profile statement or summary. (There’s a great example of a summary statement in the TopSalesJobs.com article linked below.) 

  • Use bullets vs. paragraphs. Bullet points put the important information at the forefront, so it’s easier for busy managers to scan. 

  • Don’t be afraid to create more than one resume. Hiring managers look at enough resumes that they can tell when one is generic. Even if your “professional experience” section remains the same, your profile statement or summary should be targeted to the specific position you’re after, and make mention of specific qualities which are vital to succeeding in the job.

Above all, remember that your resume represents you on paper. If it’s lackluster and mediocre, the person reading it may think the same is true of you as well. Take the time to Be clear, make it outstanding, and let it lead the way to a successful career path that’s meaningful and fulfilling, challenging, yet flexible and intellectually stimulating. Why not? You only get one life! 

One of the biggest reasons your job search may be taking longer than you’d hoped is because you lack clarity about whom you’re targeting. I conducted a survey to see what was going on in the job market, and the results were astounding. 96% of respondents said they don’t have a career plan, but about 50% are actively involved in a job search! (Read more survey results here.)

In a market like this, it’s more important than ever to have a resume that speaks to your target audience, and which accurately and clearly communicates your professional and personal strengths.

In my upcoming BRIDGE for Job Search Tele-class, I’ll talk about how to use your resume to land the job you’re looking for. Get a taste of the BRIDGE Job Search Tele-class! Join me for a FREE preview Tele-Seminar! Click here for details.

More great tips on resume formatting see TopSalesJobs.com which breaks down the process into step-by-step “Decisions” so it’s easy to understand and follow. (Check out the article here.)

Resume Strategies

Tuesday, May 26th, 2009

Creating the Perfect Résumé

A great résumé is one of the most important tools you’ll use as you work toward your career goals. Not only does a résumé convey information about your accomplishments, it can convey aspects of your personality, your style, and your capacity for creative thinking.

Here are my top five rules for résumés:

1. “B” Clear: Many of you are familiar with my BRIDGE process. “B” stands for Becoming clear about your direction. If you’re not clear where your career is going, your résumé will show it. Have your goals firmly in mind before you start writing.  To learn more about my BRIDGE course visit http://coachdq.com/career-coaching/

2. Go for the bull’s eye: A good résumé should be targeted — not just to the general field you’re interested in, but to each specific job position, and even each potential employer. For example, if you’re interested in both graphic designer and art director positions, you will need two separate résumés: one to focus on your visual art skills and experience, and the other to focus on your directorial skills and project management experience. That doesn’t mean that the two résumés can’t overlap, but their individual focuses should be clear.

3. Know when to bold: I’ve seen résumés where literally every other line was in dark, bold typeface. This is a big mistake. Too much bolding on a page makes everything hard to read. Use bold type (or if you’re using two fonts, your header typeface) only when it’s truly necessary. 

4.  Avoid font overkill: Your résumé’s layout should be unique and eye-catching, but you can easily go overboard with flowery, hard-to-read fonts and bright colors. Remember that, first and foremost, your résumé needs to be legible. If a prospective employer can’t read it, they won’t read it. Examples of good résumé fonts include Times New Roman, Arial, Verdana, Georgia, and Garamond.

5. Use snail mail: I know it seems like a relic from the Dark Ages, but the postal service is still a great way to send your résumé (unless your prospective employer has specifically requested that résumés be submitted electronically). Sending a paper copy eliminates any hassles with file conversion and formatting, and ensures that your résumé will look exactly the way you intended it to when it lands on your new boss’s desk. If you are required to submit electronically, make sure to find out what file format the company prefers. On a side note: most recruiters prefer Word documents, so they can edit if necessary.

You can use the tips above to perfect your résumé no matter what field you’re in. When it comes to getting more creative, the rules are different for every profession — but a truly creative résumé can easily make you a star candidate. Here are some tips for creating a truly stellar résumé.

· Make a video résumé: According to a recent article in Time Magazine, video résumés are the new tool for the YouTube generation. If you’re job-shopping in a field where personal appearance and mannerisms are vital (think sales, marketing, and advertising) video résumés can give potential employers a taste of your charisma. 

· Set up an online portfolio: If you’re in a field where it’s necessary for you to showcase a portfolio, you need a website. Period. Paper copies of your work, no matter how pretty, don’t measure up to an online presence, and they’re much harder for prospective bosses to share with other company members. If time or money constraints prevent you from setting up your own website, consider utilizing a free online gallery service like ArtistPortfolio.net or Artist-Listing.com. If you have other resources that have worked well for you, please let me know so I can share them!

· Use testimonials and quotes: If your old boss wrote you a glowing letter of recommendation, excerpt it on your résumé. Same goes for client reviews and coworker evaluations. These can be included as sidebar items or can be spaced throughout the résumé. Just be sure to use them sparingly: you don’t want your résumé to read like an infomercial!

· Use online tools: Twitter, LinkedIn, and other online networking tools can be a great way to get your name out there. If you have a website, ask your friends and networking contacts to link their sites to yours. The bigger your web presence, the better the chances that the right someone will notice you.

Remember that when it comes to crafting a great résumé, the finished product needs to express not only what you’ve accomplished but who you are as an individual. If prospective employers can see you on that piece of paper, they’re more likely to feel connected to you, and call you in for an interview.

If you need help formulating your creative résumé, give me a call: I’ve recently partnered with a local résumé service, and I’m happy to put you in touch. Also, I can offer advice for targeting your résumé — in my former life as a recruiter, I reviewed thousands of résumés (some great, some awful), and I know what works. Finally, if you have a creative resume you’re proud of, send me a copy — I’d love to see it!

Quick Links

2009 © Career Life Balance. All rights reserved. International Coach Federation Member.