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Hiring Logjam Breaks as CEOs Plan Growth

2012-01-16T16:26:03Z

I found this great article written by Thomas Black at Bloomberg that I can't wait to share! It was initially published January 12th, 2012.

Companies from General Electric Co. (GE) to yogurt producer Chobani are adding U.S. workers, accelerating a rebound in hiring, as chief executive officers prepare for greater demand in a strengthening economic recovery.

Boeing Co. (BA) is bringing in more than 100 union machinists a week for a 60 percent boost in output by 2014. Nissan Motor Co. (7201) will expand in Tennessee with 1,000 people making lithium-ion batteries. And a GE executive was at a Kentucky appliance plant before dawn this month to greet some of 500 new employees.

“The next few years are going to be a different picture than what we saw in the last few,” said Hamdi Ulukaya, CEO and founder of South Edmeston, New York-based Chobani, which is building a 300-worker plant in Twin Falls, Idaho. “To get ready for this, we need to have our manufacturing capacity in place.”

The hiring reflects optimism among CEOs that the economy will continue to strengthen and more workers will be needed to meet demand. It may signal an end to a lockdown on job growth following the financial crisis that lingered even after the recession ended in June 2009, with economists estimating more new jobs created this year than any time since 2006.

Manufacturing, whether for GE refrigerators or Greenbrier Cos. (GBX) rail cars, is a bright spot in a labor market still so weak that December’s unemployment rate of 8.5 percent was the lowest in three years. U.S. factory payrolls expanded by 225,000 jobs in 2011, more than double the total from a year earlier.

‘Pretty Decent’

“The ground seems to be set for a pretty decent near-term outlook for manufacturing,” said Stephen Stanley, chief economist for Pierpont Securities in Stamford, Connecticut. “There’s still room for job growth there if demand continues to pick up.”

That’s a possibility at the U.S. unit of Germany’s Harting Deutschland GmbH, a maker of industrial connectors. CEO Rolf Meyer said his business probably will hire 20 more people in 2012, after doubling the workforce to 120 since the recession.

“We have a couple of large orders that we’re negotiating on in the broadcast and medical industries, and these will likely hit in the next five or six months,” said Meyer, who supplies customers such as GE, Siemens AG (SIE) and Alstom SA (ALO) from operations based in Elgin, Illinois.

Investors have taken note: The Standard & Poor’s 500 Industrials Index gained 23 percent through yesterday since the start of the fourth quarter, compared with a 15 percent advance for the broader S&P 500.

Wage Cut

GE, based in Fairfield, Connecticut, will meet higher demand for more energy-efficient appliances with new production of water heaters and refrigerators in Louisville, Kentucky. A union agreement in 2010 to cut hourly starting salaries to $13 and to increase efficiency helped bring back work to the U.S. from China and Mexico.

“Throughout the first quarter, we’ll be bringing people in,” said Dirk Bowman, general manager of manufacturing for GE’s appliance unit who welcomed some new workers at a factory in Louisville, Kentucky, to clapping and cheering at 6 a.m. one day this month. “It feels great.”

The new U.S. workers at Nissan, Japan’s second-largest carmaker, will produce batteries for the electric Leaf compact built nearby in Smyrna, Tennessee. Chrysler Group LLC, the U.S. automaker majority-owned by Fiat SpA (F), will add a third shift at it Detroit plant that makes the Jeep Grand Cherokee and Dodge Durango sport-utility vehicles, creating 1,100 jobs.

10,000 Jobs

Boeing, responding to airlines clamoring for more fuel- efficient jets, added 10,000 jobs last year as hiring in the Chicago-based planemaker’s commercial aircraft unit made up for shrinking defense employment.

New employees for Boeing’s Seattle-area plants are piling into orientation sessions held by the planemaker each Friday, said Tommy Wilson, a Machinists union official. The six-hour meetings, in an auditorium near Boeing Field, focus on policies from badge usage to parking, benefits and avoiding personal use of Internet access.

“They’ve been hiring like crazy,” said Connie Kelliher, a union spokeswoman in Seattle. “We’ve long since exhausted the people on layoffs and they’ve been new hires.”

Production increases at the world’s largest aerospace company are rippling out to suppliers such as Spirit AeroSystems Holdings Inc. (SPR) and Rockwell Collins Inc. (COL) Wichita, Kansas-based Spirit boosted its workforce by 1,000 to 15,000 last year and will hire at the same pace in 2012, said Ken Evans, a spokesman.

The U.S. may add 1.7 million jobs this year, the fastest pace since 2006, based on economists’ estimates compiled by Blue Chip Economic Indicators.

Risks to U.S.

Faster payroll growth should spur a 2.3 percent expansion in the U.S. economy in 2012, according to the median estimate of 84 economists compiled by Bloomberg. Europe is projected to contract by 0.2 percent and China’s economy is forecast to cool to 8.5 percent growth from 9.2 percent in 2011.

The risk to the U.S. is that Europe’s sovereign-debt crisis may worsen or that China’s slowdown becomes more abrupt, said Stanley, the Pierpont Securities economist.

“The economy is not so strong that it’s invincible to shocks,” Stanley said.

Metlife Inc. (MET), the largest U.S. life insurer, said this week it will shut its mortgage-origination business, eliminating most of the 4,300 employees. Archer Daniels Midland Co., the world’s largest grain processor, plans to cut 1,000 jobs to trim costs.

Kurt Rankin, an economist at PNC Financial Services Group Inc. in Pittsburgh, expects job growth this year to average 135,000 a month, a pace at which it would take years for the economy to make up for the 8.7 million positions lost in 2008 and 2009.

Engineering Talent

“It would be a stretch to say we would be able to recover to pre-recession levels by anywhere before the middle of the decade,” said Rankin, who predicts the unemployment rate will end this year at 8.2 percent or 8.3 percent.

Hiring began to pick up in mid-2011 among employers seeking engineering and technology-related workers, said Jesse Harriott, senior vice president and chief knowledge officer at Monster Worldwide Inc. (MWW), the world’s largest online recruiter.

Some industries have remained mostly unscathed by the recession, including oil and gas, technology and precious metals. Gold miners are struggling to find qualified applicants, said Rob McEwen, CEO of U.S. Gold Corp. (UXG) in Lakewood, Colorado. The labor pool dwindled in the 1980s and 1990s as weak metals markets deterred many would-be employees from mining schools, he said.

‘Like Bacteria’

“You’re seeing very strong demand for engineers and geologists,” McEwen said.

Martin Holdrich, senior economist at Woods & Poole Economics Inc. in Washington, said the factory-hiring rebound suggests a recovery in manufacturing employment toward pre- recession levels of 14 million jobs at the end of 2006, from fewer than 12 million last year. Concerns that those losses would all be permanent were overstated, he said.

“Manufacturing is a lot like bacteria,” Holdrich said. “As long as you don’t kill them all, they’ll flourish again when the conditions are right.”

CAN CAREER COACHING SERVICES BENEFIT MY CAREER?

2011-12-01T17:16:12Z

Published by Angela Jones, Haute Resume & Career Services LLC

One of the most recent developments in the job search industry is the evolution of the career coach as an essential component for any top-level job search campaign. We hear about coaches in the media, read about them in resume books, and even see them on Oprah!

Five years ago, coaching was a virtually unknown profession. Today, it is evolving at a phenomenal rate. Are you taking advantage of this new trend? Do you know what a career coach is? Could you benefit from the expertise of one?

By definition, a career coach is a trained professional (usually someone in the counseling and/or professional job search industry) who will guide you through the complexities of skills assessment, job search planning, campaign development, career marketing and long-term career management. To determine the value a career coach would bring to you, go through the following checklist of information.

Career Assessment & Focus

Yes	No
¨	¨	Do you know “who” you are – professionally?
¨	¨	Do you have a clear understanding of your most significant skills and qualifications?
¨	¨	Are you clear about your career objectives?
¨	¨	Do your skills and qualifications match your objectives?
¨	¨	Do you know the type of position you are seeking?
¨	¨	Do you know what types of activities you do NOT want to engage in?
¨	¨	Do you know the industries in which you are interested and will be focusing your search?

Your career coach will assist you in identifying and assessing your qualifications, job preferences, likes and dislikes, immediate objectives and long-term goals. Your coach will help you evaluate your worth in the employment market and your value within specific industries.

Career Change & Transition

Yes	No
¨	¨	Are you considering changing career paths, professions or industries?
¨	¨	Can you find an equivalent position if you make such a change?
¨	¨	Will you command the same level of compensation:
¨	¨	What skills do you have that are transferable between jobs and/or industries?
¨	¨	Do you feel as though you are going to be niched into your current industry for the rest of your career?
¨	¨	Do you feel as though you are going to be niched into your current profession for the rest of your career?
¨	¨	Do you know today’s “hot” industries and professions?
¨	¨	Do you have the “right” skills to transition into these high-growth industries?

Your coach will guide you in identifying and evaluating all of your possibilities and provide you with critical market intelligence to formulate your job search action plan.

Personal & Family Issues

Yes	No
¨	¨	Do you have personal or family issues that are directly impacting your job search?
¨	¨	Is relocation out of the question?
¨	¨	Is your spouse currently employed and not anxious to leave his/her position?
¨	¨	Is your age impacting your campaign results?
¨	¨	Are you tied to your current community because of out-of-work activities you’re involved in?
¨	¨	Do you have a physical disability that might be negatively impacting your search, but has never impacted your work performance?
¨	¨	Are you depressed because your job search has not progressed at the pace you anticipated?
¨	¨	Do you need an advisor, a confidante or a job search partner?

Your coach can be your sounding board, helping you determine how to evaluate and prioritize these issues in relation to your search, how to best overcome obstacles standing in your way and how to best position those issues to your advantage.

Career Marketing & Job Search Management

Yes	No
¨	¨	Do you understand that the job search process is similar to the sales process?
¨	¨	Do you understand that YOU are the product you are selling and that you must effectively merchandise and promote the product?
¨	¨	Do you understand all of the different marketing channels available to you in managing your search – targeted direct mail campaigns, email broadcast campaigns, Internet resume posting services, Internet job posting services, specialty job lead reports and more?
¨	¨	Do you know which marketing channels are the RIGHT marketing channels for your search?
¨	¨	Do you know how to best optimize your networking contacts and results?
¨	¨	Do you know which advertisements to respond to and which to ignore?

Your career coach can help you critically evaluate each and every available job search strategy, its value to your search, the risk/reward ratio of each and how to best integrate each program into your campaign.

Interview Skills & Salary Negotiations

Yes	No
¨	¨	Are you confident of your performance in the interview situation?
¨	¨	Are you able to “sell” your accomplishments without sounding as though you are bragging?
¨	¨	Are you articulate and well-presented?
¨	¨	Are you comfortable in a “stressful” interviewing situation with more than one interviewer?
¨	¨	Can you quickly and easily accommodate to a new environment?
¨	¨	Are you an accomplished negotiator, confident of your ability to negotiate the “best” compensation package possible?
¨	¨	Do you fully understand the potential of various bonus structures and schedules?
¨	¨	Do you understand the value of equity participation and other non-traditional compensation models?

Your career coach will help you develop and refine powerful interviewing skills, pushing you to perform at your best, communicate your value and earn a compensation package well beyond your original expectations.

References

Yes	No
¨	¨	Will your references speak positively about your skills, qualifications, experience and track record?
¨	¨	Will your references say anything that could be potentially damaging to you?
¨	¨	Are your references the RIGHT references for you to use?
¨	¨	Do you know how to improve the performance of your references when they’re talking about you?
¨	¨	Can you make the reference-checking process easier for your references?

If you know that your references may be divulging information that could be construed as negative, let your career coach teach you how to best overcome these situations.

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If you can answered “YES” to most of the questions and are confident in your ability to manage your job search, then you are reasonably well-prepared to move forward on your own. However, if you still feel the need for the expertise, insights and support of a career coach, don’t hesitate for one minute. These trained professionals can make a huge difference in the speed and success of your job search.

If you answered “NO” to more than just 3-4 of the questions above, I would strongly urge you consider the value a career coach could bring to your job search, career performance and compensation. With years of training and experience, career coaches know what works and what doesn’t work, how to optimize your results, and how to help you land your ideal position. With your career coach at your side, you can move forward confidently and successfully.

Are Professional Resume Writers Worth the Investment?

2011-02-08T18:25:00Z

As a Certified Professional Resume Writer and Executive Recruiter, I am often approached by highly qualified job seekers frustrated by weeks and often months of costly unemployment. Job seekers who have sent hundreds of resumes yet are never called to interview.

I've found that the majority of job seekers assume that because they were successful in writing their own resume years ago, they can use the same resume today. This overconfidence in their self-written resume often results in the loss of thousands of dollars in lost income.

What will a professional resume writer do for you that you might not be able to do yourself?

1. Analyze Your Unique Situation and Select an Appropriate Resume Format - There are a variety of formats available to better market your skills and experience including: chronological, functional, hybrid, Curriculum Vitae (CV), Federal Resume format, etc. Choosing the wrong format for your situation can quickly eliminate you from consideration. A well-written resume will match your skills and experience to the hiring managers' needs.

2. Design a Compelling, Accomplishment Driven Resume - Unfortunately, the majority of resumes that I review are more of a chronological history focused on tasks rather than a true marketing document. Imagine a hiring manager with one position to fill and 100 equally qualified candidates applying for a single position. If each candidate has a similar educational and professional background it is easy to see that the candidate who contributed the most in previous positions is likely to win the interview.

3. Optimize Your Resume for Use with Today's Technology - Due to the sheer volume of resumes that employers receive only a handful are ever printed and actually reach the hands of the hiring manager. Employers today often use ATS software to search the resume for keywords specific to the position. The
more hits they find on your resume, the more likely it will be that your resume will ever be read with human eyes. This is the process that most often eliminates even the most qualified candidate from consideration.

4. Brand You as the Ideal Candidate for the Job You Want - A professional resume writer will develop your personal branding strategy and market your skills and experience in order to position you as the best candidate for the job!

5. Potentially Save You Thousands of Dollars by Shortening Your Job Search - According to the Department of Labor it is now taking the average job seeker more than 8 months (39 weeks) to find a job. If you were making $52,000 per year in your last position you are losing $1,000 per week in lost salary. Now if a professionally written resume shortens your job search by as little as four weeks it could save you $4,000 in lost salary! If it shortens your job search by eight weeks you could save $8,000. A professionally written resume may be much more than a luxory but rather a necessity.

When seeking the help of a professional resume writer ; certifications and references are good places to
start. With today's economic conditions many claim to be professional resume writers , however, they often do
not have the talent or training necessary to help you get through the screening process.

Choose carefully; ask for and compare samples of their work. Your resume writer should do much more than simply type a resume. They will analyze your career and help you determine your career direction, develop a format that's most suitable to your specific situation, and then craft a strong and compelling marketing document that targets your career objective and positions you as the best candidate for the position.

A do-it-yourself resume can cost you thousands of dollars. Here's how...

2010-12-24T17:35:00Z

The Dept of Labor is saying that an average job search is now in excess of 30 weeks and even longer for executives. This statistic demonstrates that what used to work in a job search 5 years ago--doesn't work today.

Note: If you were making $52K per year in your last job a Do-It-Yourself resume can end up costing you more than $30K if it doesn't work. Even if your professional resume writer were to shorten your job search by only 2 weeks you save $2K. If they'd shorten your job search by 10 or more weeks you'd save $10K plus. Is a professionally written resume really a luxury or a necessity?

It isn't always the most qualified candidate who gets the job. It is the candidate that presented themselves best on their resume that is called in to interview. Compare your resume to that of your competition at www.anewresume.com/samples/home/. If you were the employer with a 100 resumes on your desk, would you call you for an interview?

Would you use an attorney who'd never tried a case to defend you if you were facing a possible life sentence for a crime you did not commit? Like attorneys, there are huge differences in resume writers. The vast majority have had no training at all yet claim to be professional resume writers.

There are others like myself, who've invested our time and money to learn to brand our clients and demonstrate to the employer the value they bring to the organization which results not only in generating interviews but provides a powerful tool with regard to salary negotiation.

My advice is to know what your competitors are using by looking at samples and then hire the best writer that you can afford.

Who Writes a Better Resume? A Professional Resume Writer or a Recruiter?

2010-09-23T13:42:00Z

As both a Certified Professional Resume Writer and an Executive Recruiter, I strongly disagree with much of the advice circulating on the Internet stating that professional resume writers don't understand the needs of the hiring manager.

Many job seekers mistakenly believe that recruiters and hiring managers have a distinct advantage; but in my experience, I have found that just because someone can read a "bestseller" doesn't mean they can write one.

I am often hired by HR professionals, recruiters, and once for the son of a Workforce Development professional to craft compelling marketing documents that help my clients standout from their competition. Smart recruiters recognize the benefits of a professionally written resume and often refer their candidates to a professional writer. Ex: Adams Inc., Financial Recruiters adams-inc.com/partners-haute-resume.asp.

Most certified resume writers have been extensively trained in writing resumes that are able to survive the Applicant Tracking Software that employers use today. If a job seeker isn't sure which keywords to include it is very likely the resume will never be read by anything other than a computer. Also, many of the old school Word templates available on the Internet were constructed in tables. If the data within those tables cannot be extracted by the software it is likely it will be deleted.

It also helps to know your competition and compare your resume to samples that may be similar to those of your competition at www.anewresume.com/samples/home/.

Gambling on your resume is expensive! Think about it this way: if you've been laid-off from a job where you were making $50,000 per year you are losing $961.52 per week. An extended job search is likely to cost you thousands of dollars in lost income. Shop carefully and hire the best certified resume writer that you can afford.

Have You Sabotaged Your Job Search?

2010-08-20T16:40:00Z

As a globally recognized Certified Professional Resume Writer , Executive Recruiter, and founder of Haute Resume , I review hundreds of resumes each year for unemployed job seekers who’ve often spent months unsuccessfully searching for a job. Most of these costly mistakes are easily preventable when the job seeker has educated him/herself in the art of resume writing.

Avoid these common mistakes on your resume!

Are you using an old school resume template that you found on the Internet? Many of these templates have serious flaws and will not work for a number of reasons. One of the biggest reasons is their incompatibility with certain Applicant Tracking System software (ATS). Many of the older templates have been created in tables. If the employer’s software program cannot extract the content from your resume it will often simply be deleted. Another reason these templates fail miserably can be the result of the job seeker selecting the wrong resume format. There are many times that the standard chronological resume format can actually make a candidate look much less experienced in their profession than they really are.

Don't waste your time with an old fashioned Objective Statement telling employers what you want in your next job. They would rather you make their job easy and sell them on why they should call you to interview rather than your competition.

Your resume MUST be targeted to the position that you seek. If you use a backward-focused one-size-fits-all resume it is not likely to contain the industry relevant "keywords" necessary to be picked-up by the ATS software or present you as the IDEAL candidate for the position.

An exceptional resume requires that you quantify your accomplishments whenever possible using numbers, dollar amounts, and percentages. This is the information that demonstrates both the level of responsibility you've held as well as the level of success that you've had in similar positions.

Know your competition!

Do you know what a resume that has been professionally written looks like? If not, find out at http://www.anewresume.com/samples/home/. When you compare your resume to that of other candidates-- who would you bring in to interview for the position? It is not unusual for employers to receive hundreds of resumes for a single position and they don't have time to read each and every resume let alone call everyone in to interview. You must have the BEST resume both in content and appearance!

Creating a top-notch resume isn't easy but it can be financially rewarding. Not only will you have a resume that can survive the dreaded blackhole of the employer's database generating offers to interview and shortening your job search. It is also the document that employers refer to when deciding how much salary to offer. Mediocre resumes tend to generate mediocre salary offers.

Our professional resume writers will work with you to assess your professional background, research the potential needs of employers in your industry, and design powerful marketing documents that help you get the job you want and the pay you deserve.

Is Your Resume Making it Easy for the Recruiter to Exclude You From Consideration?

2010-05-08T01:13:00Z

Have you ever wondered why some recruiters prefer that job seekers provide self-written resumes rather than hiring a professional resume writer?

As an Executive Recruiter and Certified Professional Resume Writer / Executive Resume Writer, the majority of resumes that I review have serious flaws which often demonstrate poor communication skills, as well as the lack of attention to detail. In today's highly competitive job market even a simple typo is enough to disqualify a candidate. A poorly worded sentence may give the HR Manager a momentary chuckle but since your resume is supposed to be an example of your best work, they are unlikely to forgive the mistake.

The ability to write well and communicate their value does not come easily to the majority of job seekers. Does this mean that the job seeker is unqualified and unable to do an outstanding job in the position? Absolutely not! A smart recruiter recognizes this and will often refer a potential candidate to a professional resume writer for assistance.

A well-written resume allows the recruiter to confidently present and market a job seeker as the very best candidate for the position. A strong, compelling resume allows the hiring manager to fully understand the job seeker's unique skill set and experience they bring to the organization, as well as demonstrate the benefit they will receive.

More importantly, when the decision has been made to make the candidate an offer it is the resume that HR will refer to when deciding how much a candidate is worth. A mediocre resume tends to generate a mediocre salary offer. When a candidate provides strong supporting documentation demonstrating their previous accomplishments it is far easier for the recruiter to negotiate the highest salary possible which benefits both the job seeker and recruiter.

A recruiter is paid by the employer to screen resumes and identify and present only stellar candidates. Your success in today's highly competitive job market depends on the quality of your resume. Seek the assistance of a Certified Professional Resume Writer in crafting a resume that will open doors and win interviews rather than simply eliminating you from the competition.

Is Your Resume Costing You Thousands of Dollars in Lost Income and Missed Opportunities?

2010-03-25T19:51:32Z

Only those with stellar resumes are likely to be interviewed in today's highly competitive job market. Is yours good enough to make the final cut?

Gone are the days when a backward-focused, one-size-fits-all resume was good enough to find a job. Successful job seekers have learned the importance of targeting their resume to match the employers' needs while optimizing their resumes for keyword searches.

One of the biggest mistakes that job seekers make is to assume that they will be called to interview simply because they are the most qualified. With today's applicant tracking software being used by approximately 70% of employers; it is likely that your resume will be overlooked if it hasn't been optimized for the most sought after keywords. If you aren't sure what hiring managers are seeking--now is not the time to guess.

It is also important to remember that a resume doesn't just generate invitations to interview but is the document that hiring managers refer when deciding the amount of salary to offer. A mediocre resume more often than not generates a mediocre salary offer.

If you expect to win a job in this job market you have to offer more than your competition. See actual samples of resumes similar to what your competition may be using against you on my website.

The Top 10 Best Job Sites for 2010

2009-12-30T14:27:00Z

An expected uptick in hiring for 2010 will likely spur additional competition in an already tight job market. Many job seekers mistakenly search only the largest, most recognized job boards in search of open positions. Contrary to widespread belief this strategy is not as effective as one might think. In today's economy, the cost of advertising is often a concern and many of the large job boards are often out of reach of those with limited advertising budgets. When it comes to job boards, my recommendation is to go where there are the most jobs with the least amount of competition.

As a Certified Professional Resume Writer and Career Strategist, I am often called upon to assist job seekers with their job search. I recently had a young client--a college student, who was seeking a Customer Service position outside of a retail or call center environment. While browsing various websites, I found a job site with two open positions calling for a Customer Service Associate at Embassy Suites. Although Embassy Suites is a large and well known corporation that pays a bit more per hour than other local employers with similar job postings; they chose only to post the openings on their corporate website.

Many of the smaller, more specialized job sites do not rely on advertising revenue; but rather search employer's websites for posted career opportunities and provide this service to members. These opportunities are often virtually untapped since these positions are more difficult to find and generally rely on word of mouth advertising to fill. Although some of these websites require a subscription, many are at no cost to the job seeker. When evaluating a website, I look for the most unique jobs with the least amount of advertising.

My 10 most preferred job sites include:

www.indeed.com

www.craigslist.org />
www.jobcentral.com />
www.simplyhired.com/a/jobs/list/q-myspace />
www.linkup.com/ />
hound.com />
www.vault.com />
www.dice.com />
usajobs.gov/ />
www.execunet.com />
An effective job search strategy requires several components including: an exceptional resume, strong networking skills, and simply knowing where to look for the best leads to available jobs. Incorporating these job sites into your arsenal of job search tools will significantly improve your employment outlook.

Employers reject more than 90 percent of resumes... Will your resume survive the cut?

2009-12-15T16:21:00Z

In today's highly competitive job market, only those with exceptional resumes will be called to interview. It isn't unusual for even the most qualified candidate to be rejected due to a poorly designed resume. Unemployment is expensive. Writing your own resume using a template designed years ago can cost you hundreds or even thousands of dollars in lost income each week.

Many job seekers mistakenly believe that because their old resume worked years ago, it will work again in today's job market. Unfortunately, nothing could be further from the truth. Due to the shear volume of resumes that employers receive, many have opted to automate their hiring system. Rather than read each resume from start to finish, employers more often require that job seekers upload their resumes into a database with resumes from hundreds/thousands of other candidates. At that point, hiring managers filter for select industry-related keywords very similar to a Google search. The more hits they find, the more likely your resume is to be printed and reach the hands of the hiring manager.

Jumpstart your job search and improve your response rate by developing an effective marketing strategy that demonstrates to the employer why you are the best candidate for the position. Quantify your accomplishments whenever possible using numbers, dollar amounts, and percentages as this information will demonstrate both the level of responsibility that you've held, as well as your success in the position. Search current job postings for the most sought after industry-related keywords and use them within sentences to establish context optimizing your resume for the employer's ATS (Applicant Tracking Software).

I often hear job seekers state that "a resume won't get you a job" and this is true. Building a strong network and interviewing skills are also key to an effective job search. However, a poor or mediocre resume can prevent you from getting a job. Many polls show that only one or two typos are enough to disqualify a candidate from consideration. In fact, I've even worked with a job seeker who had been offered a job with the resume supposedly required as a formality. The employer later recinded the job offer after reading the job seeker's self-written resume which lacked organization and demonstrated poor written communication skills.

An example of a resume incorporating many of these marketing principals is available for review. Click here.

If you aren't sure what is required on your resume in order to capture the hiring manager's attention--this isn't a good time to experiment. Professional resume writers are not all alike. In fact, many have no specific training and use the same templates available to anyone with Internet access. Make sure that your resume writer is certified and then verify his/her certifications. Many writers claim to be certified, yet are not. Training and talent varies greatly and quality is often sacrificed when working with local writers or resume mills so ask to see samples of their work. The investment in the highest quality resume is often little more than that for a mediocre resume.

Why Shouldn't I Write My Own Resume? The Top 5 Reasons Resumes Fail

2009-09-12T14:59:00Z

As a Certified Professional Resume Writer, I am often approached by highly qualified job seekers frustrated by weeks and often months of costly unemployment. Job seekers who have sent hundreds of resumes yet never hear back from the employer.

I've found that the majority of my clients attempt to write their own resume and only seek the help of a professional after weeks of failure. There are many reasons they fail, but most tend to be associated with ineffective resume templates designed in the 1990s which are not compatible with today's keyword searches done by recruiters and hiring managers. I am dismayed to think of the number of opportunities that highly qualified candidates have lost to those less qualified but have a better understanding of today's job search process.

The Top 5 Reasons Resumes Fail

1. Lack of Industry Specific Keywords - Due to the sheer volume of resumes that employers receive, only a handful are ever printed and will reach the hands of the hiring manager. Employers today often use software programs to search for keywords specific to the position. The more hits that they find, the more likely it is that your resume will be read. This is the process that most often eliminates even the most qualified candidates from consideration.

2. Resume Format - There are a variety of formats available to better market your skills and experience including: chronological, functional, hybrid, Curriculum Vitae (CV), Federal Resume format, etc. Choosing the wrong format for your situation can quickly eliminate you from consideration. A well-written resume will match your skills and experience to the hiring managers' needs.

3. Objective or Qualifications Summary? - I personally believe that an old-fashioned objective is a waste of the most valuable real estate on the resume. It would be nice if employers really cared what you wanted in a job, but in actuality they are only concerned
with what you can do for them. Why not use this area to market the skills and experience to position you as the best candidate for the position?

4. Task-Focused vs. Accomplishment Based Resume - Unfortunately, the majority of resumes that I review are more of a chronological history than a true marketing document. Imagine a hiring manager with one position to fill and 100 equally qualified candidates applying for the position and each candidate has a similar educational and professional background. It's easy to see that the candidate who contributed the most in previous positions is likely to get the job.

5. A One-Size-Fits-All Resume - In today's highly competitive job market a one-size-fits-all resume really fits none. An employer searching for an accountant is going to be searching for different keywords than an employer searching for a sales representative. If you don't know what type of position that you're looking for, how will the employer know? In today's highly competitive job market it is imperative that you quickly and concisely provide the hiring manager with the information that they seek. A well formatted resume will allow the employer to quickly glance at the resume and find the skills and experience that they are looking for in the first 1/3 of the first page. Only after capturing their attention will they bother to read your resume from top to bottom.

When seeking the help of a professional it is important to seek a "certified resume writer". With today's economic conditions many claim to be professional resume writers, however, they often do not have the training necessary to help you get through the screening process. Choose carefully; ask for and compare samples of their work. Your writer should do much more than simply type a resume. They will analyze your career and help you determine your career direction, develop a format that's most suitable to your specific situation, and then craft a strong and compelling marketing document that targets your career objective and positions you as the best candidate for the job. A professionally written resume can help you get the job that you want and the pay you deserve.

What do you do when your resume isn't working?

2009-03-11T14:12:00Z

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to review scores of resumes while providing free critiques at a local job fair. I was saddened to see that so many jobseekers have a difficult time selling themselves on paper. When jobs disappear and retirement funds are obliterated in the stock market your resume becomes the most important financial document that you have.

Your resume is your lifeline back into the world of employment, however the majority of Americans try to write their resumes on their own. This attempt to save money often results in extended periods of unnecessary unemployment proving more costly than seeking the help of an expert.

If your resume isn't working and the phone isn't ringing; it isn't because there are no jobs. It is because other candidates were better able to articulate their skill sets and experience to the hiring manager for the few jobs that are there. This has become an employers market where only the fittest job seekers will survive.

A great resume requires that you show within the first 1/3 of the first page supported information documenting that you are the best candidate for the position. You must quantify your accomplishments showing both the previous level of your responsibility, as well as your level of success.

Industry related keywords are imperative. Employers today expect you to apply online and upload your resume into their vast database of candidates. They then scan for these keywords and the more "hits" that they receive the more likely it is that your resume will be printed and reach the hands of the hiring manager.

If in doubt how best to sell yourself to ensure that you standout from your competition, it is important to seek professional help. Remember, your career professional knows how to sell your skills and experience to the hiring manager. They are also experts at tapping the hidden job market.

The biggest mistake most jobseekers make is waiting too long to seek the help of a professional. They often wait until they can no longer afford to seek assistance. A successful job search requires that you have both the experience and the best means of articulating your skills and experience to the hiring manager.

More than 300,000 apply for fewer than 8,000 jobs

2008-12-29T14:04:00Z

It is not unusual today to read articles like the one posted on CNN 's website "Obama transition sees eye-popping 300,000 resumes" where thousands of applicants apply for only a few jobs. The number of resumes that hiring managers are receiving are staggering. If your resume isn't one of the top 5 it's likely that you won't even be considered for the opportunity.

What can you do to optimize your chances for review? Many employers today expect applicants to apply online through their corporate website where they ask that you upload an ASCII version of your resume be uploaded into their system. At this point many employers use scanning software to scan for certain industry related keywords. The more "hits" that your resume has ... the more likely it is that your resume will be printed and reach the hands of the hiring manager.

It is true that you have only 15 to 20 seconds to capture the attention of the hiring manager. If your resume isn't formatted to quickly demonstrate the skills and experience that you have to offer the opportunity ... the job of your dreams may be lost forever. Hiring managers simply don't have the time to read resumes from top to bottom to see that you have the experience that they seek. Your resume must demonstrate at a glance that you are the ideal candidate for the postion.

Which format is best for your situation? Chronological, functional, or a combination of both? A simple chronological resume will not work for everyone. You will need to analyze your individual situation. Are you changing careers, do you have a gap in employment, or have you moved from job to job?

It is also important to include only relevant work experience for most positions. Generally employers don't care that you flipped hamburgers while you were in college when you've worked 10 years as a Sales Representative. Speaking of college, care should be taken not to disclose anything that indicates you are approaching middle age. Although age discrimination is illegal it continues to happen all the time.

A resume written by a certified professional resume writer can help you avoid many of these pitfalls and will give you the best chance for interviews in this highly competitive market. These highly trained resume writers can be found through www.parw.com www.nrwa.com www.careerdirectors.com and http://www.careermanagementalliance.com. Be wary of non-certified writers as they may not have anymore training or experience than you have yourself.

Why does it cost so much to have a resume professionally written?

2008-12-12T16:09:00Z

It is not unusual for me to hear jobseekers express concern regarding the cost of having a resume professionally written. Many are under the assumption that all the resume writer needs to do is to sit down and "type" a resume. Unfortunately, it is far more complicated than just typing a resume.

In order for a resume to be effective the jobseeker's skills and experience must match the needs of the hiring manager. A professional resume writer cannot effectively match the jobseeker to the position without becoming an expert in the specific industry. Now that so much of the application process takes place over the Internet, the writer must understand the importance and have extensive knowledge of industry related keywords. This requires a strong knowledge of each industry in order to use the most up-to-date industry jargon to ensure that filtered keywords are captured by the scanning software. The more hits that your resume receives the more likely it is that your resume will be printed and reach the hands of the hiring manager. All of this requires extensive research on the part of the writer.

The writer must also spend time reviewing the jobseekers documentation and will often interview the jobseeker. The interview gives the resume writer a better understanding of the jobseekers skills and experience and an idea of what they seek in their next job. All of this, along with the design, analysis, actual writing, and organization of a compelling "marketing" document require many hours of the writers time.

In this bleak economic environment and highly competitive job market; your resume is the most important financial document that you have. It can mean the difference between having a paycheck or not and it also plays a huge part in determining the size of that paycheck.

It is important to remember that not all resume writers' qualifications are the same. It is wise to seek a certified professional resume writer. One who has proven that they have the skill and the experience necessary to design a document so crucial to your financial future. The cost of a professional resume should be considered an investment in your career that will pay for itself over and over again.

Your resume isn't working, now what?

2008-12-10T00:00:00Z

You've made the decision that you need professional help writing your resume. Now where do you go? Do a search on Google for Resume Writer and more than 24 million entries are returned. How then do you find a good resume writer with so many choices?

The Internet abounds with those claiming to be professional resume writers. The majority of resume writers on the web have no more training or experience in resume writing than the average job seeker. It's easy to spend hundreds of dollars for a resume that doesn't work. What should you look for in choosing a resume writer?

Typical deciding factors in selecting a professional resume writer

The cost of the resume is very affordable.
Unfortunately, it is true that you get what you pay for. Would a good writer spend hours designing a resume that is capable of beating your competition for $75 to $99? Wouldn't they charge more for the resumes they write if their resumes were worth it?
The resume writer should have a background in recruiting or human resources.A background in HR or recruiting helps to identify a poorly written resume but doesn't teach anyone to write resumes. How do I know? I have countless HR professionals that come to me for help with their resumes. Resume writing requires exceptional writing, grammatical, and marketing skills. These are not learned simply by reading the resumes of others.
The resume writer should be proud to show you samples of their work.
Any writer who will not provide samples of their work upfront should be stricken from the list of possible writers. Writers may claim that they don't want people copying their work which "is" likely. However, the counter argument to that is they can send resumes outside of the field of the job seeker which are of no use for copying.
Check references!
Ask for references and contact past clients to see that they are indeed happy with the writers work.
Most importantly, choose a certified professional resume writer and verify their certification.
Certified professional resume writers have been extensively trained and tested to ensure they meet the high standards of the certifying association. Don't forget to verify certifications! Many resume writers claim to be certified when indeed they are not.

Why hire a certified professional resume writer?

2008-11-16T23:37:00Z

In today's highly competitive job market it is imperative that a jobseeker's resume actually gets printed and into the hands of hiring managers. Due to the sheer volume of resumes that recruiters and hiring managers receive it is true that you only have 10-20 seconds to capture their interest. If your resume doesn't immediately demonstrate that you have the skills they are not likely to read it but instead go on to the next resume.

Many people assume they are simply hiring a typist when they hire a resume writer and are astonished to hear quotes of $250 - $600+ from certified professional resume writers (CPRW). A certified professional resume writer has been trained and tested in the strategic development of resumes that match the jobseekers skills and experience to the hiring managers needs.

A certified professional resume writer will analyze your strengths, research and become an expert in your field, and identify and present the value that you offer the employer. Certified professional resume writers are familiar with the skills that hiring managers and recruiters seek. A professional resume writer has an excellent understanding of the Internet job search and the importance of including powerful industry-related keywords in your resume.

The purpose of a resume is actually two-fold with the first reason to win invitations to interview. The second reason is to serve as a review document which the employer uses to determine the value that you bring to their organization. A top-notch resume which highlights your skills and experience is more likely to generate a top-notch salary offer.

It is not unusual for a jobseeker to be offered $5,000 to $50,000 more than they received in their last position. However, even if offered only $1,000 per year more but you work in the same position in the company for 10 years the return on your investment could be $10,000. A professionally written resume can also shorten your job search time by several weeks which means more money in your pocket.

Keep in mind that no resume writer can make guarantees regarding salary offers but simply give you the best chance.

www.anewresume.com