Job Searching in the IT World

According to statistics from the U.S. Labor Bureau and Robert Half Technology, the IT industry is still hiring steadily with ten percent of CIOs planning on hiring new Tech employees. According to every form of recent research and report, everything is looking good for those looking for an IT job, but tell that to someone who is actually searching. Though statistically everything looks great in IT, many individuals are still having a hard time. This can be caused by a variety of factors that technical candidates should be aware of, and with a little understanding of the nature of the IT hiring world, they might be able to turn the situation around.
A reevaluation of a candidate's marketability is extremely important in the quickly growing and changing Tech industry. According to the reports, the demand for talented IT staff is very high, though the playing field has shifted in the last several years. At one point, IT companies were scrambling just to get the numbers of staffers needed to accommodate growth. People with little experience were provided with multiple job offers and on the job training. However, hiring managers have shifted their methods dramatically in this regard. The talent is out there, and managers are willing to keep searching for it, knowing that it will save them money in the long run. They seek candidates with business knowledge and strong software skills. Job seekers must be familiar with the latest developments, have practical job experience, and show successful projects on their resume. Everyone seeking a job in the IT industry needs to do some research. Considering what skills are in demand will be incredibly helpful, and by acquiring those desired skills, a job candidate can be an immediate improvement for the company. Some of the most common and highest in demand skills are network administration (Nortel, Novell, etc), Windows Admin (2000/2003), and database management (SQL, DB2, etc). By becoming extremely familiar with these, the marketability of a candidate is dramatically increased.
While on the IT job search, it is important to use more than the Internet for finding and contacting employers. Less than 5% of job searchers are able to locate and secure a new position through online efforts. That leaves 95% of IT candidates getting their jobs through networking, through things like industry events, professional association meetings, and staffing firms. The Internet is a wonderful tool for job searching, especially for finding open positions in an area, but it should not be relied upon for contacting and securing positions. Anything that can be done to stand out is helpful. This means following up after submitting a resume and even after an interview. By giving the employer a call as a friendly refresher and reminder of skills, a candidate is far more likely to secure a job. This will cause the hiring individual to reconsider the resume and more easily recall the specific candidate.
Understanding what hiring teams are looking for and becoming as marketable as possible is guaranteed to affect the job search. There are plenty of IT jobs out there, but employers are not going to hire on charm and hopes of fast learning. Candidates need to be ready to fill positions and immediately become a major contributor to the company.

Grant Cooper is a Certified Advanced Resume Writer, author of numerous career-related articles published in journals, newspapers and online, and is the founder and president of Strategic Resumes, certified resume writers New Orleans. For more information visit www.strategicresumes.com.

Finding a Job as An Older Person

As time goes buy, employers are beginning to consider age to be a negative characteristic of potential employees, and the defining age of an "older person" is becoming lower and lower. This is especially true of the tech industry where many employees are in their mid twenties, due to the frequent developments in technology. Some workers in their middle thirties are even considered to be old in the tech industry. The 2004 AARP determined that workers over fifty five took over six months to find a job while those younger only need four to five months. Though this is already a problem for individual welfare and the national economy, it will continue to grow in intensity over the next five years as the population of the older workforce grows to 20%. Though this may be extremely discouraging to some older people looking for work, there are strategies that can help dramatically in the job search process.
Experience is the most valuable asset an older person has over the younger crowd. Yes, most people over 55 have also had a large number of jobs, but experience is far more important. The employer doesn't need to know every job. It is better to keep it simple, providing those jobs or experiences that are most relevant. The biggest downfall for many older workers with tons of experience is that they are computer illiterate. Regardless of the career field, job skills must be kept current, and this is especially true for computer skills. Virtually every job utilizes a computer on some level. Whether this means learning Microsoft word or tackling a new programming language, it must be done in order to be a valuable commodity.
Networking is an extremely valuable resource when looking for a job. Alumni associations and career services are an excellent place to start. Most people who find themselves in satisfying jobs did so by meeting someone or through networking, rather than a cold interview. It is the nature of many employers to hire employees that are known by friends or colleagues. This is also the time to consider a career change as most people change jobs three or four times in a lifetime. Perhaps there is something out there that is much more suitable. Contact every connection may open a door to a totally new career.
There is no disgrace in getting help in the jobs search. Professional resume writers, career centers, non-profit groups, and even libraries can be valuable tools for finding a new job. Resume writers can help tremendously by organizing the experiences, jobs, and education of a person to project age as an asset. No one should be afraid to use these helpful services in order to make themselves more marketable, but even with these tools it may take some time to find the right job. Patience is the key to job searching, especially for older workers. It is important to keep good morale and never give up. It becomes even more difficult to find a job when battling depression. Remember, there is a job out there for everyone it is just a question of finding it.

Grant Cooper is a Certified Advanced Resume Writer, author of numerous career-related articles published in journals, newspapers and online, and is the founder and president of Strategic Resumes, certified resume writers New Orleans. For more information visit www.strategicresumes.com.

Too Many Jobs on Your Resume?

When Jason, a 37-year old manager, emailed his old resume to our office for professional rewriting, it was obvious at first glance that we would have our work cut out for us. Although Jason had graduated from college 16 years ago in 1991, there were a total of nine jobs on his old resume. He also mentioned to us in his email that he had “a couple more jobs” for us to add.

According to a U.S. Department of Labor study, changing jobs is common in today’s workplace, “The average American worker between ages 37 and 45 in 2002 had changed jobs 10.2 times. For workers who started a new job between ages 33 and 38, a total of 39 percent reported that they changed jobs again within a year and 70 percent changed jobs again within five years.” These changes can be due to employee choices or layoffs. In fact, the data show that today’s college graduates will change jobs 10–14 times during their careers and the average job will last just three to five years.

After strategically retooling Jason’s resume, we were able to use effective techniques to create a document that would prove far more effective in attracting the types of job offers that he really wanted. At the same time, as a member of a professional resume writing association with strong ethical standards for professionalism, I wanted to ensure that Jason’s resume was well within the bounds of accuracy and honesty.

Here are the 4 techniques used by professional resume writers to help clients avoid the “Jobhopper” label:

1.Consider dropping jobs that are of very short duration, seasonal, or part-time.
A resume is designed to serve as a career summary or overview, not necessarily an exact recitation of each and every job a candidate has ever had. Years ago, I coined the expression, “A resume is not a dossier.” However, if removing certain jobs creates a “gap” in the timeline, it should be carefully reviewed before dropping. (Note: Since many modern resumes use only years, and not months, to document the duration of each position, dropping some shorter positions will generally not necessarily create a noticeable gap.)

2.Consider “aggregating” or combining some jobs.
In Jason’s case, he had several nearly identical positions on his old resume, one after the other, as assistant manager at mall-based retail stores. Even though they were for different employers and there were some slight differences in the duties, we were able to create a single assistant manager job description covering a 5-year period that listed all three employers and provided a great overview of his combined duties, responsibilities, and accomplishments. Even though anyone can see that they were three separate jobs, the psychological effect of combining those three items into one was undeniable. Remember, employers often make split-second decisions on the desirability of a candidate based upon 10-second glances at piles of resumes.

3.Consider repositioning, or “hiding” certain jobs.
Two of Jason’s jobs occurred during his college years. By taking those two positions, which were actually quite helpful in terms of the experience he gained and his excellent performance, and inserting them directly within the “Education” section of his resume, his “Employment Experience” section looked much less crowded.

4.Consider creating a “Previous Positions” section.
Jason’s most relevant and professional jobs were his four most recent positions. We fully documented each of those positions, complete with ample job descriptions and hard-hitting quantitative data on his accomplishments. We then created a “Previous Positions” section, simply listing his other jobs with only job title, company name, city, state, and dates. Had we dropped those earlier jobs entirely, as jobseekers sometimes do, we would have created a glaring job gap that may have generated more problems than it solved. By highlighting and focusing on the more recent positions, the overall psychological effect was to confer more job stability. 14 years of experience as a resume writer has shown me that if one resume shows, for example, 8 positions, all fairly equal in length, and another resume shows four positions equal in length with a separate section listing the four additional jobs, the second approach will help the candidate appear to as less of a job-hopper.

In today’s dynamic and volatile economy, the goal of the professional resume writer is to balance accurate documentation with effective presentation. By using these four powerful techniques to assist jobseekers with “too many” jobs in their employment history, we can help our clients to land interviews and get the job offers that they otherwise would have lost due to “jobhopping.”

Grant Cooper is a Certified Advanced Resume Writer, author of numerous career-related articles published in journals, newspapers and online, and is the founder and president of Strategic Resumes, certified resume writers New Orleans. For more information visit www.strategicresumes.com.

New City? New Resume?

How to Maximize Your Resume for Relocation

My resume client Matthew had just gotten the word that his wife was being offered a fantastic promotion to her company’s national headquarters in Chicago. Despite his misgivings about the icy cold winters in Chicago and that he was a Yankees fan (as opposed to a Cubs fan), he had to admit, the positive change in his wife’s salary and career would make it a no-brainer for them to make the big move.

Now came the challenge… Matt would have to resign from his current position as a building supplies sales manager (his company had no Midwest operations), retool his resume to gear up for similar opportunities, and “hit the pavement” on the job search circuit once they arrived in Chicago.

My first advice to Matt was to secure a Chicago address to place on his resume. In my 14 years as a resume writer, I’ve seen, both in clients newly arrived and those relocating elsewhere, that having a local address near your desired job target is crucial. Prospective employers pick up a resume, see an out-of-town address, and often toss it aside. Obviously, in super high-need or skilled positions, such as physicians, nurses, academics, high-tech positions, certain engineers, etc., this is generally not the case, and outsiders are welcomed with open arms.

But in sales positions, where knowing the lay of the land and understanding the local client base can be essential, and in other positions where the supply of talent is far greater than the demand, locals are generally preferred. Why waste time with candidates who may or may not actually “make the move,” or why consider paying relocation expenses if there are sufficient local candidates, and finally, why take the chance on candidates who are unfamiliar with the local area and culture?

I explained to Matt that there are several fairly easy techniques to, at least on the surface, at least partially overcome the “outsider” prejudice. First, we could put his cousin’s Chicago address on his resume (with her permission, of course). That would, at least at first impression, make him seem “more local” and indicate that no relocation expenditures were likely to be requested. Also, since the Builder’s Association he belongs to also had a Chicago chapter, he could phone them, transfer his membership, and we could then put that under his “professional associations” section. We also did the same with his YMCA membership (Member, Lakeview YMCA, Chicago, IL).

Since Matt told me that he was planning on getting their apartment settled in and would have several weeks to gear up his job search after their unpacking, I urged him to also contact and volunteer at the Chicago chapter of a Girls & Boys Club non-profit he had volunteered with back home. Again, that was another item that could go on the updated resume to make him appear more local. Could any hiring director or HR person with a brain realize that, despite these techniques, he was an out-of-towner? Of course… It’s simply that in their first glance at his resume, in those first dozen seconds or so, we wanted them to glean something, anything at all that would give Matt a “Chicago connection.”

Finally, I urged Matt to spend a couple of hours each day making the rounds at local building supplies businesses, introducing himself, and beginning the all-important task of networking. As he did that, I urged him to keep notes on the names of people he had met, referrals he received, and conversations he engaged in. It’s incredibly powerful to meet someone (especially when you’re in a new city), and bring up the name of another person that individual knows.

Based upon his successful networking (he even went to several Kiwanis and Chicago Chamber-sponsored business mixer meetings), Matt landed a few interviews. In those interviews, Matt not only conveyed the value and skill sets he could bring to the company, he also related his Chicago experiences, the local contacts he had made, his recently acquired knowledge of Chicago culture and local flavor, and his deepening connection to his new “hometown.” Matt accepted a sales management position with a Chicago-based regional tool distributor at the end of his fifth week. Although it paid slightly less than he had made in his previous position, it offered significant opportunities for future advancement, and with his foot in the door of a great new company, he was thrilled.

Grant Cooper is a Certified Advanced Resume Writer, author of numerous career-related articles published in journals, newspapers and online, and is the founder and president of Strategic Resumes, certified resume writers New Orleans. For more information visit www.strategicresumes.com.

Why Women need to "Toot their own horn" on their Resumes

When I first began my career as a professional resume writer in 1994, I noticed a difference in how male and female clients related their backgrounds and accomplishments. At first, I just chalked it up to a minor variation in how the genders viewed themselves and their work.

On one hand, I routinely interviewed male clients who would exaggerate or embellish their career highlights and accomplishments, while on the other hand, my female clients would generally understate or minimize their roles and contributions.

For example, my client Brad had filled in for his boss for a 6-week period during his job, and insisted that I elaborate on his duties and accomplishments as “acting general manager.” When I questioned Brad as to specifics, he said that the company basically ran on “autopilot” and that he mainly functioned as he had prior to his boss’s absence.

Susan, my client who had served as director for her firm for nearly a year, stated, “Well, it really wasn’t my job, I was just filling in.” After querying her further, I learned that Susan spearheaded an initiative that landed her firm’s biggest client and introduced several successful cost-cutting measures that resulted in a banner year of profitability.

Year after year, I have seen this trend remain constant and I continue to assist women clients who undervalue their careers and fail to adequately note their accomplishments in their resumes. Not being a sociologist or research scientist, I cannot say with any certainty as to why this is the case. Perhaps women are raised in our society to be self-deprecating and not “brag” or “boast,” while men are raised to take credit wherever possible and actually inflate their contributions. Or perhaps there may be some innate gender forces at work.

Although I am certainly not qualified to understand the root causes of the “gender gap” in terms of “tooting one’s own horn,” I am fully qualified as a resume writer, and I can state unequivocally that minimizing one’s accomplishments is a sure path to short-circuiting a competitive job search. As I conduct the client information-gathering session that is part of the resume creation process, I now probe much more deeply with my female clients and end up uncovering a wealth of skills, accomplishments, and career-related highlights that might have remained hidden, and that qualitatively improve their resumes.

Perhaps as a side-benefit of this process, I receive ongoing feedback from my women clients that they have gained enhanced self-esteem and a renewed sense of confidence by having a professional tell them that it’s perfectly O.K. and even crucial to “brag” and to “toot their own horns” on their resumes.

Grant Cooper is a Certified Advanced Resume Writer, author of numerous career-related articles published in journals, newspapers and online, and is the founder and president of Strategic Resumes, certified resume writers New Orleans. For more information visit www.strategicresumes.com.

Six Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Resume Writer

Question #1 – How many years of experience do you have as a full-time resume writer?

While tons of experience by no means guarantees that a resume writer has the “write stuff,” significant lack of experience (two years or less) generally indicates a lack of breadth in the types of knowledge that you would want to see in someone summarizing your career into a polished document. A less experienced writer who works closely with a more experienced mentor, however, should be just fine.

Question #2 – Are you a Certified Resume Writer?

There are at least four major organizations that certify resume writers. If a resume writer claims to be certified, you can confirm their status by visiting the websites of those credentialing organizations. The four main organizations are:
• Career Directors International (CDI)
• Career Masters Institute (CMI)
• Professional Association of Resume Writers & Career Coaches (PARW/CC)
• National Resume Writers' Association (NRWA)
A resume certification means several things, all of which should be important to you as a potential client. First, it means the writer took the time, energy, and resources necessary to join a professional organization. That is, they see themselves as professionals and are serious about their craft. Second, they have passed an examination, submitted samples of their work, and passed the scrutiny of their peers. Many attend annual conferences where they are updated on the latest and most effective techniques in resume writing (ask your writer if he/she has attended a conference recently).

Are all Certified Resume Writers going to be excellent? No, just as all accountants or doctors are not at the top of their profession. But your search should definitely begin with verifying certification. Also, most credentialing organizations have a “mediation” process in the event you have a serious dispute with your writer.

Question #3 – Do you have experience in writing resumes for my field?

Since you are obviously an expert in your own profession, it should be fairly easy to engage the writer in a conversation that will reveal his or her knowledge. Unless your field is completely unusual, any good resume writer should be able to “talk the talk” and know much of the lingo of your profession. For example, if you are a medical office manager, the writer should be telling you they have experience in writing for clients who understand HIPAA compliance, ICD-9 and CPT codes, and Medicare / private insurance billing procedures. Writers are most effective when they have experience in the specific field involved in the resume.

Question #4 – How much will my resume cost?

First, you should distinguish between resume “typists,” who simply type and format the wording that you provide… and resume “writers,” who gather information from you and other sources, creating a unique, compelling resume that is likely to generate interest by decision-makers. Also, there are “resume mills” on the Internet that charge very low prices (kind of like getting your car painted “like new” for $99). A reputable firm with experienced, certified writers will generally charge anywhere from $200-$500 per resume, depending upon your career level and other factors. If the price is significant below or above this range, alarm bells should go off.

Question #5 – Do you have a guarantee? If so, what is it?

Most resume writing organizations I have checked out offer, at the very minimum, a “rewrite” guarantee. That means that if you are dissatisfied with the first draft, they will take input from you on your concerns, and generate at least one rewrite. Some writers “guarantee” that your new resume will generate interviews, but again, their remedy is to rewrite your resume. If you can find one of the few resume firms that offer an unconditional money back guarantee in case of dissatisfaction, that is the best you can do. Some writers will maintain that they are so good or so professional, that no guarantee is necessary. If that is the case, you should make your own decision on how to proceed.

Question #6 – When will my order be completed?

Unless your background is extremely complex (I’m thinking of an internationally renowned scientific consultant who has made presentations on three continents and published 20 scientific papers, etc.), your resume should be ready in a week or less, preferably two to three days. Any longer than a week is generally not a good sign. I have seen resume writers who are great at taking in orders, only to let them gather dust and finally “crank them out” when pressed by the client. Of course, the timeline for completion only begins once you have furnished all of the information requested.

Grant Cooper is a Certified Advanced Resume Writer, author of numerous career-related articles published in journals, newspapers and online, and is the founder and president of Strategic Resumes, certified resume writers New Orleans. For more information visit www.strategicresumes.com.

Her Resume Took Her from $10 Per Hour to a Six-Figure Job!

As a professional resume writer, I regularly receive compliments from clients, generally stating how ecstatic they are about getting that great new job or promotion they were seeking, how many interview requests they have received since using their new resume, or how the interviewer was highly impressed with their resume.

However, I have rarely received a compliment or testimonial quite like the one I received from Tara, a resume client living in a semi-rural area who contacted me through our website (name changed to protect client privacy… all other details accurate).

Dear Grant,
Just call me one more employed, happy customer. The resume you did for me took me from a $10 an hour job to a six-digit income! I’m not joking. I was expecting good results, but nothing like this. If you would like to use me as a reference, please feel free to do so.
Sincerely,
Tara

When I first interviewed Tara to gather information for her new resume, she warned me that she “didn’t have much to work with,” that she had been a stay-at-home mom, that she had not had many “normal” jobs, and that she felt at a disadvantage in rejoining the workforce in competing with younger, more corporate jobseekers.

At first glance, Tara’s background and situation, though non-traditional, were not all that rare, particularly for many female clients who have been out of the workforce for a period of time. Tara was basically a stay-at-home housewife who had earned her bachelor’s degree in elementary education many years prior and had not had a traditional job history, primarily due to raising 2 young children.

Her previous jobs consisted of a couple of retail sales positions prior to attending college, working as a student teacher during the completion of her university studies, and later serving as a substitute teacher for several years, with a few long-term substitute teaching assignments. Tara was currently tutoring a young child with autism, a position she took more for love than money, earning $10 per hour.

In other endeavors, Tara had sold kitchenware through a company that targeted school and non-profit fundraising promotions, and had served for two years as fundraising chairperson for a local animal welfare organization. I also highlighted Tara’s many volunteer activities for her children’s schools and several area civic organizations.

My big surprise in interviewing Tara was to discover that she had recently helped her husband in his (unsuccessful) write-in campaign to run for Congress, something that she was reluctant to even mention, saying that “it’s not important.” I dug deeper and asked her if she was her husband’s campaign manager. She laughed and said, “I suppose so.” I found out that she was the one who arranged press conferences and wrote press releases, deposited donations, wrote checks for expenses, submitted the campaign finance reports, and handled all other aspects of campaign administration.

I was able to weave a creative non-traditional resume based upon her various activities, previous jobs, and her “campaign manager” experience. The result was an attractive, compelling document targeting non-profit positions, something she agreed she would enjoy. After submitting her resume to area non-profit agencies and organizations within a 1-hour commute, Tara landed a six-figure position as director of an advocacy organization. Tara explained to me that they were attracted by her background in fundraising, campaign management, and community involvement. Of course, Tara felt that she “aced” her interview” and “connected” with the search committee members who interviewed with her… But, as she says, it was her creative resume that opened the door.

Grant Cooper is a Certified Advanced Resume Writer, author of numerous career-related articles published in journals, newspapers and online, and is the founder and president of Strategic Resumes, certified resume writers New Orleans. For more information visit www.strategicresumes.com.