High tech resumes | A Resume For Today

Tyrone Norwood

Tyrone Norwood is a nationally recognized and certified resume writer, LinkedIn Profile writer, career expert, and former recruiter who works with career-minded professionals, from aspiring managers to executives, to develop effective job search strategies, powerful career marketing documents that get results.

In Hindsight, I Should Have...

Posted by Tyrone Norwood

Apr 8, 2010 7:35:00 AM

The Boston Sunday Globe and Monday's Wall Street Journal both have articles about people who have been laid off from their jobs and are turning to entrepreneurship to try to make a living. In most cases, they have to invest a lot of their own (and other people's) money to fund the startups. Then they go through a period of time when they are earning significantly less than they did in their corporate jobs. In several of the examples, the newly minted entrepreneurs may never earn as much as they did before they were laid off, although job satisfaction appears to be generally high.

The recession has taught us a lot about how insecure our investments and employment can be. And people have learned to be creative about employment alternatives, given the fact that they may not be able to find a job in their (now-dried-up) areas of expertise.

It struck me that, in the case of career changers as well as entrepreneurs, keeping fixed living costs on the low side (mortgages, rents, cost of cars/transportation etc.) gives them the flexibility to go with a lower paying job or launch a business in response to a volatile job market. It may be that a silver lining of this difficult time is that people will spend less, save more, and, in some cases, seek job fulfillment over financial benefits.

If even Warren Buffett didn't see this one coming, perhaps the rest of us should plan our lives in a way that allows for down as well as up markets, lean as well as flush times, winter as well as summer, droughts as well as abundantly rainy conditions. And to consider planning our lives in such a way that we are not so wedded to a high-salary lifestyle that we can't change careers or break out on our own to find the job fulfillment we've always wanted.

Topics: personal branding, executive resumes, career management, career planning, Get a Job, Working

What To Do When You Really Can't Get a Job

Posted by Tyrone Norwood

Apr 8, 2010 7:19:00 AM

If, despite conducting an advanced job search with a great branded resume, you still can't get a job in your chosen field/function, the options below are worth considering. Short on time? Skim the bolded areas below to get the gist of these 3 strategies.

1. KNOW WHERE THE JOBS ARE IN YOUR FIELD AND REDIRECT YOUR CAREER TOWARDS THEM. Do research to uncover the areas of high-demand and the areas that will languish going forward. Consider getting a relevant certification or doing an internship in the growth area.

In IT, there are areas where hiring is expected to be strong and areas where the jobs may be gone forever. The Hackett Group is recommending that companies not hire back laid-off system admins and support staff, but rather outsource those jobs to other countries where the pay scales are lower. Someone called me last week and told me that his job in IT - inside sales - was being offshored to India. So a job that he assumed was secure turned out not to be.

Areas of projected high growth in IT are Security, Healthcare IT, Global Wireless, Virtualization Software, Business Analytics, SaaS. Can you get qualified to work in one of these specialty areas?

2. CHANGE YOUR CAREER & GET CERTIFIED IN A NEW FIELD. You may or may not be ready for a radical change, but sometimes, to transition to a growth sector and start paying the bills, there is a solution that would enable you to get a good job with good-enough pay (depending on your requirements) after only a few months or, in some cases, a year or more of study and internship. (A year of studying beats a year of knocking your head against the wall going to job fairs and sending out resumes.)

Review your local community college's certification programs. Inquire into its career placement program and its ties to local businesses that may be hungry for graduates of the certification programs. These certifications often came about because of the dearth of skilled employees in those areas and business demand for employees in the region.

There are certifications in many areas, including public safety and homeland security, human resources, and auditing. To stay in IT, you can increase your eligibility for IT jobs in healthcare by getting a healthcare IT certification. Hiring in this area can be expected to be strong as healthcare delivery becomes increasingly IT-dependent.

This is a sample of my local community college's offerings: there is a new Energy Utility Technology Certificate Program meant to help meet the "urgent, long-term need" of utilities for these specialists. Utility SmartGrid initiatives will be requiring IT employees and others. Biotechnology Technician is another certification that is offered that, like the energy certification, requires an internship, giving you real-world, valuable experience with an employer that would give you an edge in hiring. Computer Forensics Certification. Dental Assisting. Many others.

Earning a valued healthcare certification may help you change your career. As the population of aging Americans grows, more services will be needed. There are many clinical-professional as well as administrative certifications in healthcare. Some in-demand jobs with certifications are: MRI technologist, radiation therapist, and nuclear medicine technologist. There are other certifications that promise to be growth areas as boomers age such as Certified Life Care Planner and Certified Life Care Manager, as well as Medicare Set-Aside Certified Consultant.

3. GET CREATIVE, FOLLOW YOUR PASSION, AND CHANNEL YOUR INNER ENTREPRENEUR. On NPR's "On Point" radio program on "Life After Layoffs," the discussion centered around a film, "Lemonade," about what the laid-off executives of a Manhattan ad agency went on to do when it was clear there were no jobs for them. One exec profiled turned his avocation into his vocation. He left Manhattan for a studio upstate and now sells enough of his paintings to live well in a less-expensive region. (The strategy of reducing your expenses and/or changing your lifestyle is one that can help you make the transition away from a big paycheck and towards a more meaningful career.) One exec became a yoga and holistic health counselor. Another became a career reinvention coach. One caller took his passion for European car parts and turned it into an Internet business.

Many people's successful alternative careers are heavily dependent on technology for making products and on the Internet for selling products and services.

Wired Magazine (Feb. 2010) predicts that a new industrial revolution is in the making "in an age of open source, custom-fabricated, DIY product design." Now that individuals are able, without a high capital outlay, to use computers and 3-D printers to design and prototype new products and then outsource custom, "small-batch" manufacturing to China, many small entrepreneurs are successfully bringing their products to market. Some examples? A kit car manufacturer. A company that makes accessories that interface with Lego blocks. Bike components. Customer furniture. Noise-canceling wireless headsets. If you have a great idea for a new product, you may be able to grow a business from your garage.

IN SUMMARY. If you are out of work and feel out of options, these new directions might spark an idea for you that could result in a rewarding new career. With the fast pace of technological change, the vicissitudes of the market, and an increasingly global economy, it makes sense for everyone - jobless or not - to be thinking about having an ace up their sleeve and an idea about how to adapt to "what's next."

Topics: job search, personal branding, executive resumes, executive resume writing, career management, career planning, Get a Job, Working

5 Tips for Acing the Phone Interview

Posted by Tyrone Norwood

Apr 8, 2010 7:14:00 AM

Think a phone interview is easier than an in-person one? It may seem so on the surface, but in fact there are a couple of ways in which it is harder.

The most obvious way is that you have to project your personality and personal brand without a visual. The interviewer can't see your eyes, your smile, or your body language and so you have to rely in part on how you sound to make the connection.

Another way it's harder is that the format lends itself less well to the conversational back-and-forth that enables you to make a personal connection and communicate your reasons for why you should be hired.

Here are some tips to help you succeed in the phone interview format:

1. Be sure to be in a quiet place (or reschedule until you can be) and free of distractions (don't be checking your email or IMing while you are interviewing!).

2. Stand up (walk around if you like) and smile slightly as you talk. Do these things and your voice will project better, be more energetic, and have greater warmth. If you can convey to the interviewer simply through the way you sound that you are an upbeat, outgoing, and lively person, you have already done something important.

3. The interview is apt to be more scripted than the in-person interview, so try to answer each scripted question in a way that helps you branch out into what the company is looking for in terms of this particular hire. If you can find out what constitutes success in this position six months down the road you will be much more able to communicate how your skills and experience would make you a low-risk hire. The back-and-forth of a conversation gives you much more freedom to make your case for yourself as the right person for the job.

4. Make that personal connection. If you can move from a standard question such as "Tell me about yourself" or "What are your strengths" towards a discussion of the challenges that will be facing the individual who is hired, the pain the organization is having that occasions this hire, or the strategic changes the company is in the midst of, you will be much more likely to engage the interest of the interviewer. The interviewer has a problem you can solve. If you are able to truly present yourself as the one with the answers, solutions, or abilities to meet the desired objectives of the company, you will boost your chances of being called for an in-person interview.

4. Even though the interviewer probably will have a list of questions s/he is working from, make every attempt to work your personal brand into your answers. Your personal brand is your professional reputation clearly delineated. What is your specialty? What are you known for? What are your primary attributes? And, most important for the interviewer, what is your value proposition? How do you make money, save money, streamline operations, solve problems, lower risk, facilitate the success of others? If you are able to make a strong, clear, positive impression on the interviewer, not just as a person but as a professional, you will be remembered way longer than the other 6 people who were interviewed that morning who did not project a personal brand.

5. Have a leave-behind message that will get you to the next stage. Express your interest in speaking more about how you could meet the needs of the company. Reiterate your value proposition. Express confidence that the hiring manager (if someone different from your phone interviewer) will be interested in your ideas about what you could bring to the position that would benefit the company. If you are able to do this, the interviewer won't just remember a string of answers to a list of questions, s/he will remember why the company should get to know you better.

As you wrap up the interview, be sure to find out what the timeline is in terms of finding out about next steps. That way you can get back to the interviewer if you don't hear from him/her in the specified time period.

Also, as with an in-person interview, it is a good idea to write a thank-you email or snail mail note expressing appreciation for the interviewer's time and restating your value proposition and interest in an in-person interview.

If you follow these tips, it is likely that you will set yourself apart from your competitors who may just be responding to the set questions and not attempting to broaden the conversation, project a personality, make a personal connection, or communicate a memorable message. Ace the phone interview and you are well on your way to a job interview and offer.

Anyone out there have tips to add from your experience with phone interviews?

P.S. For interview questions to practice with (phone or in-person), here's a good site.

Topics: interviewing, Get a Job, Job Interviews, Phone Interview

What Will Retirement Mean For You?

Posted by Tyrone Norwood

Apr 8, 2010 7:10:00 AM

As I talk to clients in their fifties and older, they are all really conscious of needing to plan for the years that traditionally belonged to full retirement. Not only do many people not have the nest egg for retiring at 66, many simply are bored by the prospect. Here is what I am hearing:

Some are interested in transitioning from their vocation to their avocation, such as switching from VP of IT to furniture making.

Others are seeking to go into teaching, usually as an adjunct professor at the college, community college, or adult education level. Many business programs are looking for experienced professionals to lend their learned wisdom to their students. (Prefer a Ph.D. but sometimes a Master's degree suffices if the course is pragmatic enough).

Consulting is probably the most common solution I am hearing about. This option requires planning ahead in terms of developing a clear personal brand (what you do best and the value you bring to the market) and defining the services you can provide and who your target market is. Some people are staying on at their place of employment but in a consulting capacity. There is a great need for the expertise and retained corporate knowledge as the work force becomes younger and less experienced.

Volunteering, although not a money-maker, is an appealing option - but now boomers are thinking about it not it terms of serving soup at a soup kitchen, but rather in terms of how they can apply their considerable professional skills to advance the common good. Whether that means providing business strategy consulting to non-profits or setting up the technology infrastructure for a new non-profit, "retirees" have a lot to contribute.

I even hear of people in their 40s thinking about their futures in retirement. Which makes sense because developing your personal brand and evolving it through life is replacing the traditional sense of identity people got from working for the same employer for decades. It will be interesting to see how the concept of retirement evolves over the coming years. I'd love to hear your thoughts on this!

Topics: personal branding, executive resumes, technology executive resumes, career planning, Retirement Planning

Match.com and Your Resume

Posted by Tyrone Norwood

Apr 8, 2010 7:06:00 AM

My friend who uses Match.com has met several people who are a good match for her age, interests, politics, and education level and one person in particular who has become a really close friend. It makes sense - it's why so many people worldwide use the site. Then why is it that people are still indiscriminately sending resumes in to jobs that bear little resemblance to the jobs they have listed on their resume? It just makes things harder for the truly qualified.

One of the reasons that companies and recruiters are turning away from paying to post jobs on the big job boards is that they get so many irrelevant resumes! Even if you are a serious candidate and provide a close match with the advertised job, you will have a hard time penetrating the jungle of thousands of "unmatched" resumes. (That's why you need to network.)

If you are on Match.com and want to meet people who are pacifists like you or left-leaning liberals, you can expect not to be matched up with hawks and right-leaning Republicans. Right? So what does that mean about how you write your resume? You want your resume to provide a "close match" with the advertised position.

First, the keywords. Make sure that the keywords you find in the job posting can be found on your resume, even if you have to make a "Skills" list at the end of your resume to contain all of them.

Second, your industry. Apply to jobs that are in the same industry that you have experience in. With the intense competition for jobs, you are less likely to be considered for a job outside your industry experience. That means that if you truly want to switch industries, don't count on applicant tracking technology such is as used on the job boards and corporate sites to come up with your resume. Instead, power up your networking to give you a chance to get in front of a hiring authority and make a pitch about the transferability of your skills.

Third, your job title. If you have held the same title as the job you are applying for in the same industry, you will be providing a close match. If you are seeking to take your career to the next level (going from Director to Senior Director or Senior Director to VP, for instance), you will fare better if you mention the higher-level title in your profile by saying something like, "Poised to assume a VP-level position" or "Targeting VP positions." That's to get the keyword in there, but also to let the reader know that you are ready to move up. Your resume will be more credible, then, if you can demonstrate you've used the skills required in the higher-level position, such as including examples of your contributions to strategic planning if you want an executive-level job.

Fourth, your skills. Make your resume sound familiar to the reader who has posted the ad. You want to provide a comfort level for the reader by using the skills that they are seeking.

Fifth, your results. The hiring authority can usually afford - given the large number of applicants - to be picky and interview people whose dynamic accomplishments are highlighted in their resumes. So knock their socks off!

Getting a job is all about providing that close match to a position an organization is seeking to fill. As we've talked about before, networking is your best bet for getting a job - by a long shot. Fortunately, networking will most likely provide you with an opportunity to tailor your resume to a job opening. Count on needing to tweak your resume towards that open position.

So go for it - get a great date, um, job!

Topics: job search, personal branding, executive resumes, executive resume writing, career management, Jobs, Working

What My Alpha Dog Taught Me About Working - 5 Lessons

Posted by Tyrone Norwood

Apr 8, 2010 6:27:00 AM

When our yellow lab died, I tried to live without a dog. But I found myself at one of our association conferences down in Florida going on the Internet searching for pictures of dogs in every spare moment instead of paying attention to the presentations! When I got home, I jumped on a small ad in the Boston Globe: high-performance black field lab 18 months. We went out to visit and came home with Lili. The high-performance should have been a tip-off, along with the fact that two of her other families had returned her to the breeder, but I was blind with need for that which only a dog can give!

Now there are a lot of words I could use to describe Lili, and high-performance is definitely one, but another few are: highly dog aggressive, fearful of dogs, needing extraordinary amounts of exercise each day (even now at 8), out-of-control, and physically powerful!

So, a major problem: how to exercise her and survive encounters with other dogs so that they didnt get hurt. From Lili I learned several valuable lessons about how to do my work.

1. Exercise Discipline. Without a full half-hour walk in morning and afternoon we get hyper dog who flips tennis balls at us all night. I realize, in my work, if I have a goal such as wanting to extend my brand through social media - I have to devote a specified time EACH day to that task.

2. Be Resourceful. When I first started walking Lili, I thought a chain collar would be all I would need to keep her under control, since all the dogs around seem to be on leashes. It worked until we encountered one who wasnt: a golden retriever. Anyone who knows the breed knows that coming up close to sniff at a snarling, maniacal, foaming-at-the-mouth, scary-as-hell animal isnt out of character for a golden. I knew I had real trouble, that Lili could easily have savaged that dog. So in addition to a chain collar I put Lili in a muzzle. In my work, once I realized that my old pay-for-advertising methods werent working anymore for my business, I experimented and found a new marketing strategy that brings me great prospects.

3. Have Courage. Braving the civilized world with a killer dog even in a muzzle is daunting to someone who feels deeply that politeness is the general rule of social intercourse! In work, I have learned to risk putting my thoughts out there in an eBook and in blog posts and take a chance that other peoples reactions might be either positive or negative.

4. Play the Cards Youre Dealt. One day, as we were passing a man with a nice, calm, obedient dog, he took a look at Lilis overwhelming aggression and said Thats a problem. So, right, Ive got a problem and everyone sees it. But I knew that I had Lili under control with her muzzle and chain collar and that I could keep her head within inches of my knee. I did everything I could about our problem and would just have to put up any with criticism and negative reactions from others. In my work, as the recession hit and many of my target market were out of work and methods of finding work had changed, I needed to be sure that my executive resume clients knew how to be successful. I revised my eBook on strategy to include social networking and gave it a priority among my offerings. I did what I could to give my clients the strategies and tools they would need in the new environment, even though I wished job search could have been easier for them.

5. Be Grateful for the Good Stuff. Have I told you that when Lili is in the house and well-exercised she is devoted, affectionate, smart and sweet? Its true. Once we knew her problems, we knew that we would simply have to deal with them as best we could. We tried one-on-one training from 2 different trainers, going to a dog shrink, and trying many other techniques, all to no avail. We felt that we had made a commitment to Lili and that we couldnt return her to her breeder for her to face another loss and an uncertain future. So we try to remember the good with the bad and appreciate her good and special qualities. At work, when I am feeling pressured, frustrated, pulled in too many directions, or uncertain about marketing in a recessionary economy, I try to remember that I am so happy to be running my own business, that I love to write resumes that help people get jobs, that I love having control over my time and my working destiny, and that I truly feel I am doing what I am meant to be doing in the universe at this time.

If any of you out there have learned things from your creatures, your "familiars," Id love to hear them. (And if you have a magic bullet that cures dog aggression, let me know about that too!). Peaceful, happy holidays to you all.

Topics: executive resumes, career management, Jobs, Working

What Are You Doing Now?

Posted by Tyrone Norwood

Apr 8, 2010 6:12:00 AM

Twitter, with its tiny tweets (140 character limit), has quickly morphed from being a site where you can announce what you had for lunch into a professional forum. Twitter can do a lot more than blather on about inconsequential events. Twitter can establish you as a player in your field, either as a thought leader or as an involved contributor. In fact, in my opinion, Twitter eats Facebooks lunch in terms of job search.

Twitter allows you to search for the content thats relevant to your industry and/or function as well as to search for jobs, recruiters, and job search advice. You can follow just a few tweeters or thousands to find out whats happening. People will ask permission to follow you.

Although you just have 140 characters, you will have the opportunity to communicate valuable information by leveraging the links within your tweets. You can link to online articles, blog postings, and other sites that you think would be useful to your followers.

Recruiters and hiring managers watch Twitter. You want to be sure your participation is professional in content, because anything that is in poor taste (!) can rule you out, just as a consistently professional brand can rule you in.

If you want to proactively search for jobs advertised on Twitter, you can do that. You can also go to websites that aggregate job openings found on Twitter. Sample tweet: Go towww.TwitterJobSearch.com, www.twithire.com, or www.tweetmyjobs.com to see if there is a job for you.

Make Twitter part of your daily diet to build your brand and find job leads.

Topics: job search, personal branding, executive resumes, career services, reputation management

Where Do You Find Meaning in Your Work?

Posted by Tyrone Norwood

Apr 6, 2010 10:21:00 AM

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2009

Just read a cool article by Cali Yost on finding meaning in work and getting paid at the same time. The author talks about the thread of meaning that runs through her life and career. She also talks about the "encore careers" that many baby boomers are thinking about as they plan "retirement" that will combine making some money with some form of giving back to the community.

The core meaning she is talking about has a lot to do with our personal brand. It's hard to imagine delving deeply into our brand without encountering some foundational values that guide us in our lives and work. Questions to ask: What core commitments can be found in the way we have conducted the various jobs we have held? Do we want to retain that core meaning going forward? How will we do it?

She also talks about "job crafting" - where we shape the job we have to more closely align with the activities that create meaning for us. We all can try to do this. It means letting go as much as possible of parts of work that are not as authentic or on-brand and moving towards work that is more fulfilling and expresses more of who we really are.

As the new year approaches, I wish for all of us that we can move ever closer to a clearer expression of our brand in our lives and in our work. Happy New Year!

POSTED BY JEAN CUMMINGS AT 9:35 AM

LABELS: CAREERS IN RETIREMENT, ENCORE CAREERS, MEANING OF WORK, PERSONAL BRANDING

Topics: personal branding, executive resume writing, careers in retirement

Executive Resumes, Personal Branding & Executive Job Search

Tyrone Norwood

Recent Posts

In Hindsight, I Should Have...

What To Do When You Really Can't Get a Job

5 Tips for Acing the Phone Interview

What Will Retirement Mean For You?

Match.com and Your Resume

What My Alpha Dog Taught Me About Working - 5 Lessons

What Are You Doing Now?

Where Do You Find Meaning in Your Work?

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