Executive Resumes, Personal Branding & Executive Job Search

This article was written, in part, by my Gen Y lifestyle resource, Matt. 

Fashion trends change, but the essence of style remains same: look your best, look current but not trendy, and wear what looks good on you. Interviewing has its own etiquette. If you are applying for an executive job, you need to be aware of the impact on the interviewer of what you wear.

The stats show that over 80% of a hiring authority's decision is based on you "look and sound!" So, make sure your clothes help you. You definitely don't want your clothes to become the reason you were not selected for further consideration.

Your Clothes Send a Message that the Employer Reads Closely

For Men:

1. Try to look sophisticated and sharp while also dressing conservatively. If you need help, try a personal shopper at one of the higher-end mall stores such as Nordstrom. Avoid anything too flashy or that attracts the wrong kind of attention, such as an attention-grabbing tie. 

2. Don’t worry too much about accessories or the newest suit trends, but make sure what you wear flatters you.

3. If you already have a good quality, conservative suit, consider buying a few shirts and some ties from a place like Armani or Brooks Brothers to liven up your wardrobe.

4. Avoid bright and flashy colors and stick to darks and solids.

5. Focus on fabric. Nice materials speak to your financial wellbeing as well as to your taste.

6. Wear clothes that have just come back from the cleaners. Alternatively, press and iron your clothing, making sure to iron a crease in your trousers.

7. Shoes should be clean and conservative. Whether you decide on loafers or dress shoes with pointed or round-toes, you want to keep your shoes polished and looking new. Johnston and Murphy is a resource for high-end men’s shoes. Zappos carries a full range of styles, and their great customer service reps may be able to give you pointers.

For Women:

1. Consider taking advantage of a personal shopper at the higher end mall stores, such as Nordstrom, to help you pick out a suit to wear to your interviews.

2. Some stores with up-to-date clothing that is conservative enough for an interview are: Talbots, Ann Taylor, Pendleton, and J Crew.

3. Avoid attire you might wear out clubbing as well as shirts that are too tight or necklines that are too low.

4. When looking for shoes, avoid high heels. Zappos offers plenty of shoes that will help you stay comfortable and look classy. The customer service is great too, so take advantage of their advice.

5. Wear suits, pantsuits or jacket and skirt, in a darker color, with a light-colored blouse and conservative jewelry. Go for a knee-length skirt.

Ultimately, the most important thing to remember is to make sure you look well dressed and current in terms of fashion, so that your appearance never becomes an issue and the interviewer can focus on what you say, not on what you wear.

For more detail on what to wear to your interview, click here.

Many people try to define success. Our society certainly defines success. Its default mode is: success is determined by job status, money, possessions, and recognition of elevated status by others. This is the idea that Alain deBotton questions in this video.  

During the holidays, many people feel less-than-great. Sometimes they compare themselves with others in a negative light or think about hopes that failed to materialize. If you've ever thought that you weren't as much of a "success" as you thought you should be, this talk from Ted.com may help.

Most people have doubts and regrets if they've lived long enough. And one's work or career is a lightening rod for feelings of success and failure.

DeBotton says that, in our Western society, the very first question anyone asks is: "What do you do?" If you are currently out of work, working in a company that's going through a reorg with its attendent uncertainties, unhappy in your job, not rich, unable to reach your dreams, then his perspective may give you some helpful perspective.

There are many wonderful things about self-help books and the principles, attitudes, and methods that are said to produce success and wealth. They can motivate us, give us new ideas, and give us hope.

Think and Grow Rich has sold millions of copies worldwide. And many credit the ideas in the book with helping them make their fortunes. The only problem with wonderful inspirational resources is that they are based on the absolute belief that one can control one's life absolutely.

The flip side is that if you aren't a "success" by society's terms, then you are completely responsible for being a "failure". In this philosophy, there is usually no room for accidents, whether fortunate or unfortunate (were you born in the US or in Myanmar?), randomness, societal inequalities, etc. 

Better to go into family, work, and community gatherings at holiday time with a sense of generosity towards yourself and other people, regardless of work situation. Neither overly admire those in high places or blame those who appear less fortunate. Life is too complex for us to make judgments and/or assumptions about another person's work or lack of work.

No one needs extra helpings of blame upon self-blame, especially at this time of year. So be gentle with yourself. And regard others with compassion.

Ever had someone tell you to meditate to reduce stress? Ever felt you couldnt? I've heard so many people say, "I just can't meditate." And there are times when I have trouble meditating too. Well, last night I heard a lecture from a Harvard Medical School-affiliated psychologist that cited a cool study validated in both US and Europe.

The study was designed to test whether certain activities could actually refresh attention and improve distractibility for students at the University of Michigan before they took on tasks requiring intense focus.

As a job seeker, you know all about stress and the need to be fully attentive! For instance, you need to be all "on" when you are reaching out to others in your networking process, planning out your job search strategy, customizing your resume to a position, and, most challenging of all, having to be highly mentally focused in meeting and interview situations.

The UMichigan test had students accomplish a mentally tiring task. Then the researchers split them into two groups. One half walked around the downtown area. The other half walked in a nearby arboretum.

When re-tested, the arboretum walkers improved 20% (!) on a test of attention and memory given pre- and post-walk. The students who walked through the busy town center didn't improve at all.

The conclusion from this and other studies is that attention can be restored through activities that enable the mind to unfocus for a while. The best places to do this have been natural settings like woods, churches, and monasteries. Looking at paintings at the art museum, even going to your favorite Starbucks or coffee bar have been shown to accomplish the same result.

So, if you are spending a good proportion of your time highly focused on your job search, take some daily restoration time doing one of the activities above. And, before an interview, take a walk in the woods. You will go into the meeting with improved focus and abililty to leverage "directed, selective, and focused" attention. (It may also help you before holiday family dinners as well, particularly if you have siblings who push your buttons!)

It's the elephant in the room. Employers aren't allowed to ask how old you are, but some interviewers try to get at your age indirectly by asking in what year you graduated or how old your children are. If you are sensing that your age is subtly or not so subtly being raised, try to deflect it by taking Scott Berry's approach: answer with another question. Instead of "I'm 54" try "How old is the demographic you are targeting?" If that doesn't work, here's another response that addresses the question directly and head-on (assume this interview is for a technology sales job):

"I'm glad you asked about age. I've given this some thought, and there are 6 distinct advantages I bring to the table directly relating to my having worked more than just a few years:

1. I would be a low-risk hire. As you can see from my resume, my career has progressed steadily, demonstrating that I have been highly valued by all of my employers and exceeded expectations in every position. That's a good predictor of what you can expect from me.
2. I can help you meet your numbers. Six months down the road, you can be pretty sure that your top- and bottom-line will be improving. (Show resume, spreadsheet, portfolio, graphs etc. demonstrating sales productivity.)
3. Hiring me rather than a relatively untested candidate will save you the possible costs, delays, and hassle of another recruiting effort. 
4. I've got street cred - I know what I'm talking about. I've been a player in the industry and know your target market's current technology solutions and their drawbacks. My ability to be agile and quick to grasp new technology solutions and where the market is trending gives me an advantage over less experienced sales reps.
5. I know my way around all kinds of people. This can come only from experience in the trenches. I've got the kind of good instincts that it takes to build relationships and adjust my approach to people in different roles and levels in the company. 
6. I'm a sales pro. I know what works in sales. I know how to get to the close and then deliver the sale.

I went to a holiday party last night with a lot of renewable/green/sustainability folks and had a talk with someone there about how she got her job. This is her story (paraphrased):

"I was laid off in 2008 early in the recession. I thought, 'No problem, I've always gotten jobs easily before.' I went ahead doing networking and watching my favorite job board, Idealist.org. Eventually I saw something on Idealist.org.  They had a great job posted for this organization (energy nonprofit where she works now), but my application went nowhere. Then, after a bad year of just not getting anything, I took some advice I'd read somewhere and got a volunteer job. Because my career goal was to work at a nonprofit, I identified four places I'd like to work, and I volunteered at one of them, the PEM Museum (highly regarded smaller museum). That was great because I got references from them that covered some of the time I'd been unemployed. I submitted the references here and was offered a part-time job. I took it and also accepted a fellowship I was offered at the museum. And then took another job so I was working three jobs. When a full-time option came up here I was able to grab it. So I love it here, and it's a great job."

What's the takeaway? VOLUNTEER! I've heard executive recruiters say they'd rather see some meaningful volunteer work on someone's resume than "Consulting." Recently tweeted about an article on CIO Magazine's site that listed "passion" as one of the key attributes companies are looking for in key IT hires. Passion for anything, not just IT, they said. So, in choosing a volunteer activity, go with one related to your field and/or your passion.

Cross-posted at Career Hub Blog

Went to a holiday party last night with a lot of renewable/green/sustainability folks and had a talk with someone there about how she got her job. This is her story (paraphrased):

"I was laid off in 2008 early in the recession. I thought, 'No problem, I've always gotten jobs easily before.' I went ahead doing networking and watching my favorite job board, Idealist.org. Eventually I saw something on Idealist.org  and they had a great job here (location of party), but my application went nowhere. Then, after a bad year of just not getting anything, I took some advice I read about and got a volunteer job. Because my career goal was to work at a nonprofit, I identified four places I'd like to work, and I volunteered at one of them, the PEM Museum (highly regarded smaller museum). That was great because I got references for the time I'd been unemployed. I submitted the references here (energy nonprofit where she works now) and was offered a part-time job. I took it and accepted a fellowship I was offered at the museum. And then took another job so I was working three jobs. When a full-time option came up here I was able to grab it. So I love it here, and it's a great job."

What's the takeaway? VOLUNTEER! I've heard executive recruiters say they'd rather see some meaningful volunteer work on someone's resume than "Consulting." Recently tweeted about an article on CIO Magazine's site that listed "passion" as one of the key attributes companies are looking for in key IT hires. Passion for anything, not just IT, they said. So, in choosing a volunteer activity, go with one related to your field and/or your passion.

Cross-posted at http://www.aresumefortoday.com/high-tech-resumes/

Innovations in video conference technology are changing the job interview. Skype interviews are becoming more common. While you may not have to worry about traffic, parking, and making sure you arrive ten minutes early to the interview, Skype interviewing has its own rules to follow.

Make Sure Skype is Working

Your technology has to be ready for the video interview:

 • Make sure to download and test the Skype software well before the interview. This means configuring the audio and checking the video quality.

 • Use a professional Skype username. Not a good idea to to introduce yourself as “BigJohnnySurfGuy59.”

 Remember: They Can See You

 • Smile. Smile. Smile. By smiling and maintaining eye contact, you can directly engage the interviewer and make a real connection.

 • Dress for the occasion. Wear something that won’t clash with the camera. Dress in solid colors and avoid patterns that might confuse the eye. Also, just because Skype only shows the top part of your body, exchange the pajama bottoms for something that is as formal as your top half. You'll feel more professional!

 • Style your hair and apply make-up. Skype technology can pick up most blemishes and loose strands, so be sure to look like someone who has not just rolled out of bed.

 • Use proper lighting. The interviewer should be able to clearly see you.

 • Clear the background and make sure there are no cult movie posters or distracting paintings hanging in view.

 • Write out notes and prop them up on the keyboard to remind yourself of your career brand, success stories, and the questions you've prepared. 

The Skype interview doesn't have to be scary. For many people, interviewing from their home base helps them feel more comfortable and able to communicate effectively.

For more info, visit Alison Doyle's post on about.com. 

In a relentlessly competitive job search environment, a good photo accompanying your LinkedIn profile can help differentiate you from other candidates. While your resume and credentials can boost your hiring potential, a photo allows the employer to put a face to a name.

Personalizing Your Potential

So why should you add a great photo to your LinkedIn profile?

• A photo builds a more personal connection and increases your social appeal.

• The photo of you reassures recruiters and hiring managers. In a recent survey, one potential employer conveyed his suspicion of LinkedIn users who do not have a photo on their profile, asking, “What is he trying to hide?”

• A photo can help market your personal brand. Outgoing? Determined? Warm? Dignified? Authoritative? Leader-like? Compassionate? Strong? Confident? Congenial? Bold? Your expression can convey some of your key attributes.

• How you are dressed in the photo can indicate the level of work you are interested in. For instance, if you are applying for an executive position, you should probably wear a suit and tie. If you're a hands-on technologist, you may want to dress in business casual. If you are looking for an opening in a tattoo parlor, feel free to spice up your look and get creative!  

• A photo reassures a potential employer that you are ready to work. Regardless of age, you can project a youthful and energetic appearance.

So, you’ve got the right amount of experience, education, and training. Add a Linkedin photo, and you increase your chances of getting interviews.

Cross-posted at Career Hub Blog

I spent an enlightening hour attending a webinar offered by Jonathan Ciampi, a former executive at an ATS (applicant tracking system) company. He has started a new business, Preptel, to help job seekers increase their odds of success. He talked about how ATS works and implications for your resume.

Putting his input together with other information about ATS, I've compiled the most important things to avoid in order to optimize your resume for search.

1. Format: Do not submit a highly formatted resume electronically. Stick to a simple format or save your highly formatted resume as a .txt (ASCII) file. Most ATS will scramble tables, graphs, and graphics, defeating your purpose in presenting them. Take your beautiful, creative resume to the interview.

2. Keywords: Don't assume that it is enough to include the common keywords for your position, level, function, and industry or the ones in a job posting! Many ATS will identify as keywords the uncommon, unique-to-the-job-posting words or phrases in the job ad. This practice cuts down dramatically on the number of resumes retrieved for consideration by the hiring authority or recruiter.

3. Headings: Most ATS will only recognize the common headings: Work Experience or Professional Experience, Education, and sometimes Professional Summary. Eliminate creative headings such as "Career Highlights." 

4. Sections: Extra sections - that is, those that don't have the common titles listed in #3 - won't be stored. So if you have information essential to your application, such as certifications, community activities, publications etc., I suggest you include it under the Education heading.

5. Contact Information: Leave it out of the Header and Footer sections. Put it at the top of page one. And do include both home and mobile phone numbers if you have them.

6. Process: Don't paste your resume into a field online. Rather, upload it if given the opportunity. Chances are better that the formatting will remain intact with this method.

7. Acronyms & Abbreviations: Don't rely on acronyms alone. Include the full language. For instance, don't use USPs for "unique selling points." ATS should process common acronyms correctly, such as BA, MA, and MBA, but may not process other tech and business acronyms right.

8. Keyword Use: Newer ATS recognizes keywords in proper context within a sentence or word group. Don't rely solely on a keyword list. Let the job ad be your guide about which keywords to use in context. You may still want to provide a keyword list at the end of your resume under "Education" to cover the bases.

9. Source: Don't neglect to indicate where you heard about the job. ATS tracks sources and ranks some more highly than others, such as employee referrals over the big job boards.

10. Job Description: Don't forget that the ATS software will be searching for the descriptions of your jobs. Many people have been leaving that out in favor of just achievements. Time to put them back in!

If you are like a lot of people, you probably wish that the resume you worked so hard on to make visually attractive and easy to grasp would be seen on the first pass. Unfortunately, it isn't even seen on the second pass. The resume you submit to most large companies and many small-to-mid-sized ones gets mined for data that then populates fields on a form that the HR employee or recruiter sees (not your resume). Your resume may in fact only be seen at the time of an interview.

One further thought on length. If you need to go longer to adequately communicate what you've done and integrate keywords into context, go ahead. The software doesn't care!

A good first impression can be squandered without an equally good follow-up. It's important to follow up with the employer in a way that shows your continued interest and helps your candidacy. Here are 10 tips:

1. Send a thank-you note on the same day as the interview. Make it handwritten, sincere, and appreciative of the interviewer's time. This gesture alone differentiates you from the competition who often don't send thank-you notes.
2. Don't just thank them for their time. Clarify any points that you failed to communicate well in the interview. Expand on some of your answers to more clearly demonstrate how you can add value. 
3. Write a brief email with key achievements you didn't have time to mention, such as how you increased productivity, cut costs, or expanded the client base at your previous job.
4. Use a range of different media for follow up: phone, fax, email, snail mail.
5. If you've got an idea about how to help the company achieve its financial and strategic goals, don't be afraid to mention it along with a brief Challenge-Action-Results verbal snapshot about how you helped your employers in the past.
6. Show the employer that you made their company a priority by keeping up with their business news. Attach to an email a news article citing the company's entry into a new market, adoption of an emerging technology, upcoming acquisition, etc. Make an intelligent comment about that news.
7. Have a professional reference call your interviewer to really drive home the point that you are the right person for the job.
8. Before following up, make it a point to do some research on company culture. Ask an employee what it is like to work there and what it takes to be successful at the company. If you're lucky, your interest may get passed along up the office chain of command.
9. Be patient. The hiring process can take longer than you might think. Regular follow-up once every two weeks or so makes sense.
10. Be persistent in terms of getting through to the hiring manager. If you have something of value to convey, make 10 or 11 attempts (an average number required to reach a busy executive!)

An assertive follow-up effort can make you a more attractive candidate. So, put your thank-you card in the mail, pick up the phone, and improve your odds of getting a second interview.