Professional Profiles are they important????

You must admit resumes are pretty boring reading, especially when that is what you do all day.  Recruiters and HR employees read through 100's of resumes a day.  OK, read!!!  maybe more like scan.  That is if you are lucky enough to get past their ATS (Applicant Tracking System).  Now you have to grab their attention while they are doing their 10 second scan of your resume.  Sometimes I think Recruiters and HR employees can scan faster than their computer systems. The Professional Profile is the easiest way to entice them to actually read your resume.

The Professional Profile appears right under your name and contact information.  What makes a good professional profile:

• Keep it short:  one or two sentences giving a brief synopsis of your experience; followed by 3 or 4 small bullets of specific detail related to the actual job description if necessary
• Use key words from the job description.  If they are looking for a Java Developer, don't put in the profile that you started out as a Cobol Programmer
• Years of experience in your field
• If they are looking for a specific degree or certificate and you have it, put it in a bullet in your profile

Action words in your profile will give it a little more zing:

• boosted sales by 23%
• implemented an employee incentive program
• set up a new data centre
• maintained 200 desktops
• converted a 1000 desk data centre from windows to 
• increased production
• decreased customer service calls

Detail not to put in your profile include:

• personal information, ie hobbies, number of children, marital status - you get the point.  Truthfully this information doesn't even need to be on your resume
• opinions about anything, 
• that you can work independently, multi task, hard worker, always on time, etc.  These are taken for granted.
• the word "I"

Finally here is a sample professional profile for an IT position at a financial institution.

Java Developer offering a broad technical background working in the financial industry. This includes 7 years of WebSphere development, 3 years WebSphere portal development and 3 years of WebSphere/WebSphere portal administration experience.  

• Bachelors of Computer Science from the University of Western Ontario (if degree needed from job description)
• Certifications include:  (if specified from job description)
• 4 years experience in building mobile web applications.  (keyword from job description)
• In-depth experience in software full life cycle and design patter

A professional profile is just that, a profile, keep it short, to the point and targeting the specific job description you are applying for.  For some more examples check out this webpage http://jobsearch.about.com/od/profiles/a/resume-profile-examples.htm

Good Luck Job Hunting !!

How do you survive a Telephone Interview

Why are telephone interviews so difficult?  They should be so easy - right!!!  Wrong.  That's the first mistake everyone makes.  Now your first and only impression is your telephone manner.  If you treat this interview like it's a "no brainer" then chances are you will not get through to the F2F interview.

Telephone interviews are done to find the candidate that can actually do what the job description asks for and can also do the duties/achievements on his/her resume.   In this day of professional resume writing services companies want to make sure that you have actually done the activities on your resume.

What can you do to make it through the telephone interview:

• First of all treat the telephone interview as seriously as you would a F2F.  This means:
• Get out of your pyjamas.  Dressing for a telephone interview will perk you up and make you feel more professional
• Find a room to take your call in that is quiet and has no distractions (no radio, tv, children, pets)
• If you are going to sit down, then make sure it has a comfortable chair that doesn't allow you to slouch.  
• Try standing and walking around.  Your voice projects better when you are sitting straight or standing.  Talking with your hands will help add personality and animation to your voice as well.  
• The next important thing is to "Be Prepared".  Again treat it like a F2F:
• Study your resume - be able to expand on points in your resume when asked about specifics. 
• Study the job description.
• Think of questions that the interviewer may ask re your resume or job description and practice them. 
• Research the company and make a list of questions, if you don't have time to ask them all during this interview, you will have them ready for your F2F.  
• Use a cheat sheet.  No one can see you, this has it's advantages.  You can have your resume right in front of you.  Write down questions they might ask with the answers beside it.  
• Script your "hello, good morning, thank you for taking the time to interview me".  But remember it's not a play so ad lib as well.
• If possible try and find out who will be interviewing you and their position in the company.  
• Listen to the questions, if you aren't sure then ask them to repeat it.  Pausing to collect your thoughts is ok.  
• Don't get flustered if there are silences, the interviewer will be making notes.  Answer the question and then ask them if they would like more detail.
• Use a headset.  This will allow your hands to be free to take notes and your the reception is usually clearer for both you and the interviewer
• Do a practice phone interview.  Make a list of questions and get a friend or family member to call you and practice, practice, practice.  
• Little things can make a difference:
• Don't multi-task.  If your computer is open, have it open only to your resume or your cheat sheet.  Don't be checking out your email or your baseball scores or the newest sale at Guess.
• Turn off call-waiting on your phone and needless to say if you forgot don't answer it or even look to see who it was.
• Don't eat or smoke while on the phone.  Sips of water are fine if you find it necessary.
• Ask the interviewer for their email address so you can send a thank you note after the interview

Remember be enthusiastic, you applied for this position and you want this job.  You have to get those impressions through with your voice, the person can't see your face.  So smile, laugh and tell them you are looking forward to the F2F.

Good luck job hunting 

What is an Information Interview

Boring, you can't bear another day going into your job.  You thought you were a salesman but hate cold calls.  Graduation day is approaching and you don't know what to do.  Now is the time to set up some Information Interviews.

An Information Interview is just what its name implies.  It is a way for you to find out information about different types of jobs and companies.

Your first step is to:

• Make a list of companies and jobs you think you might like.  
• Research these companies and job types, both through their webpages and through job search engines like Workopolis and Monster.
• Make a list of questions about the companies and the different positions they have

Networking is your next step:

• Ask people you know who work for these companies if they could recommend someone you could go and talk to about the company and types of jobs
• Look around your community.  If you are thinking about banking then the bank manager is a great person to talk to or he/she may be able to recommend someone in head office that would be helpful
• Sports teams and gyms are great places to network.  Right away you have something in common so ask them who they work for and how they got started.
• Coffee Shops, if there is a specific company you are interested in, yes go and hang around the closest coffee shop to their office.  Strike up a conversation
• LinkedIn is a great place to find people who work for specific companies. Ask to connect with them and then follow their updates.  LinkedIn Groups are also a great way to find out about different things that are going on in your field and to connect with people with the same interests.

It is important to remember that this is an Information Interview not a Job Interview.  So you are the one asking the questions, you are in control.  Break your interview into 4 parts:

• A brief introduction of yourself:  your education, your achievements and your interests.  This gives the person you are interviewing an idea of your skills and how they will relate to different positions in their company.  Explain to them you are trying to get into a new field or have just graduated.  Tell him "I really don't like doing cold calls", "I love working with numbers", "I have a real interest in people", etc
• Next would come questions about the company:  trends, challenges, organization, etc.  
• Specifics about particular jobs will be the most detailed part of the interview:
• what training is required
• what type of things would be done in a typical day
• what do you enjoy most/least about your job
• Finally a thank you for your time and can they recommend/refer anyone that may be able to help you in your job search/analysis

This person is doing you a favour so remember:

• Be punctual
• Be prepared
• Be polite
• Bring a resume but DO NOT give it to them unless they ask you for one.
• Dress professionally
• Don't waste their time

Finally like with anything in life, this person has done you a service and set aside some of their time to help you so remember to send a Thank You Note as soon as possible after the interview.  And don't forget to add them to your network on your social media sites.

Good luck Job Hunting

Your Resume Checklist

Before you submit that resume, have a 2nd and a 3rd look. Below are some do's and don'ts to help you with your resume submission.

• Your name (first and last) is bolded on the first page, followed by contact information (town/city, country, phone, email, linkedin) in a smaller font.  On subsequent pages include your name, email and phone number in a smaller font at the top of the resume.
• Do not include personal information like:  marital status, children, father's name (yes I have seen it on resumes), passport number or SIN number.
• How long is your Professional Profile.  Keep it to 1 paragraph, 5 to 6 sentences and possibly a couple of bullets.  Make sure they highlight the skills you have that match the job you are applying for.  A 1-page profile will lose the interest of the recruiter after about the 5th line.  Keep it short and concise.
• Is your Education listed with the highest degree on the top, followed by certifications and training in reverse chronological order

  

• If you are applying for a technical position.  This is a good spot to list your most current technologies.  Needless to say if there are specific technical skills in the job ad and you have them, then put them in here so they will stand out.
• The next section should be your Professional Experience.  Again the jobs should be listed in reverse chronological order, with the most current position first. 
• Do your achievements start with action words:  Develop, Create, Built, Performed, Managed, Coordinated, etc.  Here is a webpage with 100's of action words  http://jobmob.co.il/blog/positive-resume-action-verbs/ or just type "List of Action Words" in Google.
• NEVER NEVER NEVER start a sentence with "I" or "your name". 
• "John created a test plan and test cases" or "I created a test plan and test cases" should become
• Created a test plan and test cases.
• Put your keywords from the job ad in your achievements as often as you can.  If the job is looking for someone who has worked on an "on-line banking system"  then say so.  
• Created detailed test plans for the CIBC On-line Banking System using Mercury Tools
• If you notice that it is taking you a long time to read your resume, then it is probably too long, cut it down to 2 or 3 pages.  You can always put in a line that says
• Detailed job information from 1999 and back is available upon request.
• Hobbies - not needed on the resume.  This is a question that may come up at the interview to get the conversation going.  Be careful what you tell them.  Reading, Golf, Skiing, etc are probably good topics of conversation.  Telling your interviewer that you like to go to the casino every Saturday night might set off some warning bells for him.  
• References - don't go on the resume, in fact don't even put in the line "references available upon request", that's a known.  
• Take out the graphics, logos, graphs, pictures. 
• Don't include a letter from your mother, yes it has happened.  
• Don't lie on your resume, this is a legal document.
• Have someone proofread it, have them read the job ad as well.  

Good Luck Job Hunting

Keeping track of the jobs you have applied for

You have done your resume, fine tuned your cover letter and sent off your resume.  Much to your chagrin you didn't get the first job you applied to.  So now the whole process starts over and over, and over again. Yes, there is a good chance that you might send out over 200 resumes before you actually land your dream job.

Printing off all your resumes and cover letters is using up a lot of paper, not to mention file folders to put them in.  This is when a Job Log comes in handy.  My preference would be to do it in excel or even better a google docs spreadsheet.  The columns are easy to set up, you can sort the file by date, by company, by position, etc.  And spreadhseets are relatively user friendly.  Putting it up on google docs means you can access it wherever your are - the library, the coffee shop, etc.  It also gives you the ability to update the information right after your interview while it is still fresh in your mind.

What goes in the Job Log:

• Date you sent resume
• Company Name
• Contact Info:  Name, email, phone
• Job Number
• Job Title
• Copy of Job Posting: Note - don't just link the url, the url may be taken down before you get an interview, so keep a hard copy of the job posting.
• Resume/Cover Letter
• Follow up dates and whether an email or phone call
• Telephone Interview
• 1st Interview
• Date
• Who with
• Preparation Notes:  possible questions, company info
• Questions to follow up on
• Follow up dates and whether an email or phone call
• Thank you letter sent
• 2nd Interview
• Date
• Who with
• Preparation Notes:  possible questions, company info
• Questions to follow up on
• Follow up dates and whether an email or phone call
• Thank you letter sent
• Salary and benefits

The first thing to do is figure out your computer filing system and naming conventions for your resume/cover letter, thank you letters, copy of job posting, company information and interview questions you want to ask (which you will update after the interview with the answers).  These documents can be either linked to your spreadsheet or just put the file name in.

One small recommendation - I like to put my cover letter in the front of my resume.  HR and Recruiters have a tendency to go right to the resume and never open the cover letter.  If it is at the front of your resume then they may actually glance at it.  

Looking for a job can be a full time job.  So remember as with all data collection it is only helpful if it is kept up to date and a little work to set it up will save you a ton of time and possible embarassment when you start getting interviews.

Good luck Job Hunting

How to be productive when working from home

The computer is on, my calendar is opened, the "to do" list is ready to start clicking on and beep beep.  The washer has just stopped.  I'll just pop up and flip the laundry.  Oh shoot the dog needs walked, the cat needs a treat, the children have a question, a neighbour pops over.

My office is in the front of my house where all my neighbours see me at my computer day in and day out.  Because I am at home they think it is OK to pop over for a chat or to borrow something or for a favour.  Strangely the same thing happens with my children and my husband.  "I'm actually working you know, my boss is waiting for this" was a common refrain around my house when I first started working from home.

It just wasn't outside influences I was fighting with it was also keeping myself on track that was an issue.  Flipping the laundry, popping out to cut the grass, that endless list of things to do at home that are always in the back of your mind when you work from home and oh so easily distracting.  Would I rather walk the dog or read another resume.

It soon became apparent that I had to set rules and guidelines for myself and family members.  My first and most important mandate was:

This is your career treat it with respect.  

From this statement I was able look at my issues and set up some standards for operating my business.  This included simple things like:

• Setting up a private office.  I set up a room in the house that was out of bounds for children and visitors (my cats were and still are welcome).
• A proper desk and comfortable chair are a necessity.
• Getting out of my pyjamas when I went into my office.  I still do casual office attire, but my makeup is on and it makes me feel more professional.
• If you have children be prepared to get a babysitter for your busy times.  
• Shut the door so there are fewer distractions.  Make sure all family members know the rules.  They can't be yelling for you when you are on the phone conducting an interview.
• Take your lunch break away from your desk.  Go for a walk outside.  Stretch your legs and relax your mind for 60 minutes.  
• Set up mini deadlines.  These tasks have to be finished before I can succumb to another cup of tea.
• Set up a schedule for checking your personal email, etc, that way it won't become distracting.
• Separation of job and family time.  Don't work on the weekend just because it is there and easy to access.  It is so easy to say "I will just go and finish that report".  If you aren't late with the task then use your weekends/night time for family time.
• If your work is computer related, then unplug it and take it to the coffee shop for a change of scenery.
• Keep your equipment up to date, if your computer needs upgrading then do it.  Otherwise you will lose productive time with a computer that is slowing down and freezing.

When you respect your career you automatically respect yourself

These small guidelines have helped me work successfully from home for the past 25 years.  When I started treating my job like a career, it didn't take long for my family and neighbours to follow suit.  I'm still working on the cats  O:).

What does a Virtual Assistant do?

Your company is growing, that's great news, but all of a sudden you are overwhelmed with millions of tasks. 

• Booking meetings, flights, cars
• Ordering supplies
• Answering general information emails, we all know how quickly our general mailboxes can fill up
• Formatting presentations and reports
• Editing presentations and reports
• Answering and updating your Twitter, Blog, Facebook, LinkedIn, Google+ accounts (to name just a few social media sites you may be on)
• You need some graphics to make your presentation more professional do you really have time to search the web for the right one.
• etc, etc

Sounds like you definitely need help, but not ready for a full-time position, or maybe you don't have the room for someone yet.  Then you may want to look at a Virtual Assistant.  There is a Virtual Assistant for every task your company may need. 

• Bookkeeping has been outsourced for years
• Office Help:  documents, presentations, reports, resumes, spreadsheets
• Social Media:  creating your accounts and updating them
• Scheduling:  keeping track of your calendar for meetings, conferences, flights, etc
• Recruitment:  Screening, reference checks, searching for candidates
• Data Entry:  not just entry but also keeping your database up to date
• Transcription Services

You need to make a list of what you need help with (I know another task to add to your never ending list).  That list needs to be sorted into general administration and specialized administration tasks.  Chances are that your Virtual Assistant won't be able to design you a great webpage, get a professional for that, but they will be able to maintain and update it.  Editing and proofreading is another task that you may want to make sure that your Virtual Assistant is qualified in the language you are using.  The best Virtual Assistants become an employee of your company without the expense of being an employee.  The more they do for you the more knowledgeable they will become.  And you can keep adding tasks to their list without them complaining about their work load. 

Try a Virtual Assistant and get on with business while leaving those mundane tasks to a professional!!!