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An effective resume is NOT one that gets you the job

 

 

Times are tough and unemployment is at an all time high. We all know that and some of us are actually living it. If you’ve lost your job there are quite a few tasks ahead of you, a lot of tough decisions to make and a lot of planning to do. Unfortunately, you are now part of an enormous pool of people in the same situation and you need to figure out a way to stand out from the crowd. How? By writing a kick-ass resume!

Been there, done that and I know it’s not an easy or even pleasant task but you’ve got to do it – and do it right. No excuses, no putting it off, no just slapping a few phrases together on a pretty piece of paper.

What’s the secret to writing a good resume? One that gets you what you want? Well, first it’s getting the answers to those 2 questions right. An effective resume is NOT one that showcases everything you’ve done in the past; it’s NOT a professional autobiography! An effective resume is NOT one that gets you the job; the interview does that – you do that – the resume is just to get you in there, to get you the interview.

What do you need to keep in mind when writing your resume?

• It needs to look forward not back! It needs to address the needs of the job and organization you are applying to.
• Tailoring your resume to the job you want means sifting through all you’ve done and handpicking the RIGHT experiences to showcase; the relevant ones.
• Give them what they want (target a specific position), highlight the value you will bring to them.
• You have 5-12 seconds to grab their attention – use your resume as a marketing tool and leave them wanting more; meaning an interview.

A successful resume is one that compels the hiring manager to set up an interview with you to learn more about your skills and experiences, help determine if you can indeed do the job, if you have a positive attitude, if you are a good fit with the company culture, etc. But first, you need to get that call.

As you start mapping out what you’re going to write on your resume keep in mind that you are writing it for the prospective employer’s eyes, not yours. Also remember that as he or she scans it they are:

1. Looking for reasons to eliminate unsuitable candidates
2. Trying to determine if your qualifications actually match those required by the position
3. Judging your communications skills (I’ve discarded plenty because of typos, grammatical errors, etc.)
4. Comparing you to other candidates
5. Determining if they’re interested enough to bring you in
6. Mentally developing interview questions
7. Checking your understanding of what they need by what you’ve listed/highlighted in your resume

In the upcoming posts we will discuss additional guidelines such as format, size, accomplishments vs. responsibilities, etc. In the meantime, please feel free to share any and all positive or negative experiences. After all, as I mentioned at the top of the post, the number of people in this situation right now is vast so, let’s all do whatever we can to help.

Monica F

ECO-NOMIC$ – Tips for Going Green In The Workplace

Going Green…You tell yourself you should, you tell yoursel you want to, but the whole idea of going green seems like a lot of work, a lot of involvement and dedication so you put it off. “Maybe next week, this week I have so many meetings, so many deadlines… I already recycle at home”. And you put it off yet again.

Well, the good news is it’s neither that difficult nor complicated. Share the tips below with your colleagues and, together, you will not only help save the environment but save some money in the long run as well.

• Buy an office plant

It will do wonders for the atmosphere and a green plant produces vital oxygen for you through photosynthesis.

• Switch off the lights

During your lunch hour and at the end of a long day – give your bulbs a rest and switch off the lights. And for when you need it – use an energy saving bulb instead. LED lighting will be the future of energy saving lighting systems.

• Ergonomically designed office furniture

What does good posture have to do with going green you ask? Saves gas money spent on going to the doctors trying to fix your bad back.

• Create a healthy office environment

Green, natural and earth-friendly products can make your workspace sparkling clean without harsh chemicals.

• Ramp up your recycling

Make it a habit to recycle everything your company collects. Just about any kind of paper you would encounter in an office, including fax paper, envelopes, and junk mail, can be recycled. So can your old cell phone, PDA, or pager.

• Mugs are In

Start a bring-your-own coffee mug policy for the break room and ditch the foam cups. Your company will reduce waste and save money as well.

• Bring back the errand-boy/girl

Rather than having lots of employees running in and out of the office for various reasons throughout the day, designate one person who can handle most or all of the out-of-office tasks in one trip, whether it’s picking up lunch, dropping off mail at the post office, making deliveries, etc.

• Invest in new office equipment

Consider replacing aging desktop computers with laptops instead, which can use up to 70 percent less electricity and generate less heat waste.

• Recycle paper

Cut up used papers that doesn’t have confidential/private information and use it for scratch paper. PHOTOCOPY DOUBLE-SIDED: Consider photocopying a multi-page document on both sides of the page. PRINT IN DRAFT MODE: Consider printing documents that are internal flyers or memos in the draft mode. Save the company printer ink/toner as most memos and flyers are read once and eventually thrown away.

• Reconsider your commute

Make it a habit to carpool, bike, or take transit to work, and/or telecommute when possible.

There are thousands of ways to green your workplace and even more people doing their part on a daily basis. Share your tips with us, let’s all learn from each other and tackle this as a group. Leave a comment, suggestion, practices you’ve seen implemented.  Tell us what about your green efforts!

Monica F

Go Pink For October – It’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month

A BSE – Breast Self-Examination Can Save Your Life. Just Do It!

BSE + Annual Mammograms + Regular CBEs (Clinical Breast Exam) = very few chances of breast cancer sneaking up on you.

Many women do not know how to perform breast self exams properly. Performing BSE incorrectly can be almost as bad as not doing the exam at all. Discuss any questions you might have about BSE techniques with your physician and ask him or her to demonstrate how to perform BSE during the regular clinical breast exam portion of the physical exam.

Remember this: the more you do it, the better you get at it.

Many suspicious breast lumps are found by women performing these self-exams. When you know how your breast normally feels, you will be able to feel any changes.

When should you do it? The best time to examine your breasts is right after your period, when they are not tender or swollen. If you do not have regular periods or sometimes skip a month, do it on the same day of every month.

How should you do it? According to ACS (American Cancer Society) the proper way is:

1. Lie down and put a pillow under your right shoulder. Place your right arm behind your head.
2. Use the finger pads of your three middle fingers on your left hand to feel for lumps or thickening in your right breast. Your finger pads are the top third of each finger.
3. Press firmly enough to know how your breast feels. If you’re not sure how hard to press, ask your health care provider. Or try to copy the way your health care provider uses the finger pads during a breast exam. Learn what your breast feels like most of the time. A firm ridge in the lower curve of each breast is normal.
4. Move around the breast in a set way. You can choose either the circle (A), the up and down (B), or the wedge (C). Do it the same way each month. It will help you to make sure that you’ve gone over the entire breast area, and to remember how your breast feels.
5. Now examine your left breast using the right hand finger pads.
6. Repeat the examination of both breasts while standing, with one arm behind your head. The upright position makes it easier to check the upper and outer parts of the breasts (toward your armpit). You may want to do the standing part of the BSE while you are in the shower. Some breast changes can be felt more easily when your skin is wet and soapy.

Who should do it?

• Women 40 and older should have an annual mammogram, annual CBE by a health professional, and should perform monthly BSE. The CBE should be done close to the scheduled mammogram.
• Women 20 to 39 should have a CBE every three years and should perform monthly BSE.

For additional information check out ACS’s Detailed Guide: Breast Cancer.

Monica F

The Key To Time Management Is Knowing How To Cook

No, seriously! Cooking or some other such task that involves prep/planning/execution.  It is training yourself (and many times those around you) to be efficient and proactive, to assign tasks the proper importance and urgency and to prioritize.

C. Ray Johnson, in one of the final chapters of his book CEO Logic: How to Think and Act Like a Chief Executive, summarizes: “Prioritizing is the answer to time management problems – not computers, efficiency experts, or matrix scheduling. You do not need to do work faster or to eliminate gaps in productivity to make better use of your time. You need to spend more time on the right things…”

How can you determine what the right things are? By determining where they should go in the matrix below.

 

I – Both Urgent and Important

These are urgent and important, all the “Do Now” tasks. Activities such as:

• Management request for data for a meeting
• Major emergency/crisis, fire-fighting matters
• Project or report deadline to meet
• Customer demands/complaints

II – Not Urgent but Important

These activities, though important, can be tackled at a more convenient time. Be careful! Make sure there is a more convenient time in which to address them; don’t confuse lack of urgency with lack of importance!

• Scheduling, planning, preparation
• Developing strategies, direction, goals
• Networking, relationship building
• Systems and process development

III – Urgent but NOT Important

This is the dangerous one, activities that might seem important but that upon closer scrutiny turn out to be only urgent.

• Unimportant interruptions & phone calls (these might be urgent – after all the phone is ringing – but are not important and you should learn to avoid them in order to give your attention to the tasks outlined in quadrant I.
• Apparent emergencies
• Unplanned interruptions and distractions such as email – turn that email notification noise off or turn down the volume on your computer so you’re not tempted to read it and lose focus.
• BS disguised as legitimate complaints – learn to recognize the difference and not allow people to impose their needs and wants on you.

IV – Neither Urgent nor Important

These activities don’t really qualify as tasks; these are “escape from routine” activities such as:

• Reading junk email
• Daydreaming
• Excessive and over-long breaks, lunches
• Personal phone calls/catching up with friends while at work
• Busywork
• “Just for the fun” activities

The goal is to manage activities in I, to manage and not lose focus of activities in II, and avoid the pitfalls of the activities listed under III and IV.

Share your thoughts and best practices. How do you prioritize? What time management techniques and/or tools work for you?

Monica F

 

I Don’t Have Time For Time Management!

Do you break out in hives every time you see the words Time Management? Do you scoff at the “idiots” who believe it’s possible to manage time wisely, and think to yourself – “Yeah, right! She says that because she doesn’t work in this place!!”

I know you do, do you want to know why? Because we all feel the same way. Our job is too hectic, our boss is too demanding, everything needs to get done immediately, these files are urgent… Yes, well, the fact still remains that some things do need to be done immediately, some can actually be delegated, and others just don’t make any sense anymore. So, how do you juggle everything in your job description?

OK, not reinventing the wheel here, there are hundreds of resources out there to help; all you need to do is choose the ones that work for you. Some tried and true suggestions are:

1. Pay attention to your attention. Make note of what distracts you and try to eliminate it as much as possible.
2. Keep a time log so you can examine how you currently spend your time.
3. Search the web for time management tools you can implement. See Time Management matrix in part II of our series.
4. Learn to say No. Challenge the tendency to say Yes without understanding the demands of the task asked of you.
5. Notice how others misuse your time.
6. Check emails and voicemail messages at planned times such as early morning and after lunch.
7. Scrutinize your tasks and eliminate steps that waste time and effort. Dare to question the “that’s the way we’ve always done it” attitude.
8. Set goals and stick to them. If you’ve identified that listening to music distracts you then turn the volume down while you concentrate on the task at hand.
9. Rethink your systems, the way you file emails, client folders, patient’s files. If it takes you a long time to do something then rethink the way you’re doing it.
10. Prioritize. No, let me say it like this: PRIORITIZE. Remember if everything is equally urgent and important than nothing is and nothing will get done. See Time Management matrix in part II of our series.
11. Re-condition your environment. Involve and engage your colleagues and your manager (usually the main source of time management issues). It’s in everyone’s interest and you should request and expect their support.
12. Take a break. Don’t have lunch at your desk, go out, see people, breathe some fresh air, re-energize yourself. The renewed oomph will do you good and you’ll be able to tackle things in a better frame of mind.

Check back for part II of our series as we delve into the Time Management Matrix.

Monica F

Customer Service Series Part 2: How to Keep Them Coming Back

How many of you have heard your organization defined as a “sales organization”, or a “marketing company”, or maybe a “medical practice”…?

A quick search revealed countless posts, articles, and entire websites devoted to the importance of customer service. Never mind all the books written on the subject! And they all expressed the same conviction even if relayed in different ways:

• Research shows that it costs six times more to attract a new customer than it does to keep an existing one.
• Most surveys across industries show that keeping one existing customer is five to seven times more profitable than attracting one new one.
• Current customers are usually less expensive …
• Studies have shown …

So, what IS the secret behind loyal customers who keep coming back? Good old customer service. What is the secret to good customer service? It’s not a secret at all; we all know about it. Here’s a reminder:

1. Be a customer-centric organization. Focus on your customer and it will reflect on your bottom line.
2. Listen to your customer. Listen to their needs, wishes and issues. Take the time to identify what your customer is really saying.
3. There’s a reason why front desk staff is trained to answer the phones by asking: “What can I do for you?” Don’t begin your conversations by telling your customers what you can’t do for them.
4.  Establish rapport. Don’t let your customer be a PO, a credit card number. Customers who feel anonymous also feel no loyalty to you or your company.
5. Treat them as individuals, call them by their name. Think of ways to make their experience a better one. People buy from people, be sincere.
6. SMILE! Whether in person or on the phone smile at your customer. People can tell your smiling even if your only contact with them is over the phone. Install a small mirror in front of you so you remind yourself to smile while you’re on a call. Works wonders!
7. Deal with complaints. Understand your customer’s complaint from their perspective. Don’t interrupt; don’t try to prove they’re the ones who are wrong.
8. Show them through your words and actions that you are serious about correcting the problem.
9. Apologize. Not only does it diffuse anger it will send your customer the message that your company takes responsibility for their actions.
10. Follow your apology with a solution. Find a solution to their complaint that is acceptable to them as well as your company.
11. Re-connect with them afterwards to make sure they are satisfied with the manner in which it was handled and happy with the outcome.
12. Learn these two little words; they make a world of difference: “Thank You”. Telling your customer you appreciate their business goes a long way towards building customer loyalty.
13. Walk the walk. Make sure your tone, body language, facial expressions all jive with your words.
14.  Value their opinions and suggestions. It will always offer you an opportunity to improve.
15. Go the extra mile. Sometimes it’s as simple as connecting with people even if they don’t buy from you. Or sending birthday and holiday cards. Or referring them to another business that can meet a certain need yours can’t. Or even walking them to the aisle where they can find the product they’re looking for.
16. Throw in something extra. A coupon, a free download, a BOGO deal, a free sample. Give a little more than you’re taking.
    

    Make it easy to be your customer.

17. Never promise more than you can deliver.
18. Customer service is not specific to those who hold the words in their title; it needs to be an important part of everyone’s job description, from the head honcho to the summer intern.
19. You know the saying “A man is only as good as his word”? Well, in business your company is only as good as the people you employ. Hire wisely. Willingness to Help 101 is harder to teach than technical skills.
20. Practice what you preach: treat your employees with the same respect you expect them to treat your customers. Customer loyalty often starts with employee loyalty.
21. Invest in your people. Minimum wage + few benefits = disgruntled employees who will be perfectly happy seeing you lose a customer.
22. Educate your staff as well as yourself. You offer sales training regularly, don’t you? Make ongoing customer service training part of the program too.
23. Empower your staff. With knowledge as well as the ability to make decisions and devise solutions that affect your customers. Don’t pay your staff to sit around saying “I don’t know; I’ll have to wait for Mr. X to come back from vacation to see what we can do for you”.
24. Teach by example.
25. And another thing: when a customer calls your company have a real, live person answering the phone!

Monica F

What Gets You Out Of Bed Monday Morning?

What makes us go to work every day? Let’s get one reason out of the way: unless you are the proverbial “independently wealthy” we all know money plays a big part in the picture.

So, why do you get up every morning to go to work? For the paycheck – period? To get out of the house? Because you like your boss? Because you like your co-workers? Because you hate them all and have sworn to make their lives miserable for as long as you can?

I remember watching a basketball game on TV many (many!!!) years ago and thinking: Wow, these athletes are so lucky. They get to have fun while they work, they get to do what they like, AND they get paid for doing it!

And then it hit me… so did I. That was the day my job, my occupation, became my career. And those three factors: having fun at work, doing what I like, and getting paid for it have been the driving force behind every career choice I’ve ever made.

So, why do I get up every day to go to work? Because no matter who I work with, who I work for, and I’ve had my share of horror stories, I LOVE what I do! I love to make things happen, I love the sense of accomplishment after tackling a juicy challenge, I love analyzing the strategic and tactical pieces of my job. I love drilling down into the details even as I keep an eye on the big picture. I love taking the bull by the horns and, and, and…

What about you? Are you one of the lucky ones?

Take the Job Satisfaction Survey below and then share your results with us.

1. I look forward to going to work on Monday morning.	YES	NO
2. I feel positive and up most of the time I am working.	YES	NO
3. I have energy at the end of each work day to attend to the people I care about.	YES	NO
4. I have energy at the end of each work day to engage in personal interests.	YES	NO
5. I have the time and energy in my life to read books that interest me.	YES	NO
6. Most interactions at work are positive.	YES	NO
7. I have good friends at work.	YES	NO
8. I feel valued and affirmed at work.	YES	NO
9. I feel recognized and appreciated at work.	YES	NO
10. Work is a real plus in my life.	YES	NO
11. I’m engaged in meaningful work.	YES	NO
12. I feel free to be who I am at work.	YES	NO
13. I feel free to do things the way I like at work.	YES	NO
14. My values fit with the organizational values.	YES	NO
15. I am aligned with the organizational mission.	YES	NO
16. I trust our leadership team.	YES	NO
17. I respect the work of my peers.	YES	NO
18. I have opportunities to learn what I want to learn.	YES	NO
19. I feel involved in decisions that affect our organizational community.	YES	NO
20. Creativity and innovation are supported.	YES	NO
21. I feel informed about what’s going on.	YES	NO
22. I know what is expected of me at work.	YES	NO
23. I have the materials and equipment that I need in order to do my work right.	YES	NO
24. I have the opportunity to do what I do best every day at work.	YES	NO
25. My manager cares about me as a person.	YES	NO
26. I know someone at work who encourages my development.	YES	NO
27. My opinions count.	YES	NO
28. My coworkers are committed to doing quality work.	YES	NO
29. My manager reviews my progress.	YES	NO
30. I am fairly compensated.	YES	NO

Give yourself two points for each statement you answered positively. Use the following scale to evaluate your job.

50-60 points: Great Job

40-49 points: Good Job

30-39 points: OK Job

20-29 points: Bad Job

1-19 points: Depressing Job

About This Survey:Job Satisfaction Survey

This survey originally appeared in Volume 3, Number 5 edition of Absolute Advantage—a workplace wellness magazine published by the Wellness Councils of America.

About The Author:

Richard Bellingham, EdD

Richard (Rick) Bellingham, EdD, is the CEO and Founder of iobility, a New Jersey-based consulting firm specializing in aligning human and organizational capabilities behind the corporate mission, vision, and values. He has more than 25 years of experience working in the areas of business transformation, organizational learning, leadership development, team development, and ethical leadership. Dr. Bellingham has established a solid track record in leading management teams to align corporate culture with business strategy, accelerating technology deployment, and coaching executives how to lead change. He has coached senior executives in 50 of the Fortune 500 firms.

Customer Service Series Part 1: Can a College Degree Actually Undo Everything Your Mother Taught You?

I went to a Walgreens this morning to get a prescription for my son filled. The gentleman behind the counter was apparently very busy for quite a few minutes, too busy to even look my way even though I was standing a mere 3 feet away from him. There was a mix-up, he didn’t know quite how to handle the payment since I had one of those promotional/discount cards. All in all we interacted for about 10-12min.

He never once smiled at the customer standing in front of him – in this case me! I looked at his badge and it said Assistant Pharmacist. I then went to the front of the store to pay for my other items and the lady behind the register was all smiles, all attention to the customer and their needs – in this case me!

Too many professionals and, too many organizations for that matter confuse customer service with Customer Service. The latter is an occupation, like doctor, receptionist, or bus driver. Though each professional has a very different set of tasks and responsibilities they perform on a daily basis, customer service is a part of everyone’s job description.

Good customer service is all about bringing customers back. It should permeate everything you do, every interaction of every employee with every client/customer. It is the lifeblood of any corporation. Treat your customers bad and they will seek service somewhere else. It may come as a total shock to you but there are SEVERAL other companies, professionals, service providers they can go to for the same product/ service you offer. 

I know, alarm bells just went off, right? You just got scared, very scared. It’s OK, take it easy, breathe, calm down, there’s a solution for this too.

In part 2 of our series we will discuss the 25 Good Customer Service practices you need to implement to ensure your clients keep coming back.

Stay tuned.

Monica F

To Err is Human…Yes, we know. It’s what we do afterwards that separates us

You’re going about your business, getting your work done, and suddenly the wheels stop turning, tires screech, everything comes to a halt! Oops, you made a mistake. A big one. If it had been anyone else you’d call it a colossal ball dropping one.

What do you do? Hide under your desk? Whistle a tune and make believe it never happened? Or do you own up to it?

I’ve always said that when a mistake happens I need to know WHAT, HOW, & WHO – in that order. I handle my own errors the same way.

WHAT: We can’t fix what we don’t know is broken so, as soon as a mistake is identified (hear the tires screeching??) report it to your supervisor/manager.  Be clear, be concise, be honest, and be calm.

HOW: This one is two-pronged –

1) You need to backtrack here. The how is an important step in figuring out what caused the issue in order to avoid it in the future.  Ask yourself some tough questions and list your answers. Every problem has its roots somewhere; figure out the reason for this one.

2) How are you going to fix it? Before you make your way to your manager’s office to tell him/her about the WHAT part you need to have a clear plan of the necessary steps to correct it. Is it a simple do-over? Will you need additional resources? Are there any costs involved?

WHO: This is NOT a finger pointing exercise so you minimize the consequences for you. No, this one is for the supervisors out there. The WHO factor becomes important in order to determine if a) you need to retrain/coach your employee or b) you have a recurring offender. If you know that 4 out of 5 times when something goes wrong it’s the same person involved then you have a bigger problem on your hands and will need to decide on a course of action.

Care to share how you handled a mistake you made at work? How about how some of your team mates dealt with theirs?

I want to hear all about it. The good, the bad and the really bad!

Monica F

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