RESUMES: Four elements of a good summary statement

RESUMES: FOUR ELEMENTS OF A GOOD SUMMARY STATEMENT
Overview vs. Objective and other ideas above the fold

NAKED BACON is probably a terrible thing to have at the top of your resume as an attention grabber, but maybe it works in blog posts. A well crafted description of who you are and what you specifically offer is like a banner headline of a newspaper.

In this post I’m going to touch on length of resume, objective vs summary statement, four elements of a good summary statement, accomplishment language and a few other odd resume ideas.

The problem with most resumes is they’re all about you. It is, by its very nature an extremely self-centered document. It is one reason most resumes don’t get attention in the form of an interview or even a rejection email. Your resume needs to be tnereffid and stand out. Look at your resume from the hiring manager’s perspective. Your audience isn’t concerned about “filling a position” as much as they are trying to solve a problem. They are evaluating you to see if you can fill their big, specific need so they are most often looking for two things: qualifications and fit.


LENGTH OF RESUME
You have two pages* at most to sell yourself and in most cases, far less than that. Most experts say you have between five and forty-five seconds to hook a reader. Therefore, err on the side of caution and hook them in five seconds by focusing on the top half of the top page as your lone opportunity to sell the rest of the resume.

* Two pages is probably right unless you are a super expert, a senior executive or have technical or other expertise that requires more space to explain. Experts refer to a resume that has three or more pages as a “brick”. A new college graduate should have a one-page resume.


OBJECTIVE vs. SUMMARY STATEMENT
From an earlier post entitled “Seven things to do upon losing your job”, I wrote a sample summary statement that – to me – is a masterpiece of futility which reads:
“Hard working, forward-thinking, professional, dedicated team player seeking employment with solid company where I can apply my skills and abilities to make a valuable contribution.”

If your summary statement of qualifications sounds anything like this, I’m going to personally punch you in the job you didn’t get. Those are great qualities, but they don’t differentiate you. They don’t speak to need. What job seeker wouldn’t say those things even if they are a lazy, short-sighted goon, who doesn’t work or play well with others willing to settle for a crappy job with a questionable company in hopes of flying under the radar? You are none of those things so be sure your banner headline makes someone say “I want to know more”.

For a new graduate or changing fields, an objective statement might be in order to state clearly what you are looking for. Some professional resume writers say you should never use an objective because that is focused on what you want as opposed to what you can do for a prospective employer. In most cases a summary statement may be more effective to keep your audience reading.


FOUR ELEMENTS OF A GOOD SUMMARY STATEMENT
1. [Job title] – All of the best summary statements I have seen start with the job title. It guides the reader and lets them know right up front how you can help them. Some resume experts suggest adding this title after your name at the very top of the resume. Both tactics serve the same purpose: guide the reader. Examples include: “Human Resources Generalist”, “Certified Project Manager”, “Sales manager”, etc.

2. [speak to outcomes] – Where possible, use numbers later on in the document to back this up but tell them what happens to departments or businesses where you are involved. You can’t promise success in a job you are seeking and don’t yet have, but you can use past success at other companies as an indicator of what a prospective employer can expect from you. If there is a common thread of success, that’s your banner headline. Won contract extensions, increased sales by X%, completed projects by an average of X% under budget, etc.

3. [touch on skill set] – What do you have that others don’t which make you a better asset? Using my skills as a polished presenter, creative problem solver, etc.

4. [speak to organizational fit] – Are you a strong team player who thrives on camaraderie and competition or an independent, task oriented self-starter? There is a place for both in an organization, so don’t pretend you will be content taking orders on the phone all day when you’d rather be out connecting with people (or vice versa). You should tell a prospective employer what type of environment allows you to deliver the greatest return.

Here are a few real examples of summary statements that I think are good, with each of the above elements noted.

“Human Resource generalist(1) skilled in the development and maintenance of a well-functioning HR department(2) as a value added, strategic partner(4) to the business.”

“Highly creative and recognized computer analyst(1) with a reputation(2) for complex logistical problem solving(3) and a passion(4) for quick response, lean process and high quality.”

“Energetic sales professional(1) with a proven history of closing and growing key accounts(2) that leads as a team contributor(4) and thrives presenting in person(3) .”

Some jobs are easier to quantify than others, so in some cases you may not be able to speak to outcomes as well as others. If you can include as many of these elements in your summary statement, it should encourage people to keep reading.


ACCOMPLISHMENT LANGUAGE
Experts that advocate this say it is not enough for you to take your existing resume and just add in accomplishment statements. They advocate starting over entirely. Accomplishments tell stories and help people remember you. If you’re going to go this route, start by making a list of all the contributions you have made in your previous jobs. To start it can be as simple as “big Atmos sale” or “HSBC upsell”. Your list should have at least 15 and could have many more. Once you have your list, expand each one to tell the situation, action and result/outcome.
Situation – when, company situation, etc.
Action – What did you specifically do?
Result – what was the positive outcome for the company?
If you are seeking a sales or sales management position you might have a group of accomplishments under the “Sales Management Accomplishments” header and others under “Sales accomplishments”. By adding these right after your summary statement you are giving your audience strong information about you early in the document. You can also move up something important in your resume that would otherwise be lost on page two.

One big caveat to accomplishment language that I hear consistently is HR people hate resumes like this. Therefore, if you have an accomplishment resume, have a chronological one ready in case someone gives you a signal that they don’t like the format. If you are concerned about it, consider leading with the chronological resume and showing up for the interview with an accomplishment format.


FINAL THOUGHTS
· Consider placing your contact information at the bottom of the page, leaving more valuable real estate for something that sells you.

· Don’t cram your resume so full of text that there is no white space. Make your resume easy to read.

· Consider hiding keywords in a very small font high up in your resume. When companies scan in a resume and have a program that looks for keywords, this could be a good way to get noticed. I removed a graphic line under my name before my summary statement and added in a line of text at font size 2 with lots of industry keyword terms and words to describe me. It never amounted to anything that I know of but I can’t imagine it hurt. I could have made it even smaller text but I hoped a human reader might notice it and give me points for creativity.

· Have one or several people who don’t know you well review your resume and give you input. Anytime you ask for input – ask two or three specific questions like “what stood out to you the most?” “As a hiring manager, what would you conclude about what I can do for your company?” You can even guide them a little now that you may know more about resume than they do like “Because I’m trying to communicate that I can solve a problem instead of just fill a job, what line/part would you identify as a weaknesses that didn’t speak to a prospective hiring manager?” You can probably come up with better questions, but don’t just throw them your resume and say “tell me what you think”. Guide your audience, just like with your resume!


Thanks to Laura Smith Proulx for her answer to a question I posted on this topic on LinkedIn. There were lots of great answers but I graded Laura’s as the BEST.

The Perfect Job Description

This question is for triple the points, top four answers on the board. Here is the question: What are the essential things; the critical tools you MUST have prepared if you’re on a job hunt? “Well, Russ, I’m going to have to say: Resume.” (good answer, good answer.)




Most would probably say Resume first, but I don’t think it would be the number one first thing. My answer there is a personal plan or a goal in mind. So there are two answers, what else does a candidate need to have ready?

Another answer I think would come up is an elevator speech or “two-minute drill” to give someone a verbal overview of who they are, where they’ve been and what specifically they offer to a prospective employer.

1. Personal plan / goal. You want to land a specific kind of job, not just any job. Before you write a resume, you have to have the goal in mind.
2. Resume. The brightest star in the cosmos of the job search. Of course you must have a resume.
3. Perfect Job description. Often overlooked, this can be a useful tool – both to have and to go through the process of developing. Drafting this really helped me in my search and has been a useful exercise for many friends too. I would rank it right behind the resume among the critical tools for a job search.
4. Elevator Speech, a/k/a “Two Minute Drill” – I wrote about that in a previous post. You must be able to communicate – even to those close to you – what kind of job you seek and would do well before they can begin to help you.

My belief is that most job seekers would have gotten 1, 2 & 4 but may have missed #3, which is why I wanted to write about it. The first tool would be a personal plan or to go through a personal assessment to clearly identify the things you are good at and that you like. If you don’t have this clear in your mind and on paper, it will make your resume much more difficult to draft. That’s why this element is first in the process ahead of resumes. Personal assessments are a critical component of a job search and something I’ll hammer on later. Let’s assume you already have a good sense for who you are and what you offer a prospective employer.

Unless you are in HR, you may not have ever written a job description. Drafting what you believe to be YOUR perfect job description will help you identify and communicate what you’re good at, what you enjoy, whether you like change, structure, independence, teamwork, etc. A polished document outlining your perfect job description is also something that you can share with friends or at networking meetings to help clearly communicate what you offer and what sets you apart from others.

Where do you start? Let me tell you my experience.

I’m a sales guy with strong experience in transaction-based electronic payments, projects and account management. I have a strong desire to serve, have a creative bent, have grown up using computers and had some experience using social media and helping others make sense of that. After a careful search, no such job with all those elements exists. However, if I am hired in a primary capacity in sales, I can add value with my other experience and communicate my strong desire to serve and be a team player. What I’m really communicating by listing additional responsibilities is how I’ll fit and my willingness to serve.

To start, I took my resume header and cut out everything below my name and address. My goal was for this document to look like my resume. One page should be enough especially since it’s hypothetical. Some exceptions I can think of where you’d make it longer would be if you had a very specific or technical job in mind where you needed to go into great detail about exactly what you would do.

Next, start searching on your favorite job boards for positions that you would like. No doubt you have seen several that you liked, at least in part. Here is your opportunity to start taking the best elements from those job descriptions and adding them to your perfect job description. Whether you do this initially or after you’ve drafted something is up to you and probably depends on your comfort level with this process and the role you envision. Using published/existing job descriptions to come up with the building blocks for your document will ensure you stay grounded in reality and use the right terms to describe what you can bring or add to your next job.

In my first pass I wrote eight different numbered responsibilities and added a % number for the amount of time in a given month I would spend on that area. After further review, I removed those %’s because this is hypothetical and I wanted to communicate what I could do for a prospective employer knowing full well that they would modify my role at least in part.

How do you know if an item should be included in your job description?

Make a list of all the job responsibilities you have:
1. Performed in the past
2. Enjoyed AND
3. Did well – if you aren’t sure about this, think back about any feedback you received from managers or others.

List the things that energize you; your drivers. Being on a job search is like the beginning of a new semester at school. You have a clean slate and an opportunity to clearly identify the things that make you tick and get you out of bed in the mornings.

Having a clear direction about what your next job looks like enables you to clearly communicate your value proposition to friends, contacts and prospective employers. Don’t be the one to get the [X] (buzzer sound!) Best of all, you can do this without having to kiss Richard Dawson, Mr. Peterman or whomever is hosting Family Feud these days.

Have you written a perfect job description? How did you use it? What did the process do for you? I would welcome your coments.

NAMING EMAIL ACCOUNTS, RESUMES & RELATED DOCUMENTS

“There are four ways, and only four ways, in which we have contact with the world. We are evaluated and classified by these four contacts: what we do, how we look, what we say, and how we say it.” ~ Dale Carnegie

Names are important – just ask my kids. We have three young kids and anytime a new stuffed animal comes to the family we try to have a naming ceremony for the animal. We place all the other stuffed animals in a big circle in the playroom. The kids then choose a few animals that either don’t have names or “need” new names, in addition to the new one, and bring them to me. I then solicit name ideas from the kids and suggest lots of others. They love this ritual and our oldest, John, now 7 ½ , remembers way more of the names than I do.

You want to be remembered – but in a good way – so I suggest you take some time to think through the names you use as part of your personal branding strategy. Every communication you have with a prospective employer is an impression. The way you set up email addresses and other things that employers see gives them another opportunity to form an opinion about you.

EMAIL ADDRESS

On the front end of a job search is a good time to think about your email address. Think about how many email exchanges you might have with the eventual company that hires you. You want to communicate that you are a competent professional who will fit with that company’s culture. This is a good time to consider a change in your email address. You want to make it simple, clear and professional. I think it’s best to use a free service like gmail, yahoo or similar because you can KEEP that address even if you move. What if you get upset with your provider and want to switch or decide the cable is an expense you can cut? Your brand – your email address – is then dependent upon that company’s name. So at the front end of a job hunt is a good time to set up a new account that is free, professional and portable. You don’t even have to abandon your @cox.net or @sbcglobal.net address for your other communication. This can be a gradual change.

It’s pretty easy to set up a redirect from that web based address (your new, professional one) to your existing one that goes directly to your outlook or other email program.

Think for a moment about your previous work email addresses. How were they styled? They were based on just your name “at” your company, right? Some of the most common that I’ve seen are:

FLast@company.com (where “F” is the first initial of your first name and “Last” is your last name.

First.Last@company.com

First.M.Last@company.com (where “M” is your middle initial. When there is no middle name many companies just use “X”.)

You can also use the “_” underscore as a divider between first and last name.

Therefore, I suggest you set up something similar @gmail.com or @yahoo.com.

Sometimes, this can present challenges if you have a common name like Bob Smith or Mary Jones, chances are you are going to have a hard time finding any variation available on any of the big free services. I have a friend with a common name who is in Tulsa and plans to stay here, so he set up his address as first.last.tulsa@gmail.com . Another similar solution would be to do first.last.sales@gmail.com or first.last.accountant@yahoo.com to clearly identify your profession.

Here in Oklahoma many people are passionate about their football teams so they may want to have “Soonerfan” or “GoPokes” in their address. Maybe this works in your favor if you’re applying to a like-minded hiring manager, but what if you’re applying at a company full of the other team’s fans? Don’t forget, most hiring managers are looking for how well you’ll FIT with their company’s culture as well as your competency. Are you willing to risk broadcasting you’re an ardent fan of the team they root against? I might offer one caveat to this if you actually played for that college team. Most Americans respect and appreciate the discipline and sacrifice associated with playing a sport at a high level – even for the enemy. Still, the safe choice is to stick to just your name.

Another common mistake is adding your birth year to your name to come up with your email address. Right now, I don’t really care that I’m 39, but in 10 years, I might really cringe if 1970 is in my email address. Your age might be something you’re working to conceal, so broadcasting it in your email address gives employers another opportunity to pass judgment on you. If you need to add a number, avoid numbers that could be read as dates of birth or graduation.

I’m also opposed to trying to do something clever with your name for your email address. Take my blog as Exhibit A. I would never put dangerruss as part of an email address that would be on a resume and I should probably change this blog name too. However, the name danger-russ came from some high school kids when I was in full time ministry. They started calling me that because I was the opposite of danger and they thought that was funny- and I agree. Thank you Edison Eagles! I still suggest you stick to the basics as best you can. Do as I say, not as I do!

What about hobbies? I’m a woodworker and you might be a skydiver but if you mention either of those someone in HR is bound to look at that not as “interesting” but rather as “higher insurance risk”.

What about something innocuous like “coolguy” or “prettylady”? Chances are if you are those things, it will be better for people to find that out themselves instead of you telling them. Using these might communicate something beyond healthy self-confidence.

Lastly, avoid negatives like “badatmath”, “techchallenged”, “notasalesguy” or “spealingchampeeun” because even if they’re funny or tongue in cheek, these aren’t things that best identify you.

RESUMES & OTHER DOCUMENTS

Most often, you are going to attach or upload your resume, including the file name to lots of people. Based on what I have seen, people do better in this arena, but deliberate thought here certainly can’t hurt as you seek to project your brand out to the audience.

One issue that I see quite a bit is when people have several versions of their resume for various types of jobs, so they add some differentiating word to the document name. For Example:

Russ_Knight_Sales.doc

Russ_Knight_Banking.doc

Russ_Knight_Manager.doc

Really, none of those would be bad. I prefer to use my name and the date only, like Russ_Knight_1209.doc, you could also use a specific date, like Russ_Knight_120709.doc and know that is your “sales” resume and 120609 is your Banking, etc. Whatever system is comfortable for you, use that.

Be sure to avoid using negative words like “non-manager” or “temporary” or “draft” for anything you ever submit to a prospective employer. You want to be sure you are putting your best foot forward.

The reason I’m writing this is I regularly see mistakes from my friends who are on the job hunt and I want to be an encouragement. As you can see, I am certainly not a perfect or even a good example of this. Please feel free to add your own thoughts, ideas and experiences regarding email addresses or document names if you think it would be helpful to others. Blessings to you in your search! I hope this has been useful in your search and in your web presence going forward.

The Two Minute Drill: A Verbal Resume in 120 seconds

With so many people out of work these days, competition for every opening is fierce. You need to seize every advantage and be as prepared as possible for every interaction that may lead you to your next opportunity.

When you’re on a job hunt, clear communication with lots of people is the best way to speed the process along. To do that well, you have to plan and practice. That is what the two minute drill is for. It is also called an “elevator speech” or “elevator pitch” which comes from the idea that you might get an audience in an elevator and you have a very short amount of time to pique someone’s interest to call you in for an interview or meeting.

The two minute drill is a concise summary answer to the question: “Tell me about yourself”. This is a well rehearsed, organized explanation of your life focusing on your professional experience and attributes.

Why is this important? Developing a good two minute drill will be useful in:
• Networking meetings
• Interviews
• Casual conversations with friends and others who say “how can I help?”, because before they can help they have to understand your professional value proposition.

How well you deliver this one answer can determine whether or not a contact passes you along to their contacts, a friend thinks of an idea for you or a first interview leads to a second. So many things in a job search are out of your control. Here is one thing you can control – take the opportunity!

Here is an outline of a standard two minute drill:
I. Pre-professional (growing up, school, college, etc.) 10-15 seconds
II. Early career (First few years, what did you do, etc.) 15-30 seconds
III. Recent work history & key accomplishments 45-60 seconds
IV. Reason for leaving, 5-10 seconds
V. What’s next / where I’m going, 10-15 seconds

Total: 2 minutes, 10 seconds if you max each of these, so don’t. Keep this to 2 minutes or less. Practice! If you can, video yourself. You’ll pick up things that may distract from your message. (I haven’t done that, but should – I’m a plague of tics!)

It’s not great, but this is an example of my two minute drill. I've bolded the things I consider key accomplishments / highlights.
________________________
RUSS KNIGHT'S TWO MINUTE DRILL:

PRE-PROFESSIONAL
My family moved to Oklahoma from Chicago when I was 10 and I was heavily involved in Boy Scouts, where I earned my Eagle and other awards. In college I served in student government and won a campus wide election to serve as the vice president.

EARLY CAREER
Out of college I worked for a bank as a credit analyst where I found creative ways to dispose of special assets and volunteered at my church and with Young Life ministering to high school students. I left the bank to pursue vocational ministry where I organized, recruited and led a volunteer team, took some seminary classes and decided I could serve better as a volunteer. From this experience I developed a belief that sales is a service. In 1999, the president of the bank recruited me to come back to work for him as they had started an electronic payment company and he needed some help.

RECENT WORK HISTORY
I served at ChoicePay for five years in several roles, promoted to sales and landed $1MM in sales before I left after a management change to work for Fort Knox National Co. out of Louisville. (1:05) At Fort Knox I developed a system of grading client relationships to reduce meeting time and improve management communication. My role was to shore up existing client relationships, primarily with HSBC in several locations and was especially proud of a turn around with Credit Acceptance in Detroit, where they were threatening to leave and with consistent attention and some minor system modifications, I was able to turn them into a strong reference and won a contract extension. I worked from my home and traveled to see clients extensively.

REASON FOR LEAVING
On the front end of the recession, I was let go along with 55% of the company. I was hired for a short time by Certegy and spent some time with a mobile web startup, before joining NorthStar in the summer of 2009 to sell our collections services. I have strong recommendations from many former employers and co-workers.

WHERE I’M GOING
My current focus is to sell primarily to banks and grow existing revenues. I volunteer with and have started a new employment ministry at my church. (2:00 on the number).
__________________
Some experts advocate for 12-14 accomplishments and mine is a bit lean in that department. Some additional polishing here would probably draw out a few more.

If you’re pursuing your search correctly, you are out connecting with people every day. This summary overview of you will help your audience connect with you and better understand where you come from, what you offer and where you are going.

Blessings to you in your search today. I hope this is of some use.

Networking & Networking Meetings

You are not alone in your job search and there are people willing to connect with you – why? BECAUSE YOU HAVE VALUE!! You are worth investing in! For me, connecting a job seeker with someone else I know is a way to bless you both. Networking is a valuable investment in relationships – not just for your current job search. If you’re new to town, or feel like you don’t know many people, the only drawback is your starting list of people may be smaller, but include everyone you can think of.

In visiting with friends who are looking for work, I am often surprised to find so many who aren’t doing this in a deliberate way. In case you haven’t started this or maybe haven’t even heard of this process, I want to step you through the process of networking and a networking meeting. So let’s say you haven’t started this yet, maybe you’re feeling like you have no prospects or nothing working at the moment. This should change that – really. There are two goals with this process: (1) is to develop and grow professional relationships; and (2) to get at least two contact names or even warm introductions from the person you meet with.
1. Make a list of everyone who will take your call: Former co-workers, former classmates, neighbors, parents of your kids friends, people you volunteer with, people you go to church with, professionals you use – doctor, dentist, attorney, accountant, investment person, etc. – literally anyone you can think of who will take your call. Write down their name and phone number together.
2. Start calling. You are asking all these contacts for a face-to-face meeting for “ideas and input about your job search”. You want to schedule a time to come to their office to meet for 20 minutes. Here are a few possible answers and my suggested response for you. 20 calls a day is not too many. Customize this for you. Write out a script if you’re uncomfortable and practice this.
a. THEM: 20 minutes? Sure, I can do that. YOU: Great! What works in your schedule? I’m going to be near your office X day/time…
b. THEM: Well, I know we aren’t really hiring right now. YOU: That’s no problem – I’m not coming to ask you to hire me. I just want your input and advice about my search. I’m only asking for 20 minutes.
c. THEM: I’m really swamped right now. Why don’t you email me your resume and I’ll look it over and see if I can send it on to a few people. YOU: Additional contacts really are what I’m after, but I think it would be helpful for me to come by and meet with you face-to-face if you’re willing because I need to be out connecting with people and I’m trying to get better at this. I don’t need to meet with you right now, could we maybe schedule it for later in the month? You know how hard it is for us (accountants, chemists, analysts, etc. – fill in your position here.) to be in a sales role, and I’m out trying to promote myself. (You might think of a better response to this, but this answer is a real roadblock to what you’re trying to accomplish.)
d. THEM: I just can’t give you the time, I’m sorry. (or some other firm rejection). YOU: I understand. Sorry to bother you. (They may offer to have you send your resume, so go ahead and do that to be polite, but I wouldn’t expect much. Move along.)
3. If you’re full-time job searching, you could really fit 6 – 8 meetings in per day if you’re really pressing this hard. (I never did have that many or press this hard, but I think it would have helped speed my search along.) 4 is probably more reasonable. 2-3 is still a good day.
4. Once you get the meeting, here are a few things to remember:
a. The person your meeting with is worried you are going to ask them for a job they don’t have. Put them at ease; you can say something to set the tone like: I really appreciate you meeting with me. Please know I’m not here to ask you for a job, but rather advice about my search and contacts that you know that I should connect with.
b. If you can, lead the meeting by offering to start by telling them about your background and experience. (Here is where you go through your well-rehearsed “Two minute drill”)
c. You could also ask them to tell you about their background.
d. Ask them if they can think of anyone they know who you ought to connect with who might have some additional ideas about your search?
e. Take good notes. Not only is it a respectful gesture, you probably won’t remember what they say if you don’t write it down.
f. Remember: your goal is 2+ names and contact information of people you can talk to about your search. Even better would be if they agree to call the person (with you there or after the fact) to make a warm introduction.
g. Keep an eye on the clock. After 20 minutes you need to be backpedaling towards the door: I want to honor your time, I know you’re busy, thank you for meeting with me today. Even if they encourage you to stay and say it’s no problem, they have time, get out. Why? You may need a follow up meeting with them and they’ll remember if you took 20 minutes or 45 minutes, no matter how nice the conversation was. You also want them to pass you along to others. They will be more inclined to do that if you stick to 20 minutes.
h. Parting comment. Thank you for taking the time, this was helpful. Please keep my resume handy/warm in case you hear about anything that might be a fit for me. Would it be OK if I touched base with you in 3-4 weeks to just check in and update you on my search? Yes. Great. Thanks again for your time today.
5. After the meeting:
a. Send a hand-written thank you note. Everyone says they do this, but few actually do it. Be part of the few. Remember, you are building a relationship so this is an investment. Write this note that same afternoon and get it in the mail the next day.
b. Follow any direction your contact gives you about following up with the people they gave you. If there is no obstacle, call those new contacts (your level 2 contacts) soon – preferably same or next day. Nothing in your job search moves as fast as you want it to, right? so when you have the chance to move it more quickly, take that opportunity! If your contact says “this lady is in the middle of a big project at work, so wait a couple weeks to call her.” That’s an obstacle, but follow the direction.
c. Look over your notes, even if you’re still in their parking lot, and add anything as needed. This is a good record of your search and they may have said something that you missed in your notes. Write it down while it’s fresh.
d. Follow up on the phone with your contact to report on your progress. “You know those two people you gave me have led to 11 additional contacts and an interview with Acme, Inc. that I’m really interested in. Thank you for the contacts, that was very helpful. Can you think of anyone else I should talk with about my search? Thanks again. I’ll continue to update you about my progress. Would it be OK to check in again in 2-3 weeks?” You can change up the method of continued follow up – phone, email, a note, etc. – it’s your choice. Don’t rely too heavily on email though – it can be easily lost or disregarded.
6. Why is this so important? It is an exponential growth in your business relationships.
a. 50 contacts to start yield 100+ contacts at level 2, which yield 200+ at level 3, etc.
b. If you stick with this, by the time you’re out to level 5-6, you’re a networking rock-star! This is where you start to see job offers.
c. Don’t quit at level 2!! Keep going. You have to expand beyond your current circle of contacts!

OK, well as usual my message is longer than I intended. I hope this lengthy missive has been a worthwhile investment of your time today.

In case you haven’t connected to a group of other people who are looking for work, I strongly recommend that. It was a great encouragement to me. If you live outside of Tulsa, search for churches that offer ministries for people who are out of work or connect with some other type of support group. If you can’t find one, start one! In Tulsa, I’m a part of the Thursday brown bag lunch at First United Methodist (11th & Boulder, downtown), I would strongly encourage you to do that. They meet from 11-1pm and it’s a great time of encouragement and practical input about your search. If you’re free make it a regular part of your week.

At Asbury UMC, we offer OJT (Overcoming Job Transitions) – a monthly workshop designed to give you encouragement and practical input about your search. Our next event will be on Tuesday, 12/15 at 6:30pm. Please contact me with questions. Blessings to you in your search!

Reach out and connect!

Here is another blog talking about similar things that may be of use. http://blogs.bnet.co.uk/sterling-performance/2009/07/28/seven-secrets-of-networking

Seven things to do upon losing your job:
EDIT as of 11/13/09 based on great feedback from people on LinkedIn.com.

EDIT1: Many people replied to this saying "you should already be doing many of these things" which is true, I hope this is a good reminder and a checklist of several important things to do.

1. FINISH WELL. Be sure to differentiate yourself on the way out the door. Your former co-workers might be future co-workers either at that same company when things get better or elsewhere because they remembered you were a capable, hard worker and will seek you out for a similar opening at their new company. Be sure to turn in ALL equipment, lists and anything else developed while on company time. I have compiled a summary list of pending sales leads, projects, etc. with pertinent contact information and status report on each in one document to be sure the things I was working on can be completed.
EDIT2: Several people said to be sure to check all your benefits before you get out the door. It's much more difficult to get questions answered and information after you're gone. It's good to capture recommendations and feedback from co-workers and former bosses before you are gone. Copy your personnel file - particularly performance reviews - so you have information, quotes, etc. for your resume.

2. CLARIFY YOUR MESSAGE. Even before you send out a note to friends, family and other contacts – you have to know what to tell them. “I’m looking for a job” or “anything except sales” are not enough for even a good friend to offer you practical leads and advice. Clearly state your value proposition in a concise summary statement. This should be a highly polished, wordsmithed explanation about what uniquely separates you from everyone else. Avoid useless jargon. Example of what not to do: “Hard working, forward-thinking, professional, dedicated team player seeking employment with solid company where I can apply my skills and abilities to make a valuable contribution.” 26 words of nothing; a masterpiece of futility. Don’t do that. You should focus on your expertise, your experience and what specifically differentiates you from everyone else. Here are a couple of good, real examples from some friends:
a. KM: Sales and Operations Manager exceptionally gifted in building customer relationships, servant leadership, communication and presentation skills, consultative selling, process improvement, and solving business problems with technology.
b. HF: Highly creative and recognized computer analyst with a reputation for complex logistical problem-solving and a passion for quick response, lean process and high quality.
I would also recommend writing out your perfect job description. You might even have several but if you can clearly write out EXACTLY what you want to do and what you offer, you will be able to clearly communicate that to others.

3. UPDATE YOUR RESUME. I don’t recommend paying someone to do this. I did in 2007 and it was a waste of money I shouldn’t have spent at that moment. You know your story better than anyone else, so you should tell it. Try to find people you know who are in hiring capacities or HR roles to give you honest feedback. There is a new(ish?) school of thought about resumes where you write a group of accomplishments that tell stories. Everyone likes a good story, right? The idea is to turn your bullet points into accomplishments by telling the Situation, your specific Action and the Result (SAR). If you’re going to develop an accomplishment resume, I would recommend you send your standard chronological resume as your initial submission because HR people generally hate the accomplishment resume. Always be prepared with a standard chronological resume and be very careful with the accomplishment one. No offense to HR people but they are looking for a way to disqualify you, so don’t give them a reason with your resume. So why even bother with an accomplishment resume? A story helps people connect with you, understand what you really have to offer and what sets you apart. People remember stories, not bullet points. Your accomplishment resume is full of your best stories. Hiring managers, generally speaking, aren’t very good at hiring and they’ll hire the candidate they connect with. If you walk into the meeting with the hiring manager and hand them your accomplishment resume, that might get the conversation started on a path more to your liking. Remember, the whole point of the resume is to get them to call you in for an interview. You should probably have a couple of other good stories in reserve that aren’t on your resume.

4. MAKE A PLAN FOR YOUR PERSONAL FINANCES that will carry you through this season of unemployment/underemployment. Make a realistic budget. Cut unnecessary expenses. If you can, don’t cut so deeply that you have absolutely no opportunity for entertainment or family fun. Dates with your spouse or fun events with the kids don’t have to be expensive to be fun. Hopefully you have built up an emergency fund a situation like this. There are tons of handy, helpful financial tips at www.daveramsey.com. Going through their plan really put me and my family in a good position in advance of my first layoff. Go ahead and file for unemployment because this is what it’s for. If you aren’t eligible or you aren’t otherwise going to do that, consider delivering pizzas in the evenings or picking up other work while you search.

5. START NETWORKING. You want to reach out to friends, former co-workers, former vendors from prior jobs, people at church, former classmates, doctors, dentists, attorneys, accountants, mailmen, parents of your kids friends – anyone you can think of who would take your call. Make a list. All these people are your level one contacts – people you know personally. Call them up and schedule a meeting to see them in their office. Even people you know may be reluctant to meet with you thinking you are going to ask them for a job that they don’t have to offer. Disarm that concern as needed by telling them that you want to ask them for input and advice about your search for the next opportunity. If they absolutely can’t give you 20 minutes in their office and the best you can get is to send them your resume, then do that. Try not to settle for that. If you can’t get 20 minutes in their office, they probably aren’t much of a friend. Once you get the meeting, keep an eye on the clock and honor the time. Even if they tell you that “you’re fine” you should stick to your message and plan to be out in less than 30 minutes. They will remember you were respectful of their time if you need to have a follow up meeting or they refer you on to someone else. The goal of this meeting is to learn more about their business, let them know exactly what you are looking for and get at least two names of people they know who you might be able to talk with about your search. Better than names would be if they offered to call and introduce you with a phone call before you call the contact. Ask them to do that if it is appropriate but walk away with the contact information in hand. No matter how good of a friend, your job search is more important to you than it is to them and they might forget or delay. I’ve heard from lots of different sources that this is the single most effective way to find a job and it has been true in my searches. If you can spend your day calling people to schedule meetings and going to meetings, you will be more effective than spending eight hours hunting through online postings. When trying to reach someone directly, you can sometimes catch senior executives early in the morning, during lunch and after five when the gatekeeper is away. Once you get two contacts each from your level one connections, with a 90% success rate your level two contacts should be at least twice as many as your level one contacts. You must be persistent in this networking effort. Job offers should come – even in a tight market – once you’re out at level five and six. Most people give up between level two and three. Don’t give up, stick with it. Remember you were going to call yourself a hard worker on your resume? Don’t say it, do it – right here. In addition to this, get connected with a church’s ministry to people who are in your situation. I got invited to be a part of one at a different church than my own here in Tulsa and was blessed, despite going with reservations. Never discount an opportunity to network, even with others who are unemployed because they’re out looking for work too and might run across something that doesn’t fit them but might be just right for you. Besides, having people praying for you, offering you constructive input and encouragement is no bad thing. If you’re inclined to start such a group or get involved in one in Tulsa, I would be glad to help you – add me to your network.

6. USE THE INTERNET. You probably won’t find your perfect job online but you can learn a lot: who is hiring, what kinds of positions, useful terms to help improve your resume, background information on companies or industries of interest to you and maybe even information about a prospective hiring manager. The single most useful tool for all these things is LinkedIn.com. Facebook and even Twitter have their places, but LinkedIn is your best friend for job hunting. If you want to find a contact at a specific company? LinkedIn! If you want to track your contacts even after their job moves? LinkedIn! Want to project your expertise or connect with a specific HR or hiring manager at a company of interest? LinkedIn! If you don’t already have one, set up a profile at LinkedIn.com and invite everyone you know to be a part of your network. Invite everyone in your level one network. This will be a tool to keep track of your contacts throughout your career; this is a worthwhile investment. Ask people to write recommendations. Don’t be afraid to suggest changes or not post a recommendation that is less than you’d like to communicate. You control your own message. Once you’ve built your network, now you can see your contact’s contacts – to the third degree! [This is not a sponsored post; I am speaking from my experience and regular use of this tool. Stepping off that soapbox now.] Register with every company that you think you might like to work for. Think about it: before they run an ad in the paper, companies will check their internal database. A company has probably tried word of mouth first, then their database, before advertising the position externally, which is one reason why responding to ads is often ineffective. It is generally expected that you would have a strong knowledge of any company and the specific division who calls you in for an interview so use company websites and other readily available public information about companies. If you have contacts in their industry, ask about the company, specific industry challenges, company reputation, profitability, etc. The best way to end an interview is to ask first off “so what does your company do?” Another good online tool is Indeed.com, which is a collection of job postings from multiple job boards – as good of a one-stop-shop for online postings as there is. What about pay sites like www.TheLadders.com or www.RiteSite.com ? I paid for RiteSite and really didn’t get much out of it, although John Lucht’s Rites Of Passage book was very good. If you a highly experienced, senior executive, these tools are probably more useful.

7. GO THE EXTRA MILE. If you’ve read this far and are still saying what else can I do to give myself that edge in the market, I have a final parting idea. Prepare a 180 day action plan to show a prospective employer for once you get the job. A recruiter suggested this to me as a tool to help convince a hiring manager with JP Morgan Chase that my prior sales experience and more recent account management experience could translate into current sales success. It turns out Big Dale was just using me to try to gain industry information and wasn’t seriously interested in me as a candidate. Still, I think it is a useful tool for a job that you really want when you have a hiring manager that needs a bit more convincing.

EDIT3: Several good, wise friends reminded me to mention probably the most important element here: Pray. The God who created the heavens and the earth and has proven to me beyond any doubt that He provides for me and loves me cares about my job situation too. Trust Him with big things as well as the small things.

This post/diatribe/manifesto is offered in the sincere hope to be a blessing to you in your search. With two layoffs since October, 2007 and a stint with a startup, I’ve learned quite a bit. Please contact me if I can be of good use in your search. You are not alone. This is an opportunity to improve your situation, trust in the Lord, Jehovah Jireh (God our Provider). To paraphrase my friend Ross Murphy “when we have nothing but faith to sustain us that is when we really begin to grow in our faith.” Blessings to you in your search!

My Path to Employment, Part One

MY PATH TO EMPLOYMENT

In October of 2007, I was laid off along with 55% of my company (an electronic payments company headquartered in Louisville, KY). Following that, I spent six months on the hunt and landed with another reputable financial services company selling a bill payment product. That product wasn’t fully developed and ready to go to market, so after four months, I was again on the market with another good reference. After about 30 days of that search, In September of 2008, I ran across a startup that was in the market for an experienced sales pro. That was never really a job, but rather a full time effort to create a job. It didn’t work and I again restarted my search in April of 2009. I landed with a solid company in July.

The purpose of this post is to share some ideas that I believe may be helpful for others in their job search and how I did them (some better than others.) I want to talk about Networking, Resumes, the internet, the elevator pitch, your ideal job description and other tools.

1. Networking
a. The very first thing I did was send out an email to my friends asking them to be praying and to ask for ideas of people I should talk to. That’s probably the right thing, but I should have put more thought into that message ensuring I gave them very specific idea of what I do, the types of companies who might hire me and to ask them if they would be willing to brainstorm with me IN PERSON.
b. If you can’t clearly articulate what EXACTLY you are looking for, then the people around you won’t be able to help. You need a very clear summary of what you’re looking for (see “Elevator Pitch” later on.)
c. Make a list of people who will take your call: Friends, former co-workers, former bosses, people you go to church with, parents of your kids’ friends, people you serve on boards/committees with, friends of your parents and in-laws, former professors, neighbors, ministers, your mailman, professionals (attorneys, CPAs, doctors, etc. that you do business with.) or even the guy who picks up your trash (really). Unless you’re a hermit or new to town, you should be able to come up with at least fifty names, hopefully more. These are your level one contacts and you should seek a face to face meeting with them to brainstorm about your job search.
d. The networking meeting – this is not an interview! You may even tell someone when asking for the meeting “I’m not asking you to hire me; I just want to visit with you about my search and to get your thoughts.” The goal here is to connect, give them an update on your search and get their ideas of what you ought to consider (if you need that) and of a couple names of people to talk to. Press for this. Better yet, see if they would call the contact on your behalf to prepare the way for your call. You should probably ask for 20 minutes, but keep the meeting to 30 minutes out of respect for your contact’s time. Pay attention if an assistant calls or comes in after 20 or 30 minutes and take that as a cue to make your exit.
e. If you have 50 names in your level one network, and meet with 90% of them and get an average of 2 names per you should walk away with a list of 90 people in your level two network. The % goes down as you move into level three and four, but you must be persistent. Job offers should start coming once you’re out to level five and six – or something else is likely wrong.
f. The last thought about networking: Don’t discount anyone in your network. You may know your neighbor is a mechanic and think he couldn’t possibly know anyone who could help me. However, maybe he’s friendly with his clients or his wife is in HR at that company you really want to get into. You never know. Don’t discount ANYONE!

I will follow this post with a discussion on resumes and other topics related to job searches. If there is a way to network and connect with other job seekers in your area, I really recommend this. You might be asking “why would I want to connect with others out of work? They can’t hire me!” The reason is for encouragement and since they are out talking to the same or similar companies, searching the same websites, talking to the same recruiters, they may run across something of value to you that they can share. First United Methodist in Tulsa has a great group for job seekers that meet weekly and I’m in process of starting a monthly workshop at Asbury, also in Tulsa. Churches usually want to help hurting people so they likely have some sort of support for job seekers. Check with your church and if they don’t have something, consider starting something. Contact me for more information about something like that.

The economy may be tough right now, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t jobs to be had. Keep at it, pray, and network like it’s a full time job. Blessings to you in your search!

Pinewood Derby Notes for Dads

I. THE PLAN
II. SPEED/WINNING
III. LOOKING COOL
IV. RACE DAY REMINDERS

THE PLAN
From the very beginning, you should talk with your son about HIS goals for the car. What is most important? Usually it’s “looking cool” or “speed/winning”. Both are worthy goals but are often mutually exclusive. I encourage you to clearly identify which he wants and focus on that. When he says “both”, try to pin him down to one or the other. Begin with the end in mind and you’ll both be happier. Check your Pack’s rules from the very beginning and be sure you are following them closely.

Based on those two possible goals, these notes are designed to guide you through the various steps of helping you and your son make that naked block of wood into something of which he will feel proud. If you’re on the “looking cool” track, feel free to incorporate as many of the tips from the “speed/winning” section. Please recognize and set expectations that even if you do ALL of the things listed, someone else will probably do it better. Talk with your son about a great standard of measure for this project that is also the Cub Scout Motto: “Do your best.” That’s all you can do.

Scout participation is something you likely will need to develop a strategy for. I never worked on the car without John being out in the garage with me. He designed the car all by himself and helped drill, paint, weight, and mount the wheels. We mutually had no interest in him operating any machinery. Someone could probably gripe at me since I made the cuts, etc. but we really did work hard to make this HIS car. I believe we honored the spirit and intent of the race and the rules.

SPEED/WINNING
1. If pure speed/winning is your primary objective, don’t start out with a hot wheel as your model. Understand that your “car” won’t look much like a car at all. Read this through; I suggest preparing for wheel mounting before you start cutting on the block.
2. Aerodynamics. Keep a low profile. There are some designs online that are called “modified rail” and other things that make the body sturdy enough to handle the impact at the end of the race into a block of foam (or whatever), but sleek enough to reduce drag. Aerodynamics’ influence in the Pinewood Derby likely affect speed in hundredths of seconds, but probably not tenths of seconds.
3. Design.
a. Essentially you’re going for something that is ½” - ¾”, maybe a bit more in diameter with wings that hold the wheels at the right distance apart. Maybe it tapers to be thicker in the back to accommodate a place for the weight. I’ve never helped build a car with this shape, so I can’t really speak from experience. John & I worked from a goal of wanting a certain look AND speed. What is described here appears to be the most effective design.
b. Short of a rail, you want flat or with a slight angle higher in the back, but not much. Use a band saw, table saw, Dremel or hand tools to create the desired shape.
4. Wheel Base. Expand the wheels out as far as you can on the length of the car. Most Packs have the rule that you can’t make the car LONGER than the block that you start with. We put the wheels next to the block and marked where we were going to drill for the axles. Ignore those slots cut in the bottom, just fill those in with wood filler after you cut out the shape.. I’ve read this elsewhere where people who are smarter than me have said this makes the car go faster. I believe them and take this at face value so as to not hurt my brain thinking about it. NOTE: We’re talking about making the distance between the front and back wheels as much as possible. The width is predetermined by the tracks.
5. Weight. Goes as far back as possible. The weight is then acting on the most mass of the car. Again, I read this online and it makes sense. We used a soldiering iron and lead for weight. First we cut a hole underneath the car with a forstner bit (or spade bit if you have that) to create a well for the lead. Then we melted lead into the hole with a scale nearby. This method allows you to control the weight and then drill out of the car is too heavy. There is an aerodynamic element here – John & I drilled out too large of a hole making the underneath of the car less aerodynamic – who knows what the actual impact of that was, but I suppose every bit helps. Next time, we would have put a piece of tape over the hole. I recommend that you show up on race day with your car just a little too heavy, so you can adjust your car to the official scale. You want your car as heavy as you can make it, right up to the 5.00 ounce limit.
6. Axles.
a. Mount them on a drill or drill press and using a file to carefully remove the little burr on the nail and on the underneath side of the nail head. Start with a file, then use 150, 220, 400 (and higher) sand paper then 0000 Steel wool and finally chrome polish with a rag. This is the most time consuming of the whole thing but you have to get the burrs off to reduce friction and then re-polish the axle.
b. Put graphite on the wheels before raceday. Sometimes stuff happens and you forget or you’re running late. The things you do to mount the wheels and prep the axles probably matter more than anything else.
7. Paint. Spray paint is best because it’s already shiny. If you use acrylic or brushed paint, consider a glossy spray overcoat.
8. Decals, etc. You can print off anything you want from the internet, but stickers really are better. You can get model stickers, etc. The Scout Service Center has some new & cool decals, but also Michaels, Hobby Lobby and the like sell stickers that seem specifically made for Pinewood Derby.
9. High gloss overspray. We tried this because John wanted a picture of Darth Maul on his car, which we printed off online and glued to the car. When we did it the first time, the gloss spray made the other spray paint run. Use caution and get this done with enough time in case you need to strip it and start over (like we did.)
10. Wheels. By rule, you can’t modify the wheels other than take the very small bump off that is a result of the manufacturing process. I’ve never messed with that too much (but work around it by wheel mounting). The logic here is they don’t want you cutting the wheel and changing the original wheel profile of: ┌────┐ to look like: ┌──┴──┐ where there is a slight extension or burr sticking out from the wheels all the way around; that way the car is riding on just that small edge, creating less friction.
11. Wheel mounting. Start thinking about this first thing out of the box. The goal is to mount the axles at an angle of 4-7 degrees, enough so that when the car runs, it’s running on the inside edge of the wheel, not the whole flat surface. Additionally, my theory is this keeps the wheel riding against the nailhead instead of against the car. One of the Dads in our pack expressed concern about this technique saying it wasn’t fair. The Pack’s logic is that policing this is too hard, so don’t speak to it in the rules. My belief is this technique might buy you tenths of seconds and is very much worth the effort. To actually do this, we just used some wedges leftover from some tapered cuts I’d made previously and used those to hold the block at the correct angle (no magic number here.) Standing in front of the drill press, you want the top of the car facing you and for the car to tip slightly away from you. Pre-drill holes first thing for the axles before you do any other cuts in the block. Consult your Pack’s Pinewood Derby rules before deciding what to do here.
12. Once it’s done, put it away. Find a box or some other conveyance that you’ll use to get it to the race. It would be a shame for something to happen to the car.


LOOKING COOL
This is great. Most Packs give awards for this and all should. Let your son dictate what he wants to do; you help him excel in the direction he wants to go.
You must use the original block, don’t forget. There were some boys who built fenders around the wheels of their cars and they did it with the wood from the original block – no easy challenge.

The world is your oyster – you can make it look like anything. Some of the designs I’ve seen live or online include:
Pencils Yoda surfing on a log Canoes & other boats
Skateboards Jet fighter plane fish
Toothpaste tubes Tanks & various military baseball bats

Really the sky (or the block of wood) is the limit.

RACEDAY REMINDERS:
1. Graphite the wheels before you leave the house, if possible.
2. Registration is a little strict with our Pack, so once you officially register your car, you can’t touch it for any reason. We offered a pit stop area where cars that didn’t pass or needed some help before registering could get it.
3. Volunteer to help – your Pack will have a thousand jobs that need to get done.
4. Pep talk. Remind your son about all the work you did together, how much fun you had making the car and that you did your very best – which is all you can do.
5. Have a great time!