Elevator Pitch: An essential tool

Everyone knows that a job seeker must have a well-written resume to be seriously considered for employment. Did you know there are a few other tools you need to have at hand with the same degree of preparedness to greatly improve your chances of finding THE right job?

I believe you need:
1. A concise statement you can use to describe what you do. My wife asked me this very question over the weekend: “When someone asks me, what should I tell them that you do, exactly?” My wife is a pharmacist for a large chain store. I answered, “Tell them I sell debt collection services.” When someone asks what you do or what kind of job you are looking for, what do you say? Of course, if you’re an accountant, an engineer, or an admin assistant, most people understand those jobs. The challenges come in when you have been an analyst of some flavor, or something like that which doesn’t lend itself to a simple explanation. This is what you’d tell someone you meet at a party or in an elevator when you only have a few seconds to pique their interest in learning more about you (More on this later.)

2. A Two minute drill to walk someone through your career in brief. Based on what I’ve learned from people smarter than me, I wrote out my two-minute drill with a step by step plan on how you can write about yours here. A Two minute drill isn’t what you’d tell someone in an elevator, really.

3. A written explanation of what you offer a prospective employer. This should be about 25 words (a little longer than a 140 character tweet.) At the First Methodist Employment Transition Group we use this to tell people we know about the candidates who are in the group.


YOUR CONCISE STATEMENT
This statement should go hand in hand with a well-written resume. My definition of a well-written resume includes:
· Specific accomplishments that you were responsible for at work
· Quantifiable results whenever possible
· More than just a list of job responsibilities – every should be able to understand what you were supposed to do. The question is how well did you do it and can you do that and other things well for another employer?

So let’s assume you have a well written resume in hand so now it’s just a matter of pulling a few of those things out to be able to speak them clearly.

Think of this like an article in a newspaper with several of the same elements:
· Headline: Tell them what you do.
· High level overview: Explain what you do and what specifically you bring to the table that is different from someone else they might consider.
· One or two specific examples or facts to back up your claim that you’re good at what you do.
· Call to action:
o Is this something you or someone you know might have an interest in discussing further?
o I am trying to connect with more people beyond those that I already know. Could I call your office to schedule 20 minutes with you to get your input and advice?

I hope this is helpful. OJT meets at Asbury at 6:30pm on the third Tuesday of the month.


We offer breakout sessions on:
Developing a strategic plan
Resumes
Networking: both contacts for you and some help with the “how to”
Using the internet well: One hour on LinkedIn and another on everything else
Interview practice
Spouse support group

Please share this information with others. If you have recently been hired – or been hired and forgot to let me know – please drop me a note. I’d love to know what made the difference for you!

A Reminder from Wyle E. Coyote About Job Search

I originally wrote this message on 4/15/10 as a reminder to my friends in Tulsa about an event we have at Asbury UMC called OJT (Overcoming Job Transition). This is a hands on workshop for job seekers. If you'd like information about this or would like to start something similar at your church, please let me know.

Good morning!

I hope you are making progress in your job search, meeting new people, expanding relationships and feeling encouraged by positive interviews, returned calls and new contacts. That’s my sincere hope.

This morning as my kids were eating breakfast, we had cartoons on. This episode featured the characters abusing each other on high places and tricking each other into running off the edge. For those of you not familiar with the laws of gravity & physics in cartoon world, a body continues to move forward on their intended path until they realize they have run out of ground to run upon. The cartoon character then has time to lament the impending fall as we can physically see the realization of doom grow, sometimes aided with a sign.

For those of you who are feeling defeated, questioning what you are doing, and starting to wonder where God is in your job search, this might be an apt description of your search. You’re going hard in the direction you thought you should, but you start to look around and realize there is no ground under your feet! Maybe the direction you were running wasn’t the right way. Maybe you need help laying out a new course. Maybe you’ve been trying to do this on your own.

I can’t promise you that you will soon be hired. I can’t even promise you that you will find the specific help and encouragement that you need at OJT. Confidently, however, I can tell you that is what OJT is built for and several people in the past few months at OJT have found new encouragement, direction and guidance they needed that helped them land a job.

We meet this Tuesday from 6:30pm until 9:00pm at Asbury United Methodist Church 6767 S. Mingo. From Mingo go to the opposite side of the church, park and go in the main entrance that doesn’t have a portico or awning. There is a statue and a “Celebrate Recovery” sign there. Bring a few copies of your resume, something to write with and on I believe you will find something of use in your search.

Our volunteer team is praying that each of you find not just A job, but THE job God has for you. From my job search experiences, and other experiences in life, I have come to the firm belief that God cares about what is happening in our lives and wants good things for me and you.

Please come check out OJT again. Maybe we can get you back on solid ground!

1 Peter 5:7, 10-11 says: Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you; And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. to Him be the power for ever and ever. Amen.

TWELVE (or so) WEBSITES THAT WILL HELP YOUR JOB SEARCH:

1. ChooseTulsaJobs.com - This is a website of the Tulsa Chamber. There are jobs from many of Tulsa's largest employers here. It looks like this site is full of
REAL jobs vs the junk that sometimes comes from monster, career builder, etc.

2. NewGradLife.com - Even if you aren't a "new grad" there are some good videos here with helpful tips about interviewing, resumes, and lots of other resources.

3. WiseJobSeeker.com - This is a new website put together by Career Development Partners. Registration is free and there are tons of great resources here. Check it out!

4. Several Staffing Company Websites:
a. VintageServices.com - Kim A. has been a great blessing to our group and she'd be my FIRST phone call if I was starting up my job hunt tomorrow.
b. JKPCO.com - Jacobi Kelley has been another good supporter of our group and would be another that I would contact early in my search.
c. PartTimePros.net - Even if you aren't thinking about Part time, they may have a contract job you can do while you are looking or sometimes they have full time roles too. Apply online, I would.

5. AUMCJobBoard.com - Asbury UMC has a job board where members can post jobs. Nice resource & no junk!

6. LinkUp.com - Pulls direct from company sites - not pay-to-post job boards.
GO CHECK THIS OUT!

7. LinkedIn.com- I may have mentioned this once or twice. :) It's so much
more than just your lifelong connections!! If you have questions, ask me or come to OJT on Tuesday to learn more!

8. Hound.com – This is a new site that I found just this week. It looks like you register and it may be a free trial for a few months at first. This may be a good resource. I’ve read on LinkedIn where several people seem to like it.

9. Indeed.com – This should be listed higher, but is a great resource as it pulls from LOTS of job boards. Check out the tools too because you can setup alerts to be emailed to you.

10. http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/Tulsa_Employment_Ministries/message/116 - This is our little corner of the internet. We post all kinds of good things here and this is a place where you can post your resume, ask for advice, prayer, specific contacts, anything! Join us! It’s free, all you need is a Yahoo ID.

11. AvidCareerist.com – This is a new favorite of mine. This lady posts all kinds of articles and often seeks input from other experts via LinkedIn. She has posted some great ideas like making the coffee shop nearest your most promising local prospective employer your job search headquarters several mornings per week. Tons of good input about job search.

12. Dangerruss1970.blogspot.com – My blog. I’ve tried to capture many of my favorite ideas, things I’ve learned along the way and put them all here in one handy place!

These are the best tools I have found to suggest for the online portion of your job search, but most jobs come from networking – building relationships and connecting with people. I hope connecting with other humans is a key component in your search. If you don’t know how to do that, or aren’t doing that well today, we have a session about how to do that at OJT!

ALSO, DON’T FORGET:

FUMC Brown Bag Lunch – If you haven’t been yet, you really should come check this out! We meet on Thursdays from 11-1pm at First Methodist in downtown Tulsa. It was a great blessing to me in my search last year and continues to be a blessing to many others. If you’re working and can only get away for an hour – just come from noon – 1pm. FUMC is at 1119 S. Boulder, they have a parking lot on the west side of Boulder, go across the crosswalk, into the building, down the stairs to your right, and we are to your right.

Blessings to you on your job search!

Make the call! Networking your way to THE next job.

Make The Call!

Happy rainy Friday! I hope your job search has been prettier than the weather this week.

If you’re feeling stuck in your search, it is likely because you haven’t yet gotten in front of the right people. It’s easier to identify this problem than to solve it, right? You might be new to town or feel like you don’t have many of the “right” contacts. I want to encourage you today to pick up the phone and start calling people you know, asking for time with them. Make the call!

No matter where you are in your search, connecting with people – a/k/a networking is a key part of most successful searches. Learning how to grow your network well now during this search should serve you well throughout your career. Hopefully going through this exercise will help spur some new activity and movement in your job search!

STEP ONE
Make a list of everyone you know who would take your call. It doesn’t matter how you know them or where they are located. You will likely start with a healthy list and then continue to add as you remember others you should call. My friends at Coldwell Banker call the various compartments of your life “Circles of influence”. See if this list helps jog your memory of people you should put on your list:
· Former co-workers from all previous jobs
· Former supervisors
· Former classmates
· People you go to church with
· Neighbors
· People with whom you served on boards, committees or other volunteer capacity
· Parents of your kids’ friends
· Kids’ friends (if they’re old enough)
· Professionals you use: Doctor, dentist, accountant, attorney, banker, investment person, etc.
· Others you come in contact with: Postman, pizza delivery guy, mechanic, dry cleaner, etc.
· The bottom line is: don’t discount anyone and assume that just because they are ________, they can’t be of good assistance.

STEP TWO
Make the call! Most of your productive time during the day should be dedicated to reaching out via phone to schedule in-person appointments. If you’re spending most of your time surfing online job boards, my feeling is you aren’t being as effective as you could be. You want to be connecting in person with people. So start with your list – the people you know.

Call and ask for 20 minutes (no more than 30 minutes) in their office. You are NOT asking these people for a job. You want to meet with them to get their input and advice about your job search. Now, if they suddenly realize you are the solution to the problem they have and want to turn your meeting into an interview, you won’t object. Chances are, if they had a job for you, you would already know about it.

You need to be in charge of this meeting, starting with the initial call. They may try to avoid meeting with you because they can’t hire you. Put them at ease by saying “I want to meet with you to get your input and advice about my job search, I am not expecting you to have a job for me.”

If they’re really busy at work your response should be “No problem! I’m not interested in wasting your time. I don’t need to do this immediately, but I value your counsel. Could you possibly give me 20 minutes in a few weeks?” Get the meeting scheduled. The less you know the person the more likely they will try to object to giving you the time. You might also say something like “Would you be willing to invest 20 minutes to give me some feedback about my search?” I really like the word invest, because you are giving them an opportunity to help you and to dispense advise and maybe even expertise. Everyone likes to give advice (see this email as exhibit A!)

STEP THREE
Meeting & managing the time. As I mentioned earlier, I encourage you to “run” the meeting. Chances are, whomever you are meeting with is expecting you to ask them for something more than what you said you wanted. Your endgame goal for this meeting is twofold: (1) Grow the relationship and (2) Two or more contacts or introductions.

Here is my proposed time budget for a networking meeting:
00-03: catch up, discussing mutual friends, ice-breaking.
03-04: State your purpose; “I appreciate you taking the time to meet with me. I’m looking for your input and advice about my search and maybe even some ideas of other people I could talk with. Maybe it would help if I gave you a quick rundown of my career and what I do for a prospective employer?” That sounds great!
04-06: Your well rehearsed, two minute drill.
07-08: Set them up to talk: “Can you think of anyone who might have a need for someone like me or have an interest in connecting with me?” Then shut up. Let them talk. Awkward silence is OK, but hopefully your two minute drill sparked ideas of people they know to send you to.
08-16: Here you have to do some guiding to keep them on track thinking about their contacts. Take good notes.
17-19: Ask if they would be willing to call those contacts and introduce you telling the person that you will be calling in the next few days.
19-20: Thank them for their time and ask if you can periodically update them on your job search? Even if they encourage you to stay, get out! Why? You want them to feel comfortable taking a follow up meeting with you later and also feel good sending you to their friends. If they know you will honor your word where you asked for 20 minutes and respect their time, they will likely be more free sending you to other people they know.

STEP FOUR
After the meeting. Out in the parking lot, finish your notes. Maybe you didn’t write down everything. Capture that before you leave that office. Critique yourself. What would you do differently next time? Did the meeting with them spark an idea of someone else to call that they didn’t mention? Write it down now.
Follow up. Everyone says they send thank you notes, far fewer actually do it. Write a hand written thank you note. If you’re handwriting looks like Sandskrit or you could have gone to medical school, it’s OK to type it out, but mail it. Anyone can email. Stand out – be different.

Keep good records. If you met with Russ Knight on May 14th, note how you met me, my contact information and anything useful I said, and anyone I suggested you speak with. You can track this via a spreadsheet but a notebook can work too because it will also serve as a physical encouragement when you don’t feel like you have much going on in your search. You will be able to thumb through the notebook looking back at the contacts you have deepened or developed new.

I hope this is of good use to you. Start now so people you can start asking people you see at church on Sunday if you could call to schedule a meeting with them. If you dedicate yourself to connecting with people you will grow relationships far beyond those you know now.

God has something for you in this. For me, my two layoffs within a year and subsequent time with the startup company were difficult, confidence shattering experiences. But God brought me to the right place and revealed His purpose for me to attempt to help others going through job loss. I believe God has a plan for you too.

I pray that those who might benefit from OJT will be there this Tuesday at Asbury UMC in Tulsa. Blessings to you in your search!

Don't Say "Objective"

Objective says "this is what I want out of a job". If you have an Objective statement at the top of your resume, consider changing the word objective to "Professional Overview" or "Professional Summary" but at the same time will will likely need to scrap the statement too.

Most resumes I have seen are pretty self centered documents. It is a sales tool of course selling YOU, but the resume needs to be focused to the best of your ability on the prospective employer.

A good summary statement answers the question: "What kind of problem can I solve for a prospective employer" or "what unique skills and abilities differentiate me from other similar people a prospective employer might consider?"

My point is this issue is more than just nuance and phrasing. You want to speak to employers.

"Here is what I can do for you" trumps "here is what I want" every time.

Recently, I have heard several staffing people and others say, "No, an objective is good because I want to know what this person wants." Maybe this is true, but I'd rather err on the side of a prospective employer having a very clear picture about what I can do for their organization and how I fit and force the few who want to know "what does this person really want out of job?"

The real estate at the top of a resume is the best chance you have to hook someone into reading further. If you fail to speak to your audience, why would they want to keep reading?

Churches Join in Job Hunt

Churches Join in Job Hunt
New ministries have arisen across Tulsa
By Bill Sherman, Tulsa World Religion Reporter
Originally Published 4/4/10 (Easter Sunday)

Wayne Buck was in the hot seat Thursday.

Sitting alone in a chair surrounded by 50 people at First United Methodist Church downtown, he fielded a battery of questions about his resume, his career goals, his networking skills.

"You need to get a different resume right away," one person said.

"Have you networked through your friends and neighbors?" another asked.

Buck, 61, has been out of work for 11 months.

He has many years of accounting and finance experience in the oil and gas industry. He took early retirement seven years ago from Williams Cos. after 28 years there and was laid off last year from SourceGas in Denver.

He is hopeful that he will soon be back to work.

"The economy seems like it's picking up," he said. "There's some hope out there. I've got a good five or 10 more years of work left in me."

Buck is one of hundreds of unemployed men and women who are getting advice, encouragement and job leads through a variety of jobs ministries at Tulsa churches.

The Employment Transition Ministry at First United Methodist Church started April 1, 2009, as more church members were losing their jobs in the recession.

Kathleen Lee, who has been volunteering with the ministry from the beginning, said 252 people have come through the program, and 25 percent to 27 percent of them have found jobs. More than 50 people attend the weekly meetings, nearly all of them job seekers.

During the first hour — dubbed the hot seat — individuals take about 15 minutes to explain their job situation and what they've done to find work. Seated in a horseshoe configuration around them, other participants offer advice on how to improve their resumes or networking skills, possible leads they should explore and job openings they have heard about.
Humiliation
During the second hour, speakers and group discussions address job issues.

On Thursday, life coach Dave Jewitt described the humiliation, after losing an executive job, of handing a job application to a man at a pizza place who had no front teeth.

"Something in me broke," said Jewitt, who now runs YourOneDegree ministry.

"And I was no good at delivering pizzas. At 50, I couldn't see the street signs at night."

"Don't waste that pain," he told job seekers. "I believe God wants to use that pain" to redirect lives.

Berry Miller, who directs the First Methodist program, knows firsthand the pain of being unemployed.

He left a good job to go into business for himself, and when that failed, he was out of work off and on for nine months.

"We had four kids. It was a high-stress time," he said.

"It was a really empty, lonely feeling. I learned that I needed to get out of my shell and get out of the house and talk to people."

Experts say people who lose jobs often go through a grieving process that includes denial and anger, he said.

"I've been on both sides of this. I felt compelled to help others."

The First Methodist program is a "wonderful example of hurting people helping hurting people," he said.
Roller coaster
Jim Choate and his wife, Diane, run the Church at Battle Creek's Job Assistance Ministry.

"We know what it feels like. We both lost jobs at the same time," Diane Choate said.

"Our heart is to help a lot more people than just the folks at Battle Creek. About half are from outside of the church," she said.

Jim Choate said every volunteer in the program has suffered a job loss at some time.

"It's an emotional roller coaster when you lose your income," he said.

"You go through a whole cycle of things — frustration, depression.

"We tell people that's normal, but the sooner you get through it the better. And it's best to work through it before you begin the interview process."

The program at Battle Creek meets twice a month.

Information is available on how to file for unemployment and food stamps, how to talk to creditors and how to start the job search. Jobs from local employers are posted.

Sessions are held on career assessment and strategic planning, resume writing, networking and interviewing.

Each job seeker is assigned to a volunteer "champion" who contacts them and offers encouragement.

"Fighting discouragement is an issue. It's about keeping your spirits up," Jim Choate said.

"The hardest part is having patience. These things just don't happen as fast as you want.

"The most important part of your job search is to invite God in to help you. He'll close doors on wrong opportunities and open other doors."
Biggest mistake
Asbury United Methodist Church began its Overcoming Job Transitions ministry six months ago in response to the recession.

"We thought people needed help," said Russ Knight, who directs the program.

"I've been through two layoffs," he said. "I've made a lot of mistakes in job hunting. I've become a student of this."

The biggest mistake people make, he said, is failing to utilize people they know.

"As a job seeker, you need to know how to guide your friends, show them how they can help you."
Social media
Kari Mirabal, a career consultant and information technology recruiter, heads the jobs program at First Christian Church, Owasso.

She conducted jobs seminars in January, February and March at the church, and she will resume after summer.

"People are going more to social media for career transition," she said.

"It's an amazing tool; 70 percent of all companies look at LinkedIn for candidates. It's free and easily accessible.

"What we do is we educate, teach how to leverage these tools. The tools have changed. The paper resume is a thing of the past. Things are evolving."

LinkedIn is a networking Web site used by more than 60 million professionals to exchange ideas and opportunities.

"It's who you know and what they can do for you," Mirabal said.
Job fair
Victory Christian Center has a full-time coordinator of its jobs ministry.

Jon Bornert said the ministry has helped 90 people find jobs since its job fair in January 2009.

He is expecting more than 30 employers at Victory's job fair next Friday.

Ministry workers also man a table at each church service to talk to people needing help.

"More and more churches are starting to awaken to the fact that a person's job is a big part of their lives," Bornert said.

"Being out of work can cause marital and family problems. If transportation goes by the wayside, it can be very difficult to continue," he said. Bankruptcy can result.

Guts Church held its first job fair Friday as part of its Servolution program, with employers' booths, interview rooms and classes on job-seeking skills.


Job ministries
Employment Transition Ministry

11 a.m.-1 p.m. each Thursday

First United Methodist Church

1115 S. Boulder Ave.

Job Assistance Ministry

6:30 p.m. second and third Sunday of each month

Church at Battle Creek

3025 North Aspen Ave., Broken Arrow

Overcoming Job Transitions

6:30-9 p.m. third Tuesday of each month

Asbury United Methodist Church

6767 S. Mingo Road

Job fair

12:30 to 3:30 p.m. Friday

Third floor, New Creation building

Victory Christian Church

7700 S. Lewis Ave.

Read more from this Tulsa World article at http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectid=11&articleid=20100404_18_A1_RyanFr476078&archive=yes

Good email habits

As a job seeker, you need to constantly be aware of your target audience and seeking ways to make it easier for them to contact you. Let's face it, we all know there are about a million reasons for them NOT to contact you!

1. Always include your contact information in the body of an email, even with replies. Don't make anyone hesitate to contact you. It's a good habit and is one of those details that might make the difference to get you a callback.

2. Stay away from those goofy backgrounds. I got an email the other day from a man with some floral design background.

3. Be a replier. Even in personal circles, so many people do not respond to emails even when begged to do so. Respond...promptly.

4. When attaching a resume, stick with .doc formats. A recruiter might want to delete something in your resume before sending it to a client (to help both of you!) but they can't with a .pdf. Also, .docx isn't common enough yet. In case you get a .docx file (which is just from the MS Word 2007 version) and need to open it, you can download Open Office at www.openoffice.org for free.

5. Use a cover letter unless directed specifically not to do that. Pick out something from the job description and speak to how you specifically fit that.

6. Avoid telling someone you are a good communicator...BE a good communicator! I've seen poor sentences and strange statements on resumes where someone claims to be a good communicator. Better to not say it and let your words (you know.)

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.