How to Tell If Your Resume Sucks

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Applying to jobs online seems about as effective as throwing a tiny piece of scrap paper into a big black hole. It’s easy to justify the many reasons why you’ll never hear back from a single company. Your resume must have got lost in the shuffle, right? That’s a lot easier than admitting the truth: no one wants to hire you. That’s a tough pill to swallow but there is good news hidden here. It might not be you, it might be your resume.

Writing a glowing resume is a skill that’s not easy to master. Your resume should never be complete. It should be constantly revised and improved upon. If you’re not doing that and you’re not getting hired, there’s a chance your resume sucks. There are a few easy ways to tell. Analyze the situations below and see whether or not they apply to your current job search situation. If they do, it’s time to give your resume a serious revamp. Read our tips on how to revamp your resume plus the dozens of other posts we’ve written about how to draft a stellar resume.

1. You’re applying to dozens of jobs, but barely getting any interviews — even for the ones you’re 100% qualified for.
This is a huge warning sign. Something is not working. While networking will always come in handy here, you need to first give your resume a once-over and make sure that even your connections would be proud to pass along your resume to someone they know. Ask an outsider for help — perhaps a professional whose career you admire or a friend who’s good at writing and editing.

2. You keep telling yourself, “If I could just land an interview, I could show them what a great hire I am.”
I have some news to break to you: you’re being lazy. You clearly know that your resume is not painting you in the best light. Instead of self sabotage, pick a new strategy. Think of your resume as a marketing piece with the sole purpose of selling yourself. View yourself and your skills as an outsider. How would you describe them to someone who’s never met you?

3. When you do land an interview, you have a lot of information to share that’s not on your resume — and interviewers are surprised.
While it’s important to expand on your resume in an interview as opposed to just reading from it, your career highlights should be the major highlight of your resume. Don’t think you’re doing yourself a favor by withholding important information that’s relevant to this position. Touch on all the high-level skills and experiences that will help you land an interview. You owe it to yourself.

How The 50+ Crowd Can Successfully Job Hunt

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AOL Jobs published a great piece called, “Over 50? Here’s How to Beat the ‘Old Timer’ Stereotype in Your Job Search.” It focuses on using LinkedIn to overcome stereotypes. You know, the ones that assume those over 50 are less motivated, less willing to participate, and more resistant to change when compared to their younger counterparts. It’s a stereotype that’s not often true, but unfortunately there is one stereotype that rings true for older workers — they don’t use social media. And it’s a stereotype that’s hurting their job hunt.

LinkedIn falls under the social media umbrella but there’s a major difference when it comes to this social network. It’s not about cat videos, pictures of your kids, or ranting about your bad day — it’s exclusively about networking and finding a job. And those over the age of 50 who aren’t on LinkedIn are missing out in a big way. What may look like ageism could actually just me a miss on the job seekers part. If many employers are finding most of their new hires on LinkedIn, but you’re not there, who’s to blame? Do yourself a favor and put yourself exactly where the employers are recruiting.

For the over 50 set, it’s more important than ever to craft a completed LinkedIn profile, which includes a photo, detailed explanations of all positions held, and a full roster of connections. Once you’ve gained comfort with the network, go above and beyond the typical LinkedIn user. Get involved in groups. Share relevant industry articles with the update feature. Write about your industry with the publishing feature. It may seem like a lot of work at first, but it’s time well spent. These days, a LinkedIn profile is as important as a resume — if not more so.

3 Speaking Habits That Make You Sound Stupid

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Communication at work should always be professional whether it’s online or in person and whether you’re trying to nail an interview or sitting in a meeting at your day job. But even when you’re trying your best to make a good impression, it’s not always good enough. There are quite a few bad speaking habits that can make you sound, well, a little less smart and you might not even realize you’re committing these communication crimes. Here are our biggest pet peeves when it comes to workplace chatter.

1. Saying, “I’m well,” instead of “I’m good.”
That’s right. “I’m good,” is actually grammatically correct. The only time you’d answer someone, “I’m well,” is when you’re referring to your health. Say after you’ve recovered from an illness or a time of being unwell. Read Grammar Girl’s full explanation on good vs. well so you can answer “I’m good,” with confidence.

2. Messing up common phrases with similar-sounding phrases.
Did you know that it’s supposed to be “for all intents and purposes” not “for all intensive purposes?” And “I could care less” means that you actually could care less — what you meant was “I couldn’t care less.” Here’s another one: ‘irregardless’ isn’t a word. It’s just ‘regardless.’ Brush up on these and other common phrases you’re saying wrong.

3. Laughing — at everything.
You might not even realize you are doing this. A little giggle relieves our nerves and it might make saying something a little bit easier. But it also makes you sound like you’re not confident in what you’re saying. Get rid of the giggles and you’ll make a much stronger impression. Also, get comfortable with silence — you don’t have to chime in with a reaction to anything anyone says, especially when it’s an uncomfortable laugh.

Which communication crimes are you guilty of? Comment below!

Start a Morning Routine for Success

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We all want success, so what’s stopping us? One little change could make all the difference: the time you wake up. There’s an old phrase that has a lot of truth to it: “Early to bed, early to rise makes a man wealthy, healthy, and wise.” It makes sense, right? Because the earlier you get up in the morning, the better chance you have of getting your day in order. That means squeezing in a workout, making a to-do list, and eating a healthy breakfast all before you even step into the office.

But there’s a lot more to it than meets the eye. Starting your day with a work out, a to-do list, and a decent breakfast leads to a lot of benefits. For example, you’ll start off your day healthier, happier, and less stressed. There’s a chance you’ll enter the office with a more focused mind, which will lead to an even more productive morning. Do you see where this is going?

A morning routine can really can impact your entire day. A healthy breakfast can lead to a healthy lunch. A productive morning can snowball into an entire productive day. A week of workouts can kickstart a whole month of exercise. Suddenly, we’re talking about a life-changing impact. Sound crazy? It’s not really. It’s pretty simple. Try it for a week and see how you feel.

If you need motivation, ask your partner or a friend to join you. You’ll be more likely to wake up early and hit the gym if someone is waiting there for you. Even simply announcing to family or friends that you plan to get up earlier can be a great motivator. It’s all in your hands… try setting the clock on your smartphone a couple hours earlier than usual right now and be sure to factor that into your bedtime tonight. You can do this!

What to Do When You’re Caught Off Guard in an Interview

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Hopefully your next interview is chock full of great news about a challenging position with smart coworkers, fantastic benefits, and great pay. But that’s not always the case. Occasionally an interviewer drops a bomb you weren’t expecting, like:

“This position is 75% travel.”
“You’ll be managing a huge team of people across the country.”
“You’ll most definitely have to work every weekend or some week nights.”
“In addition to X, you’ll be doing Y, too.”
“You won’t be able to take any vacation time for six months.”
“The position is part time.”
“You know this position only pays $25,000 right?”

Step one: Don’t let your jaw drop. If you’ve managed to successfully do this, your next move is to do nothing. That’s right. Smile and nod. The goal of an interview is to land the job — you can always turn down the offer at a later date. Think of this as great interview practice, not a waste of time. Move forward as if nothing major just happened and continue to give the best interview performance of your life.

After all, each interview is also a networking opportunity. Although you may have just discovered that this position is wrong — very wrong — for you, there may be another better opportunity at the company in the future. (Just wait until after the interview process to ask about any other opportunities you’re interested in.) You never know — this person could introduce you to a great contact via LinkedIn with a lead for a better position. The old saying rings especially true here: “When life hands you lemons, make lemonade.”

The Dreaded Interview Question: Why Do You Want to Leave Your Current Position?

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There are plenty of interview questions that are difficult to answer but “Why do you want to leave your current position?” might be the most difficult one. After all, you might not want to share the real answer. These are things that you probably shouldn’t say:

• “I hate my boss!”
• “I’m not paid enough!”
• “My coworkers suck!”
• “The work is boring!”
• “I think I’m about to get laid off!”

Why? Because they’re all negative, and negativity doesn’t have a place in an interview setting. It makes you look like a complainer, or an angry person, or like a demanding employee — and employers don’t want that. So what should you say when asked, “Why do you want to leave your current position?” Here’s the magic phrase you need to memorize…

“I’m looking for a position … [insert your response here]… and I think I have found that opportunity here. Can you tell me more about this?”

Because you’ve done your research regarding this position and this company, you should bring up something relevant or something that you’re genuinely curious about. Some things you could say after reciting, “I’m looking for a position…”

• with growth potential
• that is collaborative
• with a diverse client base
• in a leadership role
• with a flexible work day
• that challenges me

By responding to the question with a new question, you’ve hopefully averted the need to discuss anything negative during your interview. If the interviewer tries to dig deep for more info, continue to present your position as a positive experience. Doing so will give you a stronger chance of landing that job offer, and that’s what’s important.

 

 

3 Reasons Why a Recruiter Might Ignore Your Resume

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Your resume is the key to getting your foot in the door. It’s the first impression and one way to land that elusive phone call with the best phrase you’ll hear during your job search: “We’d like to bring you in for an interview.” (Well, that is until you hear, “We’d like to give you an offer.”) So what does that mean? Hopefully that you’ve polished up that one-page document to be the best one-page document you’ve ever created in your life. That’s why it’s so hard to come to the realization that your resume has been looked over. Thrown to the side. Discarded. But there are a few reasons why that may have happened. And the good news is that you can fix those mistakes.

MISTAKE: You used too much business jargon.
SOLUTION: Write like a human not a robot. It’s important to include key words that are relevant to the job description but it’s also important to tell a story. While key words may get you a phone call, the story is what is going to get you the job. Make sure your experiences paint a worthy picture for this position.

MISTAKE: You sent the same resume in for 5 different positions at the company — and they were all in completely different departments.
SOLUTION: Ask yourself what it is that you’re looking for in a position and why you are uniquely qualified. It’s better to spend more time applying responsibly to one position than to sloppily apply for twelve different positions. Be thoughtful with each application you send and tailor each resume to each position.

MISTAKE: You sent your resume too late.
SOLUTION: Do a little recon on your own. Get in touch with a recruiter and ask if they’re still hiring for a position that’s been listed online for an extended period of time before you dedicate hours on your application. Sign up for job alerts so you’re the first to know when something great opens — and be quick to throw your name into the hat.

Don’t Stop Searching for a Job Over the Holidays

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If you’re in the middle of a job hunt, you might not welcome the months of November and December with open arms. Historically, many job seekers believe the end of the year is a bad time to land a new position. After all, companies are busy meeting goals and deadlines, hiring managers are out of the office, and job seekers themselves are busy prepping for the holidays.

Catherine Jewell, an Austin, Texas-based career coach and author of the book New Résumé, New Career, was recently interviewed for Forbes on why using the holidays to find a job is a great idea. There are actually a few reasons why November and December are a great months to get a gig — and why you should be extra persistent during your search. Here’s a summary of our favorite points:

1. Less competition.
If others are too busy to apply for a job, that just gives you a better chance of landing one. Even if there are not as many opportunities available over the holidays, you never know what’s about to open in early January. Start making connections with hiring managers now and let them know what you’re looking for.

2. Easier access.
The holidays are both a busy time and a quiet time. The days leading up to and right after a holiday might be a great time to reach a hiring manager who might be sitting at her desk undisturbed.

3. Networking opportunities.
View every holiday party as a networking opportunity. You’ll hear about upcoming job openings before they’re listed online and may even be able to land a phone interview thanks to a glowing recommendation. A lot of professional groups will host holiday events too — it’s time to get social for the sake of your job search.

Read more about why you should search for a job during the holidays at Forbes.