LinkedIn Class Update

Our 2nd class, like its predecessor was a sellout. All 36 people were given in depth instruction on how to use LinkedIn to their advantage. I am about to secure a new date for the January class. Please encourage your friends to join us as I announce the date. You are welcome to come for a refresher as well.

Next Meeting

Our next meeting will be January 24, 2011. On behalf of the Steering Committee, my wife, and me, we all want to wish you a happy holiday season. May 2011 be a banner year for all of us. May we find the positions for which we were meant. May we find it to be the beginning of a new life.

501c3 Tax Exempt

ProNet is well on its way to becoming a tax-exempt organization thanks to the people at SCORE from the Disney National Entrepreneurial Center. Our paperwork came back to us with some questions we needed to complete. It goes back tomorrow. If you wish to donate, you can still claim it on your taxes as if we were tax exempt.

Job Fairs and the Hidden Job Market

All are very good points. Now, for a change, here's a more "positive" perspective. It gets you out of the house. Next, it gets you to observe what MAY be the hidden job market. I have been to many myself. My goal, with the CFEC and other job fairs, is to give people a second look at their resumes. I find many areas to enhance resumes. How many of you actually walk up to an employer and simply take their cards? How many of you actually do your "due diligence" and see what their web sites contain? How many of you actually, like Matt, check the roster and do a LinkedIn search on the people at the job fair? How many of you actually use it as a "networking" event where you look your best and shake hands with fellow professionals? The job fairs DO reflect the economy. Florida is facing a major unemployment rate....and, especially for the next month, will have low wage positions available. Try to stand out to the booth recruiters. If you go to the fair, make the most of it. Many come over to me from out of state...they ask me why they can't get a job. I say,"look around at your competition and then decide if I will (as an employer) relocate you". They won't accept your saying, I'll move here. Again...don't forget, the Hidden Job market DOES exist. Come to our meeting on Monday night and find out more. Mike's even going to touch on the 55+ age group and their additional challenges using Job Fairs.

TMI-Too Much Information - H E L P!!

In today's information highway you are constantly being inundated with information, sometimes conflicting, sometimes consistent.....what are you going to do?? My friends, you do what's best for YOU!! You talk to your friends and relatives (and, yes, me!) and get their opinions. Some of the hints I've been giving (and will continue to give) are based on years and years of experience. I am currently working with several teams on recruiting related projects. Are you signed up for our web site at www.pronetcareerresources.org ? Are you on LinkedIn ( www.linkedin.com )? LinkedIn, with over 86 million members is growing daily. Your next boss COULD be on there. The question is, how do you ATTACK? I can show you!! On Dec 9th I will be conducting a FREE seminar at City College in Casselberry. My goal is to give you strategy and show you how to use what I refer to as the "spider effect" in finding that RIGHT contact.

Again, remember, you are seeking a job for YOU. The right resume is the one that you have a major part in assembling. My disclaimer: If you talk to 12 different professionals, you will get 12 different responses. Which one is the correct one? Only you and a close ally can determine this. I'd like to be your ally. Have a great (and productive) day.

Cliches

I just read an interesting article on cliches. Bottom line was "do not use them". How many of us are "multi-tasking", or "excellent communicators", or "team player". It is more important for us to depict HOW we feel about these terms. We want the resume to stand out amongst our peers. Let them use the cliches. We need to provide both action terms and quantitative information. We need to ensure that the resume is unique. Your summary needs to have unique key words. PLEASE omit the phrase "responsible for" as it "smacks" of a cut and paste job from a job description (and what recruiter has never seen a job description??). Questions? Contact me at 407-333-8158 or email me at hra246@gmail.com

YOUR Resume

I just wanted to take a moment to remind readers that the resume that you give to your next employer is YOU. It must depict your professional life. It must meet THEIR standards. How do you determine their standards? By paying ultra close attention to their needs which they have displayed in a job posting. Bottom line: You are representing you on this very important document, not the work of 12-15 others (some of whom may depict you in different fashions). Need some guidance, contact me. Have your friends and relatives contact me. The big difference is doing one-on-ones. If it's done completely by email, they are NOT depicting you, merely their impression of you. Hope that helps.

Hint #7 Typographical Errors

I've read several articles lately from some of the "heavy hitters" in both the resume writing industry and hiring managers. What's the most devastating issue they are always bringing up? You guessed it, typos.

Please, please re-read your resume twice. Have another person read it. Typos can be the difference between being taken seriously and being put in the "no interest" pile.

Many words won't get picked up by spell check tools. I read one resume the other day where the candidate worked for a local bank. They spelled the word "band" instead. Being a legit word, band will not get picked up. I see some major atrocities which I won't comment on here. Believe me, it's not pretty. I point it out and the person covers their face with embarrassment. Better I catch it than a hiring manager.

One major problem is that people use messages on their telephone like "u" for "you" and "r" for "are". Your resume is a "formal" document, please treat it as such and don't abbreviate. Leave abbreviations for your telephone key pads!

ProNet Expands

I met with members of a church in College Park today. We may be conducting LinkedIn Seminars there very shortly. If you wish to attend, you will be asked to send me an RSVP with your resume to hra246@gmail.com

I met with a restaurant in Sanford the other day and we are about to expand so that both Volusia County and Sanford residents who need our support can join us and gain. If you live in either of those places, please contact me.

I am determined to lower the unemployment rate.

Hint #6 - LinkedIn URL

Want to know the latest addition to the "successful" resume? Adding your LinkedIn URL to your heading (contact information) at the top of the resume will show employers that you are "up" with the times. Naturally, when they download your resume, the URL will be hyperlinked. When that happens, if you are lucky enough to add your picture, that's one more point in your favor. It's the latest thing and employers are impressed when they see it there.

City College Seminar

The LinkedIn Seminar at City College was a huge success. There were 30 attendees. I spoke to the Assistant to the Director and she said that she could hear the enthusiasm and excitement coming from the room. If you would like to have another session, please write me at hra246@gmail.com. If you would like to host a session elsewhere, write me and we'll make arrangements.

Contracting in This Economy

We had a fantastic speaker last night. Lisa Morton of TekSystems spoke to us about the pros & cons of contracting.

One of the biggest pros is that you are able to get top pay. You also have a recruiter to depend on to market your services. You don't get involved in office politics!

One of the biggest cons is the possibility of a short term contract. You don't feel like part of the team.

In today's economy, a large number of people are turning to contracting (yes, it is also called "temping"). You should "hook up" with a firm that deals primarily with your field.

Lisa brought up some very good points with respecting to the role of a contractor.

Hint #5 - Reference Line at the Bottom

This line is no longer needed. People put down "References available upon request". When you go for your interview, the hiring manager....if they are impressed...will ask you to complete an application. Not only will you be asked for references THEN, but you will be asked to sign the application along with identifying those references and managers you don't mind them calling.

Worst yet, do NOT list references on a resume. It gives license for the recruiter to contact them at will and ask about you without your knowing it. They may even try to recruit the reference!!

Stay tuned for more hints....

Full House

As expected, our LinkedIn class at City College filled quickly. There may be more! If you wish to join a future class, simply email me at hra246@gmail.com

LinkedIn Class Announcement

City College of Casselberry has graciously donated a classroom for our use to be used for our upcoming LinkedIn class. Our class will meet from 3-5pm on October 27th. Seating is limited to the first 30 people who RSVP to me at hra246@gmail.com. I have 15 already signed up. This class is a must if you want to use this valuable tool effectively.

I will be going from signup to actually locating contacts for you at certain companies.

This course is free. You are welcome to donate a buck or two, but that's not required. If you are unemployed this course will definitely help you.

Don't forget our October 25th meeting at the library in Casselberry. Our guest speaker will be Lisa Morton, a recruiter at TekSystems. Her topic will be the pros & cons to contracting (aka "temping"). See our web site for details at www.pronetcareerresources.org

Hint #4 - Cover Letters

In today's day and age, with the advent of LinkedIn and the strong focus on networking, the cover letter has become both outdated and academic. Yet, there are some web sites and some hiring managers who want to see how your writing skills are and how you can put together a high quality, well informed cover letter.

In this blog I will give you the sample format for that all important cover letter. First, NEVER send a cover letter to a "to whom it may concern" unless you are absolutely forced to. Second, use LinkedIn to find the proper person, even if it means the "dribbledown" effect must be used.

Next, the cover letter should be in the body of the email, as text. It should not be an attachment. If I were a hiring manager, I'd want to see your resume ONLY as the attachment. Your main conveyance is the text in the email, hence your cover letter. So, here goes.

1. Copy and paste your heading from your resume to the "letter head" of the cover letter. All your contact information should be centered at the top of the cover letter. It should also be left justified at the bottom of the cover letter (like a signature block). This SHOULD NOT be done in a "header and footer" as it shows laziness on the part of the writer.

2. The date and "to" section is obvious.

3. The first paragraph should clearly define where you found the opening. It should, with a high level of confidence, say "I'm highly qualified" and then introduce the second paragraph. It should be no more than 5-10 lines in length.

4. The second paragraph should address each and every "shopping list" or qualifications item in the ad. For example, if it says "must have 6 years in management", you should comment on what jobs you've had where your role was in management. You may want to comment on the achievements you had as manager. If it says "must have excellent written communications skills" you may want to comment on the types of reports you submitted to "C" level management (CEO, COO, CTO, CFO). The second paragraph should be no more than 10-15 lines in length. Succinct, focused, short sentences (bullets are ok to use here) and with lots of confidence.

5. The final paragraph should be a strong close. You should comment that you are available right away for interviewing. You should comment that you are undoubtedly the most highly qualified candidate for this position. You should repeat your phone number (yes, a 3rd time) so that there's no chance he will miss seeing your phone number. Finally, mention that you intend to follow up with him in one week (and, yes, do so!!). The final paragraph should be no more than 5-6 lines.

End the cover letter with "Sincerely yours". For inventiveness, "sign your name" with a font that appears to be a "signature". It will give the reader a chuckle in that you attempted to "sign" the letter.

Need individualized help? Contact me.

Hint #3 - Summary vs Objective

Sad to say, the day of the objective is no longer. Companies no longer want to know (or care??) what it is that you really want to do. The line "to work for a progressive company" no longer works because ALL companies are progressive.

Hiring managers are, however, seeking to learn about your skill sets and your key words that are put forth in a summary. Please note, a skill set and your attributes are different. Knowledge of MS Word and "great conversationalist" or "people person" are worlds apart in necessity. Don't forget, companies will want to see "surfing" the internet on your resume. The days of cliches are now history. Avoid, "multi-tasking", or "results oriented" as EVERYBODY has that on their resumes. Put some real "meat" into the summary. Are you a Notary? Put that on there. Need additional help? Contact me.

More Feedback

Perfecting the Elevator Speech: This is a very simple yet important aspect of the job search. Pretend, if you will, that you are at a hotel visiting a tourist destination. Someone gets on the elevator with you and they have a name tag on that is of interest. You look at them, say name name after shaking hands and point out that you're seeking a position and you felt that he might be approachable. You then point out what your field is and that you live in Orlando, Florida. You ask if you can trade business cards. He says "yes" and you're off and running. The speech took less than 30 seconds as he has reached his floor!

If you are interested in working on your interviewing skills, please contact me and we will discuss. If you're interested in getting your LinkedIn Profile in far better shape than it is, again, contact me and we'll get it up and running.

Feedback from 9/27 meeting

I will begin to attempt to answer some of the questions from the evaluations last night:

I will be inviting Mike Mailman to visit with us very shortly.
No response from employers - When a recruiter (at a company) receives resumes, they can only respond to (due to sheer volume) those who meet the entire "shopping list" without a flaw. That phrase is, of course, open to interpretation. The "black hole" is created mainly due to highly unqualified job seekers applying.
MB, contact me about your resume....let's get it going.
SB Let's get you signed up for LinkedIn. I will also get a new class going very soon.
BD I will be doing a mock interview with you shortly. Email me and I'll begin the process.

More shortly.

Hint #2 - Quantitative Information

Have you ever felt that a competitor may have more experience?

You can prove that out by putting plenty of numbers on your resume. At the top? (your field) with 20+ years experience....yes leave the word "of" out. Type numeric values in....don't spell them out. Phrases like "surpassed monthly revenues of $13k by reaching $20k consistently for 24 months straight" will put you nearer to the top of the pile.

How many people did you supervise? How many classes did you instruct (not "teach", "instruct" is a "classier" word). How many took your course or how many did you train.

If I'm a hiring manager and I see that you trained 30 people in one class and your competition taught 10, guess who gets the telephone screening?

Hope that helps....stay tuned for many, many more hints.

If you want individualized attention, email me at hra246@gmail.com with your resume and we'll talk.

Part-Time job in Sanford

Just found out about a part-time position in Sanford. If you're looking for a way to get "out of the house" and make some cash for 10 or so hours during the week working with the public as a server, email me at hra246@gmail.com for details. It pays minimum wage and is in the "heart" of downtown Sanford. The owners are personal friends of ours and they are well aware of the "power" of ProNet Career Resources.

Resume Hints!

Starting today I will be giving you resume hints that MAY get you that next interview. Some will be "red flag" issues, others will be common sense (yes, to some :)).

Hint #1: Typos- read your resume over a second time and check for typos. Spellcheck does NOT catch everything! Somebody worked for "Bank of America" and they typed "Band of America". The word "band" is a valid word, not for this resume, but a valid word!

More hints coming in upcoming blogs. Stay tuned. Hope to see you on Sept 27th at the Library in Casselberry. Meeting starts promptly at 5:30. Please bring "a buck" so we can continue our tradition of giving away a gas card. Bring notebook, bring 2 copies of your resume. See our web site at www.pronetcareerresources.org for details.

Our Next Meeting

Welcome to the newest addition to our family, the blog. Our first reaction to this new media is the announcement of our upcoming meeting on September 27th. A lot will be covered in both this blog as well as on our web site at www.pronetcareerresources.org. We will be discussing resumes as well as other job search strategies on this blog. Hope you like it....and away we go!!!