Thursday, April 21, 2016

Returning to the Workforce - Use Job Titles Effectively

Reentering the workforce after raising your kids and becoming an empty nester is a difficult thing to explain in a resume. 

These are my notes from another book idea from the Resume Psychology series.

Remember the narrative of your story is yours to craft. 

Who are you? Guess what? You decide. 

Whatever you decide, it has to "feel" authentic and genuine to you. 

In presenting your narrative realize "they" don't really care one way or the other. 

Think about it, if they want someone re-entering the workforce, what you are is unimportant compared to who you become working for them.

Be consistent, prepared and own the narrative. 

Be open to testing variations until you start gaining traction. 

Job Titles for Parents/Spouses

  • Stay at Home
  • Work at Home
  • Spouse
  • Mom
  • Dad
  • Parent
  • Empty-nester
  • Career changer

Pseudo Job-Title or Job Function or Transition Statement

  • Re-entering workforce
  • Seeking re-employment (among the adult population)
  • Seeking new employment (for pay)
  • Seeking employment

SAMPLE - 1
Stay-at-Home Parent
Reentering the work force
Targeting entry level [insert-job-title] positions

Debrief:
This is a little long. But – is very clear or obvious. The reader will see "Job-Title" quickly as it trails down from the word "force." Probably my favorite option, initially. 

SAMPLE - 2
Reentering the work force; former stay-at-home [parent, spouse, mom, dad, empty-nester]
Targeting entry level Analyst opening

Debrief:
"Reentering" is more important compared to mentioning the home-status. This means, it should come first on the line or first in the paragraph.
The word “openings" is vague on purpose (the one time being vague is allowed). This allows the reader to fill-in the job-title; which will be based on their bias, habit, needs… all timing related.

Sample - 3
Reentering the work force
Targeting [Job-Title]
(Empty-nester seeking re-employment)

Debrief:
Now - I do not recommend using parentheses in an email signature; but we frame the most important things first (reentry/Job-Title) and the parenthesis allow us to explain a great deal without over burdening the eye or short-term memory with more “letters.”
The risk - they never see the empty-nester [pseudo job-title] which may or may not be a bad thing.

SAMPLE - 4
Former Business Analyst
Reentering the workforce
Targeting entry-level Scrum opens

Debrief:
This is an effort to present the previous work experience while explaining the current situation; being as fact-based as possible.
Jobs are important, so show some respect by avoiding all the cutesy or euphemistic attempts at humor to soften the truth/details of your previous work-status being a time-machine trip in your career history.

AND - It explains the situation and the goal (landing a J.O.B.) in very short order.

Recruiters and hiring managers can respect that.

This can keep you top-of-mind for future openings if they appreciated your approach and can leverage it to their advantaged (cheap labor).

This example may have become my new favorite. Why?

The reentering telegraphs the truth! You have been away from that job.

And - no one will be surprised about when you were that-job. They will check.

If it was a mom & pop operation, a now out-of-business company or legacy-vendor merged into something new; you are stuck with their bias. You can sell it as an advantage easier by being real at the start.

But they see early on, you were a working person, turned work-at-home parent (versus prison time, extended medical leave, alien-abduction), and now the kids are off to college, you are on the good-meds or the aliens requested a refund... whatever the case.


To your best resume yet,

Dirk Spencer
Recruitment Consultant
Author of Resume Psychology and The Candy Maker Resume

The Candy Maker Resume: Resume Writing Hacks by Dirk Spencer; ISBN-10: 0692652698 and ISBN-13: 978-0692652695.

Resume Psychology - Resume Hacks and Traps Revealed - Beat the Machine. Be Seen. Get Hired! (ISBN-10: 0692525602 and ISBN-13: 978-0692525609 print and Kindle eBook)

Both available on Amazon.Com and Amazon world-wide: Amazon.Co.UK - Amazon.FR - Amazon.DE - Amazon.CA - Amazon.IT - Amazon.ES.

My book made a 10 Must Buy List…

Resume Psychology is

This Link is to the print and Kindle version of Resume Psychology on Amazon http://www.Amazon.Com/dp/0692525602/

This link is to the print version of The Candy Maker Resume on Amazon.Com http://www.amazon.com/dp/0692652698

The author page for Resume Psychology on Amazon

Buy Resume Psychology at a discount here
Printer Discount Code: FA6pWQ4J

My Twitter
@DirkinDallas

Resume Psychology the blog

Connect to me on LinkedIn

My online presentations are here

My photo content is here

More photos online here
Internet articles (recruiting, job search, book, customer service with Dirk mentions)

Beat the Bot – Podcast Interview with Albert Lin of Careers.Org

Examples of Great Customer Service

Keeping in Touch with Candidates:

Should You Re-Apply to the Same Job:

You May Be an Outdated Job Seeker If…:

Six Unlikely Places to Find Jobs

Be a Better Recruiter:

Curve Ball Interview Questions:

Resume Psychology Blog Posts:

The 3-Rs of Resumes:

Resume Help - Fiverr.Com and Others:

Questions for Hiring Managers - What NOT to Ask:

Questions for Hiring Managers - Potential Insights:

Questions for Hiring Managers - Checking Your Field Position:

Questions for Hiring Managers - Get Their Back-Story


Questions for Hiring Managers - Go Deep or Go Home:

Questions for Hiring Managers - Generic Questions - Make Them Your Own:

Professional Summary – Make It Count:

Detail Vs. Granularity & What is the Big Deal?:

Will This Get Me Hired?:

What is Your Goal?:

Your Resume is Your Career Anthropology:

What is Resume Psychology?

SlideShare Presentation by Dirk Spencer

Think Like a Search Engine Find User Groups for Leads:

Freelancing Online (e-Lancing):

Using LinkedIn for Job Search:

Interview Psychology - Preparation Attracts Offers:

The Candy Maker Exercise:

Resume Psychology - The Resume Playbook:

Resume Kiss of Death (K.O.D.) - Killing Vague Resume Content:

Finding Open Jobs with Job Boards:

Your Resume Action Plan - Resume Boot Camp:

Resume Psychology – Get the Offer lecture 2011:

Book interviews I paid for using Fiverr.Com Resources



Resume Psychology: Resume Hacks & Traps Revealed - Beat the Machine. Be Seen. Get Hired! – Amazon World Wide:

The Candy Maker Resume – Resume Writing Hacks - Amazon World Wide:


Tuesday, April 19, 2016

Why so Many Resume Formats?

The much maligned resume is used as a branding tool in the market-place of competing staffing firms and executive search firms. 

Resume writers typically align on a format developed over-time or model a structure which appears to be popular. 

Boom. 

That is it. 

That is why your outplacement firm told you: 
"do not to change a thing."

Most outplacement firms have a staffing arm. Since they compete for corporate bonuses, it is rare one-side helps the other. 

This is also why people get so much conflicting resume information. 

You have vendors competing for eye-balls and they opted to use the resume layout as their competitive edge. 

This is also why "professional" or "certified" resume writers can be a waste of money if there is a VMS involved. These people are not affiliated with an outplacement or agency. This means unless they are doing some deep-detective work, they are not using the prevailing format. 

If you are using a resume writer - find out if they "do placement" with any local companies. If not -  you are probably are wasting your time, too. 

The other component to this resume-kabuki is technology. 

There is technology sold as a way to manager resumes fairly - for the vendors (not the candidates).

The technology goes by the generic name of Vendor Management Software (VMS). 

If a company is using a VMS for resumes, it is likely they have 20 to 30 companies providing resumes. 

The VMS makes the resume agency and or source agnostic

This is suppose to stop hiring managers from playing favorites with agency contacts. Married people straddling the corporate divide. Former employees offering resumes. Vendors who go bankrupt and come back as something new. 

That is the theory. 

In practice, staffing firms, agencies, executive search firms have crafted resume layouts to brand their candidate submissions from one another using fonts, words, phrases, margins and layouts. 

While the VMS can be managed in a variety of different ways - essentially, the hiring manager reviews resumes and selects candidates. 

If he or she has a relationship with a specific agency; they will be on the look-out for their specific layout - not necessarily the best qualified candidate.

In some cases, pet-phrases and sentences are used to aid in the branding/identification of the source.  

This is why so many resume layouts defy or out-right go against the science of good copy-layout and optimum focal point to ease eye-strain. 

Remember - they said - "don't change it." 

Now you know why.

To overcome this lunacy - build a resume that is easier to read, contains more keywords than marketing-hype with deconstructed experience statements that allow the reader to find their bias faster. Give them a reason to select the better qualified candidate. 

Create a resume so rich with content the reader thinks "we should hire this person" instead of "maybe we should interview this person."

This is a science. 

There is difference.

Learn to compete. 

To your best resume yet,

Dirk Spencer
Recruitment Consultant
Author of Resume Psychology and The Candy Maker Resume

The Candy Maker Resume: Resume Writing Hacks by Dirk Spencer; ISBN-10: 0692652698 and ISBN-13: 978-0692652695.

Resume Psychology - Resume Hacks and Traps Revealed - Beat the Machine. Be Seen. Get Hired! (ISBN-10: 0692525602 and ISBN-13: 978-0692525609 print and Kindle eBook)

Both available on Amazon.Com and Amazon world-wide: Amazon.Co.UK - Amazon.FR - Amazon.DE - Amazon.CA - Amazon.IT - Amazon.ES.

My book made a 10 Must Buy List…

My Lead-Page to sell books for Resume Psychology is

This Link is to the print and Kindle version of Resume Psychology on Amazon http://www.Amazon.Com/dp/0692525602/

This link is to the print version of The Candy Maker Resume on Amazon.Com http://www.amazon.com/dp/0692652698

The author page for Resume Psychology on Amazon

Buy Resume Psychology at a discount here
Printer Discount Code: FA6pWQ4J

My Twitter
@DirkinDallas

Resume Psychology the blog

Connect to me on LinkedIn (1K recruiters, 8K connections)

My online presentations are here

My photo content is here

More photos online here

Internet articles (recruiting, job search, book, customer service with Dirk mentions)

Examples of great customer service

Keeping in Touch with Candidates:

Should You Re-Apply to the Same Job:

You May Be an Outdated Job Seeker If…:

Six Unlikely Places to Find Jobs

Be a Better Recruiter:

Curve Ball Interview Questions:

Resume Psychology Blog Posts:

The 3-Rs of Resumes:

Resume Help - Fiverr.Com and Others:

Questions for Hiring Managers - What NOT to Ask:

Questions for Hiring Managers - Potential Insights:

Questions for Hiring Managers - Checking Your Field Position:

Questions for Hiring Managers - Get Their Back-Story

Questions for Hiring Managers - Go Deep or Go Home:

Questions for Hiring Managers - Generic Questions - Make Them Your Own:

Professional Summary – Make It Count:

Detail Vs. Granularity & What is the Big Deal?:

Will This Get Me Hired?:

What is Your Goal?:

Your Resume is Your Career Anthropology:

What is Resume Psychology?

SlideShare Presentation by Dirk Spencer

Think Like a Search Engine Find User Groups for Leads:

Freelancing Online (e-Lancing):

Using LinkedIn for Job Search:

Interview Psychology - Preparation Attracts Offers:

The Candy Maker Exercise:

Resume Psychology - The Resume Playbook:

Resume Kiss of Death (K.O.D.) - Killing Vague Resume Content:

Finding Open Jobs with Job Boards:

Your Resume Action Plan - Resume Boot Camp:

Resume Psychology – Get the Offer lecture 2011:

Book interviews I paid for using Fiverr.Com Resources



Resume Psychology: Resume Hacks & Traps Revealed - Beat the Machine. Be Seen. Get Hired! – Amazon World Wide:

The Candy Maker Resume – Resume Writing Hacks - Amazon World Wide:





Thursday, April 14, 2016

Commercial - Resume Psychology - Breaking News Format

Since I am not interested in selling books out of my car, it seems I need to have a commercial.

Luckily - this is pretty easy to set-up. Hope you like it. There should be a 2-camera angle version coming in the next few weeks. Hopefully, they will let me have the blooper-reel.

Email if you have an opinion - up or down!




To your best resume yet,

Dirk Spencer
Recruitment Consultant
Author of Resume Psychology and The Candy Maker Resume

The Candy Maker Resume: Resume Writing Hacks by Dirk Spencer; ISBN-10: 0692652698 and ISBN-13: 978-0692652695.

Resume Psychology - Resume Hacks and Traps Revealed - Beat the Machine. Be Seen. Get Hired! (ISBN-10: 0692525602 and ISBN-13: 978-0692525609 print and Kindle eBook)

Both available on Amazon.Com and Amazon world-wide: Amazon.Co.UK - Amazon.FR - Amazon.DE - Amazon.CA - Amazon.IT - Amazon.ES.

My book made a 10 Must Buy List…

My Lead-Page to sell books for Resume Psychology is

This Link is to the print and Kindle version of Resume Psychology on Amazon http://www.Amazon.Com/dp/0692525602/

This link is to the print version of The Candy Maker Resume on Amazon.Com http://www.amazon.com/dp/0692652698

The author page for Resume Psychology on Amazon

Buy Resume Psychology at a discount here
Printer Discount Code: FA6pWQ4J

My Twitter
@DirkinDallas

Resume Psychology the blog

Connect to me on LinkedIn (1K recruiters, 8K connections)

My online presentations are here

My photo content is here

More photos online here

Internet articles (recruiting, job search, book, customer service with Dirk mentions)

Examples of great customer service

Keeping in Touch with Candidates:

Should You Re-Apply to the Same Job:

You May Be an Outdated Job Seeker If…:

Six Unlikely Places to Find Jobs

Be a Better Recruiter:

Curve Ball Interview Questions:

Resume Psychology Blog Posts:

The 3-Rs of Resumes:

Resume Help - Fiverr.Com and Others:

Questions for Hiring Managers - What NOT to Ask:

Questions for Hiring Managers - Potential Insights:

Questions for Hiring Managers - Checking Your Field Position:

Questions for Hiring Managers - Get Their Back-Story

Questions for Hiring Managers - Go Deep or Go Home:

Questions for Hiring Managers - Generic Questions - Make Them Your Own:

Professional Summary – Make It Count:

Detail Vs. Granularity & What is the Big Deal?:

Will This Get Me Hired?:

What is Your Goal?:

Your Resume is Your Career Anthropology:

What is Resume Psychology?

SlideShare Presentation by Dirk Spencer

Think Like a Search Engine Find User Groups for Leads:

Freelancing Online (e-Lancing):

Using LinkedIn for Job Search:

Interview Psychology - Preparation Attracts Offers:

The Candy Maker Exercise:

Resume Psychology - The Resume Playbook:

Resume Kiss of Death (K.O.D.) - Killing Vague Resume Content:

Finding Open Jobs with Job Boards:

Your Resume Action Plan - Resume Boot Camp:

Resume Psychology – Get the Offer lecture 2011:

Book interviews I paid for using Fiverr.Com Resources



Resume Psychology: Resume Hacks & Traps Revealed - Beat the Machine. Be Seen. Get Hired! – Amazon World Wide:

The Candy Maker Resume – Resume Writing Hacks - Amazon World Wide: