Monthly Archives: April 2011

Career Q+A: Resumes and cover letters

~ ASK THE EXPERTS ~
Questions from our Readers
Answered by Michael Pollock


Getting attention for an average resume

Q: Supposing, and I am, that most applicants are following the general advice given by the Cynopsis crew on resume writing. Profile rather than objective, bullet points, etc. If most people are doing this, how can I make my resume stand out if my experience is fairly average for my industry?

A: Internalize all the advice you are given, then put it aside it and create your very own resume that paints a strong picture of a unique candidate. This means not just a list of the skill sets indicated in the job spec and which many candidates will tend to parrot. The first paragraph must compel the hirer to HAVE to keep on reading it has to distinguish you powerfully from all other applicants and I am not averse to adding your own style to bring life to your “average” experience.

So if your specific career highlights are not strong enough (though surely there must be some success that only you could claim) you might describe some powerful work habit that will add strength to your pitch. I recently saw great results from a resume opener that was bursting with colloquial enthusiasm, energy and personality. It broke through the boring usual and hirers responded.

But don’t forget that the written resume is just one component of your campaign to get hired. Advocates within the organization can also be most valuable and you should put a lot of energy into finding one to speak up for you. Their passion for your cause can get your resume pulled out of the pack.

Cover letters: the basics

Q: Cover Letters are still a bit of a mystery to me. Is there any way you can provide a schematic as to what I should be trying to accomplish with each paragraph I write?

A: Assuming you have had no prior communication, then the first sentence should indicate why you are writing: e.g. I’m applying for the Project Manager position and my resume is attached. The second sentence should say why the reader should give a damn: e.g. I have achieved such and such specific exciting and relevant triumphs at this impressive and relevant company. The third sentence should indicate something else that you offer or have achieved that no one else can say. The fourth should say that you are looking forward to hearing back from them and will be available for interview at the drop of a hat.

Well that is the general idea: Why are you writing, and why should they care about you above all others. Keep it short and strong note that I used the word “sentence” to answer your question about “paragraphs.” Don’t get hung up on that, but do keep it concise imagine they are reading it on a Blackberry. The cover letter is the trailer that gets them to want to read the resume.

Posted on April 27, 2011 in Career Q+A, resumes
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Combine your interests and skills = be unique

Here is a wonderful testimonial message I received yesterday from a client:

I just wanted let you know that I am going to accept a position with [a major entertainment company]tomorrow. They have somewhat created a position for me …I’m excited because this brings together all my skills/experience in Music, Sponsorship, Marketing and allows me innovative thinking.

I wanted to thank you for our sessions together. What you did was help me find my confidence and voice again. Through our work, I became centered and clear on the results I produced and the value I had to offer others. It really made a difference.

Posted on April 27, 2011 in career transition, coaching, testimonial
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How to manage your jobs funnel

In this volatile job and skills market you probably should be thinking about what your next gig might be even when things look good. You never know what’s round the corner.

Think of it in the way a salesperson thinks of the sales funnel, and try to have various opportunities at different stages on the go at any one time. You’ll want to get as many entries as you can in to the top of the funnel, as only some of them will successfully make it all the way to that little hole at the bottom. This way of thinking can be very helpful as you are building your contacts and revising your materials to reflect your growing skills and experience.

Here are the key stages – from top to bottom, based on the classic sales process, but spun to suit our jobs funnel.

1. Discovery of the opportunity
You’ve spotted an ad or met a new networking connection or heard something on the grapevine.

2. Research
You learn everything you can about the firm in question, its people, the industry sector and so on. Don’t short-change this step – any nugget of information could turn out to be the one that makes the difference.

3. Develop your resume or proposal – we’ve talked about this elsewhere ad nauseam – and will continue to do so!

4. First communication – get noticed
You get your intro, or send your first email or phone call. Remember: always think first: what do they really want? This is the trailer that has to move people to consider you.

5. Submit your resume or proposal
Show clearly and concisely that you have the goods they dream of.

6. Get buying noises
They respond and want to know more or to meet.

7. The Interview
Where you start to close the deal. Prepare by catching up on the latest in the field and at the company. Present your past successes so they can see what you will do for their future.

8. Negotiation
Don’t be a supplicant. Your attitude should be “if we both want this to work I am sure we can find a way”. But remember they may have a budget they can only bust in exceptional circumstances. Also, if there is something you are particularly interested in doing for them – or having in your package -get it out there now rather than let it fester.

9. You’re hired or made the sale: now exceed their wildest expectations!

So those are the stages – and like all good salespeople you’ll want to have several opportunities at different stages of the funnel at one time. Move one forward to first communication while you are interviewing for another. This way you will always have something on the go and you won’t just be sitting and waiting – and stewing.

Posted on April 19, 2011 in career transition, coaching, job search, transition
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Print Journalist: Coaching “paid off time and time again”

I was dubious about how much career coaching could do for me.  But I was pleasantly surprised by how much my career trajectory and the way I thought about the business of print journalism changed over my sessions with Michael.

One of the best things about Michael was that he understood the business I am in, and how it operates; there was no need to brief him on how more ‘creative’ professions work differently from more traditional corporate structures. That meant we could start making progress on my career immediately.

He listened to what I was saying and was able to distill from that where I really wanted my career as a freelance journalist to go. During our sessions he helped me think about my skills and experience in a different way. He changed the way I thought about self-promotion and networking…. I use networking to my advantage now, and by using Michael’s techniques I have doubled the number of magazines I work for, strengthened existing relationships with editors, and become confident about walking into a room filled with my professional peers. I ask for work, instead of waiting to get offered it – and that approach (one I never would have considered before working with Michael) has paid off time and time again in the last 12 months.

I won’t hesitate to work with Michael again next time I reach a roadblock in my career.

Testimonial of a journalist whose writes regularly for National and International Press and Magazines

Posted on April 11, 2011 in coaching, success, testimonial
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Career Q+A: resumes and cover letters

AS PUBLISHED IN CYNOPSIS CLASSIFIED ADVANTAGE
~ ASK THE EXPERTS ~
Questions from our Readers
Answered by Michael Pollock

 

Resumes: profiles, objectives or what?

Q: I understand what a job objective is on a resume, but also have read that they are somewhat outdated and something called a Profile has taken its place. What is the difference and could you supply an example?

A: We get too tangled up with the names we give this critical opening paragraph and we risk getting trapped into templated interchangeable resumes.  Is it a profile? Maybe that’s part of it.  Should it be an objective? The hirer is not in the least interested in your objective  the only objective he is interested in satisfying is his own.   So have an objective by all means  but that is for you to know not for your resume to state. So I can’t give you useful examples, as the objective or profile concept seem to me to be counterproductive.

But that opening paragraph is critically important.  It has to say in just a few lines what you offer to an employer and why they should care. It has to make them say  “that is just what I am looking for.” They should quickly be able to see that you have had successes in their field, that you have done good work on specific brands or projects and that your experience and skills and focus and passion set you apart from the pack.  That is the job of that first paragraph.  If you want to call it something (in your mind, not on the page) you could think of it as the Executive Summary for your resume.  The rest of the chronology should add flesh and corroborate. Who cares what it is called! Just make them drool.

 

Cover letters – what to include.

Q: I have read so many different articles on what a cover letter should be, can you provide a checklist of what a cover letter should cover and some suggestions on the order in which they are covered? I’m very confused.

A: The job of the cover letter is to get someone to want to read your resume.  First it has to say why you are writing, for example: I am most interested in talking to you about your Project Manager position.  And then quickly add why the reader should care – about you above all others.  It very likely will contain all or most of the paragraph you use to start your resume  this is the carefully crafted distillation of your value story that tells of your unique talents/experience. Don’t worry about repeating the same idea in the resume  many people on the hiring team will never see your cover letter. I hate to define templates  but here are the three basic elements:

1. Why should they read this because you are the perfect person to fill their Project Manager position

2. What you want them to do (feel)   see at once that you are the one – consider your application  schedule a meeting  whatever it is you want.  Get this up near the top in the cover letter so the reader knows what he should be thinking about.

3. Why you above all others?  What is the thumbnail of your skills/experience that sets you apart?

And most important: keep it short.

Posted on April 5, 2011 in Career Q+A, career transition, job search, resumes
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