Objectives: Is the Resume About What You Want or What the Employer Wants?

In my recent blog article, Five Signs Your Resume is Outdated, the use of an objective was #3.   To help you improve your resume and get it into shape for your 2011 job search here is some advice to update the old objective.

In the not so long ago past, an objective was a staple of the American resume.  Today however in the era of vast resume transitions, the career objective has gone the way of the spandex shorts and the television show, Saved By the Bell.  As a job seeker, you should avoid the resume objective as much as most people show avoid the spandex shorts - it isn't flattering and it probably doesn't highlight your best assets.

The traditional job objective that introduced the job seeker at the top of the resume outlined what the person seeking a job wanted.  Examples: "Obtain a position at XYZ Company where I can maximize my management skills, quality assurance, program development, and training experience" or "Marketing position that utilizes my writing skills and enables me to make a positive contribution to the organization."  These statements do help clarify the reason the employer is receiving the resume, however, who thinks the company really cares about what the job seeker wants?  Most businesses seek to positively impact their bottomline, not help us to improve our skills or climb our own career ladder.

Consider the difference in the above examples, and the following resume headlines:

• Business Management Professional with over 10 Years Experience in Financial Industry with Expertise in Quality Assurance, Program Development, and Training
• Marketing Executive with more than 10 Years Experience with Strong Skills in Transformational Management, Communication, Writing, and Driving Revenue

Using a clear and concise headline rather than an objective can help to catch the reader's attention and entice them to continue reading your resume.  Ultimately it's about what the company wants not what the applicants wants.  Thinking unselfishly about what the hiring manager is going to be seeking rather than what you - the job seeker - want out of your relationship with the company, can help you be more objective in the resume. Remember to use distinctive yet professional formatting to help make your headline stand out from the text on the page.

A well-written resume will capture the hiring manager's attention and spark interest.  The goal of your resume is to land an interview.  Make sure your experience and talent are well represented by a resume that garners the attention you and your career deserve.  If you don't feel your resume lives up to your level of expertise or if it isn't gaining you the attention and interviews you should bet getting, don't hesitate to contact a professional resume writer.  Most top executives know it benefits them more to leave it to the professionals than attempt to do it themselves.  Trust someone who writes resumes day in and day out to handle your resume for you.  It will be well worth the investment.

Want to talk to a professional resume writer?  Click HERE to email Ramsey Penegar.

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Ramsey Penegar is an executive resume consultant and is certified as a  professional resume writer by the Professional Association of Resume Writers.  She has developed more than 650 resumes for executives all over the United States and for international clients as well.  With more than 10 years experience in marketing and sales, she has the skills to build effective job search marketing campaigns and attention-getting resumes.

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Who Are Your References?

If you read the earlier article on this blog, Five Signs Your Resume is Outdated, you already know that it is no longer necessary or expected for you to put References Available Upon Request at the end of your resume.  However, references and the page they are included on is a fairly crucial part of your job search campaign arsenal and should not be neglected.

References: The Document
You should have your list of references ready to bring to every interview or to include to prospective employers should they make the request. Use people that you have known for more than a year and ensure your references are prepared for phone calls.  The document containing your list of references should be visually coordinated with your resume and cover letter.  Select three to five references and be sure you include their name, title, company name, full mailing address, telephone number, and email address.


References: The Selection
Most importantly, be sure your references have agreed to be your reference!  Use people that you have known for more than a year, ask their permission, and make sure your references are prepared for phone calls (give them copies of your resume, your job application, the job description, and list of what you would like them to highlight about you).  It is perfectly acceptable to coach and inform your references on your career highlights, remind them of how long they have known you, or review key accomplishments.

Who you select as your references is pretty important because what they reveal about you can make or break the hiring decision.  What kind of reference do you want?  Someone who is going to have only positive things to say about you and your work and who will make the strongest recommendations for hiring you.  Former supervisors do not have to be your references.  Sometimes former coworkers or managers from other divisions who know your accomplishments make the best choices for reference selection.  Former vendors, business acquaintances, or customers can make excellent references as well. 


There are several firms that for a fee will actually conduct a reference check for you.  I have not utilized these services before so I cannot vouch for them, but I thought they were well worth listing just the same.  Find out what references will say about you before you begin your job hunt!

• http://www.myreferences.com/
• http://www.references-etc.com/

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Ramsey Penegar is an executive resume consultant and is certified as a professional resume writer by the Professional Association of Resume Writers.  She has developed more than 600 resumes for executives all over the United States and for international clients as well.  With more than 10 years experience in marketing and sales, she has the skills to build effective job search marketing campaigns and attention-getting resumes.

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Five Signs Your Resume is Outdated

If you don't do it professionally or it isn't your forte, writing a resume can be a daunting task and something you aren't likely to do on a daily basis.  It is no surprise that many people haven't updated their resume in years - sometimes even decades

Signs Your Resume is Outdated #1: References Available Upon Request

This week, an executive resume client asked if he should include "references available upon" request at the end of his resume.  Posting this at the end of your resume used to signal "that's it! This is the end of my resume."  But isn't it a given that you will provide references upon request?  If you couldn't, you would have no business looking for a job.  Why not conclude your resume with "Interviews Upon Request" instead? 

You should have your list of references ready to bring to interviews or to include to employers should they make the request.  Most importantly, be sure your references have agreed to be your reference!  Use people that you have known for more than a year and ensure your references are prepared for phone calls.

Signs Your Resume is Outdated #2: One-Pagers are for College Kids Only

Length of resume comes up a lot in questions from my clients.  See my post How Many Pages Is Right? for more detail on this issue.  The old adage that resumes should be one-page and one-page only is an outdated theory.  A kid in or fresh out of college or a person with very little experience may have a one-pager but for executives with 15-20+ years of experience and a broad skill set would have more accomplishments than will adequately fit in one-page.

Your resume should be concise.  Nobody wants to read a five page autobiographical dissertation on every minute detail of your career.  Resume writing is not an exact science and there is no "one size fits all" template for your resume, but a professional resume writer can objectively strategize on what to include in your resume as well as the overall length.

Signs Your Resume is Outdated #3: I Have an Objective and I Want a Job

Having a section devoted to your objective is possibly more obvious than listing that you have references available upon request.  "No, really? You are seeking a job?!?  Is that why you sent me your resume?"  Hiring managers are much more interested in what you can do for them then what they can do for you.  If you feel the need to explain why you are applying to a job, find a way to do it in your cover letter and save the space on your resume for listing your favorite ways to goof off at work! (Extreme sarcasm here.)  A certified resume writer is adept at formatting and precisely wording your resume to work best for you and your situation.

Update: See more on resume objectives in this January 2011 article. 

Signs Your Resume is Outdated #4: But I Really Like Using 1980s Word Processors

More than 500 million people are using Microsoft Word today (1) so it would be a good assumption that you should email your resume as a Word attachment.  There are other word processing software on the market today and I still - on occasion - have a client who is using Word Perfect, Notepad, or Lotus Notes.  It makes sharing documents very difficult and worst of all - the client is not seeing or receiving the high-quality document I have created.

So for all of you holdouts using another other than a Microsoft Word version released in the last decade, I have strong advice for you...Get Microsoft Word!  Alternatively, OpenOffice.org has a freeware program that has a Word-compatible word processing application, Writer.  Though I have never used this program there are three things that immediately appeal to me about it.  First, it's free (hello!).  Second, it can open MS Word .DOC files and can save to .DOC files.  Third, it has out-of-the-box ability to export your documents to an Adobe PDF file.

I prefer sending a PDF version of a resume via email.  A PDF document is neater and no matter how much formatting you have built into your resume, it will show up perfectly on the recipient's machine.  Your resume will look just the way you want it to regards of the hiring manager's computer settings, Word version, or font inventory.  Saving your document in PDF format is the only way to ensure your resume will be displayed exactly the way you intended it to be.

Signs Your Resume is Outdated #5: I am Listing Every Job I've Ever Had

Please see my blog articles, Years of Experience and Dealing with Age for more detail on this topic.  A resume doesn't need (nor should it) a listing of every single job you've had since graduating from college.  You want your resume to showcase your relevant experience, skill set, and value.  Only include relevant jobs in the past 10-15 years depending on the level of positions you plan to pursue.  Expound on the measurable accomplishments in those jobs and avoid a detailed, day-by-day, to do list of tasks and duties.

Signs Your Resume is Outdated: Does Your Resume Contain Any of The 5 Signs?

If your resume is showing any of these signs of being outdated, it is high time for a makeover! The job of your resume is to land you an interview in order that, ultimately, you get a new job.  An outdated, ill-formatted, poorly written resume is not effective in doing its job and can be detrimental to your career and job search campaign.  Whether you are an attorney, sales manager, nurse, pharmacist, financial adviser, a teacher, or any other occupation - your expertise might not be in resume writing.  I'll leave the nursing and financial advising to you, if you can leave the resume writing to the professionals.

Contracting with a professional resume writer is a wise investment in your career.  Save yourself hours of grief and let the professionals take care of your resume. You only get one chance to make that first impression so make it count!

Contact Ramsey Penegar by email.

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Ramsey Penegar is an executive resume consultant and is certified as a professional resume writer by the Professional Association of Resume Writers.  She has developed more than 575 resumes for executives all over the United States and for international clients as well.  With more than 10 years experience in marketing and sales, she has the skills to build effective job search marketing campaigns and attention-getting resumes.

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Footnotes:
(1) http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/features/2009/jan09/01-08cesofficeqaschultz.mspx

Dealing with Age in Resumes and Interviewing

I work with a lot of clients who are in the 50-plus sector.  Currently, I am working with a client who is 63 years of age and has more than four decades of work experience. Although it is illegal for employers to discriminate based on age, race, religion, or gender, it still happens indiscriminately.

For resumes, I generally recommend listing only about 10-12 years experience for mid-level, senior level / directorial management, and VP level positions.  While showing about 15 years is appropriate for C-level positions.  Listing more than is required for the job to which you are applying will put an “age” on you, which can open you up to age discrimination and being labeled as overqualified.  Both of which can eliminate you from the candidate pool rather quickly.

The purpose of your resume is

"To Whom It May Concern" Cover Letters

This article from CareerBuilder is an excellent source for those you wondering how and to whom to address your cover letters!  I always recommend taking the initiative and doing a little bit of leg work to make sure your cover letter and resume get into the hands of the person actually making the hiring decision!

Click HERE to go directly to the original article or read it below.

Is “To whom it may concern” the kiss of death?

By rachel zupek on Jan 19, 2010 in Career Advice, Featured, Job Search, Resume

Most job seekers know that, whenever possible, it’s best to address your cover letter to the person who has the power to hire you — or at least the person who can bring you in for an interview.

But, all too often, if a name isn’t listed on a job posting, the job seeker resorts to an old-fashioned salutation like, “To Whom It May Concern.” What they don’t know, is that this approach can sometimes be considered the kiss of death.

Impersonal salutations like “Dir Sir/Madam” or “To Whom It May Concern,” show an employer two things. The first is that you lack the initiative to locate the appropriate contact; the second is that you show a disregard for any research needed to be done on your part. In short, employers will think you’re lazy and your cover letter will end up in the trash.

One of the most common questions we get is how to find the name of a hiring manager, particularly at a large company. Here are four ways to find out the addressee of your cover letter:

1. Read the job posting

A no-brainer, but still needs to be mentioned. Sometimes you’ll get lucky, and the job you want to apply for will list a contact right in the posting. But even then, you sometimes need to dig a little deeper. Say, for example, the listed contact is “Chris Smith.” You don’t know if Chris is a man or a woman. If you can’t find that out, it’s safe to address your letter “Dear C. Smith.” That way, you’ve made it personal, but you haven’t offended anyone.

2. Call the company

If a job posting does not list a contact name, call the company. Yes, it really is that simple. Call the main number listed for the company and ask for the name of its corporate recruiter or hiring manager. Or, call and say you were wondering who manages the position to which you’re applying. That way, your materials get sent directly to the person who needs to see them.

3. Look on the Internet

A simple search on your favorite search engine can often do the trick. One search and anything from company directories to employer background information to stock market share could pop up. Try searching “ABC company hiring manager” and see what you find. The Internet is a wealth of information, if you just put in a little effort to find out what you want to know.

4. Ask your personal contacts

We always try to stress the important of networking in your job search. Surprisingly, many people ignore that advice in situations like writing your cover letter. Let’s say you find a job that interests you, and there’s no contact information listed. You go to one of your contacts and have the following conversation:

You: “Hey, do you happen to know of anyone who works at ABC Company?
Contact: “Actually, I used to work there five years ago.”
You: “Really? I’m applying for a position there. Do you know how who I might report to?”

Or maybe the conversation goes like this:

You: “Hey, do you happen to know of anyone who works at ABC Company?”
Contact: “I don’t, but I know my colleague worked there before coming to work with us .”
You: “Really? Do you think I could have his or her name to see if they can help me find out who to send my application materials to?”

You get the picture. The bottom line is everybody knows someone — you just never know until you ask.

If you try all of these methods and you’re still coming up short, Wendy Enelow and Louise Kursmark, co-authors of “Cover Letter Magic” and two of the nation’s most reputable career coaches, examine a few possible salutations and a few key points to remember about each one.

• Dear Sir/Madam. All-purpose and inoffensive, although it might be perceived as stodgy and old-fashioned.
• To Whom It May Concern. Another standard; has the downside of being impersonal and old-fashioned.
• Dear Hiring Executive (or Hiring Committee). Formal, but appropriate.
• Dear Human Resources (or Human Resources Representative). Acceptable only if you’re writing to a “blind ad” that lists only a P.O. box and you cannot call to get a specific individual’s name.
• Dear Hiring Authority. Acceptable only if, despite your best efforts, you have been unable to uncover the name of the non-HR person to whom you’re sending your résumé.
• Good Morning (or Good Day). A bit more up-to-date, but it reminds us of junk-mail greetings that try (unsuccessfully) to be personal.
• Re: Job Title You’re Applying For (leaving off a specific salutation). A useful method for replying to want ads, when you truly don’t know to whom you are sending your résumé. We think it’s preferable to the “Dear Human Resources” greeting.
• No Salutation (begin your letter immediately after the inside address). Again, perfectly acceptable for want-ad replies. Might be considered an improvement over old-fashioned, nonspecific greetings.

Editor’s note – 2/16/2010: We appreciate all the comments our readers are leaving. To gauge more hiring manager opinions, we took this debate to the hiring managers themselves on our FaceBook page for Employers: http://www.facebook.com/CBforEmployers The verdict so far? It’s not a deal breaker. While using general addresses are not deal breakers, the lesson, however, is to make sure you personalize your cover letter as much as possible when you can because the more you can do to catch a hiring manager’s attention, the better!

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Ramsey Penegar is an executive resume consultant and is certified as a professional resume writer by the Professional Association of Resume Writers. She has developed more than 575 resumes for executives all over the United States and for international clients as well. With more than 10 years experience in marketing and sales, she has the skills to build effective job search marketing campaigns and attention-getting resumes.

Should I Apply to a Job If I Don't Meet All the Requirements?

 Recently, a resume client asked me this question:

I am very, critical of myself. I probably would not apply for a job because I don't have all the criteria [listed in the ad]. Should I even try?

HR professionals and hiring managers typically write the job listing ad based on the full job description of the position. This generally includes a very detailed, clear outline of duties and requirements to make the hiring / screening process as direct and focused as possible. It helps identify candidates and weed out those that lack the essential qualifications. If a manager has done their job right, the job description has been written in conjunction with the incumbent who holds that job and a comprehensive job analysis. You are more apt to make it to the interview stage and probably the hiring stage if you possess all the required skills, knowledge, experience, and qualifications.

Okay, so what do you do?

One of the most important factors in your job hunt is your transferrable job skills.

These are the skills you’ve acquired all your life through your education, hobbies, parenting, interests, and career. These skills are both transferrable and applicable to the job you seek. Typically these skills are communication, interpersonal, teamwork, and leadership skills. Make sure your resume and cover letter highlights these skills.

Experience Needed

You don’t have job experience in the field? What about your experience you’ve gained in school, special courses, and volunteer experience. It doesn’t have to be paid experience to list it in your resume. This is especially important if you’re changing jobs or attempting to break into a new industry.

If you can’t get hired in the industry or type of job you want, seek out internships and pro bono work with companies. Contact human resources and managers at the companies for which you’d like to work, let them know you’re interested in learning more about their business and gaining experience and you’d like to establish a part-time, short-term internship. Check with the career services office at your local community college or university and use the web including CareerBuilder.com, Monster.com, Interships.com, and internshipprograms.com to find internship opportunities. Contact local non-profit organizations for internship and volunteer openings. You can stay busy during your job hunting and gain critical experience, skills, and contacts to further your career.

Resume Functionality

Make sure your resume is formatted correctly in order to showcase the skills you do have for the job and downplay the areas you may lack.

A functional resume will work more effectively than a chronological resume in these cases as your skills and achievements are much more important than your job history. RP Executive Resume Consultant specializes in functional resumes for job and industry changers; please contact us at ramsey_penegar@yahoo.com.

Use your resume to show that you are able and willing to learn. Input statements that indicate you are willing to pursue additional training and certification. Tell prospective employers in your resume and cover letter that you are a quick and enthusiastic learner. Being enrolled in specific licensure programs and workshops will prove you’re committed to learning and growing professionally. Check with your local colleges and professional organizations to take courses to enhance your growth and development and hire-ability.

When to Do and When to Don’t

Do not apply to jobs in which you are fundamentally under qualified for, but do keep in mind that job postings are many times an employer wish list. Don’t apply if you have none of the job requirements, but if you shine in some of the qualifications you should consider it. Most hiring managers truly don’t expect applicants to meet every requirement in their ad so if you can illustrate that you are strong in some of the areas listed, you have a good chance of getting called in for the interview.

Final Thoughts

Most importantly, keep a good attitude and be optimistic. Don’t forget to follow up your resume with a phone call to employers. Building rapport will go a long way as people like to hire people they like. Follow up telephone and face-to-face interviews with thank you letters. And most of all, don’t give up – you have dreams to pursue and your diligence and confidence will make it happen!

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Ramsey Penegar is an executive resume consultant and is certified as a professional resume writer by the Professional Association of Resume Writers. She has developed more than 575 resumes for executives all over the United States and for international clients as well. With more than 10 years experience in marketing and sales, she has the skills to build effective job search marketing campaigns and attention-getting resumes.

Job Search & Resume as a Marketing Campaign

You don’t have to be a marketing executive to build an effective job search, but you need to evaluate and know your own personal marketing strategy. A personal marketing strategy gives you a game plan for your job search.

In a marketing campaign, marketers start by deciding what product they are going to promote or sell. In a job search, the product is you! The best products won’t be successful in the market without a solid marketing strategy and the same is true for your job search. Using your current resume as a base, make a list of your skills, abilities, and knowledge. Why would you hire you?

The next step in building a successful marketing campaign is to know your target audience – to whom are you selling? Make a list of the types of employers and companies who may be seeking an employee with your specific skill set. Are they all within a specific industry? Are there many companies that hire employees with your background?

How do you locate these potential employers? Use the internet, your local Chamber of Commerce, print and online classified ads, networking, recruiters, and other sources to make a list of actual businesses that may be looking for people with your experience and skills. Keep building your list until you have at least 20 – 25 companies. Now, using your own personal contacts from business, volunteer work, school, friends, church, other organizations you may be involved with to make a list of 20 - 25 people who may be helpful to you in your job search.

The fourth step in an effective marketing campaign is to contact potential customers or in this case, prospective employers. Generally, the best way to go is to send a resume along with a cover letter, especially if you’re responding to an ad. If you are working with a recruiter, they will most likely set up a meeting between you and the prospect. If the contact is through a friend or other contact, you will want to decide whether a phone call directly to the person doing the hiring or sending a resume is the best route. If emailing a resume, be polite and send a short introductory email requesting permission to send your resume as an attachment. Many people won’t open unsolicited attachments.

A crucial aspect of any job search is organization. Keeping track of all those names, phone numbers, addresses, and emails is important to do proper follow up. The Minnesota Department of Economic Security has a really neat website full of useful information as well as worksheets to help you organize your job search efforts.

Now that you’ve developed your personal job search marketing strategy and gotten organized, you can move forward. The next step is creating an effective, attention-getting resume package and preparing for interviews!

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Ramsey Penegar is an executive resume consultant and is certified as a professional resume writer by the Professional Association of Resume Writers. She has developed more than 575 resumes for executives all over the United States and for international clients as well. With more than 10 years experience in marketing and sales, she has the skills to build effective job search marketing campaigns and attention-getting resumes.

Years of Experience: Do You Tell it All in Your Resume?

By Ramsey Penegar, Executive Resume and Recruiting Consultant

Your resume is a marketing tool – not a complete autobiography.

An effective resume is focused on your future and what benefits you can bring to the next position, not just a historical summary of your career or what you want to achieve with it. It is best not to list more experience on your resume than is required for the job to which you are applying, as this can be one way recruiters use to eliminate potential candidates from the running. And quite frankly, hiring managers don’t care that you worked for Freddy’s Frankfurters in high school!

Age discrimination is illegal and most employers may not intentionally discriminate on the basis of age, but are more likely to do so if they are given information that makes it easier to do. Many hiring managers have an ideal perceived age for a position and if, based on the information in your resume, they perceive you to be older or younger than this ideal range – you’re out. Recruiters, human resources personnel, and hiring managers are simply overwhelmed with the volume of resumes received for advertised open positions. They are systematic in how they narrow down that stack of resumes.

If you have 32 years of experience and apply to a position that is requesting “a minimum of 5 – 10 years”, you could very easily been labeled as overqualified for the position. More experience usually denotes more age, which equates to a higher salary and higher costs in the minds of recruiters. Furthermore, employers want employees that will stick around for a while and in many minds, an older associate may retire soon or leave due to health reasons.

You must be honest on your resume, but you certainly do not have to list every job you ever held.

 Provide approximately 10 years of experience for management level positions and 15 for executive level positions, but also be cognizant of what the job requires as mentioned previously. This will increase your chances of being called for an interview and that is where you have the opportunity to sell the hiring manager on your overall experience, ability, and knowledge with your enthusiasm and professional demeanor.

Ramsey Penegar is an executive resume consultant and is certified as a professional resume writer by the Professional Association of Resume Writers. She has developed more than 575 resumes for executives all over the United States and for international clients as well. With more than 10 years experience in marketing and sales, she has the skills to build effective job search marketing campaigns and attention-getting resumes.