Should I put my picture on my resume?

NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!


Ok, I just need to get this out there. Now, this is my personal opinion and I am not sure if all recruiters would agree, BUT please, please, do not put your photo on your resume. The purpose of a resume is for a company to get a sense of your education and work experience. Your photo has NOTHING to do with that, I really don't care what your professional picture looks like. What are you trying to prove when you put your picture on your resume? What? I mean, please answer that question for me.

With Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, Flickr and Twitter, I can find a picture of you VERY easily. And chances are, I will check your social media presence prior to interviewing you. Instead of trying to show me how professional you are with a nice picture on your resume, create a positive, professional, online presence. PLEASE hide your Facebook drunk photo's from me. Also, some of those wall posts, TOO MUCH INFORMATION. Google your own name and see what comes up... that is what a recruiter will see.

Take that photo you want to put on your resume, and put it on your LinkedIn profile, I will see it. While you are at it, upload your resume to your LinkedIn profile and see what happens!

10 Things We Want From You!

Every job hunter has the same question: What do employers look for, and how can I best show I’ve got “it?"
A few days ago, I attended a panel discussion for career coaches led by three of the leading recruiters in Greater Boston. Each recruiter had the assignment of explaining their view of today’s hiring environment, what employers are looking for, and then to give a few tips for candidates. The recruiters deal with different specialties, including: Human Resources, Medical Devices, Information Technologies (IT), and Marketing.

Nonetheless they agreed on one thing: Five years ago, if an employer listed a job with 8-10 bullet points of “requirements," a candidate might have been hired if he/she only had 3-4 of them. But today, virtually every client of theirs wants “12 out of 10 requirements to be evidenced - just to get the initial phone interview.”
It comes as no surprise they all report both recruiters and companies are being inundated by resumes, as more people are chasing fewer and fewer jobs. In this environment, they report employers have come to view job boards like Monster as counter-effective. When they advertise a position, they get SO MANY responses it becomes an overwhelming task just to sort through all the extraneous resumes to find the quality people who would be of interest. Result? They are utilizing alternative methods of identifying and recruiting top talent. It is more time efficient and effective for both corporate (in-house) and contingency (third party) recruiters to scour LinkedIn and other social media sites to find candidates worth pursuing. More and more, self-submitted resumes are not responded to because they aren’t even read!

Employers are looking for the following:

1. Candidates are expected to clearly articulate their accomplishments as part of their personal brand. LinkedIn profiles must highlight an individual successes and results! Skills are important – but only insofar as candidates use them to attain results. Never lead with: “XX years of experience doing...” Each resume bullet point should tell a story: “Accomplished X by doing Y, resulting in Z.”
2. Clear branding. Know who you are, what you offer, and what you are after. Be comfortable with your own story, and have that story down pat. Convey it consistently in your resume, LinkedIn profile, on Facebook, and increasingly on Twitter. Tip: get all those references to partying, and anything that wouldn’t well represent an employer’s brand off your own Facebook page – NOW! LinkedIn is seen as a way screen people in, and Facebook is viewed as a means to screen people out – even before an individual knows he or she might be considered.
3. Fit, fit, and fit! It’s the buzzword of the decade, but it means different things to different companies. Fit goes beyond the job requirements and speaks to an individual’s experience working in a similar type organization in size, product/service, marketplace or geography. Questions of “fit” go to the concerns. Would a given candidate be happy working as part of this company/team…and would the people here be happy to work side by side with this individual? If hired, would the person last? Commonly, employers are utilizing behavioral interviewing to determine if a candidate is a “fit."
4. One recruiter put it this way, "The length of time [companies are taking] to fill openings is increasing. Companies are increasingly picky about who they hire. But they are hiring people who have ‘bull’s eye' skill sets, have industry experience, and are a fit for their particular corporate culture."More and more, you have to have all three to be hired, and candidates should adjust their job search accordingly.

Recruiters are looking for the following:

1. People who can show they volunteer to do more than is required of them in the workplace
2. People who “know what they don’t know,” make no bones about it, and constantly strive to learn to fill in the gaps of their knowledge and experience.
3. People who can explain what they did in a past job that makes them valuable to a future employer.
4. People who can understand recruiters are professional service providers who deserve respect. (If you are dealing with a recruiter who doesn’t deserve your respect, move on to another one!) Understand recruiters workwith candidates, but ultimately for companies.
5. People who make an effort to establish a mutually beneficial relationship, by addressing them personally, offering to help find other candidates for positions if they aren’t the right fit themselves.
6. People who recognize it is counterproductive for both themselves and the recruiter to do the “end run” around the recruiter and deal directly with the company they represent.

All of this goes to show the importance of seeing the search for a new position as a “hunt” which requires a coherent strategy and a consistent message. Getting a job is a job! For more information about what recruiters are advising job hunters, don’t hesitate to be in touch with me directly. I offer an initial free consultation to any job hunter. Happy hunting!

Arnie Fertig coaches job hunters locally in Greater Boston, and throughout the U.S. via phone and Skype. He is a frequent public speaker and can be contacted at: fertig@jobhuntercoach.com. He invites you to connect with him on LinkedIn and follow him on Twitter.


Read more: http://www.ibtimes.com/blogs/articles/26057/20110422/10-things-employers-recruiters-want-from-you.htm#ixzz1KGldp7cO

5 Interview Answers to Avoid

While no one can predict exactly what will be asked in a job interview, there are many standard  questions that can make or break an interview – depending how well you avoid a bad answer.

Answer the questions correctly and you will soar to the next level. Provide a poor response and you will be pounding the pavement anew.

It always amazes me how interviewees often stick their foot in their mouth when it comes to some of the most basic interview questions.  The biggest rule of thumb for developing good interview answers is to practice beforehand. Work with a friend, colleague, or professional career coach to hone your responses.

1.  No matter what the question, giving TOO MUCH INFORMATION is the kiss of death. 

Your answer should be brief and to the point.  Any meandering or veering off the path will only lead you astray.  While you may think that adding more detail is a plus because you provide more information, all it serves to do is annoy the interviewer and make her think you can’t follow simple instructions. A short explanation will allow for an interesting dialogue that will drive camaraderie with the interviewer.

2.  If you are asked about your previous boss, NEVER – I repeat – NEVER, bad mouth him.

Even if he was an embezzling scoundrel who came to work drunk and took all the credit for every good thing you did; you will only hurt yourself by providing a negative report. You will look like a whiner, and worse – a troublemaker. When answering interview questions, present things in the most positive light. In the case of an ornery boss, you might say that you didn’t feel his management style was in line with the positive direction you wish to take with your career.  If asked for specifics, you can politely say that you had differing work styles and work ethics. Period. There is no need to elaborate beyond this.

3.  If asked where you see yourself in 5 or 10 years, your answer should be thoughtful; consider your audience.

If your interviewer is the SVP of sales, indicating that you want his job is not a good idea. (Do I need to tell you that?)  Everything is about your spin strategy. You want to ensure you maintain a positive and proactive brand image. Ambition and drive is a good thing – but it needs to be presented in the right way. Stick with an answer that highlights what you hope to achieve or accomplish. For example, “I hope to close over $50M in new business.” This response demonstrates that you are looking to add value without leaving the impression that you plan to claw your way to the top no matter how many heads you have to step upon.

4.  If you are thrown a curveball question that has no apparent answer, don’t panic!

Do not tell the interviewer there is no answer to the question. Instead, pause, and play along; say something that shows you can be creative and think on your toes.  Don’t be afraid to add a dash of humor when appropriate.

5.  If asked to share a bit about yourself, this does not mean you should start telling the interviewer about your husband, children, church, or any other aspect of your personal life.

While it is an open-ended question, it is intended to learn a bit more about you in relation to the core attributes that make who you are. You don’t need to regurgitate exactly what is on your résumé either. The interviewer has that already. Perhaps there is something you have done recently that you would like to share to demonstrate your value. By all means, do so. This is an opportunity to sell the incredible and unique person that is YOU.

If you have a history of blowing it when it comes to interview questions, you may want to consider taking some extra time to rehearse your answers.  Get dressed as though you are going on the actual interview. Sit in front of a full length mirror or use a software program that will allow you to record yourself via mini-cam.  Develop and refine your message; this will help you provide theinterviewer with intelligent, well thought out answers and avoid the blunders that come from being unprepared.

Bad answers can cost you. Not only will you be limited in terms of job offers, but you may also find yourself spiraling down into the blues after being repeatedly turned down. Rejection can affect your psyche and interfere with future interview performance. Your preparation will facilitate your comfort during the process and enable you to deliver your information with confidence. The result – landing a new job that meets with your personal and professional goals!

For this blog post, YouTern thanks our friends at Glassdoor.com!

5 Job Search Habits To Break!

If you’re feeling frustrated in your job search, it’s easy to blame it on the poor job market or the fact that employers are inundated with resumes. But if you really take a look at how you’re job searching, you might realize you can make certain changes to yield better results.

Do any of the following sound familiar?

1. You’re job searching not company searching

Do you find yourself typing in your ideal position into job boards and aggregators, only to discover you’re not really finding the listings you’d like? Searching for a position, such as Sales Manager, instead of targeting specific companies, can make for an unfocused job search—and you’ll waste a lot of time looking at jobs you’re not interested in.

What to do instead: Do your research to discover the places you’d really like to work. Then, target five to ten ideal companies and focus your job search efforts on those organizations.

[See How to Pitch Your Dream Company.]

2. Neglecting your online presence

Maybe you have a Facebook profile that’s public, which lets employers see your unprofessional Wall posts and photo albums. It could be that your Google presence is nonexistent, making employers wonder why they can’t find information about you online. Whatever the case, you need to be aware that employers are looking at your online presence—and you need to take charge of it yourself.

What to do instead: Set up a professional portfolio, website, Twitter, or Google profile, anything you’ll use for promoting yourself professionally. Then look at what might negatively affect your job search and try to remove it.

[See 10 Smart Ways to Use Social Media in Your Job Search.]

3. Applying for jobs you’re not qualified for

While you should work toward attaining your dream job, that dream also needs to be realistic in terms of skills, qualifications, and experience. You’re wasting your time if you don’t meet the minimum qualifications for the job opening.

What to do instead: Look for jobs where you meet the minimum qualifications. Or, if you’re set on a specific type of position that you’re unqualified for, consider additional education or skills training to meet those requirements.

4. Acting beaten down or depressed

No one will argue with you that a job search is tough stuff. It’s stressful, time-consuming and energy draining. But it’s a Catch-22: If you start acting negative or beaten down, you’ll probably start to see less results, and you might not land a job for several more months. A positive attitude can be the key to standing out in the screening and hiring process.

What to do instead: Find a source of support to vent your job-search frustrations and get advice. Talk with a friend or family member, join an online group, chat or community, or enlist a career coach. You might also consider taking up a hobby you enjoy or exercising to keep your motivation up.

[See Don't Let Fear Control Your Career.]

5. You’re prepared to take any job at this point

No one likes desperation—especially hiring managers. Failing to have a focused, specific job-search strategy can actually hurt your chances of landing a new job. It also confuses your personal and professional network, and those folks are often the key to learning about unadvertised job openings and receiving referrals.

What to do instead: Be specific in your job hunt. Take some time to research positions you’d enjoy working in and organizations that fit with your values and interests. By being specific, you can more easily build your personal brand and leverage your existing network.

What other areas do today’s job seekers need to re-evaluate and change if they aren’t seeing results?

Heather R. Huhman is a career expert, experienced hiring manager, and founder & president of Come Recommended, a content marketing consultancy for organizations with products that target job seekers and employers. She is also the author of Lies, Damned Lies & Internships (2011) and #ENTRYLEVELtweet: Taking Your Career from Classroom to Cubicle(2010) and writes career and recruiting advice for numerous outlets.

Tips to Ace Your Next Interview

I used to be pretty sure that the only way to get a raise working in media was to switch jobs. This led to several job changes throughout my career, which, of course, included the requisite interviews to get those jobs.

I’ve picked up a few pointers that have helped me become a relatively confident interviewer over the years.

A quick caveat though:

Last time I tried to give something resembling advice on this site, I made the mistake of presenting my methodology as something that could be universally applied. That said, these are interview methods that have helped me land jobs at a couple of large media companies (and some smaller ones, too).

So, here are six things that have helped me walk out of interviews with a healthy amount of confidence:

1. If you think you’re rambling, you are. I tend to over-answer questions, and I’ve tried to be conscious of this in interview situations. Be concise with your answers, and know where you’re going with them. (No. 3 will help you with this.) If you think you’re rambling, wrap it up. If you leave something out, No. 5 has you covered.

2. Don’t say, “That’s a good question.” OK, you can say it once if it’s actually good question. Otherwise, you run the risk of sounding like an ass-kisser—especially if it’s one of those rote what’s-your-biggest-strength questions. If you say it once, try not to say it again, or you’ll sound like you’re stalling at the beginning of your answers.

3. Over-prepare. I can’t tell you how to do this. I only know that you should learn everything you can about the job, the company, their competition, and the industry.

4. Stop thinking of it as a Q&A, and start thinking of it as a conversation. Some of my colleagues over the years have gotten very worked up about going into job interviews. I think it’s something to do with the unnatural format of the interview. When else in life are we peppered with rapid-fire questions and forced to answer them on the spot or face unsavory consequences? In my interview experience, I’ve tried to think of them as conversations about whether I’m the right person for a particular job. I should be just as curious as the interviewer about whether I’m right for the job.

5. If you don’t like how you answered something in an interview, write a thought-out answer and email it when you get home. I know that I’m a better writer than I am an interviewer. Plus, they’re hiring me for my writing/editing skills much more than they’re hiring me for my ability to answer a few questions. There have been a few times when I’ve left an interview happy overall, but thinking, “If only I’d nailed that one question.” In those instances, I’ve gone home and written exactly what I had wished I said and sent it along with my follow-up.

6. Work in something personal about yourself that shows why you’d be good at a certain job. I studied and performed improvisation in college and in Chicago for a number of years, and that has consistently helped me be a good team member in my work life. I’ve brought this up whenever I’ve been asked whether I’m a team player.

Kevin Allen has worked or written for a variety of media outlets, including the Chicago Sun-Times, ESPN, The Huffington Post, and Fox Sports.

Job Searching On Facebook: There Are Many Apps For That

Job searching on Facebook is a relatively new phenomenon, but there's no scarcity of apps to help. And with Facebook confirming 750 million members and announcing Skype video chat integration today, the platform is ripe for further advances in the job search space.

Many, many media outlets covered the launch of Monster.com's BeKnown in June, but I decided to wait -- and then write a single piece that covered all the major apps. After all, I've been advising job seekers for years to use all resources and tools available to them in their searches, so they should really know there's more than one app out there.

BeKnown

Best Features: The ability to "follow" companies. Also, in addition to regular endorsements (think LinkedIn), BeKnown offers "skills endorsements." Basically, it pulls your skills from your profile, and people are able to vouch for certain areas of your expertise.

Biggest Hangup: BeKnown only pulls job opportunities from Monster.com. Although they complained about LinkedIn pulling their API access last week, Monster is essentially committing the same "offense" -- not playing with others in the sandbox. One way to fix this problem would be to highlight or feature Monster jobs, but still pull in from other sources. We'll see how the app develops in the coming weeks and months.

BranchOut

Best Features: I love that BranchOut offers users the ability to track their applications, send messages to other users, and pulls job opportunities from multiple online sources using Indeed.

Biggest Hangup: Spam. Once you install the BranchOut app, it's like a weed that cannot be killed, taking over your Facebook status updates and sending messages to your friends. I guess at least your network connections have no question about your job status though, right?

Bright

Best Features: Like BranchOut, Bright offers the ability to send messages to other users. Also, Bright features employer reviews, which is definitely a standout feature.

Biggest Hangup: Like BeKnown, jobs are only pulled from one source, in this case CareerBuilder. Additionally, users do not receive suggested jobs and are not able to post their own jobs.

Cachinko

Best Features: Cachinko pulls jobs from multiple sources, but what I really love is the suggested jobs. When you initially install the app, it asks you for your ideal job title. Using that information, plus your profile, Cachinko assembles a list of "jobs you'll love." The more feedback you give the app ("less jobs like this" or "more jobs like this"), the more it learns about you and gives you jobs better suited to you.

Biggest Hangup: There's really no incentive right now for employers to jump on the app and get involved. Also, I'd like to see them offer access to career coaches and other experts.

InTheDoor

Best Features: Like BranchOut, InTheDoor pulls in jobs from multiple online sources using Indeed. I wish I could say something nicer here, but this app is about as simple as it gets.

Biggest Hangup: The app is basically Indeed on Facebook and nothing more. If it wants to continue to compete in this space, it's really going to have to step up its game.

JobsForMe

Best Features: This app is meant for college students. Even though it doesn't have the robust features of many of the apps listed here, I love that it helps career centers get on Facebook.

Biggest Hangup: As you might have guessed, JobsForMe only pulls in career center job listings...and only if your career center has an account. But I think this app has potential in the space if it gets more traction from career centers.

StartWire

Best Features: Unlike all the other apps mentioned in this article, StartWire allows users to receive free guidance and expert advice from a cadre of job search experts. Also, the app tracks your applications.

Biggest Hangup: I like where this app is headed, but it's very limited right now in terms of the source of job listings.

I'm sure more Facebook apps for job seekers will pop up in the near future (JobsForMe actually sent me their launch release while I was writing this article!), and the ones mentioned above will continue to improve. I'll be interested to see how long each one takes to gain traction with job seekers, as many are still cautious about mixing personal and professional on Facebook.

Are there any apps missing from this list? What has your experience been with these apps?

Please follow War Room on Twitter and Facebook.
Follow Heather R. Huhman on Twitter.

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/job-searching-on-facebook-there-are-many-apps-for-that-2011-7#ixzz1RQbSIz9F

2 Career-Killing Lessons New Graduates Need to Unlearn

Managers in cities across the country have told me that they have two big problems with the new college graduates who come to them for jobs and internships:

• First, they don’t understand that they’ve moved from being a buyer to being a seller.
• Second, they don’t appreciate what it means to be a part of a team.

College seniors have had at least 16 years as consumers of what school has to offer. Yes, they had to produce assigned work and pass exams, but the focus to that point has always on their needs and their goals. They have also spent their entire lives as a primary target for marketers who recognized in them not only their willingness to spend money on endless electronic gadgets but their role as trend-setters in the digital age.

Too often, they bring that perspective to job interviews.  They act as though they are meeting with their college advisor, telling prospective employers what the job will do for them instead of what they will bring to the organization.

Bruce Tulgan of Rainmaker Thinking says, “Playing the customer or consumer role is usually Gen Yers’ primary experience in the public sphere prior to arriving for their first day of work as employees. Many have little or no experience on the other side of the marketplace transaction, as vendors.” He says employers should deliver the message in terms they can understand:

Employment is a transactional relationship, just like a customer relationship. This is the ultimate source of your employer’s authority, plain and simple. This is the source of your obligations at work to everyone: your coworkers, your boss, your subordinates, and actual customers. Trumpet this message to Gen Yers: Every person you deal with is your customer—coworkers, employees, managers, suppliers, service people, and actual customers. What makes you valuable to each customer?  Every unmet need is an opportunity to add value. Deliver and go the extra mile; get it done early; add the bells and whistles, and tie a bow on it.

The other complaint I hear the most often is that college promotes individual achievement, not teamwork. Students compete with each other; they have no reason to feel responsible for the success of the group. When they get to the workplace, they wait to be told what to do and don’t seem to have an instinctive understanding of basic notions of professionalism like confidentiality and commitment.

Sometimes they have to be reminded that incidents at work and comments about co-workers are not to be put on Facebook or Twitter. And one manager told me that an intern assigned to cover an event at a remote location called at the last minute to say she could not make it and that he — her boss two layers up — should cover it for her.

Many of the seniors graduating this spring already know all of this, of course. On the other hand, a couple of the managers I spoke to said they actually received the initial phone calls setting up a job interview from the candidates’ mothers, as though they were making a play date. For anyone who thinks that is appropriate, I can’t improve on the advice Mae West gave when she was asked for her message to the youth of America: “Grow up.”

Read more: http://www.bnet.com/blog/corporate-governance/2-career-killing-lessons-new-grads-need-to-unlearn/633#ixzz1QmSHuGW1