Basic Resume = Ineffective Resume?

Recently I received a resume writer's books in the mail. Steven Provenzano, author of the Top Secret Resume books, shared his Blue Collar Resumes (2nd Edition) and latest Top Secret Executive Resumes with me.

In the Blue Collar book, he writes:

I can't tell you how many people call my office and say they want a "simple" or "basic" resume. For some reason, they think there's something magical about those words. Most people email brief descriptions of their work history and education. Initially, they ask for feedback and maybe a few "tweaks," as if that will quickly result in more job offers.

Whenever I talk to job seekers with this mindset, I stop them in their tracks and tell them, "We'll make your resume effective." Never underestimate the power of a few "basic" words.

I heartily agree! There is indeed power in the written word, but used poorly, your writing will exert negative power! Used wisely, your resume will have the power to influence the reader to call you with an invitation to an interview.

A former corporate recruiter, Mr. Provenzano knows his stuff! Check out his Blue Collar Resumes book for valuable information. Steven, thank you for sharing and I will continue my own reading of your strategies, approaches, techniques and suggestions!

Guest Blog on Leadership Traits

I recall an office manager who was unpredictably reactive. She would fly off into a rage filled rant at some unknown provocation. In the summer I worked in that special events office every one of the staff left, replaced by new hapless souls who wondered what the heck they'd landed in! Thank goodness that was a seasonal student job.

Today's blog is courtesy Ken Blanchard, author or co-author of 50 books. His newest book, referenced below, should arrive in the mail any day, and I'll refer to it in future blogs. Leadership is a topic that never loses an audience, and this book, dealing with self-evalution, might have helped my manager from the special events department. Enjoy this sneak preview.

How to Evaluate Your Leadership Style
By Ken Blanchard,
Co-author of Great Leaders Grow: Becoming a Leader for Life

Today, I'm going to give a short, one-question quiz. Here's the question: How do you rate as a leader?

I don't ask this question flippantly. It is a question I've asked countless people at the leadership seminars we conduct.

As leaders, most people rank themselves as being very close to a minor deity or at least Mr. or Ms. Human Relations. Seldom do leaders give themselves low marks. Strangely enough, when the tables are turned and people are asked to rank their boss's leadership style, we often find many supervisors graded as being adequate, merely OK, or at worst, office autocrats who depend heavily on the often-referenced "seagull management" technique as their sole line of attack -- they leave their people alone until something goes wrong, and then they fly in, make a lot of noise, dump all over everyone, and fly out.

More often than not, we find that leaders lull themselves into thinking they are top-flight leaders because they think they use a supportive or coaching style, which someone told them are "good" leadership styles. Not too surprisingly, this isn't the way they are seen by those in their department, office or store.

To get a true and accurate answer about the question above, it is necessary for you as a supervisor to honestly determine how your employees perceive your leadership style. These are the folks who know you best. They have first-hand experience with your leadership style and operate on their own perceptions about it. They are the best judges of your managerial effectiveness. However, getting an employee or subordinate to give his or her honest feedback on your leadership style is difficult. People fear being the messenger who will get shot for bearing bad news. Hence, they are naturally reluctant to be totally candid.

Employees are sharp observers. In the past, they may have gone to their leader and made an honest suggestion such as, "Ken, I think our Thursday afternoon meetings are a waste of time." If the supervisor answers with an outburst by saying, "What do you mean a waste of time? Are you kidding? Those meetings are important," it doesn't take a genius to figure out that one thing the leader doesn't want to hear is the truth.

It is important to remember that when people you supervise tell you what they honestly think about your style of leadership, they're really giving you a gift. When someone gives you a gift, what is the first thing you should say? "Thank you," of course! Then it's a very good idea to follow up by saying, "Is there anything else you think I should know?" When a person learns that you won't become defensive or hostile when he or she gives you an honest evaluation about your style, you'll find that you'll be given many nuggets of truth which are extremely valuable. My advice would be to encourage people to give (feedback) at the office, and to give often!

Just remember, what you think about your own leadership style really doesn't matter. In addition, there is no one correct style, nor is there a "good" or a "bad" style. Rather, style is judged by those immediately influenced by it. It's your people's response to your style that matters. If you are getting the right response consistently -- high productivity and morale -- then you're doing just fine. If not, then perhaps it's your style that needs changing, not your employees.

As originally published on "How We Lead"

© 2012 Ken Blanchard, co-author of Great Leaders Grow: Becoming a Leader for Life

Author Bio
Ken Blanchard, co-author of Great Leaders Grow: Becoming a Leader for Life, is cofounder and chief spiritual officer of the Ken Blanchard Companies. He is the author or coauthor of 50 books that have sold more than 20 million copies, including the iconic One Minute Manager®.

Seth Godin said it so well

Today's journal entry is straight from Seth Godin. He says it so well I cannot improve upon it! He is speaking about career management, a topic that I promote with passion by helping people create the foundational documents to proactive career management, the resume and cover letter. Over to Seth:

Can I see your body of work?

Are you leaving behind an easily found trail of accomplishment?

Few people are interested in your resume any more. Plenty are interested in what you've done.

The second thing you'll need to do is regularly note what you produce in a log or find some other way to keep track.

The first thing is more difficult: If the work you do isn't worth collating and highlighting, you probably need to be doing better work.

For those of you who want to know how to track accomplishments, sign up for my free newsletter, and I'll email you my report, "Best Kept Secrets of Successful People," which outlines how you go about this very thing, keeping a log of what you've done - in a meaningful way, perfect for building your next resume update.

5 edits to ensure an impressive cover letter

After five full years in business (a milestone!), I have easily seen and read over a thousand resumes,  and almost as many cover letters. And although some are pretty good, most are pretty bad. There are many reasons for poor quality writing, but a thorough edit works wonders.

Obviously people who leave sentences like "Here are my qualifications for you to overlook" didn't edit. This mistake alone, pointing as it does to a lack of attention, can cost an applicant the interview. Why should the recruiter pick this one when other applicants have shown an honest interest in "putting their best foot forward," and at least submitted error-free cover letters? Remember, the recruiter's goal is to eliminate as many applicants as possible; don't give the recruiter a reason to eliminate your application.

When editing, consider the following:

• make the sentence structure straightforward by bringing your subject and verb close together and moving the subject to the front of the sentence.
• eliminate unnecessary words! no need to say "consistently two-years in a row" consistent and in a row are similar enough!
• cast a critical eye at where you've placed commas, how you've used semi-colons and whether you need capitals or quotation marks.
• make sure your subject and verb agree. Singular subject requires singular verb.
• if you use acronyms (BA for Bachelor of Arts), spell it out the first time you use it. CRM can mean different things in different industries and companies.

The best way to ensure your cover letter doesn't sound lame, reads smoothly and won't make a bad impression is to read it out loud. If you stumble, it means you need to fix something.

New Leaf has a great e-book. "20 Best Cover Letters (Plus One)" offers ideas, approaches, variety in 21 samples. These are meant to inspire your own creativity to produce interesting to read cover letters. You can find it on the Products page. You never know which recruiter will read the cover first, and which will read the resume first. So, how's your cover letter working for you?

How to write an achievement based resume

Well, feeling rather jocular today I am tempted to reply to that statement with a quippy "by creating an achievement based career"! And yes, that must be a foundational aspect of a resume that sings your value and rings with the sound of future revenues! (Business is based on money after all.)

What got me thinking about this issue was my current client, a remarkable operational leader who reached the level of Director 10 years ago, and has yet to break into an executive role. The only think stopping the client? The mind.

It is so true, and I speak from the experience of having worked with hundreds of job hunters and career transitioners, that it is sometimes our own mind that limits our ability to reach that next milestone. After all, if you don't value your own accomplishments, how are you to catch these on paper, communicate them in an interview, and take your rightful place at the helm?

Good thing this client elected to find a professional to work with. I have no trouble identifying the accomplishments and transferring them to paper with words that capture the importance and value. I can't wait to share the final product with the client whose mind will finally have to admit "Man, I'm good; I'd hire me!"