Should Job Seekers Refuse Assistance?

On a daily basis, my staff of career specialists and I spend hours and hours on the phone with job seekers offering free advice on how to reposition their resume or how to strategize their search campaign. We do this we tremendous pride and satisfaction of knowing we are helping people. We help build confidence. We help target resumes. We are helping unemployed people find employment. It is overwhelmingly satisfying.

Wait for it......are you ready? OK, here it is.......BUT, I do not, can not and will not ever understand the job seeker who is out of work, has been out of work for months or longer, and KNOWS everything. I understand that times are really hard right now. I understand that all of the advice people are being given today can be overwhelming. I understand that it can be really difficult trying to figure out what and who to believe. In all honesty, it really isn't that difficult to figure it out if you apply one simple concept. Does it make sense to you? If you are being given advice that doesn't make sense to you, ask for an explanation or "proof" of that advice. If it still doesn't make sense to you, then it probably isn't good advice.

Ultimately, you have to have confidence in your resume. You have to believe what you are stating in your resume or you will not be believable. You have to be confident in what you are saying or nobody will have confidence in you. Here's the bottom line; if you have had your resume posted on job boards, submitted resumes to organizations that have posted job openings, and are using your personal and professional network, and you haven't gotten a phone interview, let alone a face to face interview, there is something WRONG with your resume. Go to a professional and get a FREE critique. Don't pay for one because there are too many qualified organizations that will give you a free one. Better yet, get more than one critique. See if there are common threads between them. If there are, that is a pretty good indication of your starting point in making corrections.

I decided to write this blog today because of a conversation I had with a candidate that has been out of work for more than a year. His resume was 3 pages long, almost 1900 words, nothing but paragraphs and written completely in 1st person. Every suggestion I gave to him today was argued or dismissed. He continuously told me that someone else told him the exact opposite of what I was telling him. I am completely in favor of differing opinions, as I believe it makes for fantastic dialogue and debate, however, the previous advice he had received was very obviously NOT working for him, which, of course, I pointed out to him. After much conversation, we finally agreed for me to email him a better resume structure and he would attempt to utilize this information, but I sincerely doubt he will actually take the advice to heart. Because he apparently knows more than I do, I am afraid he will continue to maintain the "unemployed" status.

It is completely understandable that job seekers are feeling angry, stressed, anxious and fearful in today's economy. Feel it, but don't show it. Manage it, don't let it manage you. There are organizations out there that can help you. Take the help. Listen to the advice and use what "feels" right to you. Make sure it passes your "smell test". You don't have to take the search journey on your own. We are here to help.

Kim Cyr can be contact at kcyr@cspgroups.com or 888-831-9495.

The Importance of a Professionally Written Resume

So often, I speak with candidates that have had bad experiences with other organizations or just don't see the importance of a professionally written resume. It is, by far, easier to work with the former rather than the latter, but in either situation, I get tremendous satisfaction when I am able to help either one.

Your resume is the first look an organization has of you. You only have one opportunity to make a first impression. I know these sound like cliches, but they are so true! You are marketing yourself to prospective employer, so make your resume look like a marketing piece.

Take the time to make sure that your spelling and grammar are correct. Visual appeal and consistent presentation are key; if you have a period at the end of one bullet, make sure there is a bullet at the end of all of them, or vice versa. Make sure what you are presenting showcases you as a more relevant candidate than your competition. The presentation of your information should be inviting, drawing the reader to want to know more. If you don't pass the first round of resume review, you're done. They won't come back to the rejection pile and pull out your resume at a later date.

Everything in your resume should pass the "so what" test. If you note that you have "excellent written and verbal communication skills", the reader is going to say "so what". You SHOULD have excellent communication skills for most corporate positions. Show HOW you communicate well by listing examples of instances when you communicated information to co-workers, superiors and clients.

My best advice is to spend some time on the phone going over your specific resume with a career specialist that is interested in helping you and not interested in how much money you have in your pocket. One of my favorite sayings is this; just like it takes a village to raise a baby, sometimes it takes a village to find your next career position. Search for the right village, and let them help you to acheive success.

CSP Groups is an organization that can do that. Check us out at www.cspgroups.com, email us at admin@cspgroups.com or call us at 866-235-4877.