“Nature abhors a vacuum” is a phrase attributed to Aristotle that basically tells us that an empty space is unstable and will always be filled by something else. And when it comes to job search, that “something else” can include a lot of questions and quick judgments. Luckily a freelance work section on your resume might be able to help.

And this especially applies to helping fill a long gap since your last job. A way too long time gap can create an unfavorable impression with employers. Or at least not help sell yourself to them. What have you been up to in all this time? Watching Judge Judy or reruns of Law & Order? Playing video games?

An employer prefers less gap and more positive action. But even if you aggressively look for work, you can’t always control how long that gap lasts no matter how skilled you are. So you need to find ways to help them see you as person who, if they do hire you, does not just wait for others to do for you but instead finds a way to make things happen.

Using a freelance resume section

Since you want to present yourself as a doer not a slacker, besides your actual job search efforts, you can try to create [Read more…]

I just read a hiring pro’s article adamantly advising you to use resume objectives at the top of your resume. In fact, he pretty much ignores resumes without them. My response to him? The person’s objective is to get the job they’re applying for. You don’t need to see an objective to know that.

What bugs me most about advice like that is what it says about how close-minded some resume screeners are. A perfectly great candidate’s resume can be booted because they read an opposite article saying “don’t use resume objectives.”

While I wouldn’t boot a resume for having them, some screeners see objectives at the top as a waste of space and simply an applicant thinking of words to show they want your job. Well, just assume that and get on with it!

Pros & cons of resume objectives

Since there’s a difference of opinion as to the value of objectives [Read more…]

Although many people think that cover letters are a thing of the past, sometimes a strong cover letter can help get you past sticky resume obstacles — or simply get you to the next step over your competition. But a bad cover letter can undo any good your resume does!

How screeners view cover letters

If your resume first goes through an automated resume screening process, your cover letter may or may not get looked at for “keywords or phrases“. Though it might.

But once a human gets their eyes on it (and maybe even before) a cover letter can help you get past the “maybe” or even the “no”. And help you get to the next step … a real live interview.

What about a bad cover letter?

[Read more…]

For anyone who thinks cover letters are merely transmittal documents for the real star, your resume, you’re probably missing out. When you take the time to match cover letters to job descriptions, you increase your chances of getting job interviews you actually want.

If you’re thinking “but automated systems don’t read cover letters”, actually some do. Or at least they screen them for keywords & phrases. And once you get past the initial screening, a real live human can be won over by a good cover letter. While none of this is for sure, in job search going the extra mile can pay off.

Key elements of sample job description

When looking to match cover letters to the job, the job description is your best ally for helping an employer find you. Not only do their words help give you a picture of what they’re looking for, they provide  keyword and kry phrase clues for both your resume and cover letter.

Sample description

Here’s an example of a job description from a recruiter to help guide content and key word / phrase choices for what you send them. I’ve highlighted some important elements that are also addressed in the sample cover letter below.

“Great Jobs International is looking for an experienced health and safety professional to take on the role of Senior Healthy and Safety Officer in our New York City office. You will be expected to help research projects and formulate plans, both independently and along with your team.

The ideal candidate has at least 5 years experience leading teams and has worked on health and safety in both the United States and foreign countries. Specific experience in health and safety training as well as a good command of the Spanish language a plus.”

Key elements to match cover letters

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Ideally you want to send resume cover letters that are memorable. But many people still use oh so forgettable “one size fits all” form cover letters — the same exact body for each with only the addressee being different. (OK. I did it my first job search. It did NOT go well.)

Job hunting is tough. And you really have little if any way of knowing who is going to say “yes” to an interview. So I understand why so many job seekers send out the same interview request letter to many, many employers — hoping to hit the odds jackpot.

Can form cover letters work?

Sure. Could happen. Especially in today’s job market where initially a machine is most likely scanning submissions and searching for a few keywords or phrases. Automated screeners don’t understand or care about originality. At least not yet.

But your resume if selected eventually gets to human hands. [Read more…]

Companies have been using some form of automated resume screening for a long time, so the idea of AI resume scanners isn’t exactly new. Nor is it just about hiring managers being too lazy to do it themselves. Sometimes the number of resumes is just too overwhelming (many hundreds) to manually eyeball the scan. I get that.

But here’s the problem: one of the best candidates I ever hired would never have made it through an automated scan of any kind. And yet she was ideal for the job. What gave me the advantage was that I personally screened all the resumes (there were only about 40) and I spotted the non-linear reasons she might fit our needs well.

What do AI resume scanners want?

[Read more…]

Why a resume checklist? Because getting hired is a serious business. And your resume is one of your most powerful business tools. It’s your chance to not only get your foot in the door, but also keep you at the top of the employer’s callback list, since a resume lives on even after you’re in the door.

When I first started looking for a job many years ago, I figured as long as my resume looked nice and I interviewed well, I was going to get the job. And there were times that I did despite my not-so great resume. Sometimes a positive attitude can conquer all.

But it’s a very different job market out there now. And more than ever you need a strong resume that doesn’t sell you short. One that hits all the key points in a way that registers quickly as a likely match and leaves the screener wanting to know more.

Key resume checklist items

[Read more…]

Sometimes your resume just doesn’t do the job. And doesn’t get the job. While it may in fact be your real resume that needs fixing to get selected, what if you have a spotty or inadequate work history? Is there a good reason to ever include fake jobs on resumes?

At this point I need to tell you two things:

1. First, the answer is usually “no”. Yes, you can get away with it sometimes. But fake jobs have a lot of potential downsides — both now and in the future.
2. Second, a confession. I once arranged for a relative to back me up (just in case) on a fake job after a long period out of work. Luckily, I got my job through networking and wound up using my real work history. But I was tempted.

Using fake jobs on resumes

[Read more…]

As one of your most powerful job search tools, a well-written, targeted resume markets you. But first, a good cover letter (carefully crafted & customized) needs to help open the door. And even nowadays, with automated resume screenings your first hurdle to cross, a good cover letter can still make a big difference.

It’s true that impersonal, heartless computer screenings may keep your application from ever getting seen by human eyeballs. (So it pays to try to find direct connections to bypass those computers.) But once you make it through to a real-person, a strong cover letter can get your resume from the maybe pile to the “set up an interview” pile. And follow you all along the interview process.

⇒  EXTRA:  10 Resume Writing Tips for Effective Resumes

Good cover letters target company needs

Yes … we naturally see cover letters as a place to talk about ourselves and how great we are. And while you certainly want to do that, one critical piece you need to remember is this: the company is zeroing in on how well you fit THEIR needs — and not how interesting or fun you might be as a person.

When I screened resumes, I would often get long, heartfelt cover letters from people who want to tell me their life stories. Or focus on some aspect of who they are at the core of their being. All this to get me to pick their resume.

But are they really thinking about how willing a reader might be to wade through all that? And what a cover letter really needs to do? Not just pique interest in a stranger’s life story, but how you and your life story somehow have all coalesced to give them the exact person they need at this precise moment.

And that means they have to see that you get who they are, and not just who you are. So as quickly as possible they need to sense that you fit their job. A good cover letter points them precisely to key matching areas, while also giving them a feel for who you are — but who you are as a potential member of their team.

Help screeners quickly see match

[Read more…]

Yesterday I got to see a resume that quite honestly shocked me. It was all squeezed into one page … with tiny fonts and lack of breathing room. So let me say it as clearly as I can: size matters! Especially when it comes to font size on resumes.

I know many of you have heard that you need to fit it all on one page or it won’t get read. Well, if the font is so small it takes a magnifying glass for all but the sharpest eyes, it won’t get read either. And to add to the resume screening hurdle, if your resume is all glommed together it leaves an immediate impression — and not a good one.

One page resume? Not always.

[Read more…]