One of the challenges in a buyer’s market is the buyers can change the rules or make up new ones during the process.  Why?  Because there are many more sellers than buyers right now, so as the golden rule states: “He/She who has the gold makes the rules”.   The buyers right now are Fort Knox and we have our rusty tins by the stream panning for tiny flakes.  But don’t forget one important fact:  they need the gold to keep building, so as challenging as it may seem at times, you still have something they need.

Meet Duke, Tom’s beautiful Lab. I also used to have a Lab named Duke when I was growing up. So cute! In this pic, his face reminds me of a candidate holding a resume and looking at a potential employer…It’s saying, “don’t you know how wonderful I am???”  haha … Yes Duke, we do!!

Wow, it has been an amazing week of contributions and it is only Tuesday! We are catching on!! As you might remember, we met Tom last week (http://www.shoebizness.com/?p=1073 ) and after speaking with him I asked him to become a weekly contributor. Having spent 23 years at Nike in various positions he has a wealth of knowledge that I am sure will be beneficial to all. Proof and point is the article below. I have been planning to share some of these points myself, but honestly he did it better! I am sure a lot of you out there can relate to his current position and Tom expressed to me that he would like nothing more than to try and help others.  This will be a two part feature with the second part coming on Friday. For all of you out there on the job market, I highly suggest you soak this in and really put it to use. It is fantastic advice! You can contact Tom directly at: tjcsjc@msn.com

Viva La Difference-Part 1

It should not come as a surprise to anyone that we are in the midst of a huge buyer’s job market.  I recently went through an interview process with a company where I later found out I was one of 1200 applicants.  I made it to the final three and did not get the job.  I was told by a friend who knew of the circumstances that they wanted someone with Web 2.0 experience and a PHD.  I guess I only missed getting the job by 2.0 and three initials—so close!  Neither of these two areas of experience were spelled out in the job specification format.  They were just a couple of minor details added after the fact.

The key question is how do we position ourselves to get the job in this environment?  We must be able to know when the rules have changed in midstream and be able to adapt quickly.  However, before we get to the adaptation process, we must first pass one very important test:  the resume screener. 

Remember, the resume screener is often an entry level HR person looking for certain key words and phrases as quickly as possible so they can put your resume in the “yes” stack?  That is a tall order in and of itself, but add to this fact that the resume screener is going through foot high piles of resumes in the process.  Think about it, you are a resume screener, you have just gotten to your desk this morning and it is already buried with resumes for the job which just got posted on the internet.   You may have been out the night before on an all night bender. Maybe your cat decided to test out its claws on your new furniture. Maybe your home computer just crashed and you have no patience left after speaking last night with an out-sourced technician site where you were transferred multiple times and on hold forever. Too late to call in sick, so it will be a rough day for anyone with their resume in this pile! The bottom line is the resume screener is affected by moods just like everyone else, and if you are to survive the cut, you need to jump out at them even if their eyes look like a roadmap of red lines. 

There are many answers to the question of how to get noticed and I will touch base on a few of them here.

The resume: it is our respective responsibilities to put our life’s work on a piece of paper to get put into the mix.  No resume, no chance.  Sounds pretty simple, but if you approach it as a two plus two equals four type of problem, then you are fighting an uphill battle already. You have 10-15 seconds to make your case with the screener, so not only do you need to show that you are special, you also need to lead them to the promise land quickly.

The first key factor is to make the resume be an extension of you.  The person on the other end is up to their eyeballs with the traditional phrases, so to “work for a company where I can contribute from my years of experience” makes them want to take a nap.  We all have experience.  All of us have achieved success, otherwise we would have switched careers a long time ago, right?  What is it that makes you special?  What makes you different? No, we are not talking about “different” as in the description of a date you will never go on again.  This “different” is more of a uniqueness which creates curiosity. Sameness will get you nowhere but the “no” stack, as there is plenty of that out there already.  Let’s face it, it is not easy to create the Mona Lisa on a resume, but the more you can differentiate yourself and separate yourself from the masses, then the less it looks to the screener like your resume was created by drawing by the numbers.

The second key is to read the job description very closely and learn as much as you can about the company.  What are the skills talents and experiences being requested for this position? What kind of style is used in the presentation of the information?  What image does the website create when you traverse the different subjects?  Can you find any articles on the company site? What comes up when you use the company name and search the internet?  Each company has a personality, and that is what we often hear when referencing the “fit” between you and the organization.  The “fit” of the applicant and company are very important, and the more you can communicate by using the language of the company, the more in line your resume will appear with what they seek.  The website has many clues about the organization, including whether or not it is a company you think you would really like to work with or not.

Once you have a good idea about the “feel’ of the company, it is then up to you to add the color and texture to your resume to begin the process of transformation. By combining the DNA of the company and you, a unique creation is starting to form, and it is a creation that presents you to the screener in the light, colors, and sounds of the company.  Guess what?  Your chances of ending up in the “Yes” file have just increased dramatically!  Congratulations!  However, this is just the beginning.  Now, you have to go from the large “Yes” pile to the smaller “Let’s Bring this Person In” stack.  Your work has just begun.

Part II teaser:  I keep telling all of my friends, relatives and anyone else who asks about my job search that I can’t wait to get back to work so I don’t have to work so hard!

-Tom