A resume that only provides a summary of your career history and is not strategically developed to capture attention and highlight your value, will never get a second glance in today’s highly competitive job market. Effective resumes should read like a marketing document with the words jumping off the page.

Keywords are attention grabbers, easy to locate and read, and help to provide information on the skills, experience and value you offer. Whether in a column, table, separated with commas or sprinkled throughout the resume, keywords are most effective when they are specific to a position, field and industry.

If you are unsure of what words best fit the position you are seeking, look through several job descriptions that fit your targeted position to see which keywords are used most often and which skills and requirements are being asked for. Identify these keywords and incorporate them into your resume.

The use of keywords in your resume and other marketing tools is important because they help the resume fit accurately into a particular job, industry or company. Keywords are also vital when applying for a position online. If you have ever used your resume to apply to an online application form, it was most likely scanned and placed in a database by the company or recruiting firm. Tracking system software varies but in many systems data is collected and used to weed-out ill fitting applicants. The closer your resume matches the keywords, phrases and need of the position, the more likely your application will get noticed.

The key to using keywords correctly is to embed them throughout the resume so that they are picked up by tracking systems but also make you very appealing to hiring manager, recruiters and the decision makers that will also read your resume at some point during your interaction with a potential employer. Used correctly keywords will be key to bringing you attention and interview offers.

Shine on Job Seekers!

Moving your Job Search out of Neutral and into High Gear

With love for my clients and true compassion for the job seekers out of work I am writing this post. I understand your pride has been hurt because you thought you were better than a lay off or being let go, some feel they have done all they can by posting their resume on a few major job boards and then expecting the phone to ring, and others in denial, decide to use this time as an extended vacation and do nothing. So, my question for theses scenario’s and the countless others is:

How’s That Working For You?

Is your phone ringing off the hook? Are people tracking you down and begging you to come and work for them? Is doing nothing landing incredible opportunities in your lap? Didn’t think so.

I am hoping this will be a gentle shaking or a  splash of cold water to wake you up to the reality that if you want to find a job you have got to be much more aggressive even desperate in your search.

Your search is about you getting a job, how you came to where you are today should not keep you from pushing forward in your search. Excuses, however valid they may feel, are only holding you back. They do not reveal your authentic self and your marketable value.

Disclaimer: Your job search won’t be easy, so expect rejection, uncertainty, and a little fear during the process but work to remain focused on the goal – finding a job. Realize also that it might take a while, but it will take much, much longer if you continue on your current course.

Think of the top 5 reasons why you need a job and what will happen to these reasons if you do not soon find a job. Write that them down and keep them in your wallet, purse, next to your bed, taped to your computer or to the dashboard in your vehicle. Make it a constant reminder of why you must stay passionate about your search.

How do you take your search out of neutral and into high gear? What ever you used to think about the job search – forget it!

Make the search proactive instead of reactive.

Research companies and find several (start with 10-20) that really feel like the type of company you would like to work for. Dig deep and find out about each company’s culture, goals, future plans, current projects and any recent changes, failures or issues that you can help with.

Continue researching these companies to find specific individuals you feel would be beneficial to meet. Use your contacts, networking groups (on and off line) and LinkedIn to find ways to connect with these targeted contacts. Prepare before you make contact with solutions and skills that you can provide to assist each contact and their company to improve, increase or expand their future.

You are doing the research, you are making the calls, you are choosing the companies and you are in control.

See the difference?

So job seekers, try something new if what you have been doing is not working. Not only is this process effective but presents you as a leader, expert in your field, go-getter, someone who knows how to find solutions and get the job done, and Someone Worth Hiring.

Phone interviews have been quite a prevalent topic for my clients this week. I received calls sharing that one client had completed a phone interview with two other clients having scheduled phone interviews for next week. With so many in one week, I wonder if this may be a new norm for some companies.

When my clients called, they were thrilled at the opportunity but nervous of what to expect and anticipate. They had many questions about the differences to expect between an in person and phone interview. Here are a few things we discussed:

Preparation is crucial: make sure to take time to properly prepare for the phone interview. Prepare answers for commonly asked interview questions that offer insight to your experience using skills, reasoning and communication strengths to reach optimal results. Commit to practice reading your answers out loud to become comfortable with answering different types of questions so there are no surprises during the actual interview.

Have a quiet, undisturbed area set up for the interview. Whether in a bedroom, office, or even a vehicle; be sure to use a high quality phone. A land line is optimal if available. Also have your resume, cover letter and any other pertinent documents, water, paper and pens, and even a couple of 3×5 cards set up before the call begins.

During the Interview: standing can help to improve breathing when nervous. A smile will relax you and your voice. Try writing SMILE on one of the index cards and place it as a reminder in front of you. The cards are also a good place to write the interviewer and company names for a quick reference.

Because so much of the important, non-verbal communication is lost over the phone lines, it is imperative to use your words, breathing, sighs, laughter, tone of voice, speed of words and inflections to convey your knowledge, expertise, confidence and inviting personality.

A few things to keep in mind. Many interviewers are not comfortable with the interview process. If they sound nervous, build your rapport by helping to make them feel comfortable in their present interviewer role.

Keep in mind also, everyone speaks and thinks at their own pace. Try to match your speaking speed to the interviewer to help them feel comfortable with the communication exchange. Sometimes the interviewer will need to collect their thoughts, figure out their next question or want linger on something they just heard you say. So, if you hear a few seconds of silence – let it be.

Last Thoughts include keeping in mind that if you have been offered an interview, they are interested in you. They are ready to move forward in their search and want to be successful in finding the right person for the job. Help them by communicating your unique value and your ideal fit with a strong phone interview and a thoughtful thank you note.

Social networking is vital in today’s job search. If a job seeker is not yet aware of the benefits of social networking, they may never be aware of their missed opportunities.

The most utilized and effective networks today are LinkedIn and Facebook and now Twitter. They are invaluable for establishing relationships with targeted contacts. These networking sites are databases at your disposal for researching industries, locations, fields, and companies. Job seekers that are focused and aggressive in their search can and should utilize these sites regularly to gather information, make contacts, and establish their expertise or value.

More defined and targeted networking can be conducted within groups in LinkedIn, fan pages on Facebook or being established on a list of someone worth knowing professionally on Twitter. Once you get the hang of it you’ll discover the thrill of being asked to be someone’s friend, be followed or to be added to a professional network.

I see job seekers that are on track with their career goals, writing articles, commenting on industry related news and use social networking to build their brand. They are driven and getting noticed. But for many job seekers and professionals using networking sites, I see much more socialization than social networking. There are always new topics and conversations being discussed on the networks and if you’re not careful you can get easily distracted.

Because it is so intoxicating, job seekers feel they are progressing when really they are forgetting that “being busy does not equal being productive”. It is important to recognize the difference and stay focused, remembering that their end goal is to find a job, not socialize the days away.

If you have been on the networks all day or maybe for days and do not have scheduled phone, Skype or in person meetings than you are probably not as productive as you would like to think. To find success a job seeker needs to concentrate their networking on a targeted area and network for results.

Reminders taped to your computer or a detailed plan of your weekly job search strategies that allot a specific time for networking will help you stay on course. Work as hard on your job search as you did at your job for fastest results. Once you’ve found a new job you can socialize more on the networks – but for now keep your eye on the prize — a job.

This week was the kick off of the 9^th season of American Idol.  Every year I say I am not going to watch it, but somehow the show finds its way on to the screen of my television. I tell myself, just the first night… to get a feel for what this season may hold.

I admit that I watched the whole show and towards the end, when there were only a few contestants left, a man entered the room for his very long awaited audition and let the panel see his aggravation for having to wait all day. He had apparently been there for many long hours nervously waiting and was tired and a bit cranky.

Well, he was given a chance to sing but the discussion afterwards quickly grew heated as Kara unleashed her anger on this man. She let him know that he had ruined his chance because of his attitude and character, and would not be going any further in the competition.

Whether I agreed with Kara’s outburst or not, and whether the young man had a good voice doesn’t really matter because the people he needed to impress in order to proceed, were not impressed. He lost his chance with the simple act of complaining.

How many times have you complained or whined to someone about your current situation or didn’t take the extra step to be nice to someone? Do you ever wonder if any of those recipients might have been missed opportunities? What if you were at a networking event complaining unknowingly to someone who knew of an opening in his department that would suit you. He could easily and understandably decide to not share the information with you because he would not want be the one to bring a whiner or downer into his office?

You don’t know where your next opportunity will come from and this should be a good reminder to be nice to others, on a regular basis (or at least until you find a new job). Watching American Idol I heard Simon and the others comment repeatedly when they thought someone “seemed like a genuinely nice person” or “have a really good vibe about them”.

Being nice in your job search and your career does matter. People might not remember your name, or what you were selling but they will remember if they liked you or not. Give it a try!

Lots of exciting things took place for me and ResumeWonders in 2009. I didn’t realize just how much had been achieved until I started this blog post. It was a wrap up of the year in preparation of 2010 goals and provided a surprising dose of pride when I realize all that I have achieved. Here is how my year looked.

• The business and my clientele grew for the 6^th consecutive year even with such a volatile economy.

• Earned 3-nominations for the 2009 TORI (Toast of Resume Industry) awards and won a 2^nd Place Award in the Career Change category.

• I spoke at several networking and workshop events providing job seekers with information, tricks, and tips on resume development, and job search strategies including social media venues.

• Was interviewed several times for different media programs developed by Channel 2 and Murray Feldman.

• With a little anticipation I assisted in training and leading in a 12 week, Dan Miller, 48 Days to Work You Love, career program. I assisted my friend Chad, a financial coach at PennyCoach.com and it turned out to be very rewarding for me as well as the job seekers.

• Attended the CDI Career Summit conference in October held in Orlando.

• Grew my local client base and hopefully helped many job seekers by participating in several local career fairs. Here I spoke with hundreds of job seekers educating them in job search strategies, reviewing their resumes and many times just listening to their fears at career fairs sponsored by Fox 2 Detroit.

• Was part of a collective resume writing group interviewed by The Recruiting Animal (@animal) on his blogtalkradio.com/animal internet radio program.

• Attended several webinars, teleseminars seminars and workshops to improve my business tactics, and my writing, speaking, selling skills.

• Moved my blog to www.resumewonders.com/blog which is a Word Press blog and have worked hard although not always successfully, to post new articles on it a couple of times a week.

• I’ve also made some great contacts, partnerships, and new friends during the year on Twitter and LinkedIn – both are invaluable to me and should be to you too.

Looking back over the year I realize I’ve accomplished a great deal in my professional life and my business. It gets me excited to think of the possibilities for 2010. Some of the achievements were planned goals but many were opportunities I was ready to take advantage of.

Many might be wondering, how you could write a list of accomplishments when you’ve lost your job. Well, have you volunteered elsewhere, donated time, gotten closer with kids, spouse or relatives? Have you taken up a hobby or a new health program? Have you networked and grown your contact list? Have you mastered Monster, Twitter, and LinkedIn?

Are you getting up every day and making an effort to find a paying job that will enhance your career, life and self-worth? Have you gone back to school? Did you fix the fence or read a few helpful networking books? Have you updated your resume, researched companies and sent out contact letters? All of these are achievements to be proud of yourself and written on your list of 2009 achievements.

Writing down your achievements will help to direct your new goals for 2010. What still needs to be done? What can you improve upon? What do you want to happen in your professional or personal life. Tomorrow’s goals start with today’s thoughts. So get thinking!

Although the economy remains weak as we round out the year, I believe it will start to start making a comeback during the end of the first quarter of 2010. You don’t want to miss the big wave when it arrives so make sure you are prepared and ready with your resume arsenal, a targeted job search strategy, and the determination and motivation to make it happen. Whether planned or unexpected if you prepare now,  you will be ready to take advantage of the wave of opportunity when it hits.

Shine On Job seekers!

Try Something New to Take the Insanity out of Your Job Search

I’ve gone to the same mall area shopping for Christmas presents three times in the last couple of weeks. Each time I have gone, I come home less and less satisfied with the amount of purchases I made. I just can’t seem to find what I am looking for at the stores available in that location. With just a week left until Christmas and with more than a few presents left to purchase, I decided to change my game plan.

What is the old Einstein saying; “insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results”. Well I decided to stir things up, not go insane and try and new shopping venue.

Wow! Was I excited to find new stores that had new ideas and gifts I had been looking for! I even went in to some of the same stores as the other location but they had a different variety of items to choose from and again was successful.

When the day of shopping was through, I had successfully crossed off every item on my list. I drove home thinking of how thankful I was to not have decided to give my usual stomping ground another try. Some times you’ve got to move away from routine to find the best deals.

Before you go insane in your job search, make sure to shake up your routine every once in a while. Take stock in the results of your efforts. If something isn’t working for you – try something new. Just because your friend was wildly successful on a specific LinkedIn group or networking event doesn’t mean you will immediately get the same results. Take hold of what Einstein said and try something else.

For example, if you are only working with job boards get involved in online groups in LinkedIn or one of the really great job search groups on Ning or Yahoo Groups. If you tend to visit more than network at networking groups try a new one, and develop a new elevator speech that accentuates your strengths and personal brand. Check out industry associations, newspapers, groups, or volunteer somewhere but try something new.

The most important thing to remember is to be creative and open to new ideas or suggestions, find what works for you and keep moving forward. Even with the Holiday season in full swing, now is still a good time to be setting up new year meetings and filling that pipeline with contacts and networking activities that target and work towards your goals. Keep your goals close and review them often to keep you focused and motivated. Save yourself the grief of driving yourself crazy by not trying new strategies, techniques, activities or groups to help you find the job you deserve.

There seems to still be an on going battle over the cover letter relevance. The majority of resume writers I have talked with still believe the cover letter can hold a few unique nuggets  of value that you can use to persuade hiring managers and decision makers to take a second or first look at your resume. Most recruiters I have talked with feel the cover letter is not important to the decision making process – however recruiters only place 2-3% of new employees so fo r the ir select clients this may be the case.

The truth is that 60% of hiring professionals read cover letters.

Often the gatekeepers, HR, recruiters do not read cover letters but when it comes time to narrow the selection to start the interviewing process, the decision makers can use the cover letters to identify which candidates have more than the required skills, achievements, and experience. They can also see if you also have a passion, a resolution for a current corporate issue or a new idea that can be a determining factor in offering you an interview.

You really never know who is reading your cover letter and how it will be used. I tell my clients – for those that do read it, it’s a vital part of the interview decision process so we need to create a targeted and focused letter that will open doors and get your resume read. The cover letter allows candidates the opportunity to promote their unique value and another chance for reader to identify your strengths and fit for the company.

A few examples of value and fit would be to include that you have got a true passion for working with numbers or your father worked for IBM 30 years ago and you have always wanted to work there too. You can also walk them through a dynamite combination of say, international experience and accounting strengths if you were going to work for an international company and you would be doing accounting work for subsidiaries in other countries. Sometimes they don’t recognize the value so if you find some reason for a great fit, make sure to share it with the reader.

Don’t assume they’ll make the connection…

you know what happens if you assume something?

If you are sending the letter to a recruiter, find out what their priorities are and incorporate examples of the priorities in the letter. If it is for a decision maker really work to bring out your unique value and why you would be perfect for the job, their team and their company. If it is for a general online application and you don’t know the company, keep it short but focus the cover letter on the requirements given in the job description. Whoever it is that you are righting it for, meet their needs and show you can make a difference in their company.

When preparing for their new job search, most candidates develop their own resume or have one written for them. Job seekers often begin their search by posting their new resume on all the big job boards. To expand their network and meet the right people, networking works far better than posting on Monster, CareerBuilder or other large boards but the Internet should not be ruled out for a job search. A combination of on and offline networking and promoting works best.

Most people are not aware of the effective ways to get their resume in front of your target audience using the Internet other than the typical job boards. Depending on the industry or position you are seeking such as manufacturing, marketing, or something in health care, the ideal place for your resume will be different. Below are some different types of online locations that should not be overlooked when starting to place your resume on the web because

Your resume needs to be in front of the right target audience in order to be most effective.

First of course is www.LinkedIn.com which is a must for any professional. Period. You can develop a rich summary, upload your resume and expand your network strategically so that your resume and name gets in front of those that would be interested in what you have to offer. Joining and becoming actively involved in groups on the site that relate to your goals and interests has become a very effective strategy.

Another helpful site to post your resume on is www.VisualCV.com. This site is nice because you are given a web address and unique web page for your resume with areas that allow you to get very creative offering room for much more than just your resume.

For example it comes in handy for those that want to use provide a portfolio of photographs to showcase finished work such as architects, photographers, florists, cake decorators or interior designers. You can use the VisualCV web address you are given for your profile / web page and place it on your contact card or signature line.

A strategy candidates often overlook is locating and utilizing industry or niche job boards. Job boards are getting a bit of a bad reputation because candidates run into so many old advertisements and send their resume to job numbers or recruiters, have no way to follow up and are rarely contacted. It definitely becomes disheartening. You can get more visibility utilizing smaller niche boards suited to your industry your targeted position.

If the candidate really focuses on posting his resume in strategic locations, the process can become much more effective. Some examples would be posting a resume on industry specific association job boards or publications such as hospitality, HR, automotive or health care using online newsletters, newspapers, magazines, and associations. Find several websites related to the industry or position you are targeting and find ways to leave your mark. Answer questions or leave comments on blogs, register and place your resume on the site, find out which sites accept relevant articles and write a content rich article to share with others and decision makers that visit site.

It is your job search you have to make things happen and you might have to be curious, you might have to be creative, just find an online job search strategy that works for you and get started. If you want to get noticed by the decision makers you have to be seen.

Watching the Ohio State University vs. University of Michigan football game over the weekend, a comment from one of the commentators stuck with me. It was during the 3^rd quarter and Ohio State was really creating some space between them and Michigan and Michigan had begun to make a lot of mistakes. The commentator said, “Mistakes happen to all football players but it’s how you respond that makes the difference” – well said. It makes the difference between a good football player and a great one.

Just as in every situation where a mistake is made, the person who chooses to learn and grow, look forward and move on after a mistake, is the one who will succeed personally and professionally. It is often said that

The choices you make today will decide your success for the future.

So, how do you know if those choices made today are the right ones for your future? By making decisions according to your goals. Goals? Do you have concrete goals on which to base your decisions? Do you have short and long-term goals for your personal and professional life? Having goals that are well thought out, written down and reviewed often will get accomplished much more often then those goals only dreamt about.

For job seekers in the process of an intense job search where so much seems out of your control it is critical to have a set of goals for your professional life. It will take you from wondering aimlessly to marching toward your future. What is it you want for your future? Money of course – that’s a given. But have you really taken the time to think about what you want now, in 1, 5 or 10 years?

The more you know about yourself and your goals, the more control you will have over your job search.

You don’t have to wait until the start of the New Year or until you are out of a job. You can set up goals today or at least begin to think strategically about your skills, your strengths, your passion and your drive to realize the type of career you want, the type of employee you are and what you want from your career. Don’t wait a day – start now. You will feel in control and will make better choices for you and your career, and you’ll be glad you did.