This post has nothing to do with nothing associated with Flores Girl and the free ebook offer but I have a number of friends who have been job hunting so I always find myself always giving away resume pointers.  So here are some key resume pointers that I have learned after working at several Fortune 100 companies:

  1. When you post your resumes to the major job boards make sure you consider the usage and the number of keywords in your resume. Keywords refer to Search Engine Optimization techniques that apply to the job boards as well as to web sites. For example, if you are into IM then add words like SERP. SEO, page rank etc. Many of the recruiters do their searches based on keywords alone. Phrases like “sales grew at a 10% plus CAGR compared to an industry standard 6% CAGR with a 500 basis points improvement in margin” is like…eh, well like honey to many recruiters.  Of course, I’m not saying to you to make crap up but you get the idea! Use keywords so that  hiring managers using electronic scanners to rank candidates based on a keyword search of applications can find your resume.  Pepper keywords from the job posting into your resume as they apply to your experience. The terms employers search for most often are:
    • problem-solving and decision-making skills (50 percent)
    • oral and written communications (44 percent)
    • customer service or retention (34 percent)
    • performance and productivity improvement (32 percent)
    • leadership (30 percent)
    • technology (27 percent)
    • team-building (26 percent)
    • project management (20 percent)
    • bilingual (14 percent)
  2. Brevity is not necessarily good; if you have had multiple positions and job functions but two page is almost always sufficient.
  3. If you are old or young no dates! Keep them guessing as to your age!  It’s none of their business.
  4. Also, create flavors of your resume for targeting different positions and vary the keywords accordingly.
  5. Use power words as well like budget, direct reports, P&L responsibilities, dotted line, etc. Know the jargon of your target industry at least as well as the recruiter does.
  6. Go back to the boards every couple of weeks and update and save your resume. Recruiters often narrow their searches to recent resume activity.
  7. I estimate that it takes ten opportunities to get one good job offer for a newbie so that means multiple irons in the fire! Finding a job is almost a full time job in itself so if you aren’t spending hours searching that means you are planning on being lucky. I never had much luck other than what I made for myself.
  8. Add all appropriate certifications but nix the unimportant ones.
  9. Really, nobody gives a shit about your hobbies until you get past the recruiter then the social touches such as being a golfer or your into triathlons work.
  10. However, social networks such as Linked-In are useful! Get into a network after all everybody has at least one friend that seems successful and he or she can open doors or at least give you visibility.
  11. And that’s your main goal: get past the recruiter who usually knows less about the job than you do to get that interview!
  12. Practice the interview questions on the boards and know how to answer the tough ones such as why are you looking or why did you get laid off.
  13. Exercise to keep your mind fresh!
  14. Oh yeah and do a Homer and Google yourself! If you find some incriminating Facebook pages well clean your act up and remove those old photos with the stripper!
  15. Check your finances and your credit score out with one of the free agencies. Big firms want to know if you are in trouble nowadays and they will ask your permission to to check your background! And by all means say no but just be prepared to continue your job search.
  16. Sober up and stop taking drugs.  Many companies will ask you to urinate in a cup! Party after you get the damn job.

Wow I got carried away! Remember, work the job boards, recruiters and social network sites as you go job hunting.  You never know where the next opportunity will come from but working multiple leads in a depressed job market is always your best bet!