This is a guest post from Eric Leist, a Public Relations major in Boston University’s class of 2010. Eric blogs over at Meghan Biro’s firm Talent Culture and on his own blog, EricLeist.com.  You can also find him on Twitter @EricLeist.

See this box? Get in it. It might be a little cramped in there. Oh, and there’re thousands of other people in the box too. But don’t worry. There’s room for you. Go ahead. Squeeze in. You want a job, don’t you? You want a strong personal brand? Then just get in the box.

That’s what I hear whenever I attend a resume workshop. And let me tell you, as a college student, I’ve attended a lot of them.

The fundamental issue I have with resume workshops is that they assume everyone is the same.  Then, they suggest different methods based on the workshop leader’s personal preferences. That leads me to believe that hiring professionals all have different personal preferences too! This conundrum leads me to one conclusion: There is no way to write a resume that fits everyone’s likes and dislikes.

So whose preferences should your resume reflect? The jobseeker’s. Too often, job hunters fall into the trap of squeezing their experience into a standard format. As a result, everyone ends up looking the same.

I’ve seen great paper resumes that use color, cool video resumes, and smart narrative slideshow resumes. They all work for the individuals they represent.

Resumes don’t have to be any particular style. I’m not suggesting anything too crazy, but I think resumes have basic requirements rather than mandatory formats.

1) A resume should be easy to follow with a logical organization.

2) It should reflect personality and experience.

3) It should have a consistent, unified look and feel.

Sure there are ways to stand out with standard resume templates. Sure the standard templates work for most people—that’s how they became standard. But in this economy, a jobseeker’s goal is to give potential employers a reason to set his or her resume aside from the towering pile of others. They might want to think about breaking out of the box to achieve that goal.

PHOTO: http://www.flickr.com/photos/worldofoddy/1439796614/

Let Eric know what you think about his guest post!  Have you had the same experiences at resume work shops?

On Thursday night, @HeatherHuhman and I were featured guests on #u30pro, a popular, and quite bad ass Twitter chat.  The co-moderators of #u30pro (@davidspinks, @CubanaLAF, & @SJhalestorm), brought us on to converse with folks about the nights topic, “negotiating a job offer”.

While the chat was winding down, I announced that anyone with further questions should holler.  Not long after sending that tweet, I received an @ message from Jessica Malnik (@jessicamalnik).  Here is Jessica’s tweet/question.

After digging deeper into her question, Jessica stated that she was mostly looking to understand how to explain her use of Twitter on a resume.  To answer her question, I immediately sent her two tweets back.

My first tweet stated that a new section of the resume should be created.  This can simply be called “Microblogging on Twitter @jessicamalnik”.  Underneath, include bullets or a paragraph to explain how you’ve used it to your advantage.

Don’t forget to include a link, directing them to your Twitter account.

In the second tweet, I went into specifics about what the paragraph should/could state.  Explain exactly how you’ve used it.  Has it been to gain knowledge, or to reach an influential person?

Include something that the employer will find of value to them.

Find out what will interest your specific industry, and look for ways you have, or can start doing those things yourself on Twitter.  Pick out a few of your Twitter success stories, then drop those nifty stories on your resume.

Simply stating that you tweet doesn’t automatically guarantee they will check you out.  Share one, or several of your Twitter accomplishments, and they will be much more inclined to see what you have been up to in the Twitterverse, and more importantly, why they should hire you.

Do you have a ‘Question for Corn?’  Send me an @ message on Twitter to @CornOnTheJob

Do you include Twitter on your resume?  Yes/No?  Why/Why not?

Like many recruiters, I rarely read cover letters.  Most of us zoom right into the resume for a quick scan of the candidate and avoid the cover letter whenever possible.  Why should we read two different documents that are basically trying to say the same thing?  When we have 100 resumes to read, why read 200 documents instead of just 100?

When do I read cover letters?

• Writing intensive position (Technical writing, Marketing Communications, etc)
• Hiring manager specifically requests them
• Candidate says something ridiculous or interesting that makes me want to read further
• Cover letter is sent in the body of the e-mail, NOT as an attachment

What do the experts say?

Recruiters – Recruiters that work in high volume environments will say they are too busy to read them.  Unless their internal or external client is asking for a resume, I doubt it will be read.

HR – People in HR that have some recruiting duties will most likely say they always read them.  Maybe it is because of their HR blood and a commitment to process, process, process.  Also, HR folks that also recruit sometimes work for companies that aren’t experiencing volume in hiring, or else their company would hire a recruiter, or another recruiter to handle it.  This may mean they will spend a few more minutes to read each cover letter since it might be the only opening.

Professional Resume Writers – They will tell you that it’s absolutely necessary to have a strong cover letter with your resume.  Not only do they make money off of it, but they also do make some great points, or have seen candidates hired simply for having a well-written cover letter.

My suggestion…

You clearly need one.  Everyone has their own opinion, so my suggestion is to write up a quick cover letter that you can easily tweak around for each position.  Also, stop sending your cover letter as an attachment, I hate that.  I don’t want to click on more than one thing when I open up your e-mail.  If you write it in the body of the e-mail, I might actually read it, and like it.

What do you think?  Tell me…

Welcome to my post about resume length.  If you came in from a search engine expecting pictures of busty women, well, I’m sorry to disappoint.  You can leave now if you wish, but stick around and you might learn a thing or two.  Oh, and if you actually are new to COTJ, please click here to  sign up for my RSS feed.

Peter flaunts it

I’m going to try to keep this post short and sweet, just like the HR/Recruiting experts I trust, love, adore, and am friends with say a 20 somethings resume should be.  In writing this post I’m going to keep my thoughts to a minimum, take out important details from what I’ve learned in my recruiting experiences, and bunch everything together so that I don’t go beyond 375 words (or one page).  Doesn’t that sound just like your resume writing strategy?  Yep, it does.  Yikes.

Before going too much further, please realize I’m not advising to go write up a 5 page resume.  I’m not for anything that is a waste, so after reading this quick rant you definitely shouldn’t go nutty banana party on your resume, stretching it for pages and pages.  Don’t do that, idiot.  Just…listen.

Not all college students, but a portion of of them are involved in leadership positions, activity programming boards, and work internships, all while making the Dean’s List, studying abroad, and getting inducted into their programs honors society.  As a recruiter, I want to know every bit of that delicious shit.  I want to see every leadership position.  I want to know activities you planned on campus, and I definitely want to know which internships, and how many you took on while a full-time student.

Flaunt it, baby.  Flaunt it.

Don’t hold back.  Let us read the goods.  List everything worth mentioning, which means it shows your value to the company.  Provide details, but don’t write bullshit either.  With every addition to your resume, ask yourself, “Does this prove my value?”  If yes, then please include.  If no, then take it off.  So simple.

No one expects that you have the experience to warrant more than one page.  If you really do, then prove them wrong.

What’s your opinion?

Do you think I’m a jackass?  Great, tell me that, and make sure you tell me why.

HR/Recruiters –  Do you seriously discount skilled candidates if their resume is longer than a page?

Current and previous job seekers – Do you only use a one page resume?  Why?  Who brain washed you?

Want to win an absolutely FREE Professional Resume Edit complete by Vertical Media Solutions (www.vmsolu.com)?  Read contest details at the bottom! All participants win!

Top talent moves fast, so why do companies insist on interview/hiring processes that take forever?  Most of us have been part of an incredibly awful interview process before, or at least know someone that has.  It’s never fun, and I can ensure you it’s not a walk in the park for the organization either.  Recently, I was researching company interview strategies and came across an example of a terribly long process that I’m sure results in frustrated candidates and lost talent for the organization.  Here are the painful 7 steps in their process:

1. Resume submittal/Quick initial phone Screen if resume meets basic qualifications
2. Candidate takes at least 1 skill assessment test
3. Second phone screen lasting one hour with their recruiter (an hour, really?)
4. Face-to-face interview with hiring manager lasting 2 hours (finally)
5. Candidate takes personality assessment test (find something sharp, and stab me, please)
6. Second face-to-face interview with hiring manager and team members (why not meet the team the first time around?)
7. Offer presented.   Contingent on successful background and reference check (if the candidate is still around)

Why do long interview processes like this fail?

Processes like the one above drive candidates absolutely bonkers.   People (especially top talent) aren’t willing to wait forever and will jump on the first opportunity that comes their way.  A process like the one above would take at least 3-4 weeks to schedule.  Not only does the candidate need to make room for each terrible step, but the recruiter, hiring manager, and team members of the organization need to plan time.  The elongated process greatly increases the risk of losing talent to competitors and other companies.

What would I change?

There is much I would change about the above process to make it run smoother for the organization and candidate.  Here is the process that I would implement:

1. Resume Submittal/Phone Screen with recruiter (just one phone screen needed)
2. Skill and Personality Assessments Complete by Candidate (if these tests are critical, get them out of the way first)
3. Face-to-face interview with hiring manager and team members (panel interview possibly)
4. Offer presented.  Contingent on successful background and reference check (done!)

The process I outlined works, I’ve implemented a process like that and received excellent feed back from candidates.  People do not like having to go back to an interview site or plan for 3, 4, or 5 separate screening sessions .  Many people that are already working want to spend their vacation time on the beach, not in your office.  Those that are unemployed hope the process moves quick and makes good use of their time.  It’s simple, just treat candidates like customers and everyones happy.

Contest Details – Win a FREE Professional Resume Edit

Vertical Media Solutions, the official resume writing company of CornOnTheJob is giving away a FREE resume edit to one of my readers.  Along with this great prize, EVERY participant will receive an incredible discount to any of the services they offer.  To participate, just comment on this post and your name will be entered into a random drawing out of a hat!  Here are more details:

• What should your comment say? – Ask a question about a step in the interview process, tell me about a terrible interview process you’ve been involved in, tell me about the longest you needed to wait to hear back from a company, or anything you’d like me to hear/know!  Simply, just respond with a comment and you’ll be entered into a random drawing!
• How do you win? – When you comment, your name enters a random drawing out of a hat.  I will email you once I receive your comment
• When does contest start/end? – Starts 12:00AM Monday, November 2nd and Ends 11:59PM Friday, November 6th

More about the prizes!

• Winner – Receives a FREE Resume Edit ($150 value) complete by Vertical Media Solutions. Winner also receives a FREE 30 minute Interview Preparation session.  This session can be used within 180 days from the end of the contest.  This is a $200 value total completely FREE!
• Participant Prize – Each participant receives a 20% discount on any services that Vertical Media Solutions offers.  Please take note that the purchase must come within 7 days of the contests completion.  With purchase of any service, the participant will also receive a FREE 30 minute Interview Preparation session, which can be used within 180 days from their purchase.

*Please note that a resume edit is an edit to your current resume.  Vertical Media Solutions will look for ways to improve your existing resume, which is the first thing the hiring manager/recruiter sees from you.

Photo credit – http://www.metronews.ca/edmonton/Work/article/84384

Thanks to those for voting in this weeks poll!  Here are the results:

• First Place:  60% – Resume Editing (using existing resume)
• Second Place: 13% –  Cover Letter Creation AND Interview Preparation
• Third Place: 7% – Full Resume Writing (from scratch) AND Accomplishment Creation
• Fourth Place: 0% – Reference Verification

Resumes are important, don’t let anyone tell you differently. Recruiters and hiring managers are flooded with resumes once they post a position and simply can’t spend a long time reviewing each resume.  What does this mean for you?  Well, it means you better have a clear, easy to read, and exciting resume!  The resume needs to grab their attention quickly, and keep the readers attention.  Most resumes I read have spot on content, but the format, grammar, or flow of the resume comes off sloppy or cluttered.

If you aren’t fully confident with your resume, I would suggest talking to the nice folks over at Vertical Media Solutions.  Compared to their competitors, they have much more affordable prices, and offer a much more intimate service in which they will help you develop a strategy surrounding your job search.  Personally, I find the Resume Edit and Accomplishment Creation services are extremely helpful to a job seeker looking for a strong boost.

Go to www.vmsolu.com and check out their services.

Thanks to those for voting in this weeks poll!  Here are the results:

First Place:  71% Yes
Second Place: 29%  No

Not sure how smart it is, but I’ve known hiring managers who make hiring decisions based on cover letters.  I also know hiring managers/recruiters who when tremendously busy will pass on reading the cover letter and go straight to the resume.  So, is it a waste of time?  I surely don’t think so, and neither does blogger Kim Thompson.  Click here to read Thompson’s 10 reasons to use a cover letter.  Not sure how to write one, or what needs to be included in your cover letter?

Here are COTJ’s 7 Cover Letter Writing Tips:

1. Keep it short – Write no more than one page, using three paragraphs.
2. Three paragraph format -  In the 1st paragraph, identify the position that you’re applying for and how you have learned about the opening.  Do some research on the company and also point out why you’re interested in working for them.  In the 2nd paragraph, discuss your qualifications and how they match up to the position.  Use this paragraph to brag about you, talking about how some of your major accomplishments are transferable to the desirable position.  In the 3rd paragraph, thank them for their consideration and include your contact information.
3. Customize each letter – Each letter you send out should be unique, and written with a very specific reader in mind.  Make sure to change the position title, recruiter/hiring contact information, company name, company address, and/or anything else that is different from the last position you sent a letter for.  Keep in mind that although some positions you’ll apply for have similar responsibilities listed, not all will be exactly the same.  In your 2nd paragraph, you may want to tweak how your qualifications match up to the job.  If you skip the customization stage you may turn out looking like a complete idiot when Tom Jones reads a letter addressed to Wayne Newton.
4. Be positive and confident - Your reader will be able to tell from your cover letter.  I swear.
5. Check for typos and grammatical errors - This is a killer.  A killer I tell you.  Ask a friend to proof read specifically targeting typos and major grammatical errors.  A slew of mistakes won’t entice the reader to open up your resume, of course the point of sending a cover letter.
6. Thank the reader - Make sure to do this in paragraph 3.  Thank them for reading the cover letter and your resume.  Assume that they are, or have already read your resume, and maybe they will.
7. Keep your cover letters – File them in whatever way is easiest for you.  Recruiters can take a long time to get back to you, and when they do they may want the cover letter again.

Thanks for reading Corn Heads!

Job descriptions are an extremely powerful tool when it comes to resume writing.  Unfortunately, once securing a job, employees will most likely never see their positions exact job description again.  Tragic.  Along with saving descriptions for previous positions held, I suggest saving/printing any descriptions for the jobs you’d like to obtain.

Here are 3 ways that job descriptions help build an effective resume:

1. Help write a clear job history – A job description for each of your previous roles helps to clearly point out duties/tasks from those positions.  Along with job responsibilities, your managers title, departmental information, and a company overview may also appear on the job description.  This information can be used to write up the Professional Experience section on a resume.  Keep in mind that most employees go above and beyond the job description, performing duties/tasks that are not included on it.  If you are re-writing your resume and lucky enough to have your job description from previous positions, use it as a guide and make sure to include any job tasks on the descriptions, as well as those you performed that were  not written down.
2. Help set up resume for your dream job – Once you know what kind of position you’d like to obtain, you can start printing out job descriptions for that  specific role.   Highlight similarities and look for themes.  When you notice duties/tasks on the description that match your previous work experience, do your best to highlight this on your resume.  Never lie, but look for ways to sculpt your resume into one that is perfect for your dream job.
3. Key Words – Job descriptions are a key word swamp.  In a previous article, I discussed just how critical key words are for a resume.  Look at your previous job descriptions for common key words that you can include on your resume.  These key words will make you easier to find in resume databases.  You should also check for key words in the descriptions of a position you’d like to obtain. Do your best to utilize as many key words as possible, without sounding like a robot.

How to get a hold of both current and previous job descriptions:

• Current Position - Reach out to your contact in Human Resources, they should be able to track it down for you.  If for some reason you don’t feel comfortable doing so, check your company Career Site.  Most times the same job description is posted over and over again for the same position.  Review it to make sure it looks similar to your role.
• Previous Position – Contact the Human Resources department from your previous company, or your supervisor if you left on good terms.  If you didn’t leave on good terms, check the public careers site of the company to see if the description has been posted again.  You can also ask a friend inside the company for help.

How many times have you seen/heard this response after applying for a job, “Thanks for your interest in XYZ, we will review your resume and get back to you if this position, or others in the future match your qualifications?”   My guess is you’ve received this response more than once, and I bet each time you bring yourself closer and closer to shoving your bright yellow, #2 pencil, deep into your ear.  What really drives you super nutty banana party is not the canned response, but knowing in your heart that you’ll never, absolutely never hear from that company again.  OK, well you can relax and put the pencil down Corn Heads.  Kristi Daeda has a suggestion which may just have company XYZ calling you faster than you can say…KEY WORD!

On Monday night I found myself reading an interesting post on  Career Adventure, a blog by Kristi Daeda. In this particular post, Daeda writes on the importance of planting key words into a resume, which will help bring attention to you from a “phantom” source.  What’s this “phantom” you ask?  You win, I’ll tell you!  It’s the resume database, in most cases an Applicant Tracking System (ATS).  An ATS can be a recruiter’s best friend, or worst enemy.  This depends heavily on features provided by the ATS, as well as how easy the program is to use.  So, what does an ATS, or resume database mean to you as a candidate?  Basically the same thing, but as Daeda writes in her article, if you build a resume with strategically placed keywords, then an ATS has a much higher possibility of becoming your best friend!  Click here for more information on Applicant Tracking Systems.

Daeda believes that each resume is written for three audiences:

1. Recruiter
2. Hiring Manager
3. Resume Database or ATS

It’s likely that you haven’t thought about, or put much emphasis on writing your resume to be an ATS gold mine, and that’s OK.  Like Daeda, I believe that resumes should absolutely always target the recruiter and hiring manager first and foremost, but put in some time to update your resume with keywords specific to your industry or position.  Doing this will make your resume easy for the recruiter to find when they later look through their applicant tracking system, or resume database.

Daeda explains the following about resume keywords in her article:

What are keywords? – Specific nouns and phrases that you’ve undoubtedly seen on job postings when conducting your search.  Daeda explains, “These words refer to your background and experience.”

What are some categories of keywords? – Some listed categories are Certifications, Education, Industries, Techniques and Training, and Technologies.  Click here to view Daeda’s full list of categories. Make yourself a healthy list of resume keywords by going through job postings of your desired position.  Try to include words for as many categories as you can.

How to effectively insert keywords throughout the resume - In my opinion, the greatest tip Daeda offers is to make sure your resume still reads naturally, like normal human writing.  Take her advice, I don’t want my Corn Heads sounding/looking like Johnny 5 from “Short Circuit”. Yes, that’s a video clip from the movie.  I couldn’t resist.  See her article for more tips on how to insert keywords into your resume.

Click the link below to read all of Daeda’s tips on resume keywords:

http://www.kristidaeda.com/2009/08/10/great-effective-resume-keywords-bring-resume-success/

The most frequently asked question about resumes that I receive is, “how long should it be?”  If you put in some time to research the topic, you’ll easily stumble on certain suggested guidelines on resume length.  For years everyone was told to keep their resumes to one page – no more!  Makes you shriek doesn’t it?  Of course it does!  How would Johnny Smith fit 16 years of advertising sales experience into a one page resume?  Johnny wouldn’t be able to.  These ideas have changed recently.  Today, some people believe after 4-5 y ears of experience you can have two pages of information, while others think the required years of experience to warrant two pages would be 8-10 years of related job experience.  I’m still shrieking.  Forget that nonsense, just follow my guidelines below:

Career marketing tool, not autobiography - Up until you are contacted by the recruiter, your resume is your largest selling point.  Every word HAS to sell what you can do for the organization.  Anything that doesn’t convince them of your knowledge, skills, or abilities is to be taken out.  Now!

Content is critical – Information should be relevant to your career.  Once you’ve reached a few years of work experience, take out the high school or college part time jobs.  If still relevant, keep them in, but make sure they sell you to the reader.  Leave in leadership positions, club memberships, education,and  certifications/publications.  Take out all personal information including age, martial status, number of children, health, and political/religious affiliations.

Keep a clean format – A neat looking, clean resume will do wonders for the recruiter/hiring managers eyes.  If it flows nicely, than your selling points and critical content will be easily found, and your chances of receiving a phone call increase greatly.  Close to 95% of the time, resumes are read electronically.  If the resume has an overall easy to read format, the recruiter/hiring manager won’t mind scrolling and clicking through 2, 3, 4, or more pages online.  However, two pages from a sloppy, poorly written resume will feel like reading Lord of the Rings, painfully long!

The guidelines above will keep your resume to the right length.  We all have different work experiences, education, and various other important activities, so it’s unfair to insist each job seeker keeps their resume to a certain page.  Just keep it clean, put in career relevant information, and sell the hell out of yourself and you’ll be just fine.

If you’re still worried, meet up with a friend and ask them to read it.  Keep sight of how many times your friend yawns.  Less than two yawns and you’ve got yourself a nice resume.  Now, if your friend starts snoring, it’s time to make some edits.  Good luck friends.

If you need further help with your resume, you can email me at CornOnTheJob@gmail.com.