Here's My Two Cents on Job Searches
I've been tasked with reviewing countless résumés and cover letters lately, and my job is not over, yet. Of course, with any kind of critical assessment of others, I can't help but think critically about myself and the kinds of résumés and cover letters I produced during my previous job searches. If only I had this experience before I sent out inadequate cover letters and lengthy, poorly designed résumés. Sure, college offers some assistance with selling oneself to potential employers, but it's meager in comparison to the knowledge one gets from sitting in the hiring chair and perusing 200 good, bad, and "OMG that's unfortunate crap" résumés.
And yes, I, too, have sent some embarrassing document doozies to companies. I misspelled achievements (seemed to forget the old "i before e" rule) in the section of my résumé titled "Acheivements." It was in boldface and larger than other surrounding words, like a ginormous, puss-filled pimple on the tip of one's nose. Somehow, uncomfortable to look at résumé blemishes didn't stop me from obtaining job interviews. Not to worry, though, I managed to screw those up as soon as I was posed a question I didn't know the answer to. So, as a means to distract and stun my audience into stupid submission, I would start discussing unrelated topics such as: People in Maryland don't have accents, well, except for those weirdos in Baltimore. Most interviewers would chuckle nervously and look at one another confused when I began spouting nonsense. I never got the job, but I made a lasting impression...
The point is, I've since gained some valuable wisdom on what to do and not to do when applying for a job, and I wish to share that with the world. Some of the items I'll be discussing below might seem fairly obvious to some of you more brainiac readers (and you know who you are...), but you might be surprised by what you find.
What you should do when applying for a job
The following items below only are relevant if you are applying to a particular job listing. However, I don't recommend blasting any and all companies within a 30-mile radius of your home with your résumé without giving some consideration to the types of companies they are and what they do. So actually, the following items might be of interest to you résumé carpet bombers, too. Read on, it will please me.
- Read the job posting in its entirety before sending the company your résumé.
- Keep it simple.
- List employment history that makes you feel (and look) good.
- Compliment the company you are applying to.
- Make the résumé easy to read.
- Proofread everything.
- Write the cover letter and résumé yourself. Get help if needed.
- Follow up with HR, but don't become a stalker.
- Get a professional e-mail account.
- Be memorable.
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I have no real way of showing how to do this or any real examples to give. I can only recommend the following: add some flair to your résumé—maybe a small graphic or some color might do the trick, say something witty or humorous, list your interests at the bottom of your résumé and include some of the quirky ones (keep it clean and leave out any political or religious affiliations or groups), and/or be consistent in your branding of yourself (think Apple; make your cover letter and résumé match in style).
Seems like an obvious step in the job search process, right? It's amazing how many applicants I get that don't even mention the key terms such as "marketing" in their résumé and cover letters. And the job is for a Marketing Associate! It's so simple to sprinkle some industry-related jargon on a cover letter or résumé, c'mon people! The job posting is a great base from which to create your cover letter. Pull the boring job descriptor text from the employment posting and fluff it up with impressive language such as: demonstrated, exhibited, excelled, achieved (spell it right!), collaborated with, accomplished, executed, authored, etc. Here's an example:
Boring Job Text: The ideal candidate will have excellent written and oral communication skills.But really. Read the job posting and elaborate on the job descriptors. If the company is highlighting those key aspects in its job description, then you can bet that the HR person will be looking for matching language. This is the easiest way to pass the initial skim of résumés. Boldface those keywords, if necessary.
Fluffed Up Resume Text: Authored clear, concise interdepartmental documents that adeptly demonstrated the company processes and procedures.
Translation (but who cares, the above stuff sounds so fancy!): Wrote straightforward e-mails that a monkey could type if given a strong enough cup of coffee.
Regardless of the urge to super saturate a résumé with every detail of a previous job—don't do it! This only results in punching the reader into an unhappy coma. I have received 4-page biographies from some applicants, much to my dismay. Although I appreciated the enthusiasm, it wasn't enough to keep me from getting lost in some repressed childhood memory as I drifted off into an undying sleep. (Liver for my 7th birthday, thanks for bringing that one to the surface!)
Only put the most relevant items in the résumé. And, relevant in the sense that the job description mentions these items as being critical. Sure, you can put some other little bits of information in there, as long as it adds weight to your reputation.
Keep in mind that a Curriculum Vitae (CV) is very different than a résumé, and might require a more drawn-out, boring approach to talking about yourself. A CV is usually necessary when applying to a University (as a professor), the Government, or some other prestigious job that I don't have any kind of experience to discuss in this forum. So sorry!
Many résumés offer an extensive list of every piece of employment an applicant has ever held, including the ones that the applicant might have held in the interim between school and career mode. For instance, after I received my M.F.A., I got a position as a caterer for a university. Doesn't sound so bad, right? But it was. Absolute. Hell. On. Earth. So, I could include that job in my résumé if I were applying to a service industry. But, I might leave out some of the more undesirable details of the position that don't offer me any kind of credibility, such as, "maintaining a reasonable level of sandwiches for the display cases," or I might leave it out altogether. There is no harm in conveniently forgetting the horrors of your past. You just need to make sure you explain the gap between school and a more relevant (or, in my case, reputable) career in your cover letter. Here's where you can get creative and say things like, "After graduate school, I pursued my dreams to become a singer/songwriter." Sure, it might have failed, or have been an exaggeration or an entire lie, but it's a hell of a lot better than putting a job that you despised on your résumé.
I also feel it's important to only post the jobs that you think show a good cross-section of your skill set. So, if you changed employment more than 3 times in a year, choose the one job that you are the most proud of. Then, fudge the dates a bit if you have to, in order to show no break in your employment history. There is no golden rule that you have to put the exact month and year of each job you held. For instance, you can put "Spring 2008" instead of "March 2008." You can always explain yourself at the interview—you'll have a much better chance that way.
I am not an HR person, so I am a little more forgiving when I see that an applicant worked 6 jobs in a year for a total of 2 months each. But, I know for a fact that if an applicant displays some serious "job hopping," it is one of the main reasons he/she gets disqualified from the running.
This shows that you have, at the very least, looked at the company's Web site or done some basic research on who the company is. I am always flattered when applicants put in their cover letters all the reasons why they want to work for such a wonderful, fun, hip company such as the one I work for. I am even more impressed if they mention a detail that can only be gained by Googling an obscure keyword combination such as "logic + totally + marketing + Kristina + rad." Don't go overboard, because it will come across as insincere. And, no one likes an ass kisser on the team.
You can achieve this by utilizing bullet points for job duties, bolded typeface in appropriate spots to highlight important details, different typefaces for the headings and content (stick to two typefaces, three max.), legible typefaces (hold back the urge to use Lucida Handwriting, or something like that; yes, I know it looks pretty...), and short sentences, which might seem grammatically incorrect (ignore the Office Wizard), but gets rid of unnecessary and distracting text.
I have received cover letters that are addressed to a different company or include another institution's name in the body of the cover letter. Bad form! But, mistakes like these do happen and can be prevented by a quick skim. HR will not be impressed if you mention another company by accident in a cover letter. You're just making their jobs easier by doing something foolish from the get-go. Now HR doesn't have to read your résumé. Bonus! Early lunch for them! Then your résumé becomes the place mat for their chili con carne.
It will become painfully obvious to a potential employer during an interview if you didn't write your own résumé or cover letter. Save yourself the embarrassment. You don't have to come across like a smartypants. Just be yourself and be honest. I have given completely inexperienced applicants a chance just because the résumé and cover letter screamed genuine. That being said, I have also tossed out résumés and cover letters because the applicant screamed "annoying." Insert your personality into those documents, but be careful to not go overboard. Preserve some of the mystique for the interview.
No one appreciates a stalker. And no one will hire you if you are perceived as a stalker. Well, unless you are applying for a private investigation position or to the CIA. Then, stalk away!
So, bunsofsteel238@yahoo.com might have been a hoot to have back in high school, but now it's time to do something boring and choose a bland, professional e-mail account. HR does look at these kinds of things and will react poorly to them. Don't give HR a reason to not bring you in for an interview because they felt dirty when typing an e-mail to "cocktease8721@gmail.com."
There are a lot of other suggestions I could make, but these were the ones that initially came to mind. I'll post more later on what not to do. Until then, happy hunting!