BYOBM - If you've got it, flaunt it!

Spring has sprung! Birds are chirping, pedestrians are darting out in front of my car, I narrowly avoid running into people on bikes – seriously some of you people are slightly dangerous. Ahhhhh…. Summer is on its way. And to top it off I’m seeing signs of an upswing in the market. WOO HOO!!

Recently, I was fortunate enough to take part in a few events focusing on job hunting, technology, new products, etc. at the Microsoft building in Cambridge, MA. Can we talk about how awesome the facilities are? 3 words – fully stocked fridges.

Highlights of the meetings included an evening devoted to discussing how best to use social media in an organization, 4 hours of resume review helping professionals market themselves, and yet another evening devoted to proctoring presentations for MITX (Massachusetts Information Technology Exchange) technology awards. And now I shall share what I’ve learned. I feel the need to put a “Confucius Say” here but will refrain.

Social Media:
First and foremost - BYOBM!! Be your own best marketer. Social media is what you make it. Are you Twitter savvy? Perhaps you are able to connect with millions via a group on Facebook? Or even better- you can do both and they are linked together? ROCK ON. The evening (Girls in Tech – Using Social Media in your organization) had 4 panelists answering questions regarding this very topic and I realized something when I left that night – if you are putting yourself out there – whatsoever – it will bring a response. Twittering (sending Tweets), updating your Facebook status, creating content for a website or (giggle) a blog.
BYOBM and they will come….

Resume Review:
I’m sure most of you know by now – I love helping people with their resume. Why? No clue. I get giddy knowing that I may be helping that person. And when it works – I sing the following song. The other night a gentleman who I had helped in a VERY packed resume review session came up to me at another event and said “I got an interview by using what you told me.” I had one of those moments where I had to think of what my face was looking like at that moment – because inside I was jumping up and down. Small win for him, a huge joy for me. HOWEVER – the moral of the story is: tailor your resume. BYOBM – don’t assume that a company will “guess” that you have the skills. If they’ve taken the time to write a description – you need to take the time to acknowledge the description. Assume that the first person who sees your resume will have NO CLUE who you are or what you do – then what?

MITX Awards:
OK – I have to say helping with MITX was probably one of the COOLEST nights. Technology companies far and wide came to Microsoft to show off the newest concepts in several categories. My categories – gaming and rich media. Can we talk about how awesome the future of gaming and rich media is going to be? There’s nothing like sitting in a room with insanely smart people (MIT, Harvard, Yale, Carnegie Melon – the gang’s all here) and feeding off of their intelligence. Stay tuned IN folks – join industry groups. You will learn a lot and it will allow you to BYOBM at the events.

The moral: To succeed in this crazy world – you have to BYOBM (SERIOUSLY GIVE IT A SHOT), attempt to help others, and spend a few minutes with a nerd. Trust me.

Lather Rinse Repeat......As needed???

Can I just say I’ve never understood rinsing and repeating? It seems to me that if the product can’t get the job done the first time, rather than lathering, rinsing, and then doing it all over again – the ideal would be to buy a higher quality product. No?

One thing about the current state of things is that I’m noticing a lot of repeating the same behavior and hoping for a different outcome (Ie. Using $1 shampoo and hoping for flowing shiny hair). Clients are shunning recruiters hoping to find stellar candidates through referrals and other means all the while – keeping jobs open for several months and finally after several months relinquishing the role to recruiters like myself. Candidates are sending over resumes directly to clients over and over again filled with typos with no strong commercial on their behalf – still no word. So I say – why not buy a better shampoo? Go straight for the salon quality and enlist the help of an agency that can filter through the hundreds of responses and send only the best. Candidates – why not enlist the help of a solid recruiter who has the shortcut to those clients?

I was recently talking to a client over lunch about the state of the economy, how things are going, etc. Most of these conversations usually begin with a head tilt and the obligatory – “So… How are things going for you? Pretty rough huh?” and I smile and say “Actually – companies are hiring albeit selectively, but they are hiring.” This is usually met with surprise and a flicker of hope in their eyes. We keep hearing over and over again the doom and gloom of the day – but truthfully, every time I hear the melancholy the following song pops into my head…

‘Ain't nothin' gonna to break my stride. Nobody's gonna slow me down, OH-NOI got to keep on movin' (Break My Stride – Matthew Wilder 1984)

Corny yes. Motivating – you betcha!

So this makes me wonder – in a recession, is the sheer paranoia of the situation causing us to essentially lather, rinse, and repeat several times in the same shower? Some could argue that washing your hair 3 times per day with $1 shampoo could be cheaper than once a day with the expensive brands – but is the outcome the same? Are my clients truly saving money by attempting to staff roles themselves or would finding a qualified candidate quickly save them more money in the long run? Are my candidates truly putting their best foot forward alone or are they lost in the abyss of resumes collecting in client inboxes? Is it time to bite the bullet and spring for the good shampoo?

Dr. Jekyll, Mr.... Tech Support??

A vast majority of my blog has been dedicated to candidate advice. I figured amongst the cold blasts of snow, a lighthearted candidate story or two would be appropriate.

#1 – The Cold Shoulder
I was working on a Technical Support role for a company in Boston. I had a lengthy phone discussion with said candidate, for sanity’s sake we shall call him “Bob.” Bob seems interested in the role, I explain the need to meet with him prior, etc. Shortly thereafter, I receive a few emails and a phone call from “Bob” asking a multitude of very pointed questions. We discuss them and hang up. Again, another phone call, and now a sound of frustration in his voice concerned about the location, etc. We discuss it, all is fine and dandy. He arrives for our in-person with a gift for me beautifully presented in a lovely piece of wrapping paper with a bow. He promptly gives me the gift explaining that he is very apologetic for being “difficult” over the last couple of days. I have him meet with the account manager for the client, we are in agreement that he feels like a strong fit, and he leaves – everyone feeling confident. Two days later, I get a very angry email from “Bob” demanding why we had not yet set up an interview. I explain to him that the client typically takes a few days and that as I had mentioned prior, they will do a phone screen first. He become more irate, demands an in-person within the week, or else – withdraw his resume. I assure him that I will check in with the manager and go from there. Angry email number three brings the demand “Remove my resume – I have lost all faith.” I inform the manager, the next day – they request an interview. J Long story short, I discuss the interview with him and after several phone calls we realize that he simply shouldn’t be interviewing with the client. His reason for being so sporadically angry you ask? He had been unemployed for two months and was simply tired of the process.

#2 – The Voicemail Bandit
Candidate who we shall call “John” was an out of state candidate for a mainframe position at a client in Pennsylvania. We discuss the position, he understands that they require an in-person interview after a phone screen and even exclaims with glee that he has family in the area so it would be a great trip to make. Sure enough, the client expresses interest in an in-person and the light-switch flips. The candidate refuses to attend an in-person and begins leaving fanatical messages on the company voicemail box for me and for the OWNER OF THE COMPANY. The kicker – the messages are so long that John repeatedly runs out of tape. On several of these messages, he discusses topics such as “how difficult it is to land an airplane” and my ever favorite message he left for my boss discussing that he must not be able to hire sales people because an in-person shouldn’t be necessary for someone of his caliber. My all time favorite “My wife told me that I am sounding a little crazy on these messages however…..” Long story short – he eventually stopped calling after approximately 8+ messages that were 10-15 minutes in length each.

I’m beginning to think that psychological profiles may be included in my interviewing protocol. Anyone else have stories to share?

Big Bucks NO Whammies.....

For those of you out there who were children of the 80’s (or perhaps a bit older), hopefully you will remember the show – Press Your Luck. Contestants would collect spins that led to prizes after the spin traveled around a makeshift digital game board, all the while yelling “BIG BUCKS NO WHAMMIES.” I promise this has a point.

The other day, I was talking with a friend who was flustered about their resume and cover letter in an attempt to find the perfect recipe for submitting themselves to a job. Should the cover letter showcase personality, should it be more formal. What about the resume? Do we really need to include “Excellent oral and written communication skills” in a resume? Would someone ever put “Lackluster oral and written communication skills” or perhaps “You can barely understand me but I promise I am a workhorse.” After a couple of chuckles, the conversation turned back to the process and I found myself feeling that anxiety that I felt watching press your luck when I saw the icon headed near a whammy and the impact truly hit me. You only have one chance to make a first impression. (Especially in a down market) So what perfect cocktail of cover letter and resume will yield a prize – versus a big, ugly, cape wearing, eerily creepy WHAMMY. Finito! You’ve lost your shot at the job. And then I thought to myself – how many Recruiters out there are giving candidates conflicting opinions? How many of us have altered a resume without giving any thought to the overall candidacy of that individual? Is there a way to remove the potential for a Whammy?

Tips to Avoiding …. The Whammy
First, I’ve discussed before the importance of having a few versions of your resume on hand. However, I have to say – it’s just as important to have matching versions of your cover letter. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve received resumes with a 2 page cover letter detailing how fantastic a person is for my Project Manager posting, and when I open the resume – I feel as though I’ve been duped. No talk of Project Management.

Secondly, it’s also very important to have one cover letter and resume that reflect your personality. If you are applying to a job that is asking for a very distinct personality – make sure that your resume conveys it. If the heading is “Looking for a high energy, enthusiastic, crazy lunatic who LOVES eating peanuts and throwing the shells on the floor” and that seems to be of extreme importance to the company – make sure your resume (at minimum your cover letter) discusses your fantastic ability to throw peanut shells long distances. Heck – put down your most recent record. 15 feet really?

Finally – cater, cater, cater. Not food silly. Your candidacy. I’ve used the term before BYOBM (Be Your Own Best Marketer) however, I can’t tell you how many times someone has applied to a posting I have with the wrong title listed for the job. “Dear HeadHuntress, I’m applying for your Data Analyst job”…. The job title – Data Warehouse Team Lead. Make sure your resume speaks to the job. And for the love – make sure that the hiring manager’s name is spelled correctly. I do so LOVE when people call me Molly.

Fa La La La - Layoffs??

2008 – What a year! We have a historic President-Elect who we are hoping will inspire the American public. It has been officially declared that the United States has been in a recession for the past 12 months. Companies are laying off ten’s of thousands of workers while others are closing completely. And finally to top it off – a Journalist in Iraq attempted to hit George W. Bush with not one, but both of his shoes and almost succeeded. This one is definitely headed for the record books.

Of these moments, my guess is that most Americans are going into the Holiday season bracing for what 2009 will bring – more layoffs? Who will be next? The longest recessions on record since WWII have been 16 months total – are we nearing an end?

For those of you out there affected by the layoffs, I offer some tips on putting yourself back out on the market.
1. Sit down and spend part of an entire day on your resume. Whatever you do, don’t throw together your most recent job history out of anger and spite – because let’s be honest, it won’t serve to hurt the company – just YOUR job prospects.

2. Be very detailed with regard to how you can help the company with whom you are applying by utilizing cover letters, well thought out emails, etc. Be your own best marketer. (BYOBM) If you’re applying for a Project Management role, your resume should talk about Project Management skills and your cover letter should indicate your strengths with regard to – Project Management.

3. Send your resume to a friend to have them proof it for errors – you would be surprised at the amount of errors despite your best effort to read it dozens of times.

4. Take your suits to the dry cleaner – yes I know that the world is more casual, however, hiring managers want to see you in a suit. This goes for both men and women.

5. Sell, sell, sell – Post your resume, consult with Recruiters that you trust (like me), and apply to roles on-line. Don’t expect the job to come to you. (Sidenote: Keep a detailed list of jobs that you have applied to and be very clear with Recruiters regarding roles that you have applied to directly).

6. Carry copies of your resume with you. Do not assume that they have one printed out – take the burden off of them. They will notice. You can print at Kinkos.

7. If you have non-competes, have a copy with you so you can speak to the restrictions.

8. Have your references ready to go – already contacted, primed, and excited to talk about you. A big red flag goes up when a company asks for references, and the candidate answers “ummmm. Let me check on that.”

9. Be very clear about your salary needs but be realistic. You may have been making $150,000 last year, but have you done the research recently to see what folks are now making? I bet you’ll be surprised to see it has dropped somewhat. You must let them know your flexibility.

10. Eye contact, firm handshake, and enthusiasm – they go a long way.

Just some friendly advice to those job hunters unexpectedly tossed back on the market.

Frustration is spelled R.E.S.U.M.E.

Someday I hope to find whoever instructs my 10+ year veteran consultants to turn their incredible careers into one condensed page of confusion – and kick them in the shin.

Now I realize that there are SEVERAL schools of thought with regard to resume writing. Let’s face it – selling yourself on paper is probably one of the most difficult tasks other than perhaps – changing a tire without scratching your knuckles on the pavement. As the years have passed, I have found myself the career counselor to every friend of mine who begins a new job search and it always begins the same way “Can I send you my resume to take a look at?” Resumes are scary, tedious, and everyone had a different philosophy.

Case in point: The other day, I’m talking to a .Net Developer. 20 years in the business, several recent years of awesome .Net expertise – highly marketable background. He sends over his 1 1/2 page resume and I find that both pages are in tables – with no explanation of what his responsibilities were or what types of projects he was working on. It was in essence, a technical summary. I say to him “Do you have a resume that goes into a bit of detail?” His response “The last few recruiters I spoke to told me to put it in this format so I did.” My response – “Have you gotten any interviews with those recruiters?”

I have a philosophy with regard to resume creation. I’m putting it below – please feel free to share.

· First and foremost – unless you are a recent college graduate, a one page resume cannot possibly illustrate a lifetime of achievement. There is a healthy balance however, 10+ page resumes are never good either. Assume that an employer will look at your last 5 years – so make those last 5 years count. (Let go of the one page resume – seriously – put it in the garbage)

· Secondly – each candidate should have three versions of their resume on hand at all times. One that is catered to technology and process, another that is more narrative (your story telling resume), and one that lays out EVERYTHING in detail – it is ALWAYS a good idea to have something somewhere with detail so you can refer to it or cut and paste. If you’re dealing with a good recruiter who knows their client well, they will be able to tell you which version will help secure an interview.

· Finally - for the love – cater your resume to suit the job you’re applying to. Clients, while fabulous and incredibly intelligent, are not psychic. They cannot deduce from your resume that you in fact have every technology they are searching for unless they see it (or find it in a key word search) – help them out! My favorite conversations with consultants are typically about this very topic. They apply to an Oracle Financials Analyst role – and have no Oracle Financials listed on their resume. So I use this analogy – would you apply to be a Circus Acrobat with no mention of gymnastic or acrobatic training on your resume?

The moral of the story – I never placed said .Net Consultant because a week or so after our initial conversation and resume revamp session, I received an ecstatic email from him letting me know that he had gotten a fantastic contract in New York City and “Oh by the way your resume tips worked!” Now - if only I could parlay my helpful resume revamps into income or even better - charge a bag of Reese’s for each session.

You get what you pay for....

These last few weeks have been a rollercoaster – as a Head Huntress and as an American. Wall Street is in shambles, our bailout didn’t really do any bailing out, unemployment is going up, our Presidential candidates are debating but not necessarily answering any questions, people are scrambling to maintain standards of living, our greatest joy is the return of Tina Fey as Sarah Palin, Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt are more popular than ever, and I can’t seem to understand the hiring patterns of our clients.

For example: Client knows they need a Senior Network Design Engineer – but only want to pay $65k for fear of running out of budget. However, they know that this person needs to have the skills of a $95k Network Design Engineer. But they hire a less qualified candidate to save the cash while simultaneously putting themselves at risk of a crippled Network – which is MORE expensive in the long run. Yeah – it’s a head scratcher.

Case in point: A couple of years ago, a certain retailer who shall remain nameless but has fabulous name brand products at discount prices – had a HUGE security breach. HUGE. Not little. MILLIONS of dollars huge. I was tasked with finding said client a Security Engineer who was well versed in ethical hacking. The budget - $75k. Now riddle me this – your entire company is compromised, you have lost the confidence of your customers, your name is synonymous with security breach, and you want to hire a SENIOR SECURITY EXPERT to fix the problem in a short period of time for fear that your company will tank, and this miracle worker who shall be the salvation of a multi-million dollar company is worth $75k? Again – another head scratcher.

If I buy a pair of $10 jeans – Should I be shocked that they don’t wash and wear well? If I purchase low premium insurance, should I be shocked that the medical coverage is lackluster? If I buy a $1 hamburger versus the $10 model at an upscale restaurant – should I expect them to taste the same?

If our current economic situation has taught us anything, it is that we truly get what we pay for and that we have to be realistic. Now I know the 1969 Rolling Stone’s song as well as any other that “You can’t always get what you want,” but isn’t it about time that we as Recruiters and Staffing experts helped our clients to realize what they need.