ERI Personal Marketing and The Resumes

Posted on May 13, 2012 by Admin

One resume will no longer do. Many think that one resume for every situation and fashion of transmission, will be enough — it is not. There are different resumes for different situations, and knowing what they should look like and when they should be used will be vital to finding success while job hunting.

1—Does your resume look like others? Your resume must startby projecting an outstanding image… one that sets you apart. Itmust be eye-catching… not ordinary, plain vanilla and flat.

2—Does your resume reveal liabilities? Even top executives canfi nd themselves continually derailed… because of the negativeinformation they made available… without realizing it.

3—Third, does your resume sell transferable skills? Or, doesit just sell your history and experience? Selling skills is an absolutenecessity if you want to expand your market… changeindustries… join a growth fi rm… appeal to venture capitalists…or impress CEOs and other key decision makers.

4—Does your resume show how you can contribute? Or doesit, like millions of others, force the reader to try to fi gure out howto use you? If so, you won’t get many calls. Why? Because peoplesimply won’t take the time to study resumes. They’ll put it in the“no pile”… or toss it. Your resume has just 20 seconds to makeyour case… and get people to read further… or better yet… callyou. If it doesn’t do this, you won’t even get in the game.

5—Is your resume scanning ready? Scanning software has foreverchanged the selection process. Most organizations only keepthe best 5% of resumes they receive… and scan just the fi rst pageinto their databases. When employers are looking for someone,they simply input key words… bring up matching resumes…and review them. That determines who gets interviewed.

6—Is your resume dynamic and a strong selling document? Intoday’s market, you must inspire the reader… being boring doesn’twork. The words you select need to have some reasonable punch,substance and sparkle. Your resume needs to be interesting andcompelling. There are a lot of excellent competitors out there…and the worst thing you can do is undersell yourself.

After analyzing every resume style… we developed a new approach—one where people are equipped with three differentstyles of superior resumes… materials that meet all of theconcerns we’ve mentioned. Why does having several resumesgive you a major advantage? The answer is… that each one istargeted for a different application… and each is what we callan “A” resume.

When you have an “A” resume, it’s not likely tobe just two times more effective than a “B” resume—it’s morelikely to be 20 to 25 times more effective. Plus… you have theadvantage of having more tailored materials for the three mostcommon situations where you will be submitting resumes.

Posted in Advice, ERI Personal Marketing, Portfolio, Unemployed | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

ERI Personal Marketing and The Paper

Posted on May 7, 2012 by Admin

While looking for that next big career opportunity, make sure you are doing it all right while on the hunt. Many think they are doing everything correct. They may have a resume, which has all their history on it, but that does not mean it is right. Make sure you know what it takes to have the best looking resume, meaning, that you have one that will stand out from the rest.

This chapter could by itself signifi cantly alter the results of yourjob search. Here’s why I say this. Over the last 10 years we’velearned what really works and what doesn’t. In this discussionI will share this with you.To appreciate the importance of superior resumes, let’s first talk a little bit about the competition, and why it has devastatedso many talented people.

And keep in mind that when you lookfor a new job, you are reduced to how you look on paper.Today, the number of resumes in circulation exceeds theimagination. GE receives 800,000 resumes a year… but they onlyhire about 4,000 people.

That’s 1 out of every 200. Other wellknownfi rms say they get over 1,000 resumes for every opening.And, when it comes to submitting your resume to an attractivead… you should know that employers are now getting hundredsof candidates. Leading recruiters, like Korn Ferry and Heidrickand Struggles, now claim to receive more than 1,500 resumes awork day… 30,000 each month.Unfortunately, despite the enormous competition, manypeople create a resume, show it to some friends or family membersand then assume it’s fine.

Ann Landers is famous for manyquotes, but one applies here. “Don’t accept your dog’s admirationas conclusive evidence that you are wonderful.”Just how good is your resume?While many professionals still use traditional resumes, withthis amount of competition, the fact is they don’t work very wellanymore.

The reason is that most of these resumes have one ormore of the six major resume weaknesses… that can restrict jobhunting success. So, let’s start by having you assess your currentresume… to see if it has these weaknesses.

1—Does your resume look like others? Your resume must startby projecting an outstanding image… one that sets you apart. Itmust be eye-catching… not ordinary, plain vanilla and flat.

2—Does your resume reveal liabilities? Even top executives canfi nd themselves continually derailed… because of the negativeinformation they made available… without realizing it.

3—Third, does your resume sell transferable skills? Or, doesit just sell your history and experience? Selling skills is an absolutenecessity if you want to expand your market… change industries… join a growth firm… appeal to venture capitalists…or impress CEOs and other key decision makers.

Posted in Advice, ERI Personal Marketing, Portfolio, Unemployed | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

ERI Personal Marketing and Networking Options

Posted on April 30, 2012 by Admin

When looking for a great job, it is all about who you know. Networking is a vital part of finding a job. The more contacts you have, the better. Make sure you keep in touch with people who many be able to give a helping hand down the road. Networking will lead to a job.

Networking is a pyramiding strategy… one where you capitalizeon one name to gain an interview with another. The most popularstyle of networking involves seeking informational interviews.Your purpose here would be to get an appointment with executives and ask them to share with you some informationabout their industry challenges.

Naturally, if you happened tobe well connected, and you maintained a list of contacts into thehundreds, that could help give you a fast start.Unfortunately, the problem with this is that it usually takesa long time. And, some people find it demeaning to approachfriends and acquaintances to ask for help in finding a new careerposition.

Nevertheless, it does work if you have the timeand inclination to approach your job search this way. Hopefully,some of your discussions will result in referrals to another executivewho might have something for you… and be able to useyour talents.

While this traditional networking can work, besides takingtime, networking people with a new job in mind has becomeoverworked. Just about every executive has been networked overand over again. What’s more, who has 45 minutes to an hour todevote to someone else? Or even 30 minutes?

The growth of the Internet and social networking sites such asLinkedIn, Zoominfo, Zing and others, combined with personalmarketing websites and the use of email… are ushering in anew era of networking.

And, it is a much easier and more effectiveway to network.All you need are some superior resumes and an attractivepersonal marketing website that display your formal credentials, accomplishments and transferable skills in an impressive way.

Then, instead of asking for “an informational interview,” you canjust send off a well designed email with a link to your website.People on the receiving end will get it and be impressed and you will have their time.

And, you can use this method tocontact hundreds of people in a very short time… people whohave a high probability of being able to help you.What kind of people?

I’m not suggesting that you do thiswith your genuine personal contacts and real friends, who willlook forward to visiting with you on a personal basis. However,they would also be very interested in seeing your personalmarketing website.

Posted in Advice, ERI Personal Marketing, Network, Unemployed | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

ERI Personal Marketing and What to Look For

Posted on April 22, 2012 by Admin

Don’t sell yourself short by not looking outside your industry for work. Many don’t think to venture out there when looking for work, which means they are missing promising opportunities. Look into other industries and see if you have the skills that will crossover. The more you know what to do, the better chances you’ll have when looking into other options among new industries.

People should be prepared to market themselves so that they are attractive to employers across a broad range. The reality is that people of all ages are moving into exciting new industries.Transition to a new industry is easier than it used to be.

Historically, people have overrated the barriers and underrated their abilities to move into new areas. The vast majority of all new jobs are created by small and mid-sized businesses. So, while major employers are still important, you may want to explore positions with startups or emerging companies. If you choose the right industry, you will have more growth opportunities, perhaps meaningful stock options, an environment that is likely to be more positive, a chance for more regular pay increases and probably advancement.

Identifying new industry options: The first way to do this is to read and increase your awareness of the fastest growing industries and companies. These fi rms have to go outside their industry to find the best talent and skills.

The second way is to list characteristics of your industries… and find similar industries. We use software to compare your industry’s characteristics with 2,500 others… e.g., 35 industries may be an 85 percent match.Keep in mind that projecting some form of an “industry hook” is the next best thing to having industry experience. Group your possibilities three ways:

(1) close industry hooks, easy possibilities

(2) medium industry hooks, next best

(3) far reach or stretch industry hooks

When changing industries, you also don’t want to overlook your leverage power… the added benefi ts you may bring by virtue of your contacts or knowledge. You may be able to bring a team with you that helped in similar situations.Despite our recent economic slowdown, new companies have sprung up throughout America.

Established organizations are reexamining the way they do business. Medium-sized companies are expanding. New industries exist that are employing tens of thousands.The more you appear to know about an industry, the easier it is to generate interviews.

Virtually all employers look for “common ground” when hiring a new person. For example, do you have experience in or knowledge of similar product lines, distribution channels, manufacturing methods or problems in their industry? There can be other similarities. Consider the scope of operations, the role of advertising and promotion, the importance of the sales organization, the infl uence of labor, and other items.

Posted in Advice, Employed, ERI Personal Marketing, Network, Unemployed | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

ERI Personal Marketing and Pushing Through

Posted on April 15, 2012 by Admin

While unemployed, it will be easy to get down on yourself and lose steam while looking for work. You have got to push through this. People who take a beating — from themselves — are much more likely to be unemployed for a greater amount of time. Subconsciously you may put yourself in state where you will not find success for various reasons. You have got to keep a good head on your shoulders while times are tough. You will find success, you have to remember that while hunting.

As a group, virtually everyone who is unemployed eventually becomes reemployed, but some do it quickly, while others struggle, give up or settle for poor positions. With the right effort many can win new jobs that are more attractive than what they had and in healthy industries.

Experience has shown that as time passes, the less capable you will be (both psychologically and emotionally) to do what must be done to win a new job. So, the key is to have a schedule of full activity: meetings, interviews, letter writing, phone calls, follow-ups and negotiations.

For action oriented people, being unemployed simply means having the time to do a lot of the things that need to be done. On the other hand, if they aren’t active… many quickly get discouraged. Here are some observations.

Get support from your employer. Many employers are concerned about their people and want to provide help.With respect to severance, corporations will sometimes extend fi nancial support or maintain benefi ts. Some fi rms will also extend outplacement counseling, if you think it would help.Make sure there is total agreement on the reason for your separation.

Work out an explanation that puts you in the best possible light. Once you have arranged for the best possible support, be prepared to explain why you are unemployed. You may be able to state that the termination was due to factors beyond anyone’s control, such as a cutback, merger or reorganization.

Where it applies, make the point that the fi nal separation was made at your initiative because you are a loyal person who gives 100 percent, and you did not want to look for a job while drawing a paycheck, or take a lesser position. And, be ready to provide references who will speak enthusiastically. Consider people you worked with, those who worked for you, customers, suppliers, or infl uential people in any part of the company.

Posted in Advice, Employed, ERI Personal Marketing, Network, Unemployed | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

ERI Personal Marketing and Being Direct

Posted on April 8, 2012 by Admin

For the best chances at landing a great job, you have got to be in direct contact with decision makers. Too often people believe they will be taken care of by whomever receives their resume. This is not the case. You never know who is the first line of eyes, and you want to talk to people who will have say in your future. Keep this in mind on your job hunt.

Why does direct mail work? Every day we all receive direct mail. However bad junk mail looks, the ones you see again and again are working; otherwise, the senders wouldn’t be wasting their money.One thing that makes it work in many cases is that long copy is used. That’s what it takes to motivate all of us to action from unasked-for correspondence.

Here’s an example:

Let’s say a lawn mower shop has a new product. And you and your next door neighbor are both out cutting your lawns on a hot day. However, your lawn mower breaks down. Then, the mail carrier arrives at both residences with mail that tells you all about a new lawn mower. It gives a long explanation of why it’s superior. Now, your neighbor will look at the mailing piece for two seconds and toss it.

He isn’t in the market for a lawn mower. On the other hand, they have reached you at the right time, you are likely to read it. Now when you job hunt, your situation is similar. You need to reach the right person. No one else counts. Some people don’t believe in direct employer contact. They think that anything you send to an employer is thrown away.

Certainly, this has some truth, since the great majority will throw away your materials in seconds. But if you’ve ever needed someone with certain skills… then you know you want the easiest way to find a good candidate. And if a good resume or letter reached you at the right time, you would take action on it. Sending the right materials… to the right person… will get the attention of some decision makers. But, timing is very critical.

You need to reach a decision maker that might be looking for someone like you. Even if your timing is bad, companies scan the resumes of the better candidates into their database. Then, as they develop a need… this is usually the fi rst place they turn. Contacting employers directly allows you to reach potential buyers quickly. If you want… you can reach the entire universe of all your best prospects.

Posted in Advice, ERI Personal Marketing, Unemployed | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

ERI Personal Marketing and the Executive Resume

Posted on April 1, 2012 by Admin

If you are looking for you next big executive opportunity, your resume better be in order and look to amaze. A resume is so much more now that it has ever been as decision makers are seeing more than ever come through the door. Yours had better stand out if you are going to land that interview in order to show the boss that you are the right person for the job.

To appreciate the importance of superior resumes, let’s fi rst talk a little bit about the competition, and why it has devastated so many talented people. And keep in mind that when you look for a new job, you are reduced to how you look on paper.

Today, the number of resumes in circulation exceeds the imagination. GE receives 800,000 resumes a year… but they only hire about 4,000 people. That’s 1 out of every 200. Other wellknown fi rms say they get over 1,000 resumes for every opening.

And, when it comes to submitting your resume to an attractive ad… you should know that employers are now getting hundreds of candidates. Leading recruiters, like Korn Ferry and Heidrick and Struggles, now claim to receive more than 1,500 resumes a work day… 30,000 each month.

Unfortunately, despite the enormous competition, many people create a resume, show it to some friends or family members and then assume it’s fi ne. Ann Landers is famous for many quotes, but one applies here. “Don’t accept your dog’s admiration as conclusive evidence that you are wonderful.”

Just how good is your resume?

While many professionals still use traditional resumes, with this amount of competition, the fact is they don’t work very well anymore. The reason is that most of these resumes have one or more of the six major resume weaknesses… that can restrict job hunting success. So, let’s start by having you assess your current resume… to see if it has these weaknesses:

1—Does your resume look like others?  Your resume must start by projecting an outstanding image… one that sets you apart. It must be eye-catching… not ordinary, plain vanilla and flat.

2—Does your resume reveal liabilities?  Even top executives can fi nd themselves continually derailed… because of the negative information they made available… without realizing it.

3—Third, does your resume sell transferable skills? Or, does it just sell your history and experience? Selling skills is an absolute necessity if you want to expand your market… change industries… join a growth fi rm… appeal to venture capitalists… or impress CEOs and other key decision makers.

Posted in Advice, ERI Personal Marketing, Portfolio, Unemployed | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

ERI Personal Marketing and Taking Action

Posted on March 25, 2012 by Admin

If you want to have the greatest amount of success while looking for work, you need to have  a plan. A lot of people would say that they do have a plan and it is to get a job. Which, yes, should be everyone’s plan. But, how do they “plan” to do it? Make sure you take the time to have some thoughts concerning a plan of action and what will be the best manner for you to look for a great opportunity.

Over the years, we have seen equally talented people produce widely varying results. One will struggle while the other moves with speed. Those who move rapidly usually have had the benefi t of a game plan—a step-by-step track to follow.

In today’s competitive arena most people will never get enough interviews with a hit-or-miss approach. This leaves too much to fate. Think of it this way. Chances are you’re marketing a “product” with millions of dollars of earnings capacity remaining in your career. That much value deserves your best effort. Besides, job hunting is a numbers game. So, why take a chance at doing a lot of things haphazardly, without a well-designed plan?

Since job hunting is a matter of having the numbers on your side, your action plan should be targeted to produce 25 to 35 responses that result in a phone discussion. The goal is to have several offers maturing at the same time, and you have to be realistic about rejections in the interview process. Similar to any company who is about to market a new product, a good plan can cut job hunting time in half and save money.

It also helps people produce better results, and when people generate a lot of activity in a concentrated time period, they feel better and do better. Much better.

The components of a personal marketing planTo begin with… (1) Surface the right information about yourself and set clear goals; (2) pinpoint what you should be marketing, especially your transferable skills; (3) identify industry alternatives to target; (4) if you have liabilities, you need strategies to neutralize them; and (5) you need a step-by-step game plan… an action agenda… to get your story told to all the right people.

Job hunting goals: Surface all critical information about yourself and then decide on the goals that will advance your career. This includes specific job titles and income goals.Liabilities & solutions: You need to identify liability issues that might restrict your success… and arrive at ways for minimizing their impact in all written materials and conversations.Assets, transferable skills & how to market them: All of your assets and skills need to be identified. Then, they need to be incorporated into your resume and letters, and your personal marketing website.

Posted in Advice, ERI Personal Marketing, Network, Portfolio, Unemployed | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

ERI Personal Marketing and Knowing the Market

Posted on March 18, 2012 by Admin

If you are looking for work and having problems, you are not alone, However, there are ways you can find work faster than others. Something to keep in mind is what industries are less effected by the downturn in the markets than others. If you have your sights set on only a single job or industry, you may have some pretty rough times if they were hit hard by the times.

While unemployment remains high, the rate among college graduates is less than 50 percent of the national rate. Further, unemployment has been concentrated in industries that get huge publicity. Banking, construction, autos, heavy manufacturing, high-end consumer products, luxury retailing, mortgage banking and others have obviously borne the brunt.

But other industries are affected far less, or in some cases not at all. Biotechnology, healthcare, many technologically demanding products, clean energy, waste remediation, companies in many industries that have pioneered better products and services, suppliers for home gardens and local farming, and discount retailers are examples. IBM recorded record profits.

Wal-Mart’s success and that of “dollar stores” has been well publicized.Smaller companies are not immune, but many are stable or hiring. In terms of who is recruiting, for the most part it is small companies with between 10 and 1,000 employees. This continues a trend in recent years, where the vast percentage of all new employment has come from small businesses.

As mentioned earlier, it’s important to keep in mind that the overall size of the U.S. marketplace is largely determined by turnover. Positions become available because people retire… get terminated… go into their own businesses… or accept promotions outside of their current employer. This is what drives the job market.Growth companies are very important to the marketplace.

Every month there are examples of companies producing better revenues and profi ts than last year. They may not get the headlines that bad news commands, but the fact is that many smaller and mid-sized businesses are healthy and have not altered their growth plans for next year.

How long will slow employment last? No one knows, but probably for some time. For right now the job market in many industries remains on the same trendline as it was a year ago.

Since the job market is driven by turnover, the total number of job seekers in the market is affected by the bad news that is so prominently reported. The market itself is normally dominated by employed people who normally are in search of new or better jobs. And, the average person changes positions once every 4 years in the U.S.

 

Posted in Advice, Employed, ERI Personal Marketing, Unemployed | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

ERI Personal Marketing and The Words

Posted on March 12, 2012 by Admin

You know what you have to offer an employer, but if your resume falls flat, then it won’t matter. You need to know what you can do, but you need to make sure you have a resume that really pops. More than words on a page, your resume has got  to be good and catch eyes. If you don’t know how good yours looks, it may need a tuneup.

While many professionals still use traditional resumes, with this amount of competition, the fact is they don’t work very well anymore. The reason is that most of these resumes have one or more of the six major resume weaknesses… that can restrict job hunting success. So, let’s start by having you assess your current resume… to see if it has these weaknesses.

1—Does your resume look like others?  Your resume must start by projecting an outstanding image… one that sets you apart. It must be eye-catching… not ordinary, plain vanilla and flat.

2—Does your resume reveal liabilities?  Even top executives can fi nd themselves continually derailed… because of the negative information they made available… without realizing it.

3—Third, does your resume sell transferable skills? Or, does it just sell your history and experience? Selling skills is an absolute necessity if you want to expand your market… change industries… join a growth fi rm… appeal to venture capitalists… or impress CEOs and other key decision makers.

4—Does your resume show how you can contribute?  Or does it, like millions of others, force the reader to try to fi gure out how to use you? If so, you won’t get many calls. Why? Because people simply won’t take the time to study resumes. They’ll put it in the “no pile”… or toss it. Your resume has just 20 seconds to make your case… and get people to read further… or better yet… call you. If it doesn’t do this, you won’t even get in the game.

5—Is your resume scanning ready?  Scanning software has forever changed the selection process. Most organizations only keep the best 5% of resumes they receive… and scan just the fi rst page into their databases. When employers are looking for someone, they simply input key words… bring up matching resumes… and review them. That determines who gets interviewed.

6—Is your resume dynamic and a strong selling document?  In today’s market, you must inspire the reader… being boring doesn’t work. The words you select need to have some reasonable punch, substance and sparkle. Your resume needs to be interesting and compelling. There are a lot of excellent competitors out there… and the worst thing you can do is undersell yourself.

Posted in Advice, Employed, ERI Personal Marketing, Unemployed | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment