How to create a resume that says "Hey, Pick Me"!

I'd bet a significant amount of money that 99.9% of people who are looking for a new job, dread the part of the process where they have to update their resume.  Unless you get paid to write resumes (like I do as a career coach and strategist - shameless plug, I know), you would much rather be doing anything else.

While I can understand why the prospect of listing your skills in chronological order using words like "team player", "hard worker", or "self starter" makes you cringe, it is still a necessary evil in the job hunting process.

So my philosophy is this; if you have to do it, you may as well do it right.  The purpose of the resume is not to rehash your entire career history, instead it is to provide just enough information to make the hiring manager curious to learn more about you.

Here are my all star tips to help you create a dream resume that will help you land the job interview.  After all, that's the point of this whole thing, right?  Right.

1. Before you sit down to update your resume, come up with 3-4 words you want the recruiter or hiring manager to think about you when they read it.  This is your message and should come across in every aspect of  your resume.
2. While it's a myth that a resume must only be 1 page, it is true that it should be as concise as possible. Make every word earn its way onto the page. There's no room (or time) for fluff.
3. Use active verbs that show what you actually did in each role.  Your resume will be scanned initially for about 6 seconds, make the person reading it want to find out more about you.
4. Utilize the job description for the role you are applying for to help with content on your resume. Don't copy word for word, but be sure to incorporate key themes and skills.

It all boils down to this: hiring managers are looking for reasons NOT to interview you.  Your job is to make it harder for them to do that.  Be consistent and clear in your message and make sure that all supporting information backs it up.  If the job description calls for advanced Microsoft Excel skills, then by all means CLEARLY SHOW HOW MUCH OF A PRO YOU ARE, if it is the case.

Your resume should showcase the best highlights of your work history and make anyone reading it excited to learn more about who you are.

5 Natural Networking Tips You Can Use Today

If you are like most people, the thought of networking drums up visions of standing in the corner at some crowded after work event trying to introduce yourself to as many strangers as possible. In this networking game, the person with the most business cards wins.  I do not like that game.  I believe in the natural approach to networking.  This is where you build one on one relationships in an organic way with the purpose of providing mutually beneficial exchanges of information.

There are so many benefits to networking, with finding your next job opportunity only being one of these benefits.

Check out 5 natural networking tips that can help take a lot of the headache out of figuring out who and how to network!

1. Don't wait until you need the network to start building it.  It looks very tacky to try to set up coffee catch ups or information interviews with someone who's been your connection on LinkedIn for over 2 years simply because you are looking for a new job. People are more likely to help you out if you've been engaged with them prior to needing their assistance.
2. Think strategically about how to expand your network.  There may be no such thing as bad publicity, but there is such thing as unnecessary networking.  Determine your purpose for building new relationships. What's the point? This will help you make deliberate decisions as to who you need to reach out to.
3. EVERY time you are meeting with someone, you are networking.  Making small talk in the elevator at work is networking.  Going for afterwork drinks with some colleagues who work in another department in your building is networking.  Always use the opportunity to get to know new people and learn how you can help each other professionally.
4. Take some of the pressure out of networking, by looking for non-professional ways to meet new people.  Get a hobby.  Volunteer at a local charity.  This type of networking can take some of the edge off of putting yourself out there to meet someone new.
5. BE YOURSELF at all times.  No one wants to get to know a phony.  Some relationships will fizzle, but most of them won't as long as you remain authentic and true to yourself.

What other natural networking tips have worked for you in the past?

The Honest to God Truth About Personal Brand

At some point in your professional career, I'm willing to bet a significant amount of money that you've heard the term "Personal Brand".  And no, it wasn't used in the context of describing uber successful companies like Pepsi, Apple, or Disney; but instead it was used to describe you.

The first time I heard the term used to describe me, I'm not going to lie, I was more than a little bit confused.  "How am I supposed to come up with a personal brand?", I thought to myself, "I'm not trying to sell anything".

I have come a long way since those thoughts initially ran through my mind.  I now know that each and every professional is most definitely trying to sell something - themselves.  As a result, a personal brand is probably the most important tool you have in your arsenal when it comes to creating a successful career.

The tricky thing about personal brand is that it's always working for you, either in a negative or positive way.  Because of this, you have to make a deliberate effort to ensure that you remain in control of the impression you are creating for the world to see.  Why leave something as important as your image and public perception to chance?

The first and most important step in developing your personal brand is to decide what you want it to be.  If you had to describe yourself twitter style (140 characters or less), what would you say?  This is your brand statement.  The best statements drum up some emotion behind the words and persuade the receiver to not only see you in a certain light, but to also feel you.

What do you feel when you think of Donald Trump, Oprah, Beyonce,  or Rick Ross?  Whether you like these people or not, they've each drilled into your psyche some emotionally charged feelings about who they are.  Rick Ross' is the most simple - "I'm a Boss".  It doesn't get any more plain that that.

Once you figure out your brand statement, you will need to ensure that all of your professional interactions and deliverables (both online and offline) are aligned with it.

The bottom line is that personal brand is arguably the most important aspect in determining your career trajectory.  91% of recruiters and hiring managers will google you before even inviting you for an interview.  Don't leave something this important to chance. Become your own PR exec in the business of marketing YOU.

11 Tell Tale Signs it's Time to Find a New Job

You've been at your job for some time now and are finding that your bad days are starting to outweigh the good ones.  It's no secret that you are unhappy and would rather be doing ANYTHING else than what you are being paid to do from 9-5 Monday through Friday. But, how do you know whether it's just the inevitable down phase that everyone goes through at work or if it really is time to pack your things and move on?

Here are 11 tell tale signs it's time to move on to the next chapter in your work life (in no particular order).

1. You don't aspire to be like your boss(or anyone else in senior management).  If you've come to the point where you can look around in all of the executive offices and not find even one person's job who you want to strive to get - it may be a sign that you are no longer in the right job.
2. You don't get along with your boss.  We all have moments when we disagree with a decision our boss has made or are annoyed that we are called into her office for yet another meeting, however, if you're at the point where you can't stand the sight of your boss' face anymore, this is a bad sign.
3. Your stress has become unmanageable. Every job has a bit of stress that is not only normal, but healthy.  If you find though that you are unable to keep your job stress in check and often feel depressed and overwhelmed, THIS IS NOT NORMAL.  It could be time to dust off your resume.
4. You're constantly finding excuses to call in sick. Once you've mentally checked out, it's only a matter of time before you're physically checked out as well.  If you are calling in sick for the slightest cough or ache, you need to rethink your current job.
5. You no longer feel challenged.  Part of what makes a dream job is that you are constantly learning, growing and developing.  If you feel that you could do your job in your sleep and that it is no longer stretching your intellectual and/ or creative mind - run out of there as soon as you can!
6. You feel like you are living the "status quo".  As a high achiever, you are used to pushing the envelope and operating from a place of greatness.  If every time you show up to work you feel as though you are just existing and not thriving, your inner voice is trying to tell you something.
7. You're depressed and anxious about work - even when you're not there.  It's one thing to stare at the clock and want to go home after working a crazy 10 hour day, but it's another thing entirely when you can't even enjoy the weekend or time off because you're dreading having to go back in to the office.
8. You're no longer learning.  Similar to not feeling challenged at work anymore, if you've hit a ceiling as far as what new information you can get on the job, get with a recruiter!  It can be stifling to be in a situation where you're no longer being stimulated intellectually.
9. Everyone else is leaving. If the people that got there before, at the same time, and after you have gone, you must ask yourself why.  What are you missing?  If everyone - especially the smart people - has jumped ship, it's time for you to follow suit.
10. It just "feels" like the right time to leave.  Don't underestimate the power of your intuition.  If nothing is blatantly wrong at work, but you can't shake the nagging feeling that you should be moving on, follow that voice.  Oftentimes we know internally what we need to do way before we actually do it.
11. Your values no longer align with the company's. This one is a biggie.  It's very hard to feel like giving your all to a company whose vision you disagree with entirely. If you feel there's no way to reconcile your company's views with your own, take the time to research other companies that may be a better fit.

If you can relate to even 1 of these signs, you owe it to yourself to take a long, hard look at your current job and decide if it's worth it to start searching for another gig.

Why Hiring Managers Don't Care About You

That's right. You read the title of this post correctly - HIRING MANAGERS DON'T CARE ABOUT YOU. There are a number of decisions that go into a HR recruiter or hiring manager's decision to call an applicant in for an interview and being a qualified employee is all the way at the bottom of the list.  If it were just a matter of the candidate being qualified, the job search process would be way easier than it currently is.  However, I'd be willing to bet thateach of you can think of at least one person in your circle (perhaps maybe even yourself) who is struggling to find a new job even though she can check off every qualification listed in the job description and has been nothing but a #boss employee for all of her professional life!

Please don't misunderstand my message here.  It is very important for you to KILL IT at work.  Your goal should absolutely be to execute every project and assignment flawlessly, but the track record of being an outstanding employee is not enough to get you your next gig.

So what then is the secret ingredient to landing an interview?  It's simple. WIFM.  What's. In. It. For. Me.  This is what the hiring manager is thinking when s/ he is skimming through your resume and it's what needs to be in your head before you hit the "apply now" button.

Instead of focusing your resume on summarizing how special you are and reiterating everything you've done since graduation, the focus should beon showing the hiring manager how your past experiences (professional, educational, and volunteer) will be an asset to the company.

What good is a 10 year run of outstanding career achievements if you aren't able to express (during the 6 seconds it takes to decide whether or not to pass on your resume) what you will do to help drive the department forward?

As you sit down to update your resume for your next job application, you should have one goal in mind as you go over your bullet points - What's in it for the hiring manager.