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When the Resume Lie is Uncovered

Resumes have their own language.
A “summer internship” often means studious coffee-making. “Basic German” means you can say your name with a German accent. “Good computer skills” — you like sending e-cards. But how often are resumes checked? And what happens if the “facts” are uncovered?

“We don’t check all the information on a resume in detail, right from the very beginning,” said Olga Andreyeva, business development manager at Coleman Services recruitment agency.
“This is not only because of the huge amount of work it would entail, but also so as not to undermine the position of those applicants currently in employment,” she said.
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Is It Time To Update Your Resume

The motto “Be prepared,” isn’t just great advice for Boy Scouts; it’s also great career advice. You never know when the perfect career opportunity will present itself. If a recruiter called you today with your dream job, would you be prepared to send out an up-to-date resume right away?

There are four critical times to update your resume:
· At least once a year
· Any time your career focus changes
· When you anticipate layoffs with your company
· When you begin to feel dissatisfied with your current position
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The Counterintuitive Job Search

When you catch a cold, your first instinct is to hop in bed until you feel better. That’s understandable and healthy.

How about when you find yourself out of a job?

Your first reaction to a job loss may be the same — lie in bed until it blows over. Yet, unlike a cold, unemployment won’t go away by itself.

Instead, you can get hired faster by going against your instincts, according to John Challenger, CEO of the outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas (www.challengergray.com).

“When you’re out of work, most people would just as soon not tell anyone. Their pride can be an obstacle. But in reality, you want everyone to know about your job search. Secrecy won’t produce interviews,” says Challenger.
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In Executive Career Placement, the Best Networking is a Strategic Plan

Generally, senior executives are very accomplished at their day-to-day activities within their respective industries. However, most are not skilled in what is often the hardest job they ve ever had finding a job. Many of these men and women have not had to look for a new position in 10, 15, or even 20 years. The situation is compounded by the fact that our cyclical economy now changes radically every few years, placing once-secure executives in the position of having the bottom drop from underneath them at a time when they are ill-prepared to roll with the punches. A senior executive may be highly-qualified for a number of desirable positions, but the fact is that s/he simply just doesn t know how to find them.

While some professionals are naturally outgoing and communicative of their skills and talents, many others are not. Regardless of ability, very few actually look forward to carrying out the universal mandate for the senior executive job seeker: Network!
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Always Show Excitement When Job Interviewing

Remember when you are interviewing for a job, you are actually making a first impression that will last throughout your relationship with the interviewer.

When interviewing, try to put yourself in the shoes of the interviewer and decide if you would be impressed. Also remember that these people are interviewing you in the hopes of you staying with the organization for a long time.
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Businesses face ‘perfect storm’ over talent, skills and older workers

Impending baby boomer retirements, a widening skills gap and outdated approaches to hiring and retaining talented workers are combining to produce a “perfect storm” that threatens long-term business performance, a study has suggested.

The global survey of 1,396 HR professionals by the Irish arm of consultancy Deloitte found nearly seven out of 10 felt attracting new talent was the greatest threat to their competitiveness.

This was followed by the inability to retain key talent (66 per cent) and incoming workers having inadequate skills (34 per cent).
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Gender stereotypes block women’s advancement

Senior executives’ perceptions of men and women are more informed by gender-based stereotypes than facts, leading to misrepresentation of the true talents of women and contributing to the startling gender gap in business leadership.

Women “Take Care,” Men “Take Charge”, a new report by Catalyst, a U.S. research and advisory organisation dedicated to advancing women at work, argues that the effects of gender-based stereotyping can be devastating, potentially undermining women’s capacity to lead, and posing serious challenges to women’s career advancement.

Both men and women respondents cast women as better at stereotypically feminine “caretaking skills” such as supporting and rewarding. And both men and women asserted that men excel at more conventionally masculine “taking charge” skills such as influencing superiors and delegating responsibility.
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Top 7 Tricks to Getting an Interview

Ok, you’ve tried everything - You’re emailed your resume out, you’ve used a resume distribution company, etc….. And no one is calling you back. Its ok, you’re not alone. For every 100 resumes you mail out, statistically you should get 10 interviews and one job offer. However, these are rough averages. To stack the decks in your favor and stand out from the others, below are the top seven tricks we’ve found for getting your resume to stand out.

1.) Use a different color paper for mailing your resumes. Chances are, you’re using a cream, white, or gray paper color. Yes? So is everyone else. Be creative, and use a non-resume paper. Be original, and stand out. With that said, should you use hot pink? No, remember you’re applying for a professional career - but do choose something less common than white, cream, or gray.
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Get the Interview: Be Proactive Before and After You Send Your Resume

You find a promising job listing online. Excited, you send a well-crafted cover letter and resume and wait for a response. Six weeks later, you’re still waiting, your enthusiasm has waned, and you’ve concluded your resume has fallen into a black hole.

A proactive approach to your job search can improve your chances of landing interviews. These six tips will help maximize your success.

Make Contact Before Sending Your Resume

Unless you’re responding to an ad that requests “no phone calls,” try to contact the hiring manager before you send your resume. Even if you don’t know the name of the person handling the search, you can do a bit of investigation to locate the correct person, if you know the employer.
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The Truth About Resume Lies

A solid résumé will get you in the door. A lie on the résumé will get you kicked down the stairs.

Yet, a surprising number of job candidates lie, elide or stretch the truth on their résumé.

“Lies usually shake out during the interviews,” says Jim Barnhill, an executive senior partner specializing in human resources recruitment for the Lucas Group in Atlanta. “If you don’t have the experience, you can’t speak intelligently about the topic.”

People often lie on their résumé in the mistaken belief that puffery will improve their chances to take a giant step in their career or simply because they lack self-confidence. A few may have something to hide. Some say as many as 35% of job seekers have lied on their résumé.
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