Employment Digest

Keep up to date on articles and news and subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!

Carefully craft resume; organize your search

So, the old job has become so unbearable you are about to do something crazy and begin that dreaded job search.With the new year come new trends in hiring. From a quicker interview process to plump perks, experts say getting hired in 2008 could be a smooth ride."Companies are taking less time to run people through and make a decision," said Mark Haering, senior partner with PrincetonOne Search, an executive search agency in Indianapolis. "They want to make sure somebody else doesn't scoop them up."AdvertisementThirty-two percent of employers plan to increase their number of full-time permanent employees, according to CareerBuilder.com, an online job site run by CareerBuilder LLC that is partly owned by Lansing State Journal publisher Gannett Co. Inc. That is down from 40 percent in 2007, which saw more than 1.3 million jobs created, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

"Looking forward, plans for hiring … point to continued job creation," said Matt Ferguson, chief executive officer of CareerBuilder.com.

Here's what to expect as you head out on the job hunt:

Tech traits

A resume can say a lot about a job candidate, and employers increasingly are tossing out applications that are not up to par.

"If you're looking for a position and you've got typos in your resume and your formatting is off or it just doesn't look very sophisticated, that in itself can speak to an employer about whether or not you're computer literate," said Kate Tykocki, spokeswoman for Capital Area Michigan Works, a Lansing-area work force development agency.

"Employers want people who are tech savvy, and if your resume looks like you don't even know how to use a computer, you're sending a message loud and clear to a potential employer."

Don't overdo it

To some, the wealth of Internet job postings almost seems too good to be true. And it probably is.

"Because of the Internet, because it's so easy to apply for a job, people are just applying for any job out there and hoping it'll work out even if they're not qualified for it," Tykocki said. "It can discourage a person from really having an effective job search and continuing to look so they can find that perfect job that they are qualified for."

When responding to online postings, applicants should try to avoid accidentally sending resumes twice, "which is going to look irresponsible," she said.

"It becomes easy just to shoot off a copy of your resume, but you've got to make sure you're keeping good records of what you've applied for," Tykocki said.

Digging deep

To be sure they are recruiting the right talent, more employers are using the Internet to screen potential employees. Forty-five percent said they use online search engines and social networking sites to research job candidates, according to CareerBuilder.com.

This year, nearly 20 percent of companies say they will increase use of these resources.

In addition, companies will be using background checks and assessment tools more often, Haering said. "While they want to make a quick decision, they also want to make the right decision," he said.

Get connected

Job hunters and recruiters increasingly surf professional networking Web site LinkedIn.com, said John Hill, director of alumni career services at Michigan State University.

The site allows users to create a network of contacts who are connected to them directly or through mutual acquaintances.

"Professional networking Web sites have created even more interconnectivity to jobs and job opportunities, where you can visually see how somebody can help you get introduced to somebody to find a job," Hill said.

Through LinkedIn, people can learn more about a job or candidate without meeting in person, Hill said.

Outside the box

When scouring the Web or classifieds for job openings, candidates unintentionally may pass over opportunities if they discount companies outside their industries of expertise.

"Just because it's a health care organization doesn't mean they're not hiring accountants," Tykocki said. "They're hiring the entire support staff to run the company."

In fact, employers are struggling with a shortage of qualified candidates. Forty percent of companies say they have open positions for which they can't find the right talent, Ferguson said.

"Recruitment and retention efforts are becoming increasingly competitive, and job seekers are likely to benefit in the new year," he said.

Perking you up

Rising health care costs are a definite trend. To draw new candidates to their workplace, nearly 20 percent of employers say they will offer more comprehensive benefits this year, according to CareerBuilder.com.

Other perks to lure workers include signing bonuses, employee discounts, company cars, stock options, free child care, educational reimbursement, transit passes and wellness programs.

About one-quarter of employers also say they will provide more promotions and career advancement opportunities for new hires.

You say you're feeling nervous about interviewing? Guess what - so is everybody else. It is very common to be nervous before the interview. It's also OK to be nervous. Being anxious can raise your energy level and that's a good thing.

Here are some other tips that will raise your energy and your confidence.

Demeanor, and Attitude can mean a great deal in the interview.

The interview begins when the interviewer first sets eyes on you. Whether you are sitting or standing make sure that your posture portrays self-confidence. The interviewer extends a hand to shake and this is the first connection made. Make sure you give a firm, not bone-crushing handshake. This applies to shaking hands with men and women. While you are shaking the hand, check out the eye color of the person you are connecting with. Eye contact is especially important to show confidence.

Preparation will make a huge difference in your confidence.

The act of writing out your answers to difficult questions, particularly if you have a "glitch" in your resume or background, is important to sounding prepared.

Read through the job description/posting — one, two, three times — and then read between the lines. What are they looking for? While you're at it, check out their website and do research on the company. Read their mission statement. If it "reeks" of team building jargon, make sure you are prepared to talk about your past experiences working with teams.

Practice makes perfect.

If you rehearse your answers you will feel more confident. Use a tape recorder, watch yourself in front of a mirror, or get a friend to practice with you. Practice, practice, practice — it will make a difference.

Enthusiasm could be the tie-breaker between you and someone else getting the job.

If there are two or more people interviewing for the same job, the one that shows passion and interest in the job could be the one chosen. This is a quality that you will have to feel and not fake. If it isn't there, it will be difficult to pretend it is. Make sure you are interviewing for jobs that are of genuine interest to you and not just somewhere to get a paycheck. You will be happier in the long run and a better performer as well.

Be Yourself

One of the factors in choosing the right person is finding out whether you are going to fit in. If you believe in yourself it will be easier for you to be yourself in the interview. Basically, would these people interviewing you want to work side-by-side with you day after day? And, would you want to work side-by-side with them? Remember, this is a two-way process. You are looking at them at the same time that they are checking you out. Turn up your intuitive powers. Listen carefully and read between the lines. Is this the right place for you?

It's OK not to get a job offer.

You won't get a job offer after every interview. It's a tough job market with lots of competition. Go to the interview and give your best performance. Once you've done that it is out of your control. Sometimes there are factors that have nothing to do with you, but will prevent you from getting that job offer. That's OK — your turn will come eventually.

Searching for a job is not easy. You may find your emotions rising and falling like a roller coaster. It's important that you keep your morale up during this period of job search. Don't give up. Giving up is defeat and you're not a quitter!

Carole Martin is America's #1 Interview Coach. Celebrated author, trainer, and mentor, Carole can give you interviewing tips like no one else can. Her workbook, "Interview Fitness Training" has sold thousands of copies world-wide. Sign Up to Receive Free Weekly Interview Tips at http://www.interviewcoach.com

Portfolio careerists revel in change

In an age of work re-invention, the small but growing tribe of people with “portfolio careers” is at the outer edge of career customization. They're diversifying their lives by pursuing several serious lines of work at once - a challenging yet fitting approach to the job insecurity that touches us all.

Entreprenurial hustle? A must-have.

At ease with bouts of isolation? A necessity.

Happiest multitasking on a macro scale? That's a starter checklist for the would-be portfolio careerist, who also would do well to be inventive and extroverted. To many, this life would be torture. And yet as a possible recession could further darken an anxious era, we’ve the capability to all learn much from those who revel in constant change.

“I was excited to hear that someone coined a term for what I've been doing since I left college,” states Stephanie Creary, a 31-year-old speech pathologist and professional dancer from Allston who now teaches yoga and works as a researcher at Harvard Business School and the nonprofit Conference Board in New York.

“I never intended to do just one thing. I've always had multiple jobs for multiple interests,” says Creary, who earned an MBA at Simmons last year. “When you're a kid, they always tell you to be well-rounded. Why all of a sudden when you become an adult do you've to cease?”

Certainly, with US average work hours escalating for many and vacation days often collecting dust, many of us don't have much time for hobbies, recreation, or community work, much less family. About one-quarter of managers and professionals work 49 hours or more weekly, according to the government. When work is our life, life is more narrow.

A portfolio career isn't an instant ticket to balance. Creary works hard and notes that she's often teaching or toiling after-hours or on weekends - when friends in the mainstream work world can play. Still, she's getting paid for pursuing her passions - and gaining skills and experience in diverse worlds. “There's always something that I'm doing that's revenue-generating,” she says.

It's difficult to track how many people work this way. For the last decade, about 5 to 6 percent of the workforce, or roughly 8 million people, have held multiple jobs, either part or full time, according to government estimates. These are the classic moonlighters, with a day job and a separate weekend or night gig, or the entrepreneurs who run a business while working a “real” job. Still, this official tally ignores many portfolio workers, since the government doesn't count the entirely self-employed as “multiple job holders.”

Will portfolio work turn epidemic? Probably not, even though its incidence is growing, according to recruiters, career coaches, and others who follow trends in work culture. James Weinberg, a recruiter for nonprofits, sees an uptick in those willing to work this way - and those willing to hire them.

More job candidates are asking Weinberg for part-time work, saying, ” 'I'm trying to knit together a career', or 'I'd like to have multiple roles that'll grant me flexibility,' ” observes Weinberg, chief executive of Commongood Careers in Boston. Sometimes, executives work on a shared basis for several groups, splitting their time between jobs, he states.

So what does it take to kindle a portfolio career? Along with the flex-skills listed above, this life demands loads of focus and self-knowledge. “The hardest part is that if you’ve this lifestyle, you're managing the ups and downs of multiple careers,” says Marci Alboher, author of “One Person/Multiple Careers: A New Model for Work-Life Success.”

Being a constant insider/outsider at organizations is challenging, too. You can be a valuable player, yet you aren't climbing anybody's corporate ladder but your own. Be sure to create a long-term life plan so you make progress - however you define it. “Not everyone understands what you're trying to accomplish,” says Creary.

Still, the mix can be heady for the right person at the right time. Ted Villa, a Needham father of two preschoolers, first heard of portfolio careers last fall from his career coach, Randi Bussin, and instantly liked the idea. A month later, he quit a staff position producing interactive marketing campaigns and now does contract work in that field, while starting up a business creating interactive, kiosk-type displays for museums.

“There are sacrifices and yes there are insecurities, but at the same time, I feel more in control of my life when it's me making these decisions about what to work on and what not to work on,” says Villa.

Maggie Jackson, author of What's Happening to Home: Balancing Work, Life and Refuge in the Information Age, can be reached at maggie.jackson@att.net

Grooming Women for the Top: Tips from Executive Coaches

Some women might be missing out on the executive coaching that equally experienced men get at work. A recent study shows that at 20% of companies offering such coaching women receive it less often than men, while women get more coaching than men at only 5% of firms that offer it.

“Even though the data indicate that most women get treated fairly when it comes to coaching, there's still a significant number of companies where women don't get equal access,” says Deborah A. Felton, a director of consulting in New York for the Novations Group Inc., a global consulting and training firm in Boston. Novations conducted the study, based on an on the web poll of human-resource professionals with 334 respondents. Men and women receive executive coaching at the same rate at about 75% of companies that offer it, the study finds.

Senior management — usually men — typically chooses who receives coaching, often selecting up-and-comers to whom they relate best, according to Ms. Felton. “A 'mini me' thing happens,” she says.

The lower rate recommends that the playing field might not be quite level for women seeking to advance in management. In a competitive work environment, coaching can help managers and professionals improve skills in such areas as communication and meeting business goals.

What are women managers missing out on? CareerJournal.com asked five executive coaches about what they help women clients with most. Here's what they said:

1. Getting heard.

Commanding attention at meetings among colleagues and higher-ups can be difficult for some women, says Kerri Halmi, an executive coach in Oakland, Calif.

A manager at a huge West Coast aerospace company recently told her that in group meetings, “she couldn't get a word in edgewise,” says Ms. Halmi. The other participants, often all men, regularly interrupted each other, which the manager considered impolite, she says. “She wanted to get promoted and felt like this was keeping her back,” she says.

Ms. Halmi states she advised the manager to engage in the same behavior initially. Then “she could propose a ground rule of not interrupting,” she says. Ms. Halmi also recommended that the manager tell the meetings' facilitator about wanting to contribute more to gain his support. Since then, the manager has been getting heard, she says.

Another way to boost your visibility when talking is to stand up or sit upright, and use hand gestures, Ms. Halmi states. “Hold yourself up high and take up as much space as possible to appear bigger,” she says.

Women who speak quickly and in a high-pitched voice also might have difficulty getting their message across, states Nancy Atwood, senior vice president at Lore International Institute, an executive-coaching firm based in Durango, Colo. You'll get more notice if you slow it down, and swap your soprano for an alto. “It's a matter of executive presence,” she says.

2. Looking and acting the part.

“Managers need to have a pressure-proof demeanor,” says Dee Soder, founder and managing partner of the CEO Perspective Group, an executive-coaching and assessment firm based in New York. “You want to be like a swan, very calm on the surface, although you're paddling like crazy underneath.”

Fidgeting and other subtle behaviors, such as finger tapping, can detract from a person's authority, Dr. Soder states. One way to curb such habits might be to give yourself a small reminder, such as putting your watch on the opposite wrist you're accustomed to wearing it on. The change can serve as a subtle hint to be still, she says.

Caroline McNally says she made several style changes when seeking a promotion to the executive suite as a senior vice president with a large credit-card company in 2000. “They viewed me as a high-performer, but maybe not a star capable of getting to that next level,” she says. “I wanted to tweak my approach so that they viewed me in a different light.”

Advised by an executive coach to blend more in with top managers, Ms. McNally states she began wearing dark-colored suits and less flashy jewelry. She ditched her strappy handbag for one resembling a briefcase. Instead of folding her hands in her lap at meetings, she put them on the table, she says. Less than a year later, Ms. McNally, now 51, says she was promoted to executive vice president. She has since joined Pay By Touch, a technology company in San Francisco, in a similar role, she states.

3. Focusing on the massive picture.

Some women tend to concentrate so much on getting the job done that they may neglect big-picture thinking, a critical part of a leader's job, says Tricia Scudder, founder and president of the Executive Coaching Group in New York. “You want to be able to point to where you made a difference, so that if you weren't in that job, it wouldn't have happened,” she says.

Recruit a friend or trusted colleague to help ensure you make time to step back for perspective and a strategic vision for the organization, states Ms. Scudder. “Make a promise to them and say, 'I'll show you a draft of an idea by a certain deadline,' ” she states. “Make a dinner date, so you've to show up with the goods.”

Find time by handing off some tasks to others, says Maggie Craddock, an executive coach in New York. “Get savvy about where you can delegate,” she says, and avoid over-assisting others. Some women, she says, “lose track of where their jobs end and other people's start.”

Nice Resume. Have You Considered Botox?

IN a new self-help book called “How Not to Look Old,” chapter headings in screaming capital letters warn readers of the dreaded signs of aging that are to be avoided at all costs. Skip to next paragraph

Television Magic: Frown Lines Disappear Just like clothing and hairstyles, the aging face is subject to fashion trends, as evinced by popular Television shows over the last 50 years. Characters played by Rose Marie, Mary Tyler Moore and Candice Bergen had frown lines and crow's feet; but Calista Flockhart, and Lucy Liu, seem wrinkle free. As for real women this day, Joy Behar of “The View” said: “You can't have a job like mine on Television and not have some Botox. I don't know anyone who hasn't.” NATASHA SINGER

“NOTHING AGES YOU LIKE … FOREHEAD LINES” admonishes one chapter introduction. Another chapter cautions: “NOTHING AGES YOU LIKE … YELLOW TEETH.”

Nothing, apparently, also carbon-dates you like GRAY BROW HAIRS or SAGGING SKIN or RECEDING GUMS, according to the book written by Charla Krupp, a former beauty director at Glamour who writes a column for More, a magazine for women over 40.

The book is the latest makeover title to treat the aging of one's exterior as a disease whose symptoms are to be fought to the death or, at least, mightily camouflaged. But the book offers a serious rationale for such vigilant attempts at age control, arguing that trying to pass for younger isn’t so much a matter of sexual allure as of job security.

“Looking hip is not just about vanity anymore, it's critical to each woman's personal and financial survival,” according to the book jacket.

Promoted recently on Oprah Winfrey's show and “Today,” the book clearly talks to the fears of professional obsolescence and economic vulnerability among women over 40, at whom it is aimed. “How Not to Look Old” made its debut on the New York Times best-seller list last week at No. 8 in the advice and how-to category.

“Whether we want to admit it or not, in male corporate America we would rather have a cute, sexy 30-year-old working for us than a 50-year-old with gray hair who has let herself go and looks out of it, not in the swing of it, like a nun,” stated Ms. Krupp, a blonde who blurs her age by personifying her advice about donning highlights, bangs, heels and sheer lip gloss. After all, nothing ages you like dark lipstick.

“My book is hitting a nerve because I’m giving not looking old a spin as if your life depended on it,” Ms. Krupp said in an interview last week.

Many people would shun a book if it were titled “How Not to Look Jewish” or “How Not to Look Gay” because to cater to discrimination is to capitulate to it. But the success of “How Not to Look Old” indicates that popular culture is willing to buy into ageism as an acceptable form of prejudice, even against oneself.

“Ageism is one of the last frontiers of discrimination where people think that a way around it is not to be seen to age, but we would never say that women should try to look or act more male in order to avoid sexism,” said Molly Andrews, a psychologist who is a director of the Center for Narrative Research at the University of East London.

Dr. Andrews is the author of a 1999 paper titled “The Seductiveness of Agelessness,” published in Ageing & Society, in which she argued that encouraging people to mask their age constitutes a form of ageism in itself. “People who are held up as models of aging well are those who are not seen to age,” she said.

The success of “How Not to Look Old” comes on the heels of disparaging comments about Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton made by the radio provocateur Rush Limbaugh, who last month said: “Will Americans want to watch a woman get older before their eyes on a daily basis? And that woman, by the way, isn't going to want to look like she's getting older, because it will impact poll numbers.”

Although Mr. Limbaugh's comments drew widespread criticism, they underscored the idea that older women in the work force are vulnerable to age prejudice.

In one study on hiring practices, for example, a graduate student at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology applied to entry-level jobs in Boston and St. Petersburg, Fla., by sending out 4,000 resumes as a female job applicant; the resumes varied the year of high school graduation, which dated the job seeker as being from 35 to 62.

The study, published in 2005 by the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College, found that younger women were 40 percent more likely to receive an offer of a job interview than women over 50; a woman over 50 in Boston would have to send in 27 resumes just to get one job interview, where a younger woman would have to send in only 19, the study said.

“Seeming young can definitely help your economic status, and that pays the rent,” stated Joanna N. Lahey, the author of the study, who is now an assistant professor of public policy at Texas A & M.

A half-dozen women interviewed for this article said that they'd chosen to use age-control techniques either because their jobs demanded it or because they simply disliked the physical changes attendant with age.

“The only way to age gracefully in my business is to die young like Natalie Wood or James Dean, but Shelley Winters or Marlon Brando could not get a job on the Food Network right now,” stated Joy Behar, a talk-show host on “The View” on ABC.

Ms. Behar recommended that working women this day are held to beauty norms that are more stringent than in previous generations because of trends in longevity, fitness and cosmetic medicine. “I'll do Botox and Restylane injections, but my motto is, 'I won't go under.' I won't do anything that involves anesthesia.”

Indeed, the real trend behind “How Not to Look Old” is the rebranding of aging from biological inevitability to outmoded lifestyle option.

And even for women who said their jobs hadn’t dictated the choices they made about their looks, techniques to mask their age might improve their currency.

“In 1985, I saw a tape of myself where my eyes were puffy,” stated Faye Wattleton, the president of the Center for the Advancement of Women, a nonprofit group in Manhattan. “I looked very tired and bedraggled and not as young as I would like to have been.”

Ms. Wattleton said she had an eye lift at that time, followed about five years ago by a lower face-lift. “I didn't do it because I was worried I would lose my job,” she stated. “I did it to make a better appearance, a fresher appearance, a more young appearance.”

Ms. Wattleton, 64, described people's outward aging and their decisions to ameliorate it as personal choices that others should not judge.

“Being a person who has had plastic surgery and goes to the gym five days a week to work my muscles up so they don't look atrophied as a 6o-year-old, I don't disparage people who want to maintain their appearance,” said Ms. Wattleton, a former director of Planned Parenthood. “But what I don't want is a society that tells me I've to.”

Ms. Krupp argues that economic pressures require most women to adopt age-management techniques. As her book puts it: we can't afford to let ourselves go!

“What are we going to do if we have to enter the work force at a ripe old age?” Ms. Krupp said last week. “Out of necessity, you can disguise the age you’re by looking younger, hipper and fresher.”

She added that Americans of one class, religion or ethnicity have often tried on other identities if they appeared to confer some professional or economic advantage.

“There was a book on how not to look Jewish,” Ms. Krupp stated. “It was called 'The Preppy Handbook' and it was a ideal seller.”

In sports and a variety of other activities from bridge building to nose piercing, the sweet spot is the point in the middle where impact will have optimal effectiveness. In resumes the sweet spot is the place to put your strongest information. This magic spot is at the top of your resume right under your name and contact information.

Some resume formats label this area Goals or Objectives, while others may focus on Skills, Accomplishments or Experience. In some academic Curriculum Vita, Education will be featured first. No matter what the heading, if the right words are there, your resume has a superior chance of getting a more careful reading.

The cold, hard truth behind this is that the person scanning your resume will start looking at that top section, and might not go further. How to get them to read the rest and schedule an interview is the next question to consider.

What information should go in that top section? The current estimate is that each resume might be scanned for six seconds or less by human resources, even less time if the company involved is having resumes scanned by a software program. Personal are only speeding up the same process that employers and their personnel screeners have been doing for decades, searching for a few specialized phrases.

These are the words you want to put in the sweet spot at the top of your resume. In order to customize your resume for each job application, think about two factors:

1. What the employer wants–the ad you're answering should answer this question and provide useful words and phrases.

2. What you are offering in terms of experience, skills or achievements that demonstrate how you can do the job being offered, and how your goals and objectives will add value to the employer.

Using the sweet spot can simplify the task of tailoring a resume to a variety of different sorts of jobs, because only that small segment of the resume might need to be changed.

Courtesty Lynne Murray - http://editorial-rescue.blogspot.com

How to Prepare for a Layoff by Lifehack

Lately, it seems like each day brings yet another headline about impending corporate job cuts. Maybe you've even heard rumors that your own company is planning to downsize. Could your job be at risk?

Unfortunately, in today's world, no job is ever 100% secure. Layoffs have become standard operating procedure for many companies. They hire when business looks good and cut jobs when results fall short of estimates. And it often doesn't matter how good you’re at your job or how hard you work.

Nobody relishes the idea of becoming suddenly unemployed, but a layoff doesn't have to be the end of the world. The key to minimizing the stress and negative fallout is to prepare now for the possibility of a pink slip.

Trust me, I speak from experience. In more than twelve years of working for massive corporations, I've lived through countless downsizings, reorganizations, and mergers. In most cases, I survived to work another day. However, I twice found myself among those packing up their desks and turning in their employee IDs. The first time, I was caught unprepared. The second time, I was ready, willing and able to embrace my layoff for what it was — an opportunity to finally make a career change that I had been dreaming about for years.

Follow my advice and you too can make sure layoffs won't knock you for a loop:

1. Stay in the Game – First and foremost, never stop looking for new career opportunities – even if your current job feels comfortable and secure. You never know when your dream job might open up. Keep your resume updated and make sure that the right recruiters have your phone number. You should always have a passive job search in progress. That way, you'll always enjoy a steady stream of job leads and you'll have a head begin on landing your next position if you get laid off. This might sound like obvious advice, but few people truly take it seriously until it's too late. Don't allow yourself to be lulled into a false sense of security. When the layoff rumors start buzzing, goose your passive job search and get a tiny more active about exploring your options.
2. Demonstrate Your Value – To increase your odds of hanging onto your current position, do whatever you can to show your manager the value that you provide. This is no time to be modest. Make sure you document your contributions and ensure that your boss comprehends how much harder her job would be without you.
3. Don't Take Any of It Personally – While it doesn't hurt to demonstrate your value (see above), keep in mind that even the most valuable employees can be laid off. Layoff decisions are based on many factors. Sometimes, it's about who was hired last. Sometimes, it's about who makes the most money. Sometimes, there is no clear reason for who winds up on the chopping block. Don't let rumors and speculation mess with your head. There's only so much you can do to influence whether or not your name will show up on the layoff list. Don't waste energy obsessing about what might happen. Channel your energy into figuring out your Plan B.
4. Build Your Emergency Fund Cut back on discretionary purchases and put as much of your paycheck into your emergency savings fund as you can. Financial planners advocate that you should have enough in your emergency fund to cover your expenses for between three and six months. Hopefully, if you do get laid off, youll also have a severance package that’ll help you pay the bills. However, the more you can sock away, the more peace of mind youll have if the axe falls.
5. Do Your Research Find out what kind of severance packages your company has offered in the past. Chances are that some of your colleagues have survived previous rounds of job cuts and can give you some general guidelines regarding what to anticipate. With a tiny luck, you might be pleasantly surprised at your companys generosity and realize theres no reason to panic.
6. Do Your Housekeeping Often, when layoffs are announced, employees are rushed out the door and given tiny time to pack up and state goodbye. This is generally to prevent unpleasant scenes. However, if you think you might be facing a swift heave ho in the near future, you'd be smart to pack up your important possessions in advance. Make duplicates of work samples, performance reviews, and other key documents. Make sure you transfer all of your contacts to your Computer. Begin lugging home your extra pairs of shoes and family photos.
7. Remember to Look on the Bright Side At worst, getting laid off is a temporary trial (and you'll get through it, I promise). At ideal, your layoff might be the kick in the pants you need to find a more fulfilling job. I interviewed dozens of successful career changers for my forthcoming book and many of them spoke of being thankful for their layoffs (some of them volunteered or even begged to be let go). Their severance packages gave them the time and chance to pursue the careers of their dreams. If youve been unhappy in your current career path, this layoff might be your chance to explore your options.

Common myths

Most of the commonly said myths about resumes come from people who still live in a world of paper. The fact is that resumes are now seldom on paper. The means by which to deal with documents without paper has been on the desks of managers for more than 15 years. If a manager is still using paper, he is probably looking for a job like you're. If the resume is not on paper then many of the commonly held myths are no longer valid, and I explain some below.

I understand that for many this transition away from paper might be painful, but it is a necessary step toward a superior and more productive life. Paper is a habit, best broken and many of the reasons for this should be obvious. Paper can only be in one place at a time. Paper must be read. You cannot do an accurate keyword search on paper. The list goes on and on and goes to the very health of the planet.

Below are some things that you should do to combat the many common myths about resumes.

Ignore the 2 page limit

There are no page limits to a resume. There might have been at one time limits to the length of resume. This was because the resume was on paper and had to be read by the hiring manager. If the resume is in a soft document, like a word-processed document the hiring manager is more apt to use the features of the word processor to scan the document to make a decision. That decision will be based upon the keywords and the descriptions surrounding the keywords in the resumes. Keywords are the key!

Don't Be brief

If you envision the hiring manager at a desk with a stack of resumes on the corner of the desk and the hiring manager has to read all of them, you would conclude that shortening the hiring manager's pain would be in your favor. But remember that there's no stack of resumes on his desk. There's a list of documents in a directory on his hard disk.

If you wish your resume to be compatible with the majority of word processors use a easy format like Text, (TXT, not attractive) or Rich Text, (RTF, very attractive). These should be available on all systems both, Windows and UNIX.

Don't have them printed at the printer

In a paper-based world, in the past, this might have been appropriate, but in a computer-based world, the paper is redundant. It isn't even a good transmission medium. It has weaknesses inherent in the physical world. It can only be in one place at a time, it takes up space, it must be read, word by word, etc.

A word-processed document can look just as attractive, can be shared by many and can be transmitted instantly, much faster than mail or even a fax. It takes up much less physical space. It can be scanned for keywords and evaluated based upon keyword frequency and/or density. And besides it can also be read if you care to.

Don't use one resume, many cover letters

In the recruiting business the only means by which a recruiter can communicate with the hiring authority is by the resume. There are no cover letters involved with recruiters as a rule. Cover letters might have been appropriate if you went to a printer with your resume along with several reams of fancy paper and had them offset printed at great expense. Then a cover letter would have been appropriate. It would have enhanced or gave “corroborative detail, intended to give artistic verisimilitude to an otherwise bald and unconvincing narrative.” (My apologies to William S. Gilbert.)

A word-processed resume is flexible, can be easily changed and adapted to the requirements of the position applied for. You need not make the expenditures of fancy paper, printing or postage. And as it is flexible, the important details for each and each job can be changed. The cover letter becomes redundant.

As a recruiter myself I have the ability to say, “None of the hiring managers with whom we deal will read or accept a cover letter”.

Don't Fax resumes to employers and recruiters

Faxed resumes have all the disadvantages of paper resumes and the added disadvantage that they often fade. Faxes are labor intensive. To put them in a modern office setting they require either re-typing or OCR and word by word inspection and changing.

You see, a soft document, which a fax is not, can be scanned by search engines and can be found later in an instant based upon the frequency of certain search words contained within. A fax will have to be adapted to this search engine by a rather labor intensive process. It does not make a good impression.

Comprehend that you have (1) prepared the resume with a word processor and then (2) printed it. Then you've (3) faxed it, and then (4) it needs to be OCRed and (5) inspected and corrected before it can go into the search engine. If you just sent the word-processed file, it could go directly into the document search engine. That would be a two step process and the second step is a fast one. Which would give the ideal impression to a prospective employer?

Don't use faxes if you can get away with it. But consider that companies that still use faxes are not apt to be competitive in the years to come.

Proactive Approach - Resume is a sales tool

What you are doing with a resume is trying to convince someone to act in your favor. It doesn't help you a bit if you put unattractive statements in the resume. That should be obvious. The hiring authority reading your resume is looking for very predicable things. Those things are in the job posting. For the resume to be effective it must have complete contact information. Leaving contact information off the resume gives the impression that the applicant is hiding.

If you have any overseas experience, you should put your current visa status in a prominent place. If it isn't in a prominent place, the worst is likely to be assumed. Even if you’re a citizen, make that clear to the reader/decision maker.

Keywords are important

Just like a college professor, the hiring authority likes to see their own words, and so put the same keywords (buzzwords) from the job posting in the Experience section of the resume.

As said before, the resume isn't read. It is often scanned by a search engine and selected upon the number and selection of keywords. Once a resume is retrieved by a search engine, it will be viewed by the hiring manger.

He’ll open each with his word processor. At this point he might read the document but most hiring managers are busy, so the document will be searched for keywords using the “Find” function. When the keyword is found, the surrounding text will be read.

If he doesn't see all of the keywords he's looking for, that resume will be put on a back burner so to speak or rejected all together. We’ve a few hiring agencies that have clerical staff examine the resumes for the key skills and experience, and if they don't see everything asked in the job requisition the whole resume is rejected.

Skills summaries are not important

Here's a tip: The skill summary is ignored. The skills listed in a summary don't indicate the level of experience or understanding of those skills. All of the hiring managers with whom I have spoken, pass the skills summary off as hype. They don't think about it.

We stress this over and over. You can put anything into a skill summary, but it doesn't indicate the quality of the skill and that is important. The hiring manager is aware of that, and have often told us that they consider it hype. Yes, you can have a skill summary, but don't rely on it. All of the hiring managers that we speak to ignore them.

Write the resume to fit the job

You know from the job order what the hiring manager is looking for. You know that the current market is very bad with many people applying to a few jobs. Hiring managers write the job order in such a way to get the most bang for the buck and so they'll load the requisition with as many skills and tools as they’ve the ability to.

However, this is good because it gives you, the applicant, the means to write your resume to fit that hiring manager's needs. All you've to do is see that the requisite skills and tools necessary are in the Experience section of the resume.

The Work Experience Section is Very Important

Where the hiring manager is going to look is the Experience section of the resume. Most of your time should be spent there. It is there that the hiring manager will be able to associate the skills, tools and activities with the company, the location, the beginning date and the ending date. This gives the hiring manager the best view to evaluate the skills, tools and activities of the candidate.

So that is where you concentrate those very important keywords. Be sure that you portray yourself with the greatest strength that you can. All of your qualifying skills, tools and activities should be thoroughly explained. Remember there are no page limits. It is the details that's important.

Be Positive

Remember that you're selling yourself. This resume is the tool that you use. You should never place anything negative in your resume. You should never explain why you didn't get along with your former employer or co-workers. You should never complain about the conditions where you worked. One mention of a negative nature will have your resume in the wastebasket before it is read any further.

Conclusion

There are no page limits, you do not use paper, don't fax, you don't send a cover letter, you don't rely upon the skills summary and you put the keywords (skills, tools and activities) asked for in the job requirements in the Experience section of the resume. These are the things we have seen successful job seekers do.

Dean W. Johnson is a technical recruiter and website developer. He has over 30 years experience in the personal industry and has worked through many paradigm shifts, from Mainframes through Minicomputers through Computers and on to networked and internet worked computer systems. He has worked in both software and hardware. He has lived in a paperless world for more than 12 years. He now recruits for the IT industry and webmasters several websites.

Studies have shown that most people form an thought about another's capability or competence within the first two minutes, and as much as 93% of a person's communication effectiveness is determined by style - how someone comes across. In today's tight job market making a good impression isn’t only desirable - it is essential.

A look at a worst and a best-case scenario illustrates the point.

Worst Case

Jack is nervous about his interview as he sits in the lobby. Anyone watching can see the signs - his foot is tapping rapidly, he's muttering to himself (obviously rehearsing his lines). He’s slouched down in his chair. When he spots the interviewer coming down the hall he begins to wipe his sweaty hand on his pant leg. He stands, but as he does the magazine on his lap falls to the floor. When he bends to pick it up, he knocks over his portfolio and papers fall out. The interviewer stands to the side observing his behavior. She is thinking to herself, “This guy is a basket case. He doesn't look like the kind of person we want representing our product line.” When Jack does pull himself together, he holds out his hand, but his handshake is weak. This interview is already headed in the wrong direction.

Best Case

Joann feels prepared and confident as she waits in the lobby for her interviewer. She knows she looks good, and, as a result, she feels good. She has practiced and prepared, and knows she can do this job. She’ll concentrate on selling herself as the solution to the employer's problems. As her interviewer approaches she stands and smiles looking directly in his direction. She notices the color of his eyes as she extends her hand. She gives a firm shake and smiles. “This is a very confident woman. Someone who shows real promise,” is the thought going through the interviewer's mind. The first impression has been made - and it is a positive one.

The Drill

It is important that your interview get off to a good start. The following seven steps or “two-minute drill” will guide you toward a best-case interview scenario.

1. Appearance counts. When you look good, you feel good. Make sure you look groomed and neat. If you were a book, would someone be attracted by your cover and want to pursue you further?

2. Your clothes and accessories should be conservative and neutral, rather than wild and loud. Your clothes are your packaging and should not take attention away from the product.

3. Non-Verbal Communication sometimes conveys a stronger message than verbal communication. When you slouch, whether you're sitting or standing, you're saying volumes about you and your confidence level. Sit up straight (like your mom always told you to). When you stand make yourself as tall as possible - shoulders back and head held high. Picture a successful screen star or Television announcer - and mimic their carriage.

4. Eye contact and smiles can indicate a confident and upbeat attitude. You'll notice that many job postings ask for “enthusiasm and energy.” This is a good chance to demonstrate your social and interpersonal skills, as well as your excitement about the opportunity you’re interviewing for.

5. The handshake sends a strong tactile message. Whether your hands are hot and sweaty or cold and clammy, you can try some tricks to control the temperature. To cool your hands try running cold water on the insides of your wrists. Use hot water if your hands are cool. If you've particularly sweaty hands try using a deodorant gel (antiperspirant) as a lotion. Your hands will feel soft and smell good.

6. Your voice and the volume of your speech convey a strong impression. Whether it is a phone interview or a face-to-face interview, it is important that you speak with enthusiasm and energy. Use a firm voice to demonstrate your confidence. If you talk in a whisper the impact will be weak and ineffective.

7. Your vocabulary reveals your communication skills and ability to interface with people - especially people you've not met before. The words you select will indicate your education and training, as well as your knowledge of the industry you're applying for. It is important to use “their” words and talk “their” speak.

Practice your first impression with someone you trust to give you objective feedback. Use a checklist to remind yourself how to handle this first encounter. You are there to make a sale - an important sale - and the product you’re selling is YOU. When you get off on the right foot the interview will flow easily. This is one impression you can't leave to chance.

Carole Martin, America's #1 Interview Coach, is a celebrated author, trainer, and mentor.

Videotaping one's self is an effective method being used more commonly for a number of business-related purposes. Even business schools are promoting the use of such a technique when trying to effectively build one's talking capabilities or presentation style. But this isn’t the only area in which this technique is used. Career consultants and recruiters will tell you that the best way to see how you come across in an interview is to film yourself, review the tape and continue to film and review until you like what you see (and thus, what the interviewer sees).

While videotaping yourself is a proven method for successful interviewing, it is a tiny more complex than simply pulling out your camera. In this article, I'll provide you with some tricks of the trade, from setting up the camera to what you should discuss to things which you should avoid.

The first thing you'll want to do it set up a video camera roughly 5 to 7 feet away from the comfortable chair in which you'll be sitting. Pay attention to the backdrop. You don't want to be sitting in front of a window, where the glare reflects into the camera and distorts the image, but you also don't want to have the sun facing onto you, as this will wash out your color. The perfect setting is in a room with a moderate amount of natural light as well as artificial; against a backdrop that complements the color you will be wearing is best. A white wall should always be considered as a last option. As for your attire, wearing navy or black is the ideal option for film. Now, start taping! You want to think of the camera as the interviewer, so keep eye contact at all times. The first time you do this it might seem a tiny unnatural, but try to rest. This is a tape that should only be seen by you, unless you’re asking a friend to review (which is never a bad idea). Be as natural as possible and remember to smile. This method is only as effective as you make it, so try to get over being self-conscious and treat it like the real thing.

What to Discuss

It used to be that you could easily predict the five most likely questions an interviewer was apt to ask. However, times have changed and now companies are leaning more toward questions that are classified as “behavioral.”Instead of asking “Where do you see yourself in five years?” behavioral questions tempt to uncover a person's core competencies. This is reached with questions focused on areas such as: problem solving skills, leadership challenges, communication, organization and coordination, assertiveness, creativity, goal orientation, and flexibility.

Consider questions that might be asked with regard to each of these categories. For example, a question attempting to uncover how the candidate copes with leadership challenges might be, “Recount a time when you had to deal with a difficult employee. What tactics did you use and what became of that employee?” Brainstorm questions such as these and think about and practice the answer you would give. Performing a general World wide web search using the key phrase “behavioral interview” will provide you with many more potential questions. Once you’ve brainstormed on what you would state, carry on a conversation with the camera as if you're being prompted with those potential questions. Ask yourself at least 5 solid questions to which you can provide a comprehensive answer. Once you've finished this step, you'll also want to ask the interviewer questions in return. Brainstorming these out prior to going on camera is yet another effective preparation technique. Beware…

Here are just a couple of additional tips that'll help you record a successful, videotaped interview:

•�� �When in front of the camera, keep your eye contact with the interviewer.

•�� �Don't shift your weight too much or fidget. Even as a natural part of your personality, this activity can convey several negative impressions such as insecurity, lack of interest, or inability to maintain focus.

•�� �Try to limit your hand movement. When presenting, you're told that movement of this kind is appealing and captivating to your audience, but when you’re in a one-on-one situation, it can be distracting, so try to keep this to a minimum. Performing the Self-Evaluation

The very last step in this process is the Self-Evaluation. It is crucial, no matter how painful you think it is, to review the video and note areas of improvement. Questions that you might ask include:

•�� �”Did I smile?”

•�� �”Did I maintain eye contact?”

•�� �”Where were my hands? Were they naturally in my lap or were they a featured part of the presentation?”

•�� �”Did I remember to address the interviewer by his/her name?”

•�� �”Was my speech broken? How many times did I state “Uh…?” (You need to get this down to 0).

•�� �And the most important question: “Did I seem like myself or was it a modified version of me?” Practice Makes Perfect

The key to this method is to continuing to practice so that you get to where you are comfortable presenting yourself and verbalizing your thoughts without being humiliated or overly self-aware. The answers to the questions are only half the test in interviews. Consider it…if interviews were all about the questions and your answers, then all of them would be conducted by phone. But that's not the case because the interviewer wants to see how you “handle” the interview. And practicing by video will show you just how well you measure up. Orrick Nepomuceno, CPC is author of Hitchhiker In The Corner Office: Avoiding The Top-10 Potholes So Your Employees Don't Hit The Road. He manages his own consulting practice - http://www.kaonconsultinginc.com - where he consults C-Level executives with Human Capital issues.