DISQUS

dwacon · 2 weeks ago

Hmm... so to deal with those thorny issues like "lack of dynamic interaction from leadership" to "boss was a jerk" ???

lizryan · 2 weeks ago

Hi Dwacon, how about "boss was a supercilious cretin?"
Might as well send them searching for the dictionary.
XOXO
Liz

steverucinski · 2 weeks ago

Amen Liz, both as a reader and now as a writer (pursuing next opp) everything is so machine like. Of course resumes are what, late 19th century technology. I am working to develop a web personal page with multiple forms of media and a real live me to share with others.

lizryan · 2 weeks ago

Hiya Steve, how are you? I love the web page idea. LinkedIn profile pages are also getting cooler by the minute. You can add lots of things - a blog, a Sharepoint thingy, a Powerpoint presentation - to your LinkedIn profile these days. Cheers - Liz

elbertlane · 2 weeks ago

Liz, I do agree with your efforts to put a human voice in our resumes, I have been told by several job coaches, recruiters, and human resource personnel that this a questionable practice that has not caught on with many Employers. They have advised me that I am taking a big chance adopting this new format. Since my resume is not attracting many inquiries or interviews, I now maintain the resume in both formats and depending upon who I sending it to, I choose the one that I think is appropriate. In the future, I will maintain only my human voice version; however, I need to be employed now so I feel that it is necessary to follow the traditional format. My best clues come from the job description; for example, one of them recently stated that they wanted a "results oriented professional". That indicates tt me that the traditional format is the best one to use for this Employer.

lizryan · 2 weeks ago

Hi Elbert,
This is a widespread fallacy --- that because employers use boilerplate language in their job ads, they somehow expect or prefer that we respond in kind. We're not writing to the HR person standing at the receiving end of the Black Hole! We're writing to the hiring manager, directly. We can find that person's name and we can reach him or her -- keep reading the blog for details on that process. The Black Hole is a complete waste of time. Hiring managers absolutely respond to the human voice in both your resume and your cover letter -- I call it a Pain Letter - that speaks to the real need behind the job ad, the business pain that led to the approval for a new hire in the department. People respond to our writing more or less based on their proximity to the action - if they're clerical people performing an administrative resume-sorting function, your distinctive and confident human-voiced resume may not resonate with them or may even be aversive. But you don't want to your resume in those folks' hands in the first place!
Best -- Liz

elbertlane · 2 weeks ago

Liz, thank you again for your answer and perspective. I agree with your approach and I have attended workshops and presentations that have taught me the same approach that you are helping us to learn. Recently, at a Career Re-boot Camp, we were given a complete roadmap to finding the hiring Manager that I have just started to use. My only reason for mentioning that the traditional approach to crafting resumes is that I have to consider taking an interim or survival job just to pay the bills. As soon as I have any success with my resume, I will share my experience with the group.

lizryan · 2 weeks ago

Thanks Elbert, have you looked at any of the agencies -- Volt, Aerotek etc? In terms of survival jobs, Dish Network and Comcast are both hiring....
take care
Liz