March 11th– The #LetteroftheDay is “W” as in White Paper
Every year, Career Thought Leaders, the think tank of the career industry, releases a white paper detailing trends gathered from careers industry professionals worldwide.
Back in December, employment professionals from all across the globe met for 9 live events (including in Columbus where Sarah Johnston led our awesome group) where we discussed current trends influencing the careers industry.
This Wednesday at 11 a.m., Career Thought Leaders releases their annual white paper. Join Marie Zimenoff, the CEO of CTL, for a webinar as she reveals the top trends and what they mean for the industry.
This white paper will focus on 6 key trends: Generation in the Workplace, the Gig Economy, Education, Artificial Intelligence, Social Media, and Storytelling.
I hope you can join us.
March 12th– The #LetteroftheDay is “X” as in Faxed
Recently, a colleague said she landed a new client that has not had any success with his current résumé. He claims to have submitted 18,000 applications over the last year and a half with only 2 interviews. A whopping 18,000 applications in 18 months—that is an average of 31 applications each day, every day, for the last 18 months.
Twenty years ago, job seekers had to work to submit a résumé….snail mailing, faxing, or hand-delivering a résumé was commonplace. Technology has made submitting a résumé easier than ever, however, customization and networking is the key to success.
Instead of sending out 31 résumés each day, he should focus on customizing his résumé towards each particular job application, building his network, and targeting specific companies and positions that he is interested in and qualified for. Throwing your résumé up against a wall to see what sticks is an easy way to get frustrated very quickly.
March 13th– The #LetteroftheDay is “Y” as in Year
Recently, the 7thU.S Circuit Court of Public Appeals ruled that the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) applies only to existing employees but not to external job applicants.
Unfortunately, ageism in the workplace exists and is on the rise. According to a June 2018 report issued by the EEOC, over 55% of discrimination claims in 2017 stem from age bias.
As a job seeker, there are a few simple things you can do to help prevent “dating yourself” on your résumé:
- Remove education dates
- Lose the outdated AOL email address and set up a Gmail address instead
- Have your résumé in a modern format and font
- Develop an optimized LinkedIn profile and have the URL on your résumé
March 14th– The #LetteroftheDay is “Z” as in Zip
If you have the ability to email your résumé directly to a recruiter without having to go through an ATS system, it can certainly increase your chances of your résumé being read. However, make sure you do not send your résumé as part of a .ZIP file.
When I was in recruiting, candidates would occasionally send their résumé along with other supporting documentation as a .ZIP file. I promptly deleted each and every one without viewing the résumé. Why? I can’t see what is in a .ZIP file until it has been extracted, and I was concerned about the possibility of computer viruses.
When submitting a résumé directly to an individual, use a macro-free Word document, or better yet, a .PDF copy.
March 15th– The #LetteroftheDay is “A” as in Accuracy
When preparing your résumé, accuracy is essential; not only having the document free from errors, but accuracy in the details.
The way you present accomplishments on your résumé can be as important as the accomplishments themselves.
As a potential employer, I would rather have someone show a 9.7% sales increase instead of a 10% sales increase. Why? Accuracy. Presenting exact numbers to me shows that you are in tune with your business and not simply estimating. I am especially leery of round numbers: 10%, 100%, 200%, etc.
