“How long should a resume be?”

Here’s the deal: A trend started during the 90’s of smooshing everything onto one page only. Some people still believe its taboo to go over one page. I’m here to tell you it’s not.

I typically tell people its okay to have it be between one to three pages. I usually prefer two tops, but three are okay if it’s full of actual viable information and not just “fluff”. (Us Resume Reviewers can spot “fluff” in a heartbeat. Don’t even try it. Objective statement? References? You don’t need to include them on your resume. Share something useful – like skills or experience.)

Now there is an exception to the one to three page rule and that is this:

If you are in a very particular trade, say you have a PhD in Epidemiology or you’re an Astrophysicist…then of course it’s expected that you have many pages as you will essentially have much more to talk about. Those resumes tend to go up to about seven pages. Of course that’s unusual, so most job seekers should stick to the one to three page rule.

Trying to write an awesome resume? Check out my other resume tips!

Photo credit chip.hedler

The Bureau of Labor Statics indicates that caregivers, home health aides and personal aides will  experience rapid growth in job opportunities, with demand doubling for these employees between 2008 and 2018. Pay for these positions is around $10 an hour, and schedules are typically part time and flexible. If you are currently caring for a loved one, consider whether you’re cut out for it professionally; many people will need compassionate care as our population ages in coming years. If you enjoy providing sensitive support for other people, now is a great time to investigate becoming trained as a home health aide, caregiver or personal aide career (regulations vary by position and by state).

Being a caregiver isn’t easy but there are lots of resources that can help you if you need advice about caring for a loved one in a home setting. Lift Caregiving has great advice to share, including an entire section dedicated to sharing advice for people who are working while being a caregiver.

Many people find that balancing a part-time or full-time job along with being a caregiver isn’t doable. But if you are considering moving into a healthcare career, taking time away from work to provide caregiving services doesn’t even result in an employment gap on your resume – it provides a seamless transition into your new role.

If you haven’t had the opportunity to be a caregiver, there are probably local volunteer organizations that could help give you a good idea whether it’s the right job for you. You may even have an elderly or sick neighbor who could use a helping hand. Even if you don’t discover a new career, you will have a positive impact on someones life which is a win-win either way!

Courtesy of facebook.com/jeremylin7

How many of you have taken on temporary jobs, despite suspicions that you may be viewed as a disposable resource – a number, not a person?

How many of you have relied on the kindness of friends and second-cousins to let you couch surf in their living rooms when you didn’t have your own digs to call home?

And how many of you have been doubted, underestimated and written off – only to seize what’s seemingly your last opportunity to break through – and make a slam dunk? (We’re talking about flat-out posterizing…)

We see the job data, and we read your email; both are chock full of stories of struggle and “I got hired” tales – so we know that a lot of you can answer a resounding “yes” to the first two questions. And hopefully – yesterday, today or tomorrow – you could or can answer “yes” to the third question, too.

NBA baller Jeremy Lin can now answer “yes” to all three questions. He bounced around the job market. He crashed on a teammate’s couch. And then he blew the heck up.

Jeremy…who?

The Google-trending, Chinese-American point guard for the New York Knicks has a story that transcends sports. After playing college hoops at Harvard and not getting drafted, he managed to fight and claw his way to the last seat on the bench for a few NBA squads, only to be released again and again. Then after his most recent game of human hot potato, Lin ended up on the injury-ravaged Knicks – a team in the No. 1 media market known for high expectations and low production. Patrick Ewing is so 1985.

The Knicks were on the verge of another stinker of a season. Both of the team’s multimillion-dollar superstars were out of the line-up. Then Lin got the start. The Knicks won eight of their last nine games. And the rest is history, spelled out in the headlines of New York tabloids with plenty of cheesy Lin puns that we don’t need to revisit here. Lin leads the league in points since starting; he’s scoring more than Kobe Bryant and Lebron James. Hear him talk once, and you’ll realize he leads the league in humility, too.

Reality check

Take some motivation from Lin, the guy who Tebow’d Tebow from Underdog of the Year consideration. After his most recent victory over Dallas, the defending champs, Lin told a reporter: “There were nights last year where I was just reduced to tears. I just couldn’t take it anymore…

“Last year, I was trying not to make mistakes, I was trying to fit in. This year…I was going to do it my way… If I was going to go down, I was going to go down fighting.”

If you’re thinking this guy is an NBA star who can fall back on a Harvard education. He’s going to make millions. I’m just trying to make the rent… That true. But remember the couch he called home mere days ago.

(Granted the NBA league minimum salary, which Lin makes, is exponentially higher than the minimum wage -or salaries in general- throughout the rest of the country. Lin’s struggles aren’t the same as yours or mine, but it doesn’t mean we can’t draw inspiration from his underdog story.)

More to muse…

Lin isn’t the first future member of the rich and famous set to ride an underdog story to the top:

• “Seinfeld” and “Curb your enthusiasm” creator Larry David famously talked about walking through the streets of New York picking out the best bridges to sleep under when his fledgling stand-up comedy career was on the brink of failure and the pantry was bare.
• “Harry Potter” author J.K. Rowling was living on welfare while suffering from depression when she wrote her first book. Today she’s worth more than $1 billion.

So if you’re in your 37th week of looking for a new job, take a break.  Sit on your couch (or the couch of someone supportive) and clear your head. Give yourself the gift of a fresh start – it’s something you need to do for yourself  before someone else extends the same. And once you get your big break, be sure to share your story.

There are many steps recruiters and HR types must take to even get you in the door for an interview. How much work can it be, you ask? To give you an idea, here’s a list of the steps I take.

And just as a side note, regardless of what company I work for, all companies will have a similar structure to the following:

Step 1: Read resume

If there are mistakes but the candidate is qualified, possibly decide to overlook fairly large quantity of typos in resume and attempt to try and arrange to interview the candidate anyway.

Step 2: Paperwork

Enter candidate into database/company system.

Step 3: Do a quick internet search

Search candidate to see if any incredibly offensive issues float to the surface, blocking their chances of being hired, let alone interviewed. (Yes, us HR types do this. More on that topic in a later article.)

Step 4: Call the candidate

Call with the intention of doing an initial phone interview with them to see how they sound and represent themselves in a candid conversation with me. If they sound rather “alive” and “with it” and can keep up with me on the phone, I will book an interview for them with my boss. If I can’t get ahold of the candidate, I leave a message, then email as a follow up to let them know I left a message and would like to speak to them. Depending on the person I’m trying to reach, phone tag can ensue for days if the candidate is not readily available. Make sure your voice mail message is professional (And FYI- if it does ensue for days because you aren’t readily available? That’s going to frustrate me and lessen your chances for getting an interview.)

Step 5: Email confirmation

Email confirmation of our mutually chosen time for their interview, as well as directions to our office is sent out. Depending on the level of the position they will be interviewing for, I will include website links for them to review about our company so they can be prepared.

Step 6: Prep file for boss

Prep file for my boss to use during the interview. This includes their resume, a cover letter if there is one, and any pertinent information I’ve gleaned from the internet that I want my boss to be privy to. If I’ve chosen to have my boss interview someone with a resume full of typos, I have to physically go into his office ahead of time and explain why I thought it was acceptable to bring this person in, despite their obvious mistakes. This can take extra time, a further review of the resume on his part, and possible head hanging in shame on my part.

Step 7: Reminder

Call and/or email job candidate the day before interview to remind them of their appointment.

See right there? That’s a minimum of seven steps… And that’s just to get you through the front door.

It took me a lot of time to go through those seven steps… Possibly hours depending on the particular candidate. So if you aren’t checking to make sure that your application or resume isn’t full of spelling mistakes or errors (like an objective that doesn’t match the job description), don’t be surprised when you don’t hear back.

“Is it okay to use color? I like color but I’ve been told it’s not allowed.”

The short answer? Color is fine.

How to use color in resumes

I actually get a little happy when I open up a resume that has color on it, possibly because I’ve spent too many hours staring at plain black and white type and it all starts to run together after a while.

Color also indicates to me that I’m looking at the resume of a self-confident job seeker, and that’s a good thing. HR and recruiter types aren’t necessarily looking for wall flowers; we want people confident in their particular skill set. Color can be an avenue to express that kind of confidence.

Regardless, I do need to clarify that color is acceptable in small doses. You can use between one and three different colors in things like:

• borders
• bullet points
• or (if you are in a creative trade) a graphic* of some kind

*Please don’t go overboard using pictures in resumes – it can go seriously wrong.

What not to do

Don’t, however, make the print (words) colorful. I want to be slightly “uplifted”, not go blind. Colored text can be extremely hard to read, and that defeats the purpose of having a resume.

Writing a resume? Check out my resume tips here!

Photo credit laffy4k

You’ve submitted it to all the possible employers you’d love to get a chance to interview with. But you don’t get a call back, and you can’t figure out why.

Here’s one VERY common reason you don’t get a response:

It’s full of typos. You’re what I call a “TLC” or a “Typo Laden Candidate”.

I’ve been a recruiter for many years now and I will tell you very candidly that when I get a resume, cover letter, or even a short email from a job candidate full of typos?

I get mad

It may sound harsh – but truthfully, my first instinct is to shred it. This is my first knee jerk reaction when I am presented with pages full of nightmarish boo-boos. However, because I am what I would consider to be a “fair” recruiter, I will actually stop and take some time to try and see past all the mistakes so that I can determine if there’s a viable candidate somewhere underneath the mess I’ve been presented with. It’s quite frankly extremely rare that I can manage to see past this obvious, glaringly blatant problem. And you have to trust me; I am not the only recruiter that operates like this.

We all do it

I can hear some of you out there getting upset as you’re reading this. You’re probably saying:

“Well that’s hardly fair. I wasn’t an English or Journalism major in college! Heck, I wasn’t even lucky enough to go to college. How dare those snooty recruiter and HR types judge me because of a few typos! That’s not really who I am! I’ve got a lot of valuable skills to bring to the table. Any company would be downright lucky to have me as their employee!”

Hmmmm, is that so?

Well just hang on there buckaroo. I’d like to explain some basic things so that you’ll have a better picture of WHY typos are so incredibly offensive to us and WHY they will ultimately land your resume in the Shredded Bin of Resume Purgatory.

Checking your spelling is simple and easy

First of all, I feel I need to point out for the sake of fairness, just in case somebody out there truly isn’t familiar with this concept, there’s this little ditty of a button that was invented a while back called “Spell Check”. It usually appears in the form of the letters “ABC” accompanied by a check mark underneath. It’s in any and all of the programs you chose to create your resume… Or cover letter… Or even your short email.

Pressing this glorious button is really rather effortless, and delightfully critiques your document in seconds. Yes, you will have to go through and click on the yellow highlighted words the little Spell Check button has told you are possibly incorrect, but this takes like what… All of three minutes of your time?

Pffft. That’s hardly anything considering the damage that leaving typos all over your resume can do.

It takes a lot of time to hire someone

In contrast to the three minutes of your time it will take to complete this final task before submission to a potential employer, there are many steps recruiters must take to even get you in the door for an interview. It takes me a lot of time to go through those steps. Possibly hours depending on the particular candidate. My company had to pay me to go through those steps when you, oh Typo Laden Resume Candidate purposefully chose not to press the “Spell Check” button on your documents before you submitted them.

Are you kidding me? Do you see how lazy that makes you look? Why would we want to hire somebody that’s lazy, and obviously can’t pay attention to detail?

Employers are ultimately looking for one thing- they want people that are willing to step up and represent their company in a way that will be fruitful, not damaging.  When a resume crosses our desk that’s a hot typographical mess, we simply don’t feel inclined to take the risk with you. We already know that you’re going to make a fool not only of yourself (because you’ve already accomplished that), but ultimately our company.

We can’t depend on you to represent us

Plain and simple.

Envision this if you will…for us to entrust a Typo Laden Candidate with the reputation of our company, it essentially feels like we’re handing the keys of the brand new family Cadillac over to a twelve year old kid and then telling the kid “Okay! Go ahead and drive! And be sure not to hit anything!”

Sure…that’ll go well.

Don’t be a TLC. Stop and take a few minutes to do the extra step of checking for typos. And then hand it to somebody you trust to read over as well, just for a double check.

Take the time to make a good resume. Because what will initially take you mere minutes can ultimately save you MONTHS of unemployment.

Happy job hunting!

“Do I need to still need to list references on my resume?”

My answer to this is NO. My reasoning is two-fold:

They’ll ask

If a company is planning on hiring you, they will more than likely have you fill out a job application as well. There will be a section on the job application where you can fill this info out.

No fluff

I’ve noticed job seekers tend to use their references as a way to add “fluff” to their resumes. Fluff is great (as demonstrated by our kitten friend there), but it doesn’t belong in your resume. It’s okay to compile a list of three or four people with varying personal experiences with you, but put it on a separate piece of paper and just have it ready to produce if it’s requested. Don’t automatically tag it onto the end of your resume. It’s not necessary anymore, and we can spot that you are just using them to lengthen your resume.

In short:

• You absolutely need to have references
•  Don’t put them on your resume

*Photo credit Khanb1

1. Not matching your application to the position you’ve applied to or
2. Writing an objective so painfully bland that it could apply to virtually anything

Let’s discuss some examples.

Objectives that have nothing to do with the job

Although our company has many different types of positions we look to fill on an ongoing basis, there are some pretty obvious backgrounds that will not be a fit for our company. These are actual objectives from resumes I’ve received in the last week alone (and remember – I work at at an insurance company):

• “To obtain a position as an engineering specialist in the field of maintenance”
• “To obtain a part-time tutoring position in Chemistry or Mathematics”
• “To obtain a position as a food server”
• “To continue my career as a veterinary assistant”
• “To get a position as an oilfield rig hand”
• “Seeking a challenging Architectural Design/Drafter position”
• “To re-enter the Beauty Industry”
• “To obtain a long-term position as an Estate Manager for a celebrity”

So really here, what am I supposed to do with these people? It makes me mad that they expect me to take my time seriously considering their resume when they clearly couldn’t even take two minutes to at least adjust their objective to generically match my particular job description or just remove it completely. They have shown me that they are either careless or unwilling to make this small adjustment; so I don’t feel one ounce of regret when I shred their applications.

Objectives that make me yawn

They are either so ridiculously generic or unbelievably plain that it makes the chances of the job seeker getting an interview with my boss slim to none.

Here are some objectives I’ve received recently:

• “To grow personally and excel professionally”
• “To obtain a full time position”
• “To perform or expand my abilities”
• “To seek employment with a company that recognizes one’s natural desire to embrace and take on new challenges, who encourages growth and always offers the ability for advancement”
• “To further my knowledge in the booming economy”
• “To better myself”
• “To utilize a position in a company where I may utilize my skills. And/or professional growth.”
• “To fulfill my desire to work for a group that is looking for an extremely intelligent individual much like myself.”
• “Securing a job with an established organization that could lead into a fortuitous and lasting relationship.”
• “To climb the ladder of success”
• “Financial security”
• “To obtain employment with a company or institution that would allow me to continue to enhance my skills in business or related areas.”
• “To do my best and give my all in everything that I do, I don’t like to do things halfway I always like to complete it or not do anything at all.”

Do you see what I mean here? The statements aren’t really saying anything unique that relates to the hiring process, and that space could have been used for something meaningful like a profile of skills or a list of education and accolades…  Or the job seeker could have just jumped right in with a list of work experience.

So just say no to objectives; you’ll place yourself miles above the rest of the crowd.

Happy resume writing!

“I really don’t want to change my email address just to look for a job. That seems like such a hassle. Can’t I just use the one I’ve been using forever?”

Well that depends. If your email address begins with “snookumsforever” or “ihatewhales”, you might want to reconsider.

Making up a generic one such as “jasonsmith1” is normally the way to go, but if you can be clever and come up with something that will catch our attention in a good way? You will definitely score some brownie points with us.

Here are two real life examples that made me chuckle: “getrichquick” from a guy named Rich, and “Hopeforthebest” from a lady named Hope. Pretty stinkin’ smart eh? I saw those email addresses months ago and I still remember them. Now if you think you’re being cute and have put an email address on your resume like “amanda269” or “ilovedoubledeez” you bet your bippy your resume’s gonna be shredded like a hot potato. Don’t do that.

And if you’re still going to argue with me that it’s ridiculous to have to create a separate email address and continually log in to check for responses, I have to say this to you: you more than likely already log in to email, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and possibly (if you’re a smart job seeker and networking like you should be) LinkedIn. You’re going to use the excuse that you just don’t want to open up ONE MORE site? So that you can get gainfully employed? Come on.

“I had a couple of people tell me they don’t like my email signature I set up. I don’t see what’s wrong with kittens though, they are so cute when they hop around on the screen! Do I really have to get rid of them?”

Ummmm, yeah. And like right away. I’ve noticed email signatures seem to be a little out of hand lately. If you’ve put some quote, saying or picture on your automatic email signature that you think is just oh so coy or necessary for the world to read and know about you, chances are you should dump it off. Eliminate it completely; it’s not necessary to have an automated email signature. While kittens aren’t terribly offensive, they give off an air of childishness and irresponsibility, and they certainly aren’t going to land you a job in that corner office with the breathtaking view.

Even more of a hot button with me when it comes to email signatures is religion. Don’t talk about it.  UNLESS you are applying for a job in a ministry, synagogue, temple etc., don’t bring it up. Please. There is nothing more offensive than having somebody email me and then at the bottom of the email they put “Oh by the way, Jesus Saves.”

Really?

What if Christianity isn’t my bag? One lady sent me an email message with her resume and she had a floating Jesus avatar actively signing me from my computer screen. Up and down, back and forth, he was continually facing me and crossing me. I was so focused on this moving avatar I couldn’t concentrate on the words in her message to me. I was too distracted by the Bouncing Jesus.

Here are some creative ideas to impress a loved one without blowing your budget, straight from Snagajob members (and you can bet I’m going to use some of them! Being thrifty is sort of my thing).

Gifts from the heart

Amanda: “My husband learned to make construction paper roses because I complained that roses die too quickly… it barely costs anything because we already have everything at the house! ”

Ricky: “Making a scrapbook of the past year (movie tickets, receipts, pictures, etc).”

Tiea: “Making Hershey kiss roses ♥”

Amanda: “Leaving small notes randomly, like on the fridge, with words like “You mean the world to me, I love you”… Or “thanks for making a great dinner last night.” Words of love and compliments can go a long way – especially if they find the note in their suitcase once they get to work.”

A cheap night out (or in)

Jenny: “My favorite low budget surprise from my boyfriend was the night he set up a camping tent in the middle of the backyard, with a cooler full of Heinekins, a bowl of Hershey’s Kisses, a bunch of candles, blankets, a DVD player, and my favorite movie, “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers”. Nothing says “I love you” more than a guy willing to camp out to an MGM musical for his girl!”

Rachel: “We wait until kids are asleep to celebrate (saves on babysitting),  I make him a romantic dinner and dessert and he gives me a massage!”

Laquita: “My fiance comes home to all the lights off (saved money on the light bill!), candles lit, a bubble bath, waiting popcorn in the microwave and a sweet love story playing ”

Cait: “We start off exchanging cards in the morning, which makes a great start to the day. Once he’s done at work, he brings me flowers, we get dressed up, and go out to a small little diner for an appetizer and dessert. Afterward, we go home, cuddle up together and watch a movie. We’ve spent no more than $40 dollars. It’s not about what you spend. It’s about who you spend it with. ♥”

Marylin: “I will make my hubby his favorite chocolate candy (Peanut Butter Delight). Get a footlong Turkey Sub (our favorite) which is about $9.00 take it home and watch a movie in front of the fireplace.”

Karla: “Buy scented candles from the dollar store, have home cooked meal and movie time. It’s really about spending time with that person!”

Nicole: “A Romantic home cooked meal with the perfect lighting (candles included), your favorite love music and in lieu of gifts you each go back down memory lane about your favorite moment with your significant other..such as the first time you met, or your first kiss or the moment you knew you were in love. I believe making memorable moments far outweigh monetary gifts.”

Low-cost luxury

Darace: “Couples massage at a massage therapy school ($25)”

Kha: “I make chocolates for him. It’s less expensive, and tastes so much better too! And you get to decorate it however you want. Then with the rest of the chocolate, I just make fondue out of it with some strawberries and marshmallows then watch a nice movie at home. Everything probably only cost me $20-25.”

Totally free

The bottom line: Celebrating someone special – whether it’s a significant other, your family, friends or yourself -  doesn’t have to cost much (or any) money. The important thing is to appreciate the wonderful people in your life!