Susan Ireland Discusses Resumes and Job Seeking in a Dynamic Marketplace
By BrainTrack Staff
November 9, 2010
Susan Ireland has been a resume professional since 1989, which means she’s worked with job seekers through a few recessions, as well as good economic times. As a resume writer, she has worked one-on-one with clients to target resumes for all types of careers and levels of employment, from new college graduates to experienced CEOs.
Her book, the fifth edition of The Complete Idiot's Guide to the Perfect Resume (2010), focuses on how resume writing has evolved as the job search process has moved online and into the social networking arena. It also covers good resume-writing principles that have stood the test of time as job seekers use their resumes as marketing pieces to move forward in their careers.
BrainTrack: How should people adapt their job hunting techniques to succeed in today's tough job market?
Susan Ireland: Online job searching is the number one way most people search for jobs. However, many people make the mistake of thinking, "If I'm posting my resume online, sending emails to companies, and networking on LinkedIn, that's all I need to do to find a new job." Not so! Job seekers need to remember that face-to-face and phone-to-phone contact is not outdated; it's still very important.
Many small businesses and nonprofit organizations don't use the Internet to find job applicants. They rely on word-of-mouth recommendations, internal referrals, employment agencies, and - believe it or not - newspaper Help Wanted ads. Even large organizations that use online recruiting technology still value human interaction in making hiring decisions.
This means that in addition to your online job search, you need to actively cultivate your in-person network, which should include professional and personal (yes, even your family) contacts. Go through your existing personal and professional contact lists. Call friends and associates, email them, take them to lunch, put yourself in situations where you can ask for information, job leads, and referrals. Also, go to career fairs, trade association meetings, library events, and social activities, always keeping the idea of networking in mind.
So, yes, job-search online for an hour or so each day. But be active in the brick-and-mortar world of networking, too.
BrainTrack: What is the best way for a hungry/desperate job seeker to get his/her foot in the door (unusual attention-getting techniques, internships, e.g.); or should people out of work for ages start their own businesses?
Susan Ireland: Being out of work for a long period of time can understandably lead to discouragement, lethargy, and depression. So it's important to keep busy, and to stay interested and active in your line of work - both for your own sanity and for your resume's sake. I'll leave the sanity part for the psychologists to discuss. Here's how keeping busy will help your resume and job search.
Employers like to see current relevant activity on a job seeker's resume. If you're unemployed, you need to come up with something to insert on your resume for your current "job." That could be an internship, volunteer work, personal project that is furthering your career development, school/training, or self-employment (consulting, freelancing, contractual work - however you want to state it). If you've been doing one or more of these things, list it on your resume as your current "job." If you're not doing any of these things, pick one and start it today (even if it's "consulting" with your neighbor on a relevant project) so you can put it on your resume.
When you have updated your resume with current activities, you can use those "jobs" as networking opportunities to find a paying job. If you’re an intern, seek permanent positions with that organization. If you're going to school, take advantage of the school's career center. If you're volunteering for a cause, you're likely working with other volunteers who can now become part of your job search network. If you're consulting, maybe there's an employment opportunity with that client or someone he knows.
In addition to looking for jobs in these situations, ask people you work for and with to write recommendations for you. Letters of recommendation speak volumes, especially when they're for an applicant who is currently unemployed and may otherwise look like a risk to a potential employer.
BraintTrack: How do resumes fit into the overall process today? Is their role changing, or are there new resume strategies people should look to implement to make themselves stand out?
Susan Ireland: The most exciting development in resume writing has occurred on LinkedIn, where members create a profile loaded with keywords, accomplishments, and recommendations. A LinkedIn profile is now expected for most professionals, and it's where recruiters and hiring managers look to find and research job candidates. This makes it very important for a job seeker to have a profile, and to be sure that profile is a good one.
The principles for creating a good LinkedIn profile are the same as for writing a good resume:
- Make it quick and easy to read by using bullet-point statements and spaces to break large blocks of text into bite-sized pieces.
- Write achievement statements instead of boring job descriptions.
- Use keywords that are relevant to your job objective so the right recruiter will find you for your ideal job.
- Resolve work history issues such as gaps in employment (current and past), age discrimination, short-term jobs, and career change.
LinkedIn has many built-in features to enhance your profile, such as a PDF download of your profile (resume), recommendations from members of your network, lists of LinkedIn professional groups you belong to, and much more.
LinkedIn is great for new college grads who are eager to build their professional networks and get a start in their careers, as well as for seasoned professionals who want to enhance their networks and connect with other professionals (including new college grads entering the workforce).
BrainTrack: How can job seekers stay in touch with your work?
Susan Ireland: As a social network junkie, I'm a moderator and discussion leader of one of LinkedIn's largest groups (Job Openings, Job Leads, Job Connections with over 220,000 members). I manage my blog and website (http://susanireland.com ), and I also post regularly about resume and job search topics to my Twitter (@susanireland), LinkedIn, and Facebook.
My most recent job search tool is Susan Ireland's Ready-Made Resumes, which is a premium membership website that offers resume templates with built-in solutions to tricky problems most job seekers face in today's tough economy.
