The Career / Business Doctor is in!

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As Tandem has grown over the past decade, more and more clients are requesting coaching sessions. Because I also do HR / Business Consulting (often traveling globally) and Resume / Career Development Consulting, my schedule can rarely accommodate the time needed for a traditional series of coaching sessions of 40-50 minutes/each.

Similarly, I get so entrenched in robust consulting projects that it restricts my ability to help companies with matters that can be addressed quickly.

That's about to change!

Starting immediately, I am rolling out my Spark Sessions service to both Corporate and Individual clients. Essentially, Spark Sessions will be all about providing quick consulting sessions addressing clients' pressing issues – a workplace dilemma, salary negotiation tips, interview tips, etc. Each session will be 15-20 minutes and will allow me to consult with clients who are asking for a brisk, collaborative consultation to address a specific issue.

As the name Spark Sessions suggests, each conversation will serve as exactly the catalyst the client needs to take the next step forward.

I've been testing the service with my top corporate clients and with my Individual VIP clients (anyone who has been a client returns as a VIP client), and it's been very successful. In the coming weeks, I'll be rolling Spark Sessions out more broadly with the goal of fully implementing them in 2018.

Is there something on your mind that could benefit from my perspective? Get in touch so that I can share details and pricing.

Your Rambling Resume is a Problem

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I got a lot of interesting e-mails, asking about the "rambling" I was referring to in my last blog post.

"What constitutes rambling," many e-mailers asked.

Good question.

Rarely, if ever, do candidates get it right on their resume. Many are far too short, which tells reviewers one thing about preparedness, confidence, etc. Far more, however, veer heavily into rambling, which is even more telling.

Why? Because savvy employers know that rambling is an indication of two things:

1. A lack of confidence. Candidates feel so uncertain and lack so much confidence about what they've done, that they feel as though they have to mention every. little. detail. in order to sound busy or important or good at multi-tasking or promotable or like a team player.

2. The inability to gauge importance. Employers want to know how you moved the mark in each of your prior positions. If, for example, you are the Director of Customer Relations, they know that you are responsible for the department that oversees customer satisfaction. They want to know how you increased customer satisfaction (and other KPIs), not the exhaustive list of responsibilities that enable you to do so.

Rambling is a resume (and interview) killer.

Let me help you!

Make More Money by Keeping Your Resume Up-to-date

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The title of this post may sound like click-bait or some late night infomercial, but it is actually true. There is a fairly straight line between keeping your resume up-to-date and increasing what you earn.

1. I write a lot about the power of quantifiable achievements on a resume, but the power of capturing your achievements is not just helpful in the past tense. If you are consistently recognizing your achievements by updating your resume, you are more likely to operate with an achievement mindset – seeing and seizing on opportunities to make an impact. That increased performance is what gets you noticed and increases the potential for a promotion.

2. To that last point, operating with an achievement mindset increases your potential for a promotion, but only if the impact you make is noticed. By consistently updating your resume you are habituating the process of concisely communicating your achievements. So, when it comes time for your performance evaluation, you can come to the table with a clear outline of the impact you have made, which increases the likelihood that you will get a raise or bonus.

3. I can't tell you how often clients get in touch and need a rush resume update because the perfect job showed up, but they are not prepared to apply to it. If you always have your resume at the ready, when opportunities arise, you are prepared. Not only does this mean you can quickly throw your hat in the ring, but because so many candidates won't be prepared, you'll stand out.

Companies Hire Experts and Keep Jack-of-all-trades

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Every employer appreciates someone who is really agile and can wear a lot of hats, but they hire people who are uniquely qualified for a specific role. This can be a very frustrating reality for many professionals, who are broadly skilled and can thrive in dynamic environments but, when it comes time to finding another job, realize that they need to show that they specialize in something.

Here is an example. I recently wrapped up a project with a Customer Success Manager at a data visualization SaaS start-up whose title doesn’t even begin to communicate the breadth and complexity of her role. To combat this, she had created a tome of a resume that essentially covered every aspect of her multifaceted position. Her comprehensive approach was not working; she was essentially presenting time-strapped resume readers with an overwhelming amount of information and no easy way to quickly wrap their minds around how she fit into their organization.

One of the key changes we made was to introduce some powerful new branding elements that enabled her to target the resume toward specific opportunities and highlight certain aspects of your background. By doing so, she was more successful at making it through the resume screening process (which is evaluating the resume for a specific, unique fit based on keywords and key phrases). She was then able to provide some additional texture to tip readers off to the fact that she was broadly skilled and brought so much more to the table.

If you are in a similar position, get in touch. There is a way to position yourself for a specific role, but still honor that you are agile and multi-talented.

Own Your Own Ideas

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"I implemented a new payment processing system that saved a lot of time and money"

"Whose idea was it to implement this system?"

"It was mine! I try to keep up to date on the new solutions and I thought this would be perfect for the company. I actually pitched the idea to the leadership team and they were totally on board."

That is a fairly common back-and-forth I have with my clients. During the process of creating a new resume, clients will often share an achievement that, on the surface, is impressive (saving your company time and money is perfect resume content). However, it is not rare that a little digging will turn-up something even more impressive; that the achievement was the client's idea – they just didn't think to mention it.

Executing someone else's idea well is great. But if the idea was yours, you need to make that clear.

Control What You Can

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I recently had a client request that the resume and LinkedIn profile we develop together get him higher quality offers from recruiters. There is nothing unusual about that request. What surprised me was what followed. He wanted the resume and LinkedIn profile to also reduce the number of low quality offers he received. 

Of course it makes sense to want fewer low quality offers. This particular client has some fairly rare programming expertise, so he is inundated with offers. Not a bad problem to have. Unfortunately, a large chunk of those offers are for positions that are either significantly below his “pay grade” or totally unrelated to his area of expertise. These offers are annoying.

The problem is that trying to reduce the amount of spam “opportunities” means you are making an external failing an internal problem. There is simply no way to make a resume that, miraculously, makes ineffective recruiters more thoughtful.

As I advised this client, you can only focus on what is in your control. Instead of trying to reduce the bad offers he receives, we put our energy into building a resume and LinkedIn profile that is discoverable by – and piques the interest of – recruiters with high-quality offers in his desired field. These new job search tools may do nothing to dissuade bad recruiters or stop the deluge of spam job offers, but they should increase the number of the desirable opportunities that make it to his email box.

I Don't Have Any Achievements

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"I don't have any achievements, I really just do what I'm asked to do."

I regularly hear some form of this statement, and I understand. Many people are in positions where they feel like they are simply executing a list of tasks. When you feel like you are just performing the functions of your role, it can be hard to recognize achievements. But here is the good news:

Performed Tasks = Achievements

Almost every task you perform – regardless of your role – is in some way making an impact on the organization. For example, if you are sweeping floors you are helping to create a more pleasant environment for internal and external customers. You are also potentially helping to minimize risk. The point is that there is a reason that the floors need to be swept, and that reason points to an achievement.

That example might seem like a stretch, but it highlights that you can find achievements in even the most rudimentary task. Now consider how this applies to more complex tasks and you can see how much potential there is to highlight achievements.

If you are having a difficult time identifying achievements, I suggest that you start with your job description. For each task, ask yourself:

1. What is the impact of performing this task?

2. What does performing this task well look like?

Those answers will help you to identify achievements. As a bonus, they can also make it easier for you to excel in your role, which will make it even easier to speak to achievements in your resume (and get that next job!).

It Takes More Than Just a Resume

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I often get asked to explain why I frequently reference a "toolkit of job search documents" and not simply a resume. Here are three reasons (of many) why I believe it is critical to have a job search toolkit, including a powerful resume.

The job market is still a bit of a knife fight. There are several opportunities to “tell your story” and improve your visibility among hiring managers – cover letters, resume follow-up letters, and post interview thank you letters being chief among them. In a highly competetive job market, you need to seize on every opportunity you have to set yourself apart.

“Luck is what happens when opportunity meets preparation.” Having a complete set of job search documents means you are prepared to jump on opportunities that arise and see it through. All too often I get emails from potential clients who need something “yesterday” because an opportunity popped up and they aren’t prepared.

You’re more likely to use the tools you have. Sitting down to write a cover letter from scratch or to come up with a thoughtful resume follow-up letter is enough to make most people throw in the towel. It is much less daunting to provide a thoughtful cover letter or send of a resume follow-up letter when you have a template on hand.

A powerful resume is critical, but it is just part of the equation. Increase your chances of job search success by being prepared with a complete job search toolkit.

3 Things Your Resume Does Not Need

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Have you been working with the mindset that your resume is a nuisance that periodically needs to be dealt with. Snap out of it!

If you've so much as thought any of the three following things, you need to evaluate your mindset.

1. I just need to add my latest job to my resume. I cringe. This is why I see so many resumes that read as a series of disconnected job descriptions with no clear through story. What you actually need is to take the time to thoughtfully add in your most recent position.

2. My resume just needs a quick touch up. Let's be really honest here. Chances are, it's been years since you gave your resume some attention. First clue: it still has an Objective up top.

3. I need to tell every detail of every job. If you do, nobody will read it. Instead of boring people with a list of tasks, focus on achievements since they inherently communicate responsibilities. Is your resume task-oriented or accomplishment-oriented?

Speak to the Least Experienced Person (in your field) on the Hiring Panel

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I work with a lot of clients who have extremely specialized experience – data scientists, research associates, programmers, Service Members, etc. – and I have a piece of advice that I give no matter what field they are in: communicate your experience as if you are speaking to the least knowledgeable person (in your field) on a hiring panel.

When I work with a clients in highly specialized fields, I put myself into the mindset of a person sitting on a hiring panel who is not an expert in the same things as my client, which is not too challenging given that I’m generally not an expert in their field! With that mindset, I make sure that the information in the resume is likely to resonate with that person. Doing this ensures that no matter who is part of the hiring process, every person can quickly grasp my client's qualifications and recognize the unique value that they represent.

If you are in a highly specialized field and are finding it hard to communicate your experience in lay terms, you might benefit form getting help from an outsider.