Friday, October 29
TMG HOT JOB ALERTS!
Call TMG today!
- High visibility VP QUALITY MANAGEMENT
- Healthcare IT and FDA experience required
- Physician EMR Sales in CHICAGO and SAN FRANCISCO/SAN JOSE
- Strategic Account Executive, DALLAS--senior business development
- physician or hospital EMR sales background preferred
- Physician Account Manager for an industry-leading vendor--NO travel
- experienced project managers and practice administrators would be a great fit
Wednesday, October 27
Monday, October 25
Weekly Wisdom: October 25, 2010
10 Good Ways to 'Tell Me About Yourself'
'If Hollywood made a movie about my life, it would be called...' and nine more memorable answers to this dreaded job interview question.
July 26, 2010
You know it’s coming.
It’s the most feared question during any job interview: Do you think I would look good in a cowboy hat?
Just kidding. The real question is: Can you tell me about yourself?
Blecch. What a boring, vague, open-ended question. Who likes answering that?
I know. I’m with you. But unfortunately, hiring managers and executive recruiters ask the question. Even if you’re not interviewing and you’re out networking in the community — you need to be ready to hear it and answer it. At all times.
Now, before I share a list of 10 memorable answers, consider the two essential elements behind the answers:
The medium is the message. The interviewer cares less about your answer to this question and more about the confidence, enthusiasm and passion with which you answer it.
The speed of the response is the response. The biggest mistake you could make is pausing, stalling or fumbling at the onset of your answer, thus demonstrating a lack of self-awareness and self-esteem.
Next time you’re faced with the dreaded, “Tell me about yourself…” question, try these:
Ultimately it’s about answering quickly, it’s about speaking creatively and it’s about breaking people’s patterns.
It’s the most feared question during any job interview: Do you think I would look good in a cowboy hat?
Just kidding. The real question is: Can you tell me about yourself?
Blecch. What a boring, vague, open-ended question. Who likes answering that?
I know. I’m with you. But unfortunately, hiring managers and executive recruiters ask the question. Even if you’re not interviewing and you’re out networking in the community — you need to be ready to hear it and answer it. At all times.
Now, before I share a list of 10 memorable answers, consider the two essential elements behind the answers:
The medium is the message. The interviewer cares less about your answer to this question and more about the confidence, enthusiasm and passion with which you answer it.
The speed of the response is the response. The biggest mistake you could make is pausing, stalling or fumbling at the onset of your answer, thus demonstrating a lack of self-awareness and self-esteem.
Next time you’re faced with the dreaded, “Tell me about yourself…” question, try these:
- “I can summarize who I am in three words.” Grabs their attention immediately. Demonstrates your ability to be concise, creative and compelling.
- “The quotation I live my life by is…” Proves that personal development is an essential part of your growth plan. Also shows your ability to motivate yourself.
- “My personal philosophy is…” Companies hire athletes – not shortstops. This line indicates your position as a thinker, not just an employee.
- “People who know me best say that I’m…” This response offers insight into your own level of self-awareness.
- “Well, I googled myself this morning, and here’s what I found…” Tech-savvy, fun, cool people would say this. Unexpected and memorable.
- “My passion is…” People don’t care what you do – people care who you are. And what you’re passionate about is who you are. Plus, passion unearths enthusiasm.
- “When I was seven years old, I always wanted to be…” An answer like this shows that you’ve been preparing for this job your whole life, not just the night before.
- “If Hollywood made a move about my life, it would be called…” Engaging, interesting and entertaining.
- “Can I show you, instead of tell you?” Then, pull something out of your pocket that represents who you are. Who could resist this answer? Who could forget this answer?
- “The compliment people give me most frequently is…” Almost like a testimonial, this response also indicates self-awareness and openness to feedback.
Ultimately it’s about answering quickly, it’s about speaking creatively and it’s about breaking people’s patterns.
Thursday, October 21
Wednesday, October 20
Tuesday, October 19
Ask a Recruiter: Not Flip Flops
What constitutes "business casual" dress?
That depends on the occasion--for instance, though you may be allowed to wear jeans in your current office, wearing jeans to a job interview that calls for "business casual" attire is not appropriate. Drawing from the same example, it's generally better to be a little overdressed than underdressed.
In brief: business casual = comfortable + professional.
Use your instincts.
Ask a Recruiter: Not Flip Flops
What constitutes "business casual" dress?
That depends on the occasion--for instance, though you may be allowed to wear jeans in your current office, wearing jeans to a job interview that calls for "business casual" attire is not appropriate. Drawing from the same example, it's generally better to be a little overdressed than underdressed.
In brief: business casual = comfortable + professional.
Use your instincts.
Monday, October 18
Weekly Wisdom: October 18, 2010
Smoothing Out a Bumpy Work History
Ten jobs in 10 years might look like a job hopper or a committed consultant, depending on how you present your work history in a resume.
By Lisa Vaas, http://www.theladders.com/
Doneé had been searching for work in the digital media industry for nearly eight months by the time she hooked up with career coach Adriana Llames, author of "Career Sudoku: 9 Ways to Win the Job Search Game". Doneé had in-depth industry knowledge, plenty of contacts and is good at networking.
Then Llames saw her resume. Whoa.
Ten jobs in the past nine years? No wonder she wasn’t succeeding. Llames called a few executive recruiters in the digital media industry and asked if they knew, or had worked with, her client. They all said that they wouldn’t represent her because of what they called her “unstable work history.”
Llames, like all career coaches, doesn’t have the luxury of passing on such a problem child, so she rolled up her sleeves. Here’s what she did to help position Doneé’s unstable work history in a positive light, and some of the techniques professional resume writers often employ for those like Doneé with bumpy histories.
List Contracting Positions as One “Consulting” Job
In the course of reviewing Doneé’s resume, Llames found that nearly 65 percent of her positions starting in 2001 were consulting roles. Doneé is, in fact, currently consulting. So Llames grouped the consulting gigs together and focused all of Page 1 on her client’s consulting expertise and clients.Cheryl E. Palmer, a Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW), noted that many people use their names for the name of their consulting organization (i.e., James Smith Consulting Group). “It makes the resume much crisper and cleaner to summarize consulting jobs under one position and combine the dates for all of the consulting work rather than listing them all separately.”
Llames followed suit and listed the other positions, even though they each lasted about 12 months, on Page 2. But, Llames told her client, she was still concerned that what she called “her career ADD [Attention Deficit Disorder]” would come across even with the revised resume.
That makes networking all the more important. Llames suggested that, whenever possible, Doneé should try to “keep her resume to herself until she’s across the table from someone and they’re already in love with her and ready to go.”
When to Delete a Gig
It’s OK to omit those full-time positions with extremely short tenures. Palmer said that the rule of thumb for full-time positions is to omit those that last less than three months.Account for Your Time Away From Work
Shel Horowitz, ethical marketing expert and author of eight books, advised one client who'd been out of the workforce raising children for 10 years. As many resume experts advise in such cases, he highlighted her volunteer work as if it consisted of paying positions (without, of course, saying that they were actually paying positions, which would have been a lie). The client got a job as director of a local human services agency. (Click on the link that follows for our in-depth look at transitioning from full-time parenting to full-time work.)For another client, he accounted for a two-year gap by talking about the travel he did in that period.
Many professionals also mask short employment gaps by using whole-year formats for dates instead of month/year, but many hiring managers report that this raises suspicions and few resume experts recommend trying to hide gaps in this manner. Stick to the month/year format and come up with something relevant to insert into the gap, whether it’s family illness, sabbatical, professionally relevant courses, volunteer work, working on a book, etc. — just make sure it’s accurate and truthful. If you’re unemployed now and lack such justifications, immediately start working on being relevant in one or more of these ways. (Click on the link that follows to learn more about handling negatives on your resume.)
Wednesday, October 13
Tuesday, October 12
Ask a Recruiter: Getting to know you, getting to know all about you
How can I improve my online presence?
- This isn't the first time I've mentioned it, but it's worth repeating. Don't mix business with pleasure: hide or completely sanitize your personal facebook page, your myspace account, your blog and your twitter feed.
- Create professional accounts on those sites and if you are not already on Linkedin, what are you waiting for? Complete your profile--all of it--join groups, contribute to discussions, get and give recommendations and check your profile stats. Did traffic to your page double when you changed your title or added some keywords? Did it bottom out?
- Join and participate in online forums specific to your industry. Set yourself apart as an expert in your field, get to know others and grow your network.
- Google yourself. Know what potential customers, business partners and employers will find if they do the same (they will).
- Stay active. You want to keep your content current. Update your information regularly and get noticed.
- Be confident: you don't have to be a technology whiz to put yourself out there.
Monday, October 11
Weekly Wisdom: October 11, 2010
6 Steps to Put Your Resume in the Right Hands
E-mail and snail mail your resume and cover letter to the source
By Mark Bartz of The Ladders
Put away your wallet. You don't need to drop hundreds, or many thousands, of dollars to blindly blast your resume and cover letter to the right employer. Here are six easy steps that will save time and money, and land you interviews in the unadvertised job market. This information comes from your peers, especially sales and marketing professionals: We followed up with (literally) hundreds of them during their job searches to learn the latest best practices for resume distribution. This information also comes from major employers who source us for America's top sales and marketing talent.
If you follow these steps you can expect a 6 to 9 percent response rate as opposed to the 1 to 2 percent response rate using the normal resume distribution methods.
Step 1: Submit your resume initially by e-mail. Set e-mail type to HTML, not plain text. Don't convert your resume to a PDF. Set your spell check so you can't send anything out without first spell-checking your message. And don't use an e-mail stationery; use a white background — no color or graphics. E-mail each employer individually — anti-spam software is set to recognize and reject mass e-mail sends. Word-wrap your sentences at 60 characters — this prevents those awkward-looking e-mails with fragmented sentences.
Send your cover letter (with contact information) in the e-mail body and your resume as an attached document. Be sure the cover letter is addressed to the recipient or Attn: HR. Your subject line should be "Resume of (Your Name) for (Job Title)." If you can, set your e-mail options as follows: the importance to 'high,' the sensitivity to 'confidential' — almost no one does this and it gets you noticed. In the body of the e-mail, be sure to state that "I am pursuing a (fill in the blank) role with your organization." And, "I've attached my resume for your review and look forward to your response." Finally, run anti-virus software frequently! Annoying little viruses may be interfering with your "open rates" as most companies run server-side anti-virus products.
Step 2: At the same time you're e-mailing the employer, mail them a hard-copy resume. Print using a laser printer on 24-lb. white paper with a lumens rating of at least 90. Don't use 'resume paper' unless you're presenting the resume in person (it doesn't scan as well as plain white paper). Mail it flat in a gray envelope: Folds don't scan well and white envelopes may become soiled moving through the mail. Hand-write or computer-print addresses on mailing labels — and be sure to use a waterproof (non-smear) pen.
Step 3: Send a follow-up e-mail to the same e-mail address you used in Step 1. In the e-mail subject header, put: "Follow-up to resume of (your name)." In the body of the e-mail, paraphrase the following:
"Attn: Human Resources: I am following up to be sure you received my resume, and to see if there is an opportunity for an interview. I am seeking a role in (fill in blank) with your organization. I look forward to meeting you in person, and I welcome your referral to any colleagues who may be interested in my unique background and skills."
Step 4: Mail a follow-up card, using the verbiage above; hand-write the note. If your handwriting is like mine (terrible!) then slow down and print the note. Use the 'thank you' blank cards they sell at stationery-supply stores like Staples, Office Depot, etc., which price out to about 50 cents each plus postage. You should get a better response with those notes vs. not using them!
Step 5: Some discreet guerilla marketing tactics: If you find an employer asking for resumes by fax but not disclosing who they are, call that fax number but change the last digit in the phone number (it will likely be a person sitting next to the fax machine); use your finesse to ask that person for an appropriate contact name within HR or the division you're targeting. If you must fax, set your fax mode to "fine." You'll likely find your fax machine currently in the "standard" mode — switching to fine mode will slow down the fax but typically doubles the clarity of the recipient's fax — test-send once to see the marked improvement for yourself.
Call the department you're considering working for and ask them to recommend a professional association for you to join. Attend meetings of that professional association as a visitor, but be sure to get training on the latest techniques in networking and informational interviewing before you try this! This sort of networking requires a light touch, particularly for the full-time job seeker.
Even if you have a contact in the organization, always phone the front lobby of the company to ask for names of HR or the appropriate hiring manager — it goes without saying to get names and titles correct. Remember there's a high turnover rate of employees at all levels these days — 50 percent every 2.4 years according to the Department of Labor — so gathering accurate contact names can be a chore but makes a much bigger impact.
Step 6: Resend your updated resume every few months while you're conducting a search, because most employers purge their resume databases at regular intervals. How often? It depends on the employer. We've seen Fortune 1000-level employers purge resumes older than 90 days; they need to because they receive an average of 400 resumes daily. A second reason they purge their files is to avoid legal discrimination (EEOC) suits. Regulatory compliance is also one of the major reasons larger employers use resume scanning software called Human Resource Management Systems (HRMS) or Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS).
Happy hunting! And of course, if you still want to spend that extra resume distribution cash, there are always charitable funds. Please let us know if you have your own insight to add to the above...we're always looking to refine our most current information.
Friday, October 8
HOT JOB ALERT!
Melissa and Kate are looking for experienced Healthcare IT consultants, project managers and systems analysts with recent MEDITECH experience. Call today to take advantage of an opportunity with a top consulting firm!
Wednesday, October 6
Ask a Recruiter: What's in a Name?
Title vs. Salary
by Marc Cenedella of The Ladders
It's always tough to land a job with a top title. Making concessions to secure one could be a mistake, however, according to career coaches. Candidates trying to land their first peak management job — one in which they have full profit-and-loss responsibility for a discrete organization — face intensive competiton when highly qualified people are scrambling for position. That's the advice of Roy Cohen, who holds the title "master career coach" at the Five O'Clock Club, a private outplacement and career-counseling club based in New York.
Their rarity makes prestige titles seem even more valuable to many job seekers — so valuable they may give up substantial salary or other benefits to obtain them. Big mistake, according to Lindsay Olson, partner and recruiter at Paradigm Staffing. Desperation — whether that means consenting to take any job that's offered or accepting an inflated title with a deflated salary — makes a candidate less appealing.
It's possible that a good title will give you better opportunities in the future — but only if the company has enough reputation that your position there can get you a commensurate job somewhere else. Titles and responsibilities vary significantly, and they are often inflated by companies that will "promote" valuable employees to higher-level titles without the salary or responsibility to match. As a result, the value of most titles has been deflated. In fact, increasing the seniority of your job title is a better tactic for a counteroffer than for an initial discussion.
Monday, October 4
Weekly Wisdom: October 4, 2010
from theladders.com
Lies My Candidates Told Me
By Sharon L. Florentine
It's human nature to tell a little white lie now and then in the name of courtesy or to avoid bruised egos and hurt feelings. But recruiters are unforgiving when the lies come from a candidate.
A dishonest candidate can damage your reputation and ruin client relationships. Ideally, you catch them yourself either by instinct or background check. But fibbing candidates can make you pull out your hair. They can also make you laugh.
We asked recruiters to share some of the biggest whoppers they've been told by candidates.
Cut/Paste/Lie
"A few recessions ago, one of my clients knew that her department was being downsized, so she sent a number of her employees to me to consult," said Lynn Hazan, president of Lynn Hazan and Associates, Chicago. "I interviewed this woman, and she seemed great; her resume looked good, but her supervisor called me almost immediately after the interview and said, ‘I'm so sorry to tell you this, but the candidate you just interviewed lied.'"
"This was back in the pre-Internet days, and the company had employees sharing computer workstations. This candidate had literally cut and pasted a colleague's resume into her resume; verbatim; word-for-word; all his experiences and jobs and skills. And when I called her and said, ‘I am unable to represent you because you lied on your resume,' her response was, ‘Well, doesn't everybody lie on their resume?'"
Accounting error
"A candidate once told me that he was earning $310,000 at his previous position and was interviewing for a role that would pay $370,000," said Kevin Collins, director of financial recruiting for Koren Rogers in White Plains, N.Y. "When it was time to produce his pay stubs, it turned out he was earning only $180,000. Needless to say, he was not hired."
Calling in … Dead?
"A candidate once claimed that someone in their family had died, so therefore they couldn't make a scheduled interview with one of our clients," said Kathleen Steffey, President of Naviga Business Services, an executive search firm specializing in sales professionals. "But then when we tried to reschedule, the candidate was nowhere to be found, and they became completely nonresponsive."
Magna cum liar
"One candidate was very, very close to being offered a job in the accounting department at a major client, and I was doing my final checks on his background, education, references," Hazan said. "When I called the university he'd listed on his resume to confirm his graduation date, the woman in the admissions office said, ‘Oh, he never graduated. He just took a few classes here and there.' He didn't get the job."
Little lie, big lie?
With all the technological tools available to recruiters, it's hard to believe candidates still try to get away with exaggerations, half-truths and lies by omission, Hazan said. One of the most common falsehoods candidates use is claiming they're still employed when they're not, she said.
"We still see candidates taking liberties with the dates of their employment; they'll say they worked at their previous position from ‘2005 — Present' when they aren't, in fact, still working there. It's just not acceptable! I just want to say to them, ‘It's OK to be unemployed. We understand. This is a recession!' You're not the first person, nor the last, without a job, but you have to be honest with me about your situation or I can't help you."
Lies My Candidates Told Me
By Sharon L. Florentine
It's human nature to tell a little white lie now and then in the name of courtesy or to avoid bruised egos and hurt feelings. But recruiters are unforgiving when the lies come from a candidate.
A dishonest candidate can damage your reputation and ruin client relationships. Ideally, you catch them yourself either by instinct or background check. But fibbing candidates can make you pull out your hair. They can also make you laugh.
We asked recruiters to share some of the biggest whoppers they've been told by candidates.
Cut/Paste/Lie
"A few recessions ago, one of my clients knew that her department was being downsized, so she sent a number of her employees to me to consult," said Lynn Hazan, president of Lynn Hazan and Associates, Chicago. "I interviewed this woman, and she seemed great; her resume looked good, but her supervisor called me almost immediately after the interview and said, ‘I'm so sorry to tell you this, but the candidate you just interviewed lied.'"
"This was back in the pre-Internet days, and the company had employees sharing computer workstations. This candidate had literally cut and pasted a colleague's resume into her resume; verbatim; word-for-word; all his experiences and jobs and skills. And when I called her and said, ‘I am unable to represent you because you lied on your resume,' her response was, ‘Well, doesn't everybody lie on their resume?'"
Accounting error
"A candidate once told me that he was earning $310,000 at his previous position and was interviewing for a role that would pay $370,000," said Kevin Collins, director of financial recruiting for Koren Rogers in White Plains, N.Y. "When it was time to produce his pay stubs, it turned out he was earning only $180,000. Needless to say, he was not hired."
Calling in … Dead?
"A candidate once claimed that someone in their family had died, so therefore they couldn't make a scheduled interview with one of our clients," said Kathleen Steffey, President of Naviga Business Services, an executive search firm specializing in sales professionals. "But then when we tried to reschedule, the candidate was nowhere to be found, and they became completely nonresponsive."
Magna cum liar
"One candidate was very, very close to being offered a job in the accounting department at a major client, and I was doing my final checks on his background, education, references," Hazan said. "When I called the university he'd listed on his resume to confirm his graduation date, the woman in the admissions office said, ‘Oh, he never graduated. He just took a few classes here and there.' He didn't get the job."
Little lie, big lie?
With all the technological tools available to recruiters, it's hard to believe candidates still try to get away with exaggerations, half-truths and lies by omission, Hazan said. One of the most common falsehoods candidates use is claiming they're still employed when they're not, she said.
"We still see candidates taking liberties with the dates of their employment; they'll say they worked at their previous position from ‘2005 — Present' when they aren't, in fact, still working there. It's just not acceptable! I just want to say to them, ‘It's OK to be unemployed. We understand. This is a recession!' You're not the first person, nor the last, without a job, but you have to be honest with me about your situation or I can't help you."
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