Dear Bev: Do you have any tips on how my resume should look?

By Beverly Weinstein

If it’s true that first impressions are formed within minutes of meeting someone, you can be sure that the first glance at your resume makes a lasting impression as well.

This isn’t to suggest that content isn’t important; it is. But how that content is packaged is equally critical to the discerning eye of a recruiter or hiring manager.

Does anyone really read for content?

Eventually. But that’s a subject for another column. This is about first impressions.

The following breaks these areas down with some helpful tips not only on resources, but also on resume “don’ts.”

Templates

There are plenty of good ones to choose from and lots of samples online. A great starting point is careerhubblog.com, which features career writers and coaches. Just start clicking on the resume writers, their pictures and links are on the far left of the opening page. You don’t have to drill down very far into individual sites to find a variety of resume samples and accompanying templates offered for free. I found several that were visually appealing in less than three minutes. You can go to DearBev.com to find the links. Of course, if you like their free information, all will happily work with you on content, but for a price. (Take a look at our links under Career Links in the right hand column for more great resources for resume templates!)

How long is too long?

My rule of thumb is anything over two pages tells me you’re in serious need of a good editor or worse, you’ve taken the resume from your first job and just kept adding while neglecting to refine. However, if you’re just starting your career, two is one too many. It’s a good idea to stick to one page.

Chronology

Short stints at multiple jobs can be a problem, but so can staying at the same place for too long, unless you reflect it properly.

Start by listing the parent company and total years there. Individual jobs at the company can be listed underneath. If your company was acquired and you’re still working at the new company, make a note in parentheses, but take credit for the full time span. No one likes a job hopper. Don’t make the mistake of looking like one when in fact you’ve moved up the ladder at the same organization.

It’s safe to assume you’re going to be hired based on the job(s) you’ve held within the last five-to-seven years. Those are the ones that should occupy the prime real estate on your resume: page one.

Type Face, Italics and Bold, Plus Bullets

Unique can work for some things. Typeface on a resume isn’t one. Pick something common and easy to read. Times New Roman, Bookman, Arial. You get the drift. It’s OK to mix a few but don’t go crazy.

The eye is drawn to boldface and to italics. Make sure to use them for company names and positions you’ve held.

Long sentences make resumes look dense. Use bullet points.

Extras

There are some template examples that use boxes and even graphs. If done properly, they can make a resume stand out. Done improperly, they have the opposite effect.

If you want to chart out your accomplishments, do it in both bullets and a chart. See which one is more direct. Are the lines in the chart distracting? Do the bullets do just as good a job at highlighting the facts? If so, keep it simple. Want to highlight something specific in a box?  A simple outlining will make a bold statement, but if it’s too big, it will just detract from the rest of your accomplishments. Again, look at samples and decide what kind of graphics will work with you, not against you.

This tricky question was posed to AskTheHeadHunter.com‘s Nick Corcodilos who,  like me, answers job seekers’ questions from a recruiter’s point of view.

The woman who wrote in to Corcodilos said her husband had started a new job 2 weeks ago and wasn’t sure if it was ethical to speak with someone about another opportunity or if he should mention that he just started his job 2 weeks ago in the discussion with the hiring manager. It was a job he had applied to but hadn’t heard back from. And now here he is, fresh at his new position and he finally hears back from a job he wanted more. So what should he do?

Corcodilos advised not to divulge anything he didn’t have to in the interview, saying while some might think going on an interview only 2 weeks into a job is an unethical thing to do, simply exploring a better opportunity is not unethical.

I would agree and tend to advise candidates to always learn about new opportunities, at the very least, to stay abreast of what is going on in your industry, to keep in the know about new start ups and new positions, network and meet hiring managers at other companies, and start to think about what may lie on the horizon.

Corcodilos goes on to say that unless the company offers the man in question a job, he isn’t being asked to make any ethical decisions, he’s simply becoming educated.

If and when the new job is offered, however, is where the situation gets sticky. Explaining to a relatively new employer that you’re leaving after such a short tenure, might tarnish your reputation. But Corcodilos says, if you don’t intend on doing this again for awhile, the gains in taking the better opportunity might outweigh the damage to your reputation, that you will eventually recover from.

An interesting and astute point Corcodilos made was that while some might find jumping ship two weeks in to be a pretty unfair thing for an employee to do, it’s just as ethical a concern as downsizing is for an employer.

If the opportunity is a better one in more ways than one (meaning not just salary, but in experience and opportunity for growth), then I say it is certainly worth your time to explore. As Corcodilos said in his column, it’s business, not a tea party. So, while I certainly don’t endorse the idea of up and leaving a post so soon and as a recruiter, I work to find my clients reliable candidates who will stick it out for the long run, exploring and learning about new opportunities is definitely not a crime.

The Steam Room: Anonymous Media Executives Sound off on Media Biz Issues

“Rodney had nothing on digital salespeople.”

By Michael Fairhaven

We all know Rodney Dangerfield’s famous quip – “I don’t get any respect around here!” When he first copyrighted that saying (if he didn’t, he should have!), there wasn’t such a thing as the Internet, or the profession of being a digital
salesperson. But if he were around today and spent a few minutes living the life of one, he would have a completely different perspective on what no respect really means.

Why is it that millenials feel that they don’t have to communicate properly? We’ve all read postings and articles about the poor training they have, their helicopter parents, and their sense of entitlement. But can’t they at least show a smidge of
decency? I mean, is it really asking too much to let us know when their plans change?

I understand they get invited to every event created by the good Lord above. But if they’ve RSVP’d that they’re going to come, don’t you think that if their plans change and they decide they can’t make it that they would have the decency to let us know?

Last night I hosted an event that I had originally sent out invites for over 5 weeks ago. I sent regular reminders and politely let people know that I understand that plans change, but since the event required us to wait for everyone to be there
before we got started, that they should please send me a note to let me know if they wouldn’t be able to make it.

Out of the 20 agency folks who said yes they’d be there, how many do you think never showed and never sent me a note letting me know. In my mind, just totally blew me off? How many? Let me give you a hint, if it were one or two, I wouldn’t be writing this right now. It was 8. Unbelievable. 40% no showed after RSVP’ing yes.

I continue to hold out hope that things will get better for this generation. That they will develop a modicum of respect as they mature. But alas, it wasn’t the case for Rodney, so I can’t hold much hope for me.

The opinions expressed in guest blog posts to not represent those of Beverly Weinstein or Markham Media.

One cool thing about blogging and social media is the sense of community something so impersonal as virtual communication can actually create. I found out about Blog Action Day on Twitter and decided to participate and join almost 10,000 other bloggers in posting about Climate Change today. While climate change isn’t really what Dear Bev is all about, a big part of what we talk about on this blog is the importance of social media and social networking. So why not put my money where my mouth is and take part in a social media effort for the greater good and show what a powerful force this new medium can be. If you have a blog, start some conversation on yours about climate change, too. Or like me, just start some conversation on the power of social media to get these communications flowing. Any thoughts on climate change? Any ideas on making the media industry more eco-friendly?

Sharing jobs means more time but does it mean less credibility among colleagues?

The New York Times recently ran a piece in their “Preoccupations” column about two advertising sales executives who share their job. What pray tell does this mean? Well, just how it sounds, the two women featured in the article tackle one job together. And from the sounds of it, they’ve made the arrangement work pretty darn well for themselves and for their company, Glamour magazine.

The job sharing scheme is appealing to parents who want to balance home and work priorities without either one tipping the scales. Why can’t I be a good parent and a good executive at the same time? The old conundrum that stumps and challenges so many working moms and dads could seemingly be solved by finding a like-minded partner to split the work week and job responsibilities with.

And while the article’s heroines, Joan O’Rourke and Jennifer Turano, have mastered the art of the job share, so much so that they won salesperson–er people– of the year last year, it seems that this arrangement could pose potential problems. “Jen and Joan” as their colleagues and clients affectionately refer to the duo, place great emphasis on both of them being completely involved in every aspect of what they’re doing. They take extensive notes for eachother so that neither one is ever left out of the loop. They never want the company, colleagues, or clients to feel that their situation is problematic or inconvenient and it takes time and effort to avoid the complications that could arise. They are clearly both devoted to the job and not just looking for a light work week with a nice pay check. They are goal oriented and genuinely want to be as successful at their job as at the other endeavors they undertake in their time off  (most likely parenting.)

But the author, Jen, admits that they are an expensive team. Glamour obviously pays them each a salary and provides benefits, for a job that could theoretically be done by one person. Of course, they share the commission, but two base salaries is an investment the magazine must have made in what they knew would be two top-notch sellers.

So what if you’re not yet a star player? What if you are a great worker who wants to be given a chance to grow and knows you will one day excel, but don’t necessarily have the track-record just yet? I would surmise that this situation is less likely to come to fruition for you.

Additionally, if this is, as I would imagine, a female dominated sect of employees that seek out this type of work arrangement, will your male counterparts take you less seriously or resent the freedom you have? There’s no doubt in my mind that “Joan and Jen” deserve the respect and appreciation that Glamour gives them. They work hard, and in some ways, maybe harder in their 3 days per week than someone without a partner to keep in the loop. And sure, they make less money because of their shared commissions, but it seems likely that those not sharing jobs could take a duo, who are clearly stating they have other priorities outside the job, less seriously than their fellow cubicle dwellers who are in the office all 5 days.

Would that be fair? Of course not. If “Joan and Jen” can get just as much as one person done without causing any inconvenience and their company is willing to shell out the extra salary for the stellar accounts they bring home, then kudos to them for balancing work and family. More companies, in my mind, should recognize and encourage this type of collaboration. But the real questions is, will they?

What do you think? Please leave comments and let me know how you view this kind of work arrangement and if you have experience job sharing?

By Beverly Weinstein

Of course you should always be truthful. The issue isn’t honesty, it’s more about delivery. Words and positioning are everything. So my advice is to think about how you tell the truth. I never encourage a lie, but once something has been said, it’s become part of what is used to form an opinion of a candidate.

It’s fairly common for someone to blurt out their feelings about why they left a job or why a job didn’t work out. Mostly this is preceded or followed by a statement that goes something like this, “I would never say this on an interview, but I wanted to tell you the truth.”

Recently I asked a candidate why they left one job for another one. “I was really bored working on the same business,” was the answer I got.  Ouch! What if they had said, “I wasn’t feeling challenged,” or “I was looking for a new challenge.” I made the suggestion that they might consider positioning it that way in the future. But, as far as I was concerned, it was something that had already gone into forming my opinion of the person.

The candidates I talk to are almost always in the business of selling and marketing. They spend hours tweaking power points, refining speeches and searching for the right words or the best positioning. They rehearse their pitches before going to see the client, they give speeches while looking at themselves in the mirror. I wonder, why not use the same care when it comes to talking about themselves?

How about if you’ve been fired or “agreed to disagree?” Try to explain it in a single sentence. Use two sentences if you really feel the need. Any more and you start saying things you shouldn’t. Candidates have shared excruciating detail on failed strategies, poor management, and unreasonable goals. Not theirs, but those of the boss they bumped heads with who has fired them. The more information I have, the more questions it raises about the candidate.

What do you say when it comes to money? This is an area where I believe there’s a tendency to “fib,” especially for more junior candidates. Here’s a tale to keep in mind. A few years back, a candidate told me their base salary. It didn’t square with their level of experience or with the norm for their employer. They didn’t get the job either, because my client didn’t think they were worth the salary in comparison to other candidates. Not too long after that I had an occasion to talk to the candidate’s boss. I asked what the salary range was of people working for them. My “fibber” had added $20,000. Fast forward three years and they are in the job market again and knocking at my door. No need for me to confront them, but I’m always going to question their integrity going forward. It’s just much better to say something like, “I would need at least (fill in the blanks) to make a change.” Or if it’s too early to talk about salary,  “I really want to understand if it’s the right opportunity first.” In this case, better to plead the fifth, than to tell a lie.

Read the column on Media Post.

By Beverly Weinstein

Of course you should always be truthful. The issue isn’t honesty, it’s more about delivery. Words and positioning are everything. So my advice is to think about how you tell the truth. I never encourage a lie, but once something has been said, it’s become part of what is used to form an opinion of a candidate.

It’s fairly common for someone to blurt out their feelings about why they left a job or why a job didn’t work out. Mostly this is preceded or followed by a statement that goes something like this, “I would never say this on an interview, but I wanted to tell you the truth.”

Recently I asked a candidate why they left one job for another one. “I was really bored working on the same business,” was the answer I got.  Ouch! What if they had said, “I wasn’t feeling challenged,” or “I was looking for a new challenge.” I made the suggestion that they might consider positioning it that way in the future. But, as far as I was concerned, it was something that had already gone into forming my opinion of the person.

The candidates I talk to are almost always in the business of selling and marketing. They spend hours tweaking power points, refining speeches and searching for the right words or the best positioning. They rehearse their pitches before going to see the client, they give speeches while looking at themselves in the mirror. I wonder, why not use the same care when it comes to talking about themselves?

How about if you’ve been fired or “agreed to disagree?” Try to explain it in a single sentence. Use two sentences if you really feel the need. Any more and you start saying things you shouldn’t. Candidates have shared excruciating detail on failed strategies, poor management, and unreasonable goals. Not theirs, but those of the boss they bumped heads with who has fired them. The more information I have, the more questions it raises about the candidate.

What do you say when it comes to money? This is an area where I believe there’s a tendency to “fib,” especially for more junior candidates. Here’s a tale to keep in mind. A few years back, a candidate told me their base salary. It didn’t square with their level of experience or with the norm for their employer. They didn’t get the job either, because my client didn’t think they were worth the salary in comparison to other candidates. Not too long after that I had an occasion to talk to the candidate’s boss. I asked what the salary range was of people working for them. My “fibber” had added $20,000. Fast forward three years and they are in the job market again and knocking at my door. No need for me to confront them, but I’m always going to question their integrity going forward. It’s just much better to say something like, “I would need at least (fill in the blanks) to make a change.” Or if it’s too early to talk about salary,  “I really want to understand if it’s the right opportunity first.” In this case, better to plead the fifth, than to tell a lie.
Read the column on Media Post.