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Posted by Dan
July 1, 2007 |
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I was speaking with a colleague of mine yesterday and she mentioned that a recruiter from EMC Software (40,000 + employees) had given a talk to a group of her current clients. The recruiter had some specific tips pertaining to resumes and overall job search techniques, which I paraphrase here:
Regarding resumes:
- Resumes should match the job description as much as possible. So, in other words – once again, the ‘one size fits all’ approach will not work. Read the job description and use the keywords in your resume.
- Use the keywords in your summary section so the recruiter reads what they are looking for as quickly as possible. You only have a few seconds of their time at this point, so you’ve got to tell them ‘what’s in if for them’ if they bring you in.
- If you’ve had a lot of jobs then it is best to use a ‘functional’ resume approach, which focuses on skill set and has the look and feel of consulting.
- LinkedIn is very important. They use it daily in their searches. So, if you’re not using LinkedIn then start.
- Don’t get discouraged. Often times a recruiter may embellish the job description a bit – in other words, a real ‘wish list’ approach, but they don’t always expect you to have every skill requested. The most important skills are normally listed first.
- Refresh your resume often. If it’s over 30 days old recruiters assume you’ve landed because the job market is so hot right now.
- List any foreign language fluency.
Specific to phone interview screens:
- Show interest. Research the company and be specific about what you know.
- Good to be busy interviewing at other companies. It makes you more valuable, creates anxiousness on their part.
- Impress them by asking questions, such as: “what’s the next step”, “when and how can I get back to you?”
- Keep your phone messages ‘professional’ – i.e.; if you’ve got something ‘cutsie’ with your kids screaming into it on your home phone message machine remember, that’s only cute to you. Or, if you’ve got some kind of silly rap message on your cell change it over during your job search or recruiters will hang up.
- Be prepared to explain gaps on your resume.
- First impressions count – be ready for the phone screens. Keep good records.
Always critical – be nice to the Admins, they’ve got clout!
Posted by Robin Ogden – FiredUP Careers
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