Going strong with another installment of links to visit and read.  Let us know if there’s a specific topic you would like to have more (or less) of.  As always, feel free to share your stories with us at our submit page.

1. I got a resume from Junky Butt - some more advice from a recruiter who reads ~200 resumes a day…

• One page resumes suck. Don’t EVER limit yourself to one page. Don’t listen to your collegiate/high school guidance counselor. The more info the better. If it takes 5 pages, then use all 5. I (and everyone else) will assume that if it’s not on your resume, you’ve never done it. Limiting yourself to one page my limit your opportunity to expand on what you really know.
• Don’t spend hours on a one line “objective” statement. Why? Because it won’t be read. Plain and simple. Employers want to get to the meaty parts. Your desires and objectives are secondary. If I were to write one it’d say “To retire early, eat a lot of hot dogs, drink a bunch of beer, play Xbox and get free cable”. Now..that IS an objective but probably won’t get me very far in my job search.
• Writing in paragraph form is brutal on the eyes. After 3 sentences, the words just melt off the page.
• Jacked up fonts, flowery borders, some random word processing tool and text boxes. I know you may really, really like kitty cats but c’mon…seriously.
• Submitting your resume to a job you know you aren’t qualified for. JOB: Vice President of Software Development. YOUR CURRENT TITLE/JOB: Paper hat hander outer at the Burger King.
• References are available on request. Really?? Thanks for telling me. Sincerely, 1947.
• Listing “email” as a skill. So many nasty things I can add here but I’ll refrain.
• Leaving off your contact information. Seriously. This happens all the time. What’s your effin’ phone number??
• Backwards Chronology – Dude…..who does that. It’s not cool.
• A cutesy email address. Get a new one, if only for your job search.

2. Ask Heather: First meeting with a recruiter, phone interviews where Heather Huhman answers questions like:

• What do you wear when meeting for the first time with a recruiter? Do you treat it like an interview and come in full suit garb, or can you leave the jacket at home?
• I know phone interviews are not supposed to be done on cell phones, but that’s all I have. Suggestions?
• If I’m not interested in the position any longer after the first interview, should I let the company know? If so, how should I do it?

3. Strangers at a Cocktail Party - advice from 37Signals every company should heed, so I’m posting it in full:

If you go to a cocktail party where everyone is a stranger, the conversation is dull and stiff. You make small talk about the weather, sports, TV shows, etc. You shy away from serious conversations and controversial opinions.

A small, intimate dinner party among old friends is a different story, though. There are genuinely interesting conversations and heated debates. At the end of the night, you feel like you actually got something out of it.

Hire a ton of people rapidly and a “strangers at a cocktail party” problem is exactly what you end up with. There are always new faces around so everyone is unfailingly polite. Everyone tries to avoid any conflict or drama. No one says, “This idea sucks.” People appease instead of challenge.

And that appeasement is what gets companies into trouble. You need to be able to tell people when they’re full of crap. If that doesn’t happen, you start churning out something that doesn’t offend anyone but also doesn’t make anyone fall in love.

You need an environment where everyone feels safe enough to be honest when things get tough. You need to know how far you can push someone. You need to know what someone really means when they say something.

If you have to hire, hire slowly. It’s the only way to avoid winding up at a cocktail party of strangers.

1. 45% of Employers Now Screen Social Media Profiles says Harris Interactive after surveying 2,667 HR professionals.  Frankly, we’re surprised it’s not higher given how easily and quickly these are indexed by Google.  Here’s some more:

According to the study, “thirty-five percent of employers reported they have found content on social networking sites that caused them not to hire the candidate.” The big lessons you can learn are quite obvious, but bear repeating. Provocative photos and info are a bad idea (53% of employers won’t hire you), shared content with booze and drugs is also highly dangerous (44% dismissed candidates for this reason), and bad-mouthing former employers is very risky behavior (35% reported this a the main reason they didn’t hire a candidate).

We also think it interesting that emoticons, those friendly smiley faces you see everywhere, are actually big no-nos in direct communication. 14% of surveyed employers disregard candidates for that single lapse in judgment alone.

2. Economists surveyed by the Wall Street Journal  in August predict that the U.S. economy will lose an average of 27,000 jobs per month over the next twelve months, significantly better than the 70,000 average monthly losses they forecast for July.  Better than expected is good, right?

3. Julie Erickson shares some great Pre-Interview Suggestions:

• Remember to focus on what you provide of value to solve his problems - that’s what he is interested in. I always say ”employers care about your past only as it relates to their future, i.e. shows how you can help them achieve their goals.” So, when you tell stories about past projects, relate key learnings and skills to potential projects and clients at this firm.
• Breathe. Before and during the interview. Take your time answering questions. Have a conversation. Repeat the content of the question at the beginning of your answer. This does three things: demonstrates that you are listening to the person, reinforces that you are answering the question asked, and gives your mind time to organize your answer.
• If you are asked a tough question, you can use the above techniques, as well as saying “that’s a great question.” It flatters AND buys you time. Always strive for a “charge neutral” response, meaning no indication that you are uncomfortable with the question and its topic. Also, you can give a quick answer and then follow up with a question like, “I actually wondered about XYZ in relation to that. Is that an area your company is investigating?” The principle here is to turn the conversation quickly back to the employer.
• At the end of every answer, return to discussing the job at hand. You are always directing the conversation toward how interested in, qualified for, excited about, curious about, and committed to the job being discussed. Your past experience is evidence of how well prepared you are to add value and solve the employer’s problems.
• Anticipate questions and rehearse your answers prior to the interview. Think of an actor going into an audition. S/he prepares an audition piece as well as preparing mentally and emotionally. You are going into a similar situation. Common questions are “why are you interested in working for this company?” “Why do you think you can do this position?” “Tell me a difficult situation that came up and how you dealt with it.” “Why should we hire you?”
• Remember you are interviewing the employer. Your goal is to find your ”right fit” work - work where you feel useful, valued, and aligned with your talents and purpose in life. Develop your “Must Have List” as I discuss in other posts, and then assess the position and employer using those criteria. Come into any interview with your list of questions to see how well the job matches your must have list.

4. 8 Golden Rules to Getting a Job in a Bad Economy from Careerealism.com:

• Out with the old; in with the new: Make time and create room for new learning (this is increasingly necessary today)
• Think small as in new, start-up, entrepreneurial not large, mechanistic and bureaucratic
• “Let’s make a deal” wherever and whenever you can
• Think like a Consultant: Help businesses from the outside looking in (i.e. opportunities for project work with downsized companies)
• Get excited about competing; show a competitive drive (always grasping for the gold ring)
• When life gets tough, tough! Build a bridge and get over it
• Pay attention to the consequences of the economic downturn over the last couple of years and keep your eye on the future (watch affect on globalization, agriculture, R&D, Environment, etc.)
• Showcase your leadership qualities: Think like a leader not a manager

• Practice Makes Perfect: How to Rehearse for Your Next Job Interview
• Improving Your Resume
• Q#271 - Is Getting Your ‘Dream Job’ Just Luck?
• The no-brainer guide to networking
• Learning From a Terrible Interview
• Will your college major result in a highly secure future?
• Networking Tip #2 – Request With A Note
• How to followup after applying for job (4th installment from Julie Wernau)
• Two ways to hire (and a wrong way) - Great quick read with an excerpt below:

Two ways to hire (and a wrong way)

The wrong way first: interview someone for an hour. If you like them, have them interview three or four other people in your organization for an hour each.

You’ve invested five hours of your team’s time, but really you only were looking for approval, because you’d already decided you liked the person enough to work with them for years.

All the evidence we’ve seen shows that this is a lousy predictor of future performance. And, let’s tell the truth… if the first three people love the guy, are you really going to let the fourth, junior person veto him? Or is it just an annoying courtesy?

• How to hire in uncertain times
• Google ramps up hiring amid recovery - Are others also?
• 5 Ways to Stand Out in Your Interviews
• The Job-Seeker’s Secret Weapon: It’s Pointed
• Guest post: Do something new for your job hunt, PT II
• Phone interview tip #8 via JobRadio.fm
• How One Man Found His Dream Job Through LinkedIn

• Cookie Cutters are for Baking…Not Job Searching!
• Q#324 – Best Way to Answer Illegal Question from HR?
• Still Job Hunting Like It’s 1999? - Good tips, horrible title
• Holiday Hiring Forecast: Slightly Better Than Last Year
• Phone interview tip #10 via JobRadio.fm
• Background Checking Your Next Boss
• Twitter Tips for Job Seekers
• How can a job seeker stand out?

• Should you love your job?
• 10 reasons to hire zombies
• Job Search: Clearing the H.R. Hurdles in response to How a Good Candidate Clears the H.R. Hurdles
• No Innovation = No Value = No Job
• The Lost Generation - The continuing job crisis is hitting young people especially hard—damaging both their future and the economy
• Guerilla Candidate
• Why Employees Leave—Employee vs. Employer