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.
