ChumBonus: Who Do You Know?

As I find myself contemplating a new blog entry that focuses on job postings, I realize that I have been doing this way too long.  Yikes!  Gone are the days when the pressure was on every Thursday afternoon to submit your final print copy to an ad agency by 5pm sharp for Sunday’s job section.   By Monday morning, you were sure to have a slew of faxed responses stacked on your desk to weed through (at least that’s what we hoped for!)   You had to be selective – extremely selective – with your choice of words in these employment listings (aka job postings in the internet age) because ad space, resources and budget were typically limited.  How could you make this job stand out from all of the others to peak one’s interest?  There is no doubt that times have changed – technology, delivery, speed, style etc., – but the elements of a well-written job posting, in my opinion, have not.

With the recent launch of ChumBonus, I thought it might be useful to share some tips with our new clients to promote good job posting techniques.  After all, our business model is success-based, so why not start off on the right foot to get your jobs noticed and gain traction within the crowd?   One thing to keep in mind is that today’s chums want instant feedback – or close to it – and they also won’t spend very much time reading lengthy postings.  Considering this, here’s what we recommend:

• Begin with a good job title.  Many times this is what initially gains a viewer’s interest.  List what you are looking for and include the most important MUST HAVE skill(s).   Ex: Sr. Project Manager w/ PMP Certification & SDLC
• Clearly list items that may disqualify a candidate.  We recommend mentioning this early on in your posting as you don’t want to waste anyone’s time.   Here are some examples:   Local talent only; active Secret Clearance required; we are not providing H1B Sponsorship at this time etc.
• Always include a salary range.  The majority of folks who view your job posting will opt out if the salary information is not clearly listed, or if you simply write ‘negotiable depending on experience’.  People want to know what their earning potential is and including this data will save everyone time.  If the salary range is on the low side, focus on other perks that make this job exciting (performance bonus, stock options, leading edge technology, virtual office, great location etc.)
• Be direct and to the point.  Include the most important skills and job requirements needed.  If it is a must have skill, then list it as such and state ‘no exceptions’.  You can elaborate on the specific details during the next stage of the interview process.
• Don’t be boring.  Choose an inviting format to present the position.  The last thing you want is for a potential hire to get turned off because they open your posting only to find a job description that looks like a term paper, in a never-ending paragraph format.  They won’t even last through the first sentence!  We recommend using a bullet format to summarize items such as job responsibilities, job requirements, technical skills etc. 
• Avoid template job descriptions.  If you are required to use one, we recommend sharing this longer, detailed job description with the candidate after he/she is identified.   Try to be as creative as possible to make your job stand out.

We hope you find these tips helpful.  Please feel free to share your comments, experience, suggestions and/or feedback with us.  We’d love to help you get noticed. 

I spent the early part of my career supporting the recruiting team for an IT Consulting company in New York City.  Back in those days, we called it DP for Data Processing and we did not have PCs on our desks.  As we constructed someone’s resume to present to a client or to include in a proposal, we would agonize over every sentence, indeed every word and proof and re-proof to make sure that the resume was as error free and powerful as possible.  Back then, your resume was a sacred document that you printed on thick stock and protected from the environment in plastic folders safely ensconced in your briefcase.  Those were the days. 

Yesterday, I reviewed the resume of a Quality Assurance person with a typo on the third line.  The irony was too much and I tossed the resume.  Hasty?  Perhaps.

Recently I challenged a candidate I was interviewing about a skill they had highlighted in the summary of their resume as having “extensive experience with.”  When I could see no evidence of the skill in the body of the resume I asked where the candidate had worked with it.  He said “Actually, I haven’t worked with it but I understand how it works.”  I countered that I understand how a diesel engine works, but that I do not list diesel mechanic on my resume and showed him the door.  He was shocked that I was upset about this misrepresentation of his skills. 

These days, you do not hand your well crafted resume to someone or mail it to them with a cover letter.  These days you blast it out to uncharted regions of the internet or post it for the world to see.  The trouble is the recipient of your resume is just as demanding about the quality of your resume today as we were back in 1985 and most applicants are not.    

Your objective as a resume writer is to capture the reader’s attention within 15 seconds and keep them engaged with a well written, truthful resume.  With that in mind, here are nine tips on how to construct your resume.

1. Build your resume in reverse chronological order with your most recent position first.  Do not create a functional resume that consolidates your experiences into blocks of talent like Management and Operations.  These are too hard to follow.
2. Do not repeat yourself.  If you are doing the same thing today that you did at your last job, point out the difference in industry, business cycle or whatever is different.  If you are too bored to re-write the experience, guess who is too disinterested to keep reading?
3. Include the month and year that you start and leave jobs.  We are going to ask and if there are breaks we will find them.  If you are vague, it makes us suspicious.
4. You should have a career summary at the top of your resume that grabs the reader.  If your summary is more then a quarter of a page, it is not a summary.
5. No one reads a nine page resume so no one should write one.  Looking at a nine page software developer’s resume always makes me wonder how efficient their code is.
6. Don’t change font size and fonts too much.  It is a resume not an eye test.
7. Make sure someone proofs your resume for you.  Preferably someone for whom English is their primary language. 
8. Do not lie on your resume.  I know this is obvious but the number of people who are fudging information on their resume seems to be reaching epidemic proportions.
9. Always control where your resume goes.  It is your intellectual property and should be protected.

 Happy hunting!