Career Talk: Resume References

If you are on a hunt for a new job, employers will first judge you based on your resume.  Your references are a key ingredient in your resume.  I recommend providing references when you send in your resume.  If you opt against that, I would bring them with me to the interview.  Make it easier for the employer to consider bringing you onto the team.  

First, who do you add as a reference?  Former employers are an obvious choice.  This includes supervisors and colleagues.  If you are part of a professional or trade organization and are known by business associates there, they would be a suitable choice. 

Avoid family members.  Friends would be okay in my opinion, but only as a last resort.  You are looking for individuals that can confirm specific skills that will be used in the job you are in pursuit for. 

How should you format references on your resume?  I found this graphic which shows a simple but effective format.  Remember, if these are coming in on a second sheet of paper remember to label your personal information at the top of the page, consistent with your resume.  You don't want your references to get lost in a stack and be unidentifiable.  

      

Extra points:  I recently hired for a position and the candidate that got the job not only had references that gave great feedback to verify skills but had online reviews on her personal LinkedIn profile.  While this wasn't a deciding factor for offering employment, it certainly made her stand out above the rest.  

Speaking of LinkedIn, if you have personal information online, keep it updated.  I can tell you with certainty that employers are looking online to see what they can find out about you.  

Tell the truth:  This speaks for itself.  Major employers will do a thorough background check and verify your resume information.  Don't stretch the truth.  Credentials are important.  Personal skills and characteristics are more important.

Above and beyond:  Looking for a modern way to wow employers.  Check this out.  A QR code (quick response) with a video testimonial of a reference.  

Have job search questions?  Send them my way.  I have interviewed more than 100 candidates and seen hundreds of resumes.  Happy Job Hunting!

Read about {Business Casual Interview Outfits}

Not getting call backs? Here are {5 Reasons they won't hire you}

Career Talk: Use your calendar to get a raise

October means we are in the homestretch of 2013.  You've worked hard all year and employee reviews are on the horizon.  Now is the time to start preparing for your 2014 goals.

Depending on what you are reaching for; whether it is a higher salary, a different position, a more flexible schedule or anything else, follow these tips are you are well on your way.

You can become a top member of your team by changing one simple thing.  Don't just follow-up, follow through.  There is a big difference between the two and if you can master follow through, relentless follow through, you will immediately start writing your own paychecks.

Follow up means to pursue.  Follow through means you will see the task through to the end.  See a task to the end and you will become one of your organization's most valuable employees.

I work for a homebuilder.  I oversee a team of about 20, plus more than 100 trade partners and suppliers and nearly 100 homes under construction.  If you've built a new home before you know how emotional it can be.  You are living in your current home, working, raising a family and oh yeah....also building another home. We can't tell our buyers exactly when the home will be ready for move-in and they are trying to plan their lives.  Will they be in the new house for Thanksgiving?  Christmas?  Next, add three months straight of rain and now a government shutdown, which has halted loans closing.  Now imagine all that and multiply by 100 because each of our 100 buyers what to know what is happening NOW.

Seeing a task to the end means calls, emails and more calls and emails.  Calling once to follow up isn't good enough. "I called her but she hasn't called back" doesn't cut it for top performers.  Call today, call again tomorrow and call again the next day until you get the job done.  I have a really great team but my top performing superstars all have the same mindset, follow through.  Relentless follow through.  Your Outlook calendar or your cell phone calendar is the key to making this happen.  Make yourself a reminder to follow up and make another step towards getting the task done.  

If you call on Tuesday, make a reminder to call again on Thursday.  Then, depending on what happens Thursday, decide what to do next.  After the call, send an email.  The key is to keep the conversation moving.  There is no way you can remember to do all of your follow through without some sort of reminder system.  I love my iphone calendar.  I have my default reminder to happen 15 minutes before my event.  No matter what the day brings, I can get back on track with my reminder popping up.

Take this approach with each of your tasks and you will be one of your team's most valuable members and it's those most valuable members that get the raise, get the promotion, and get to control their own destiny.  
  

Career Talk: Are you a leader or a manager?

By definition, a leader leads or commands a group, organization, or country.  Meanwhile, a manager is a person responsible for controlling or administering all or part of a company or similar organization.

If you have a team working under your supervision, this is one of the most common topics and can be a tricky role to figure out.  

Author Warren Bennis composed a list of the differences as this:

The manager administers; the leader innovates.

The manager is a copy; the leader is an original.

The manager maintains; the leader develops.

The manager focuses on systems and structure; the leader focuses on people.

The manager relies on control; the leader inspires trust.

The manager has a short-range view; the leader has a long-range perspective.

The manager asks how and when; the leader asks what and why.

The manager has his or her eye always on the bottom line; the leader’s eye is on the horizon.

The manager imitates; the leader originates.

The manager accepts the status quo; the leader challenges it.

The manager is the classic good soldier; the leader is his or her own person.

The manager does things right; the leader does the right thing.

Pretty inspiring huh, I agree.  Although I have been at the same employer for more than a decade, I am always working to sharpen my skills.  I do a lot of reading and training to lead my team at the level they deserve.  
Working at maximum efficiency isn't good enough.  It might work in the short term but until you invest your time in your team, they won't be around long.  What are your employee's personal goals?  Does their job today fit in with that?  How can you help them reach their goals?
            Figure that out and you have the recipe for success.  

When things are not going right, more times than not we have people problems.  Maybe it was a bad hire.  Maybe you hired for your need and not theirs.  Or, maybe they had great potential and you didn't invest enough time to develop it.  You might have gotten distracted because they seem to be "low maintenance" and don't ask for much help.  Trust me, they all need your time but when you only have eight hours a day, you have to choose who deserves your time. They may not "need it" as much as some others on your team but they deserve it based on how they fit in the team.  That is how you should choose to spend your time.  

Managers think about today. Leaders think about tomorrow.  
Are you thinking about next year?  You should be.  This year is almost over.  You either are on track to meet your goals or you're not and there's not much time to make major changes.  
Who do you want on your team?  Start there and build up.  That's the key to success.  When they are going the extra mile, are happy and are reaching their personal goals you are doin' it right.

See you at the top! :)      

5 Reasons They Won't Hire You

I have been with my current employer, Adams Homes since 2001.  I started as a commissioned sales associate, selling new homes in a model home.  Over the years, I have journeyed through management, first as a Sales Manager and now as a General Manager.
During my years as a manager I have seen hundreds and hundreds of resumes.  I have interviewed or met with more than 100 potential team members.  I have had really great interviews with prospective employees and some really bad ones too.

Here are the top five really really simple things to avoid when trying to impress your next potential employer.

1.  Get a professional email address.  elizabeth.porter@aamail.com works. eporter@aamail.com works.  Spicykitty@aamail.com, party247@aamail.com and sexychic123@aamail.com are really bad choices to post on your resume.  Most of us have had the same email address for years and years.  I am not saying delete your current email address but don't use it for job hunting.  Get a free account with yahoo, gmail or hotmail and come up with something simple and in professional taste.
  
2. Stop using "Revised Resume" as the name of the resume you send out.  Seriously???!!  Revised? Edited Resume?  People send me these ALL THE TIME.  Stop it!  First name, last name or last name, first name.  Porter, Elizabeth Resume or Elizabeth Porter Resume.  Don't use multiple "edited" resumes based on what you are applying for and if you are, stop announcing it.

3.  It's a resume, not a novel.  The more you type, the less I will read.  Keep your resume limited to one page.  You can have a couple attachments like letters of recommendation or awards but please, keep your stats on one sheet.

4. Send your references.  Whoever started "References Upon Request" really made resume reviewing annoying.  You are trying to sell your employer, your employer is not trying to sell YOU.  Include your references.  Add them at the bottom of your resume or on page two.  When an employer posts an ad, you can bet they get at least 50-100 applicants, maybe more.  Stop adding extra work.  Send your references and don't forget to add your name and contact info on every page.  When I am sending 50 resumes to the printer, don't take the chance I will get your papers mixed up with someone else.

5. Keep track of where you apply.  I have called countless people to set up either a telephone interview or in-person interview and they say, "Who is this?  What is the position for?"  Really??  Keep track.  It sounds so unprofessional.  Stop blasting your resume to every fax number or email you can find.  Go after a job in the field you are a fit for.
If you are lucky enough to get a call back, asking for an address of the location you will be interviewing is fine.  Full-on turn by turn directions is not.  Look it up.  Be assertive.  Google will show you the outside of the building and give you exact directions whether you are driving or walking.

Remember, there are so many applicants that employers are going through the elimination process, not the hiring process.  Once they eliminate enough candidates, they will move closer towards hiring.  Don't be eliminated for being annoying and unprepared.